Blog - Page 8 of 11 - Falling Leaves Kung Fu

Posted on October 29, 2022November 11, 2022 by Ashe Higgs

Arizona’s Most Comprehensive Tai Chi Program!

A Complete Art For Body & Mind

Tai Chi Principles: flow, center, balance, breath control, awareness — Flow, center, balance, breath control & awareness are the key Tai Chi principles taught in our program in Tempe, Arizona.

We believe Falling Leaves Kung Fu offers Arizona’s most comprehensive Tai Chi program. However, before going any further, we should clarify that this is not Taijiquan; it’s a program based on Tai Chi Principles.

Our program is based on the teachings of Grandmaster Sam FS Chin. His family’s martial art of I Liq Chuan has been refined over generations. Handed down from the mysterious nomads of ancient China to Chin, Lik-Keong, the grandmaster’s father. Grandmaster Sam learned the art from his father in Malaysia before coming to the US in 1990.

We have been offering our program in locations throughout Arizona since 2005. We have classes available in Tempe, Payson, and Sedona.

The foundation of our system is Zen philosophy and Tai Chi principles. Our program is designed to give the student a complete understanding of tai chi principles and how they can be applied to self-defense situations and every facet of daily life. It becomes a new way of thinking and looking at the world.

Our program covers everything from Qigong to meditation, striking and grappling, and even some firearms training!

By offering such a comprehensive curriculum, we can provide our students with everything they need to develop a deep theoretical and practical understanding of Tai Chi principles.

Our 21 Form is very similar to other Tai Chi forms you may have seen

What Does Tai Chi Mean?

The basic principles of Tai Chi are rooted in the philosophy of Tao, which emphasizes the center, harmony of yin/yang, and flow.

"To be clear on the point of contact is to know the difference of empty and full or we talk about yin yang; nothing else."

The Tao Te Ching says, “From wuji to tai chi, from tai chi to yin/yang, and from yin/yang, everything arises.”

The literal translation of the Chinese characters 太極 (Tai Chi) is “supreme ultimate” or “grand ultimate.” However, it’s a mistake to translate many Chinese phrases literally.

The Old Masters were keen observers of nature. They recognized that nature works in a continuously flowing cycle. The characters hint at the two most extreme points in a cycle.

Yin/yang are not opposites; they are one but different. When awareness is there, we can clearly recognize the difference between things.

We can act with wisdom and skill when we see things as they are.

The Fundamental Principles Of Tai Chi

The Princess of Tai Chi Wu, Amin — Flowing with master Wu, Amin; “The Princess of Tai Chi.” photo by Dino Oliva

Flow
Relaxation
Center
Breath
Awareness

Flow

The Tai Chi Classic by Wang, Zhongyue says, “no gap, no resistance” bù diū bù dǐng 不丟不頂. Like water, our movements should flow with the qualities of fluidity and fullness.

Water is an excellent example of how to flow with change. Water can adapt to its environment. It is always moving and constantly changing but always remains the same. Bruce Lee famously said, “water can flow, or it can crash!” Water can flow into the tiniest opening yet have the power to support a large boat or turn it over.

Be Water, My Friend

The Tao is the way of nature. It is the path that all things follow; it is the way of change. Change and transformation are the fundamental quality of nature.

To flow is to change with the change; you put water in a cup, and it “becomes the cup.” When we flow, we learn to move based on our opponents’ pressure. Like water, where they are empty, we flow in, and where they are full, we flow around, or like a tidal wave, we crash.

The secret lies in awareness. More on this is below.

Relaxation

Tai Chi is the balance of yin/yang. When we balance the body with the cycle of yin/yang, we can let go of unnecessary tension in the body. We can respond faster, generate more power and move with a sense of ease and effortlessness.

The Tai Chi principle of relaxation is a prerequisite for flow. It’s tough to drive fast with one foot on the brake. Relaxation allows us the freedom to change.

Center

Grandmaster Sam likes to use the phrase bùlí zhòng 不離中. “Never leave the center.” However, there is not merely one center; there are many. The mind and body each have a center. Within the body, there are many lesser centers. Like a cloud of soap bubbles drifting through the air, the cloud has a center, but each bubble has its own center as well. With strong attention, we can hold more centers within the scope of our awareness.

GM Sam Chin & Ashe Higgs — GM Sam Chin explains the Tai Chi principle of using the center.

“Everything is about the center; the center must be strong. Sometimes I use candlelight as an example.

When the flame is constantly flickering, you cannot see clearly. The light is steady when there’s nothing to disturb the flame, and you can see clearly.

If the center is shaky, there is no precise direction. Also, if the candlelight is too dim, you also cannot see the bigger view. You only see within a small area. If the candlelight is bright, you can see a bigger view more clearly.

You must hold the center stable to have precise direction and separation. To be strong, the center is balanced by multiple directions simultaneously.”
GM Sam FS Chin

Finding The Center

Breath control

Some Benefits of Breathwork

Become calm & alert
Improve performance
Manage stress
Improve health
Stillness & Clarity

Learning to properly use the breath has always been essential to martial arts practice. The Old Masters knew long ago that the breath was the secret to both power and longevity.

Learning to relax and breathe freely allows us to maximize our performance under pressure, whether that’s the stress of a self-defense situation, competition, or high-pressure circumstances at work or home.

Skillful breathing allows us to hit harder, have more energy and improve our health. The secret lies within the diaphragm and its link to the autonomic nervous system: the vagus nerve.

The science behind breath control has started catching up to ancient wisdom; research is verifying the experience of the Old Masters. As a result, everyone from Olympic athletes to elite special forces operatives now practice special breathing techniques to help stay calm and alert, improve performance, or manage the stress of combat and high-stakes competition.

“Your body has numerous major systems, including the endocrine (hormone), cardiovascular, immune, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. If you want to use the mind-body connection to lower your stress, cool the fires, and improve your long-term health, what’s the optimal point of entry into all these systems? It’s the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Buddha’s Brain

When we master our breath, we can perform at our best, reduce stress, activate (or deactivate) our immune system, or even use it as a tool for personal growth and development.

Awareness

One of the main goals of our program is to cultivate a heightened sense of awareness, both within ourselves and externally, of our surroundings.

In his treatise on Zen and martial arts, Takuan Soho wrote, “the immovable mind is the mind that doesn’t stop.”

