By Paul in Kung Fu on March 14 2008
We live in an age of popular entertainment such as popular music, popular TV and now we have popular martial arts aka MMA. MMA is the fastest growing sport on TV and is becoming big business but is it really representative as a mixture of the most effective martial art styles and techniques as it purports to be?
The difference between the sport of MMA and the classical (traditional) martial arts is immense. In MMA each fighter learns and practices a handful of techniques and skills that they pit against each other in a controlled setting. There is no real deeper meaning or philosophy behind the sport, it is purely for entertainment.
Classical martial arts have evolved over hundreds of years and becomes a lifelong quest to master the self through learning how to merge with the movements of another person. You learn in depth knowledge of how the body works and how to use the forces of nature to your advantage and generate effortless power. There are no rules or regulations, no controlled setting just the skills that wre used in actual warfare for centuries before firearms became the norm in war. These skills, when performed properly are deadly in the extreme but to prevent the practitioners becoming callous killers there are deep philosophies that underly the teachings such as Buddhism and Taoism which stress non-violence and a life of peace. This may seem paradoxical but, as one who has known several top masters I can assure you they are the most peaceful people you could ever meet. They have nothing left to prove to themselves so have no need to show off their skills to others which is usually done to gratify one’s own ego.
Unfortunately these high level arts that enable the practitioner to develop and evolve in so many ways are dying out and I fear a time will come when MMA will be all that the public know of the once beautiful nature of martial arts.
This is why, unlike many teachers who withhold so much, I push my students to learn as much as possible and also teach them how to pass on that information to others in an effective way. Part of the reason these arts are dying out is not just a lack of people who possess the knowledge but also the fact that many who do are unwilling or unable to teach that knowledge to others.
Becoming a teacher of a traditional martial art is enormously satisfying as you take students through the basics and gradually watch them develop in areas they would never have thought possible. MMA can offer nothing like the same level of teaching and development although, for the top fighters, the money and fame are strong inducements to self development albeit in the limited way that MMA has to offer.
By Paul in Health, Kung Fu, Philosophy, Training on March 7 2008
A martial art such as Jade Dragon kung fu is based on several solid principles that, while being simple to understand, are difficult to do as they usually go against our ingrained habits. One of these is the principle of moving from the centre.
To stand and move in an upright position is to be balanced and stable and able to move with effortless ease. Any deviation from this upright posture introduces tensions into the muscles which gradually drain us of energy and deteriorate from our ability to move freely. Most people tend to lead from the head when they move and so they lean forward from the waist which introduces tension into the back muscles compromising balance and stability. Try holding a horse stance in an upright position while someone pushes you from the side. Then try the same thing with your head tilting forward, you will be amazed at the difference it makes.
To get around this unfortunate tendency to move from the head the Chinese teach us to move from the body’s centre of gravity which is just below the navel - a point known as the lower dan tian which is also believed to be the storage point of qi.
Moving from this point enables the upper body to remain upright, aligned with gravity, puts much less stress on the musculoskeletal system, enables us to move with less effort and, psychologically, makes you more aware of your surroundings. It also makes you appear more graceful and less hurried (although you don’t get to your destination any slower) and, from a martial arts perspective, makes you much less susceptible to being thrown or pushed around by an opponent.
Training note: Try pushing/pulling opponent around while he moves from the centre. He will be be harder to move if he focuses on the centre and be in a much better position to counter attack if he is able to remain upright and balanced.
As always practice is the key.
By Paul in Taoism on March 6 2008
Its texts are carved in stone on the top of holy mountains, painted in gold on sacred scrolls , placed beneath a pregnant woman to ease childbirth and is regularly pored over by everyone from Taoist priests to western businessmen.The Tao Te Ching is not a typical book on Taoist philosophy as it contains no humour or metaphorical stories. It was probably not even written by its reputed author Lao Tzu (Lao Tzu simply means old master. It is believed his real name is Li Erh Tan). It probably contains texts which span over a period of centuries rather than the legendary story of it having been written in one night. It is a collection of 81 chapters or poems each of which is seemingly unconnected with each other. It is like a set of pearls, each one seperate and individual yet when put together displays a beauty and symmetry that unites them. 
Often the chapters within Tao Te Ching start off with the original sayings then seem to include commentary and explanations on them. This would seem to indicate that these commentaries were included at a later date and seem to add weight to the supposition that it was not all written by one master.
However, it is seen as the classic of Taoism. It is the most important book in Chinese literature and has been a great source of inspiration, guidance, strategy and leadership training for 2500 years. It is one of the few religious or philosophical texts that can be read and enjoyed by people of many different faiths as well as by those of no particular faith. It has no creator God, no deities, no spirits and no religious dogmas. Simply a path for us to follow if we so choose that can lead us to freedom, personal happiness, and a life in harmony with nature and our fellow man.