By “immovable,” Soho means a mind that can’t be moved away from the center of being “present, formless, and neutral.”

Soho continues, “In battle, if your mind goes to your opponent’s sword, it will stop there, and you will be cut down.”

Likewise, Grandmaster Sam says, “If my reference is clear, then from one point, it expands and returns back. Without this clarity, then we say that you will be very easily influenced.

In meditation, we say that you train until your focus is unshakable; what do I mean by unshakable? That means cannot be moved. Concentration so strong it cannot be moved. Mentally and physically cannot be moved. Your concentration must be that strong.”

A mind that can’t be moved off its center is free of anxiety, anger, and doubt. From the center, stillness and clarity can arise. The mind becomes calm, and we see things clearly, as they are.

group photo — Group photo from one of our classes in Tempe, Arizona. Our classes can be a great way to meet new people!

Tai Chi For Self-Defense

Regarding self-defense, not all programs following Tai Chi principles are created equal.

When I first looked for a Tai Chi program, I took a free trial class at a well-known school here in Arizona. After spending 45 minutes working on a move from Yang-style Tai Chi known as “Wild Horse Parts Mane,” I asked what the self-defense application was.

The instructor looked at me blankly and said, “I don’t know. Let’s go check the book!”

I’ll give him credit for his honesty, but I don’t need to pay someone to teach me from a book, do you?

When spending your hard-earned money, do you want someone trying desperately to stay one lesson ahead of the class? Or do you want an instructor that has received direct transmission from a master?

Do you want an instructor who teaches fantasy or an instructor who understands the reality of applying their skills against a resisting opponent?

the author fighting at Legends of Kung Fu 2009 — Full contact fighting in July 2009

Grandmaster Sam Chin was known as “The Tiger of Malaysia.” He was undefeated in full-contact tournaments until he retired from fighting. The I Liq Chuan association even ran an open challenge to all comers in the local newspapers in Kuala Lumpur for many years!

Unlike my Sifu, I did not remain undefeated; however, I continued the tradition of testing I Liq Chuan’s application of Tai Chi principles in the ring. During the early 2000s, I traveled throughout the country, winning multiple championship medals before retiring from competition in 2007.

Our Instructor

If you’re looking for Tai Chi in Arizona, you won’t find a more comprehensive program. The principles of Tai Chi and Zen philosophy form the basis of our system, which has been handed down through the generations directly from the Old masters.

We offer classes in multiple locations throughout Arizona, including Tempe, Payson, and Sedona. Please contact us directly, and we will connect you with the regional instructor for class times and locations.

You will cultivate the skills of flowing, balance, breath control, and awareness.

Through those skills, you will gain a practical understanding of Tai Chi principles and how to apply them to everyday challenges and conflicts, as well as to hand-to-hand combat. Additionally, you will learn to relax under pressure and stay calm yet alert during life’s challenges.

Join us and unlock the secrets of the Old Masters!

What Equipment Do You Need For Martial Arts?

Beginner’s Guide To Best Martial Arts Equipment

If you’re thinking about starting to train, you might wonder what equipment is needed for martial arts, especially if you’re looking to train at home. But what do you need, and where can you get it? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. This article will give you a beginner’s guide to the best martial arts equipment for working out at home.

I will post some Amazon affiliate links to some gear I recommend and give some general advice on choosing the best martial arts equipment (and saving money) by buying used. You can find all of the recommended martial arts gear included in this post on our Amazon Storefront page. Your purchase helps support more content like this!

Bare Minimum Equipment Needed For Martial Arts

The good news is the amount of space and equipment you need for martial arts isn’t very long. The Old Master used to say, “kung fu can be trained in the space a cow lays down.” When it comes to equipment, you can get away with just two pieces of training gear.

a 6′ heavy bag like this: Ringside 100-pound Muay Thai Punching Heavy Bag, Black
a pair of bag gloves like these: Ringside Econo Bag Gloves

Heavy Bag

Joints and tissues need feedback and mechanical stress from impact to adapt properly and execute techniques with real efficiency and power.

A six-foot heavy bag will allow you to train ALL your kicking and striking patterns and combinations, from low, to high. You can take it down and use it to train throwing movements or lay it flat on the floor to practice “ground and pound.”

a heavy bag is an essential piece of equipment you need for martial arts. You can find the gloves pictured here on Amazon.

A six-foot, 100-pound bag will generally be heavy enough that even big men can train with it effectively.

Another important consideration for training at home is that, when hung properly, the six-foot length allows the bottom of the bag to rest lightly on the floor. This will prevent the bag from swinging wildly when you hit it and eliminates the need for a partner to hold the bag for you. This is something you cannot do with a smaller heavy bag.

Bag Gloves

A pair of bag gloves help protect your skin from abrasion when hitting the bag, and a small bar runs transversely across the glove. This helps keep your bones in proper alignment when striking to reduce the risk of giving yourself a “boxer’s fracture.” Some bag gloves also have a hook and loop strap, providing additional wrist support and preventing injury.

Regardless of the brand, I recommend buying equipment made of heavy-duty cowhide. Do not buy vinyl or “pleather” gear. It will wear out too fast and need to be replaced frequently. Equipment made of cowhide can be maintained and lasts a single user for nearly a lifetime.

MMA Gloves on Amazon

I prefer the “clamshell” style MMA training gloves pictured above because the padding allows you to use the glove as a defacto striking mitt, which makes certain partner drills easier than having to supply every other person on the mats with their own mitts. Everyone should have their own gloves, however, for personal hygiene. At the same time, the open hand still allows for grabbing, which is important for self-defense training (as opposed to sport).

Hanging Your Heavy Bag At Home

The Shrimp Trawler by Rogue is a deluxe option for hanging a heavy bag in your home gym

If you don’t have the ability to hang the bag from a rafter or other solid structure, you may need to purchase a bag stand like this:

Ringside Prime Free-Standing Station Steel Boxing MMA Heavy Bag Stand

Training your footwork, or the ability to move and strike, is important in martial arts. Generally speaking, I prefer to hang a heavy bag from the ceiling or rafters whenever possible instead of using a stand. You can move 360° around a bag hanging from the ceiling. A bag stand will get in your way and reduce movement around the bag to about 180°, and you risk accidentally kicking the lower extremities of the stand in some places.

If you want to hang your bag from the ceiling or rafter, you’ll need a nice heavy-duty steel bracket with a swivel like this:

Heavy Bag Hanger, Wall Ceiling Mount Hook 360° Rotation

Having a bracket with a swivel is important as the swivel will allow the bag to rotate after you hit it, prevent the chain from becoming twisted, and cause the bag to become tilted and move off center or otherwise ruin your workout.

This is all the equipment a single person training at home needs to get a great workout and develop some usable, fundamental striking and kicking ability.

Double-End Bag

If you have the room and the budget to add some additional equipment, the next most useful piece of gear a person training at home alone can have is something that can add a reactionary element to your training, like a double-end bag:

Ringside Boxing Double End Bag – 5″, 7″ and 9″

Unlike a heavy bag that is meant to be stationary and used to develop technique and power, a double-end bag is suspended off the floor between two bungee cords, allowing the bag to move in response to being hit. The elastic nature of the bungees means that the bag moves back towards simulating a moving and/or counter-striking opponent. The double-end bag is about speed and finesse rather than power.

Pro Tip: The bladders are fairly cheap and dry out after a few months. Nothing lasts forever, so it’s best to buy extras and have them on hand when needed.

Mats

If you have any additional budget remaining, the next consideration for any home gym should be flooring, and without a doubt, the go-to option should be stall mats like this:

American Floor Mats – Horse/Stable Mats – Heavy Duty Stall Mats –

Having some rubber mats on the floor helps protect your floor, equipment, and body. Get as many 4′x6′ mats as you need to fill your space. They should be at least 1/2″ thick, though 3/4″ is better.

Training on a rubber stall mat helps to absorb some of the impacts from things like skipping rope and helps reduce unnecessary stress on your joints over time.

WARNING: a 4′x6′ rubber stall mat is heavy; about 100lbs, so you’ll probably want some help when they show up.

You can find rubber stall mats locally by looking for the nearest “feed & tack” or “tractor supply” store nearby. You’ll save about $30/mat by buying them at a tractor supply place compared to ordering from the link I posted.

blue tri-fold mats for martial arts — 4 ft x 8 ft Gymnastics Mat

Rubber stall mats are heavy-duty, will last a lifetime, and are great for general use; they’re not suitable for wrestling or grappling. They’re too dense and too rough for grappling or wrestling. Even with high-quality grappling mats like Zebra brand, “mat burn” is still a significant issue. Grappling on a stall mat will rub your skin off practically to the bone.

If you want to train in grappling, or plan to spend much time on the floor, then you may want to invest in some folding mats like these:

4 ft x 8 ft Gymnastics Mat, Folding Tumbling Mat

Cardio Equipment For Martial Arts

A low-cost but essential piece of home gym equipment is going to be a high-quality speed rope for skipping:

woman holding a jump rope — a speed rope is a great piece of equipment for martial arts training

Skipping rope is good for developing the quality of being light on your feet and improving fitness. I didn’t mention this simple piece of kit until we had covered flooring because while a wood floor is okay, you want to avoid skipping rope on concrete or other hard surfaces if you value the health of your hips and knees.

Save Money On The Best Martial Arts Equipment

OfferUp is a great app for finding used martial arts equipment in your area.

You can save yourself money by buying the equipment used. Many people buy gear without understanding their actual needs and priorities, and after gathering dust in a closet for many years, trade it in at a used sporting goods store or sell it online through an app like OfferUp or Facebook Marketplace. Their loss is your gain, as you can buy all the equipment you need for martial arts at steeply discounted prices!

While most of the gear I linked to was from Ringside, several high-quality options exist. Generally speaking, the equipment sold by the following manufacturers will be high quality, reliable, and long-lasting, provided you care for it correctly.

When looking for used equipment, look for the following brands:

The One Brand You Should Never Buy!

photo showing a thumbs down on martial arts equipment — I do not recommend Everlast products

Do not buy anything by Everlast.

In my opinion, Everlast is a low-quality equipment brand that you should never purchase. Everlast martial arts equipment is made to be sold in big-box sporting goods stores and Walmarts. Their products are cheaply made and will not last. Save your money and buy from a better-quality brand.

There are many other better-quality brands out there that sell superior products for a similar price. You should pick from the list above and invest in a brand that will last. Everlast products are not worth your money.

Summary

Some people might think that in order to train in martial arts, they need an extensive and expensive arsenal of equipment. However, this is not the case. While there are certainly some items that can be helpful to have, the reality is that all you really need to get started is a heavy bag and some bag gloves. Of course, many other items can be useful for training martial arts if you have the space and budget.

When it comes down to it, the three most important things you need for martial arts are a good instructor, good training partners, and a good attitude.

A good instructor will not only be able to teach you the techniques you need to know but also help you develop the correct mindset. Training partners can provide support, motivation, and a different perspective on what you may not be doing as well as you think you are. It’s always helpful to have someone to train with who can offer feedback and help push you to be your best, and no piece of equipment can ever truly replace an actual human body.

The beginner’s mind is the mind that is inexperienced, childlike, and open to new possibilities. It is like an empty cup that can be filled with new knowledge and experiences. Martial arts requires dedication and commitment, and it’s not always easy. But if you approach it with the right mindset, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Don’t forget that you can find everything mentioned in this article on our Amazon Storefront page.

Can You Learn Martial Arts At Home?

Many people wonder if martial arts can be self-taught. If you’re asking, “can I invent a martial art out of thin air, with no experience and no guidance?” then the answer is, of course, “no.”

However, I think most people mean, “can you learn a martial art online?” or perhaps, “can I learn a martial art at home?”

These are much more interesting questions with nuanced answers.

This article contains some affiliate links. I earn a commission if you make a purchase.

Key Takeaways

Benefits of Online Learning

Distance is not a limitation
Make friends with people from around the world
You can learn at your own pace and rewind and review sections as needed.
You can learn from the comfort of your own home.

Limitations of Learning Martial Arts At Home

It may require the purchase of additional gear
Touch Free
No Training Partners
It can be challenging to stay motivated

woman doing martial arts online — Learning martial arts from home is possible, but with some limitations.

Before Learning Martial Arts At Home

Before reading any further, I advise you to complete the following exercise; take out a pen and paper and fill in the blanks:

“I would like to learn martial arts at home so I can ______, so I can _____.”

This simple exercise can help you find tremendous clarity on your goals and priorities regarding an online martial arts program. Clear goals and priorities can help you decide which program is right for you. (If any.)