By Paul in Admin on March 6 2008
These blogs aim to give the reader a greater understanding of the comprehensive nature of the Jade Dragon system in particular and Chinese martial arts and Qigong in general. The aim is to give quality information not always easily found elsewhere.
Kung Fu and Qigong are huge subjects and so blogs will be added to gradually by master Paul Chapman and several of his students. If you would like to contribute blogs then please email me with brief details of who you are and the kind of thing you feel you are able to contribute. You can also register using the registration button to comment on existing blogs.
By Paul in Health, Kung Fu, Qigong on March 5 2008
In the last post I mentioned that sinking your weight to the earth is a key principle in many martial arts. It is usually referred to as “rooting”. By doing so you release tension in unnecessary muscles and so free up energy. It also means that subsequent movements you make are faster and more powerful because there is less resistance in the muscles. The best way to increase your movement speed is to release tension in the muscles that are opposing the movement. Learning to sink your weight downwards helps you to achieve this. The best example of this in Chinese martial arts is the art called Bagua. Bagua training as described here by Insde Kung Fu magazine is also taught at the Jade Dragon school and is based on flowing, circular movements where the power is generated by the root and is transmitted through twisting, coiling movements.
Balance is also aided because when we are balancing our bodies make many small movements to keep us upright. The less tension in the muscles there are then the easier it is to make these adjustments. Relaxing the weight downwards helps us to feel the ground beneath our feet and so increases our sensitivity to it which also helps us make those micro-adjustments.
The act of rooting makes you bottom-heavy and thus more rooted to the ground and stable. To prove how effective this is stand in ‘horse stance’ with both feet facing forward, knees bent, back straight, head lifted up from the crown and allow your body weight to sink to the ground. Then have a partner push your shoulder from the side gradually increasing strength to see how much you can stand without lifting a foot. if you are performing this correctly your partner should be able to apply full body weight without uplifting you. Then try it again with tense muscles and you will see and feel the difference. When you tense your muscles you lose your connection with the ground, the muscles tense up and you become top-heavy.
This principle can be applied anywhere. By rooting yourself you become better able to maintain balance for example in buses, trains and strong winds. More importantly you will learn not to hold onto tensions that you accumulate during the day. Most people tense up during periods of stress and then never really let go of that tension so it builds up over years until you get a chronic health problem. By learning to sink your weight you can release much of this stress. Try it when sitting at your desk (relax down into your chair while lifting the crown) or while driving or indeed anything you may be doing. See this article for more detailed information on how to practice rooting.
By Paul in Health, Kung Fu, Philosophy on March 5 2008
Hello and welcome to this new blog.
First a quick introduction. I am Paul Chapman and have been a student of kung fu for more than 20 years. This blog is partly a personal diary and also a forum to post my views on how the principles of ancient kung fu systems can be used to help us deal with day to day problems in our lives hence ‘being kung fu’. For more info on me and the Jade dragon system I teach in Reading, Berkshire visit Jade Dragon Kung Fu and Qigong
Most people consider kung fu to be just another fighting style like karate without realising that many kung fu systems incorporate an enormous body of knowledge that has been developed over hundreds, even thousands of years. Knowledge of how to live a life free from stress and fear in tune with yourself and the world around you. This kind of knowledge is desperately needed in today’s fast paced, electronic, materialistic age.
So how can learning a martial art teach me to really ‘let go of stress and fear and live a life where I can be true to myself’? That’s what this blog is here to explore.
I intend to introduce a new principle and discuss it in detail over several days before introducing the next principle.
Here is the first…
Don’t Fight The Earth
If this sounds like I’m getting all environmental on you then think again. I’m not, well not yet anyway.
In most good martial arts the emphasis is to sink your bodyweight downwards. This releases unnecessary tension in the muscles and is highly effective for stress relief. It is no coincidence that we use the term ‘to tense up’. Tension lifts our musculoskeletal system away from the earth. Relaxation allows gravity to take our muscles and organs back down in alignment with gravity and the effect is to make us both physically and emotionally more stable. In view of the fact that recent research says that as much as 90% of chronic health issues stem from long term tension this knowledge alone can be priceless in helping us live healther and happier lives.
Try it now.
Imagine the crown of your head being pulled up by an imaginary string and the rest of your body sinking down towards the earth.
Next post will be discussing how this affects your physical stability (crucial for any martial artist) and how you can make this principle work for you everyday.
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