If you answered, “I want to learn martial arts at home so I can learn to fight, so I can compete and win a bunch of trophies,” no online program can help you. Instead, you need to find a good coach near you and work with them regularly.

If you answered something like

“I want to learn martial arts at home so I can learn something new that’s fun and interesting, so I can enjoy my free time in a way that is convenient for me.”
Or “I want to learn martial arts at home because I’m interested in a certain style and there’s no instructor near me,” then keep reading.

New Possibilities

If there was a silver lining to the pandemic and lockdowns around the world, it opened people’s minds to the idea of taking online classes for things like martial arts or yoga.

Before the global lockdowns, companies like Peloton produced indoor cycling bikes and related services, including a streaming app with live and on-demand classes. The company was founded in 2012 and was already relatively popular. However, the 2020 global response to COVID left many with no option but to look online for ways to participate in a group fitness class and connect with others. The possibilities for people like me to offer our services online exploded.

But first, we need to be realistic. Learning martial arts online is not the same as learning directly in person, so naturally, there are some significant limitations and a few unique benefits.

This article will explore how you can learn martial arts at home. We’ll also look at some of the most significant limitations, how to work around them, and help you decide if our online classes (or someone else’s) are right for you.

Good Reasons For Martial Arts Zoom Classes?

There are many reasons why it might be difficult for someone to join a traditional dojo or gym. Many of these reasons are often work-related. For example, many people work nights or travel frequently, making it difficult to get to a gym consistently.

A great reason to learn martial arts online is that a particular instructor or style of martial art resonates deeply with you; however, there is no school nearby. This was the case for me in 2002.

After spending three years looking for an instructor that I felt was right, I met Prof. Em. Sam Chin, and there was no looking back. However, he lived in NY, and I live in AZ, so I have always been a remote learner. I will discuss some of the ways I managed to navigate the obstacles of remote learning in more detail below.

In 2002 it was very challenging; however, in 2022, there has never been a better time to learn remotely. Learning martial arts online may be the next best option if you want to learn a martial art but can’t join a regular dojo or gym.

Many websites and online courses can help you learn the fundamentals of martial arts from home. You can usually find videos and written instructions for specific techniques and exercises, as well as general information about the history and philosophy of the art.

You can find instructors and courses for almost any martial art style online, from Kenpo to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).

Martial Arts Exercises You Can Learn Online

All martial arts have a variety of solo exercises which teach you the important fundamental movement patterns of the art and how to use your body most effectively and efficiently.

BJJ uses drills like “shrimping” while striking arts practice “shadow-boxing.” Chinese martial arts like I Liq Chuan have basic exercises to improve coordination and balance, as well as qigong, which improves health and strengthens the mind-body connection.

In Chinese martial arts, or “Kung Fu,” these fundamentals are referred to as jibengong 基本功. These “basic exercises” are essential to progress whether you’re learning in a group class or at home. They lend themselves very well to an at-home or online course.

What To Look For In An Online Martial Arts Class

When choosing an online class or instructor, there are several things to keep in mind.

First, ensure that the instructor is experienced and knowledgeable in the martial art style you’re interested in. Unfortunately, many so-called “instructors” do not have the proper understanding or training to effectively teach martial arts, especially online.

Second, ensure that the class is structured in a way that will allow you to progress effectively. A good online program will provide clear instructions, demonstrations, step-by-step progression, and regular feedback to track your progress.

The last point is crucial. Having access to pre-recorded content can be helpful. Still, if you want to make real progress, it’s essential to choose a program where you get to ask questions and get feedback in real-time.

I engage with everybody individually in my martial arts zoom classes. I assess their movement and understanding of the material and give them a chance to ask questions on anything that might be unclear.

Martial Art Is One Big Family

Reconnecting with friends in the UK during a training camp

Without a doubt, the most important benefit of any martial arts class, whether in person or online, is the friends we make. My Sifu (teacher), Prof. Em. Sam Chin, is like a father to me, and many of my students have become some of my closest friends. In addition, I’ve met many amazing people through martial arts and had the opportunity to travel to many different countries.

Joining a martial arts Zoom class throws those doors wide open, allowing you to connect regularly with people worldwide. For example, my online course has students logging in from places like the US, Canada, and Germany.

For the whole first year of the pandemic, I Liq Chuan held daily Zoom classes as it was the only option for many students in Europe and worldwide.

Thankfully, we never really locked down here in Arizona. Yet, it was still a relief to join and sometimes lead those sessions, connecting with friends from all over during a stressful time and meeting some new members for the first time.

I Liq Chuan Zoom led by me during the pandemic

Learn At Your Own Pace

When you’re learning martial art at home or online, you can go at your own pace and pause or review sections as needed without worrying that you might be disrupting the class flow. This is a great advantage if you have a busy schedule or want to take things slowly at first. You can also rewatch videos or read through sections of written material as often as you need to understand the concepts thoroughly.

I Liq Chuan is based on Zen philosophy and Tai Chi principles. These concepts can be unintuitive or just downright confusing to Westerners, so learning at your own pace is very helpful.

Additionally, every martial art style uses specific terms and phrases to refer to different techniques or positions. Therefore, access to a glossary of terms and supplemental materials can shorten the learning curve dramatically, even if you take lessons in person.

That’s why everyone in my group classes here in Tempe also gets full access to the online materials, including over 30 hours of pre-recorded material. This library includes deep dives into the application of Zen philosophy to martial arts, how it can also apply to our daily lives, terminology, and basic exercises.

Learn Martial Arts From The Comfort of Your Own Home

One of the great advantages of learning martial arts at home is that you can do it without ever leaving the house. This means that you don’t have to commute to and from a dojo or academy, and you can train at any time of day that is convenient for you. When I was younger, I spent many hours training at midnight alone in my kitchen due to my work schedule at that time.

Additionally, if you have young children at home, this can be a great way to spend some quality time with them while also getting in your training.

Limitations of Learning Martial Arts Online

When practicing martial arts at home, you won’t have access to all the resources you would if you were learning at an academy or with a private instructor. This includes things like specialized equipment.

Here are a few items you may need to purchase for your home:

Read my full beginner’s guide to martial arts equipment for home here.

Kicking the heavy bag is a great workout at home

a heavy bag
some small folding mats if you plan to enroll in an online program for Brazillian Jiu-jitsu or Aikido.

Having equipment at home, like a heavy bag or a double-end bag, is excellent. However, they still don’t truly add a reactionary element to your training, like someone holding striking mitts or paddles for you.

This isn’t that important if your goal is to improve your fitness. However, getting supplemental coaching with a nearby trainer is necessary if you would like to develop some usable self-defense skills.

Most martial arts instructors like myself offer one-on-one appointments that you can book at a convenient time. Spending an hour with an experienced trainer online or in person is like spending 10 hours training alone when you’re just starting.

Motivation & Accountability

In addition to the lack of equipment mentioned previously, there are some other significant shortcomings when learning martial arts at home.

For example, if you want to learn martial arts at home, you must be very disciplined in your training. Letting time slip by without training can be very easy without others holding you accountable and motivating you.

Training together, we support and motivate each other and hold each other accountable for showing up to each class.

Learning at home means setting aside regular time to practice and being willing to put in the hard work required to master the techniques. Without a sense of discipline, it will be challenging to make progress.

However, if you can find a friend or family member to practice with you, this can help. Regular training partners can also help you practice the material, identify what you don’t understand or what’s not working well, and ask your instructor questions.

No Touch

Lastly, the most significant limitation of learning martial arts at home or online is the lack of touch from your instructor.

In this sense, distance is still the most significant obstacle. Complex movement skills, like those found in martial arts training, absolutely require hands-on corrections to get them right.

In the so-called “internal martial arts” like I Liq Chuan, they must be “transmitted directly,” as we say. Your instructor must allow you to touch their body to “feed you” the correct feel.

For example, in I Liq Chuan, we talk about “fork energy.” Fork energy is a concept from our system that follows the principle of “one-to-two.” Fork energy means creating at least two different vectors of force from every point of contact. One direction of force is created by either pulling or pushing directly, and at least a second is made by rotation.

These are qualities you probably won’t be able to see easily on your screen and must feel to be truly understood.

Attend A Workshop

Suppose scheduling issues or other reasons prevent you from getting to the gym regularly. However, you still want to learn a martial art. In that case, most organizations hold regular workshops or clinics.

people smiling during a kung fu workshop in Arizona — Attending workshops can be helpful if you’ve been learning at home.

If you’re learning martial arts from home, you can attend a workshop three or four times a year. Workshops or clinics help reinforce the material you’ve been studying, and you can get hands-on corrections from a qualified instructor.

While your progress will be slower following this hybrid model, it still works quite well to ensure that you have a usable martial arts skill if that’s a priority.

Workshops are always great for connecting face-to-face with the friends you’ve made through training. Although your schedule might not accommodate getting on the mats regularly, most people can still carve out a few weekends per year.

Additionally, you’ll make rapid progress when you immerse yourself in the material for a few days. So attending a weekend clinic or a week-long training camp is still a good idea, even if you participate in regular group classes.

If you’re learning martial arts at home, it’ll give you new insights to take home to deepen your practice and hopefully train with a partner. In addition, sharing what you learned with others is one of the best ways to clarify and reinforce new material.

Summary

Martial arts cannot be entirely self-taught. At best, you’ll be reinforcing habits you already have, and at worst, you’ll be wasting your time with nonsense that has no practical application.

If you want to learn martial arts at home, you’ll need to find a good instructor online who can help spot mistakes you might be making and offer additional insights.

While Zoom-based martial arts classes can be convenient or help connect you with a remote instructor that resonates with you, by themselves, online lessons are incomplete. Therefore, you must supplement your online studies with periodic personal training, weekend clinics, or occasional training camps.

You may also need to invest in additional equipment, like a heavy bag, as joints and tissues need feedback from contact to adapt appropriately and use your skills effectively.

While everybody can benefit from learning martial arts online, zoom classes are best for

someone looking for something new and exciting to do from home
or intends to practice a particular style for a long time and periodically receive supplemental training in person.

The hybrid model was the model I followed as a distance student of Prof. Em. Sam FS Chin. It took me about three years to finally build up enough skill that other people were interested in training with me. That might seem like a long time, but it was tremendously rewarding in the long run.

I have made many close relationships and have been fortunate to see many new places. When I started out, I didn’t have nearly as many resources available to me as a remote learner as you do today. Today, it’s never been more feasible to learn remotely.

Join Us

Consider my weekly, live online class if you’re interested in learning martial art online. Replays are generally available for a week. I also have a private Discord server where you can ask questions between classes, connect with other students, and access additional materials.

My Zoom classes have no restrictions on how many people can participate with you. I want to help people start study groups for I Liq Chuan in their area.

Click here to sign up today!

Posted on September 17, 2022December 8, 2023 by Ashe Higgs

Bruce Lee’s Workout Secrets Revealed

By Prince Bell & Ashe Higgs

The results of Bruce Lee’s workout were so amazing they still inspire people today.

Key Takeaways

Lee experimented with a variety of strength & conditioning methods
Lee used training techniques from old-time strongmen as well as isometrics
Lee also continued to use traditional methods of strength training from Chinese Kung Fu
Lee focused heavily on the strength of his core and stabilizer muscles

*This article contains some affiliate links

The Untold Details On Bruce Lee’s Powerful Workout Methods

Watch Prince’s video on YouTube https://youtu.be/uwU_sjMa9II

It’s hard to think about Bruce Lee without thinking of the washboard abs, those lats that spread out like a cobra, and the ripped and shredded physique. Bruce accomplished his iconic look in a time when there were even professional football players in the NFL who did not believe in lifting weights or following a strength & conditioning program.

The results of Bruce Lee’s workouts were so impressive that they continue to inspire millions of people today, nearly 50 years after his death, including many of the world’s top bodybuilders.

Champions such as Dorian Yates, Lou Ferrigno, Lee Haney, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were all inspired by Bruce’s physique.

4-time Arnold Classic Winner, Flex Wheeler, said that “Bruce was a pioneer by incorporating bodybuilding into his training as a martial artist. He took inspiration from bodybuilders and made his training more sports specific.”

“Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is essentially your own.”

Bruce was a trailblazer in many areas. He felt he should draw on many sources, only keeping what worked for him, discarding what didn’t, and then adding something uniquely his to the process.

When it came to strength and conditioning for martial arts, Bruce Lee was at least a generation ahead of everyone else at the time.

When many people think about the chiseled physique of a seasoned martial artist, Bruce Lee is probably the first person they picture.

Nearly a half-century after his death, the methods and techniques used by Lee to create his sleek, muscular appearance is something people still find fascinating today.

Like his death, many myths, legends, and controversies exist regarding Bruce Lee’s workout methods.

Bruce Lee’s Training History

In May 1965, Bruce Lee visited Hak Keung Gymn in Hong Kong and saved his workout card from his workout that day. Detractors of Bruce Lee like to use this as part of their argument for why they believe Bruce Lee is an overhyped fraud.

Before we can really look more closely at his training from that day, it’s important to rewind the clock further and understand the events that led to Bruce Lee radically overhauling his approach to his martial arts workout.

Bruce Lee’s Most Famous Real Fight

Cause and effect arise together. For better or worse, pioneers are also frequently disruptive, and Bruce Lee was no exception in this regard. Lee was already making waves in the West coast Kung Fu community in 1964. In August of that year, Lee gave a demonstration at the Sun Sing theater in Oakland.

Matthew Polly, the author of the biography “Bruce Lee: A Life,” documents the events leading up to the infamous Wong Jack Man fight thusly:

After demonstrating his martial arts, Lee proclaimed on stage, “In China, 80 percent of what they teach is nonsense; here in America, it’s 90 percent.”

“These old tigers, they have no teeth.”

Before leaving the stage, Lee made a statement that could only be interpreted as an open challenge to Chinatown’s traditional kung fu community; if anyone wanted a lesson in his art, they could find him at his Oakland school.

(In traditional kung fu culture, showing up at someone’s school unannounced and asking for a “lesson” in their style or “offering” someone a lesson is a polite way of saying you’re asking for a challenge match.)

Southern Fist vs. Northern Kicks

In November of 1964, the late, renowned master of Tibetan Hop Gar, David Chin, then just in his early 20s, along with Wong Jack Man and several others, showed up at Lee’s school in Oakland to settle the grudge match.

A very dramatized depiction of Lee vs. Wong Jack Man in “Birth of The Dragon.”

While accounts of the exact details of the fight vary, one thing was certain: Lee felt that the fight had lasted too long, and he was far too tired and winded (or “gassed”) afterward. Lee realized he was woefully unprepared for the intensity of an all-out brawl. The fight with Wong caused him to reevaluate and reorient his training program radically.

Before the fight with Wong, when Lee was still in Seattle, he was already experimenting with strength training and various conditioning methods, but he wasn’t yet taking them seriously. In one interview, Lee said that “the practice of kung fu is more important than calisthenics.”

That all changed after the Wong Jack Man fight.

bruce lee like water — Be Water, My Friend

Bruce Lee with kettlebells — 10 Tools Bruce Lee Would Love

Bruce Lee's philosophy — Bruce Lee’s Philosophy

The Evolution of Bruce Lee’s Workout Program

Bruce Lee turned to his students and friends in Oakland, James Lee and Allen Joe, to help him develop the program he was using when he visited the Hong Kong gym.

Allen Joe, at one time, used to work out with Hollywood legend Steve Reeves, so they had Bruce Lee following a bodybuilder’s routine focusing on hypertrophy (growth) rather than pure strength and performance.

Training with James Lee and Allen Joe, Bruce would eventually go from 140 to 165 lbs. At that point, Lee shifted his focus to a strength and conditioning program that complemented his martial arts practice instead of adding muscle just to be bigger. Lee rightly felt the extra mass by itself hadn’t improved his performance.

When Bruce Lee returned from Hong Kong, he was under contract for Number One Son, which eventually morphed into his role as Kato on “The Green Hornet.” At that point in his career, Lee was trying to balance several competing demands.

Lee Ditches Bodybuilding

As an actor, Lee needed to train for aesthetics to maintain his on-camera appearance. But, at the same time, he also needed to train with a focus on performance as a martial artist and a martial arts teacher, as well as maintaining the readiness to meet the grueling demands involved with the long days on set filming fight scenes and stunts.

At this point in the 1960s-America, Asian martial arts were experiencing something of a heyday, thanks largely to US servicemen returning home from serving overseas in countries like Korea and Japan, where they had picked up martial arts like Judo and Karate.

Many of these former servicemen were putting the strength and conditioning methods they had learned in the military to good use on the tournament circuit. However, when it came to his physical preparation, Lee set himself apart from his contemporaries.

Bruce Lee & Eugen Sandow

Bruce Lee was a voracious reader with an extensive library. He devoured all the material he could find on physical conditioning. Initially, Lee studied the material of Jack Lalanne, who was the era’s biggest “fitness influencer.” Lee also set himself apart from other martial artists at the time by studying the works of old-time strongmen like “The Mighty Atom,” Alexander Zass– the Amazing Samson, and Eugen Sandow.

Eugen Sandow’s “Strength and How to Obtain It” was one of the volumes found in Bruce Lee’s vast collection of books on strength training and bodybuilding. Figures like Sandow and Zass were not big men at all, but they were considered some of the strongest men in the world of their time.

Sandow could perform amazing feats of strength and lift heavy weights, but he did not have the hulking physique most people typically associate with bodybuilders and powerlifters of today. Instead, Sandow’s physique resembled Michaelangelo’s David.

Sandow advocated using light weights in training, but the real secret of his training method was using the mind.

In “Strength and How To Obtain It,” Sandow wrote, “you can all become strong if you have the will and use it in the right direction. But in the first place, you must learn to exercise your mind. This first of all lessons in physical training is of the utmost importance. For on it, the whole of my system depends.”

With his background in Chinese Kung Fu, these words must have resonated with Lee in a familiar way.

The concept of yi 意, or the “will,” “intent,” or “the mind,” is a cornerstone of Chinese martial arts, and arts like Yiquan, Xingyiquan, and I Liq Chuan all emphasize that the body is merely a tool for training the mind.

What We Can Learn From How Bruce Worked Out

Was Eugene Sandow’s high repetition, light weights program the secret to Bruce Lee’s incredible power? Not really, at least not exclusively.

Although Lee experimented with the old-time strong man’s methods, the real insight Lee gained from Sandow, and other old-time strongmen, was that it was possible to become extremely strong without becoming “musclebound” or sacrificing performance.

American karate champion and actor Joe Lewis, who knew Bruce Lee, recounts that Lee could hold a 120lbs barbell straight out in front of himself at arm’s length. Lewis also recounted that Lee’s training focused heavily on his deeper stabilizer muscles rather than the more superficial “mirror muscles” of a bodybuilding program.

Isometric Strength

Isometrics is one of the most overlooked parts of Bruce Lee’s training that helped him develop his amazing strength and power.

Isometric training became very popular in the mid-to-late 60s, but it mostly fell out of favor. Many bodybuilders using isometrics in their training also used anabolic steroids, so people dismissed the hard work these athletes were doing in the gym.

Bill Starr was himself a legend and pioneer in the American strength training and Olympic weightlifting community. He was an Olympian and an Olympic Team Coach.

In an article written by Bill Starr on isometric training published on the Starting Strength website, Starr concludes the article by saying, “In my mind, it’s the ultimate strength exercise, and it’s in danger of being lost. That can’t be allowed to happen.”

In the 60s and 70s, a very forward-thinking Bruce Lee looked into isometric training, especially the works of Bob Hoffman. Hoffman advocated for using eight basic isometric exercises based on the Olympic lifts, the clean-and-jerk, and the snatch.

The Basic 8 Exercises

Overhead Press Lockout
Overhead Press Start
High Pull
Parallel Squat
Shrug
Deadlift (start)
Deadlift (lockout)
Quarter Squat

After a thorough warmup, each exercise is done for one set of six to 12-second repetitions, or “reps.” The goal is to generate maximum muscle tension for the duration. The training should take place daily. This is a program for raw strength, not size. The benefits of such a program are a minimal investment of time (about 15 minutes in total) with very little space or equipment required. Strength gains when training isometrics are

Bruce Lee made the “iso-chain” and Hoffman’s 8 Basics a staple of his training regimen.

Although less common today, you can still find savvy athletes using isometrics as part of their training routine. The founder of “Kinstretch,” Dr. Andreo Spina, uses isometric contractions at the end range of movement as part of his “internal strength training” model. If you want to integrate isometrics into your training program, Dragon Door has upgraded Bruce Lee’s Isochain for the 21st century.

Plyometrics

Lee also incorporated explosive plyometrics into his training program. Plyometrics training is a contentious subject, often misunderstood and misapplied in training programs.

Power can be looked at as force divided by time. The same amount of force applied faster is more powerful. We often would describe this as “explosiveness.”

Explosiveness is largely determined by genetics and exposure to testosterone in the womb and during puberty. Dedicated plyometric training seems only to be able to improve explosiveness by 10-15%.

Vertical leap is an excellent measure of an individual’s raw explosive potential. The average male has a vertical jump of about 20″ or so. With smart, dedicated training; he might see an improvement of 2-3″. By comparison, elite male vertical jumps start at ~30 “+.

However, for gifted athletes like Lee, looking to eke out every last percent in performance, a 15% improvement in power can mean the difference between never making it past college ball and the pros; for martial arts, it can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Traditional Chinese Kung Fu has always incorporated specialized exercises called fa jin 發勁 or fa li 發力, along with esoteric breathing exercises for maximizing power generation.

Bruce Lee owned a 300 lbs punching bag gifted to him by Bob Wall. Lee used it to develop his kicking power as part of his overall training for explosiveness.

Bruce Lee was a pioneer when it came to strength & conditioning. He experimented with a variety of methods, from old-time strongmen to isometrics. He also continued to use traditional strength training methods from Chinese Kung Fu. Lee focused heavily on the strength of his core and stabilizer muscles. This made him incredibly strong and agile, which helped him become one of the most famous martial artists of all time.

If you enjoyed this article, you can read more in our series about Bruce Lee.

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Which Martial Arts Are Olympic Sports?

photo of Olympic judoka — source: https://catalog.archives.gov/

Wondering which martial arts are Olympic sports? Currently, six martial arts are a part of the Olympic games:

Western Boxing
Fencing
Judo
Wrestling
Taekwondo
Karate

Wrestling has been part of the Olympics since 1896, except for the 1900 Games.

The IOC made a controversial decision to drop wrestling from the program in 2013. Wrestling was the main event during the ancient Games in Greece and throughout modern times, and after considerable backlash, the IOC restored wrestling to its rightful place on the program for the 2016 Games.

By comparison, Western Boxing has been a part of the summer games since 1904. At that time, the heavyweight category was a mere 158lbs or 71kg.

Fencing joins wrestling as an “OG” Olympic sport, having been a part of the program since the first modern games in 1896.

According to Wikipedia, “judo was first included in the Summer Olympic Games at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Japan. After not being included in 1968, judo has been an Olympic sport in each Olympiad since.”

Taekwondo is a relative newcomer to the Games, making its first appearance as an Olympic sport in 1988, with karate taking the spot as the most recent addition to the Summer Olympics in 2020.

Are Martial Arts Considered a Sport?

Why Isn’t My Style An Olympic Sport?

The IOC determines which martial arts are Olympic sports; they keep one open slot in the program for each of The Games so the host nation can showcase a sport unique to its culture and heritage. Whether or not it becomes a permanent addition to the program depends on whether or not there is already an equivalent sport as part of the regular lineup.

For example, fencing is a sword art that has been part of the games since its inception, so other sword arts like Kendo or Iaido are not included. Likewise, judo and wrestling already represent the grappling arts, so there is no BJJ (Brazillian Jiu-jitsu). Additionally, boxing, karate, and taekwondo already represent a range of striking and kicking arts, so kung fu is not a part of the program.

There are over 2500 recognized distinct kung fu styles in the Chinese martial arts, plus countless small family and village styles. Who gets to decide which of those styles represents all of kung fu? At some point, you must choose what gets included (and excluded) just for expediency. The Summer Games would take all year if they were “all-inclusive.”

Are Martial Arts Sports Or Self-Defense?

Are martial arts considered a sport, a form of self-defense, or something else altogether? Like many complex topics, the answer is “it depends.” If you read the forums and subreddits, you’ll find heated debate on all sides. I’m going to tell you what I think everybody should know based on my 20 years as a student, instructor, and former competitive fighter.

There are a few different ways to answer these questions. For example, some people would say that in the modern day, martial arts are a sport, while others might argue that they are more of a means of self-defense or even a way of life.

So let’s take a look at each.

Martial Arts As Sport

The author posing with GM Sam Chin after winning a gold medal as a light-heavyweight; Taiji Legacy 2007

Before we can answer the question of “are martial arts considered a sport,” it may first be helpful to ask, “what is a sport?”

Oxford dictionary defines sport as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”

If you consider a sport to be any activity that requires physical skill and is competitive, martial arts can undoubtedly qualify. Martial artists are generally very physically fit and must be able to execute techniques with precision and power. Moreover, many martial arts styles hold tournaments where practitioners can compete against each other or students of different types.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of the factors that define competition in a sports context, especially concerning martial arts:

Sports Performance

fixed time and place for performance
Rules and safety equipment
Referees to enforce rules and keep competitors safe
training will focus on precision, accuracy, and endurance
weight classes
competitors are evenly matched based on experience level

Sport competitions have clear rules, unlike an actual self-defense situation which is “no holds barred.” This makes martial art competitions more fair and entertaining to watch.

Competitions take place on a fixed date, which can be trained and prepared for, unlike self-defense which can happen without warning. Having a set date can considerably impact how training looks as it allows the athlete to structure training to “peak” on the date in question, with an off-season or deload period. As an athlete gets closer to the competition, training will likely focus on fine-tuning techniques and HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training for endurance.

Weight classes are another consideration for martial arts and combat sports, especially. A skilled fighter can indeed use good technique to overcome a larger unskilled opponent. However, when both fighters are equally trained, size matters; weight classes help keep both fighters safe. An athlete who’s heavier than their intended weight class may need time to diet and lose weight. (Check out our online health coaching if you need some help getting “fit to fight!)

Another difference between sports and self-defense is that fighters are usually matched based on experience level in competition. So if it’s your first time fighting, you won’t (or shouldn’t) be fighting somebody with 100 fights already.

Some martial arts, like Wushu, are more like gymnastics; competitions focus more on the individual’s athleticism rather than fighting ability.

Which Martial Arts Are Olympic Sports?

Combat Sports

The term “combat sports” was coined in the early 2000s to refer to martial arts focused exclusively on full-contact fighting. These modern iterations of traditional martial arts have mostly abandoned forms as a method of learning new techniques in favor of freestyle training and current strength and conditioning techniques, which are more effective in the ring/cage.

Some examples of combat sports are:

Western boxing
Muay Thai
MMA

Many combat sports fans will argue that MMA proved that traditional martial arts training was ineffective. However, many fighters from traditional arts like karate man Lyoto Machida or Roy “Big Country” Nelson (who got his start in kung fu) have successfully adapted their arts to become champions.

With the exception of arts like fencing or kendo, most competitive martial arts practices and combat sports will rarely focus on training how to use or defend against weapons.

All in all, you could say the defining trait of martial arts as a sport is a focus on a fair fight.

Martial Arts For Self-Defense

By comparison, a fair fight is the last thing you want when life or death is a potential outcome. In the military, it’s common to hear something like “if you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck” or “if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”

Martial arts training can provide invaluable self-defense skills in a variety of situations. It’s crucial to be prepared for anything in a real-life self-defense situation because there are no rules or referees. In addition, self-defense may involve multiple attackers and weapons, and the focus is often on finding or creating an opportunity to escape to safety.

For those who train martial arts for personal safety, the only outcome that matters is ending the fight as quickly as possible. This often requires different techniques than those used in competition. For example, strikes to the throat, eyes, or groin are usually illegal in competition, but they may be the most effective way to end a self-defense situation. This is why it is so important to train under an instructor who understands your goals and can help you practice effectively.

There are many differences between sports and self-defense. In self-defense, there are no rules and no one to intervene if you start losing. Attackers could be of any size, number, or experience level. This makes self-defense much more dangerous than sports.

Self-Defense

will happen unexpectedly
no rules
no one to intervene on your behalf if you start losing
strength, power, and building a broad base of techniques
attackers could be of any size, number, or experience level

Because a violent attack is unpredictable, preparation or conditioning for self-defense can look very different from sports preparation. It’s impossible for anyone to stay in “peak” condition year round. By definition, a peak is a high point. For sports, a “peak” is usually timed to fall on the date of the competition. Additionally, since violent attacks are usually over in seconds, endurance is less of a factor. As a result, training can often focus on building strength and power. Rather than “cardio,” you might just maintain a baseline of GPP, or “general physical preparedness.”

Size Matters

For combat sports, the goal is to show up to a fight as strong as possible, at the lightest possible body weight for that fighter’s unique combination of height and build. Another way of looking at it would be the goal is to come in as heavy as possible, while staying under the limit for the preferred weight class. However you look at it, the fighter in question has to solve the same problem: there’s a limit to how much they can weigh at weigh-in time.

There are no weight classes when it comes to self-defense however; indeed, having a bit of extra mass is an advantage for self-defense. Not only does extra bodyweight improve your leverage, but it also gives you some additional protection from injury.

Strong prople are harder to kill and more useful in general. Mark Rippetoe — source: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/668412

Self-defense training can include, or even focus primarily, on the use of weapons like edged weapons or firearms. Empty-hand or hand-to-hand fighting is considered a last resort.

Some martial arts that focus primarily on weapons and self-defense training are:

Silat
Arnis
Krav Maga

A Path To Self-Improvement

With the right guiding philosophy and principles, martial arts like I Liq Chuan are like the elephant’s footprint; all the other animal’s footprints can fit within it. What this means is that our martial arts practice becomes a tool rather than a goal. Our practice opens up, rather than narrowing down; it informs our whole lives and helps us to be better people.

Martial arts have been a method of personal development for centuries. Disciplined training can help to improve concentration and focus while also teaching important life lessons such as patience and respect. For many practitioners, the goal is not simply to become physically stronger or more skilled in combat but to become the best version of themselves. It’s a journey in which one explores their strengths, test their limits, and learn how make the best use of themselves in daily life.

When trained as a method of personal development, self-discipline, concentration, and wisdom are the long-term goals.

Zen & Budo

How you do anything is how you do everything.

In his book “The Zen Way To Martial Arts“, Zen master Taisen Deshimaru said the following:

“They are simply using the martial arts as playthings; to them, they are sports are like any others.

But people who want to live their lives on a higher dimension do have to understand (the difference).
Nobody can be compelled, and nobody can be criticized. The first lot are like children playing with toy cars, while the second drive real automobiles. I have nothing against sports; they train the body and develop stamina and endurance. But the spirit of competition and power that presides over them is not good. It reflects a distorted vision of life. The root of the martial arts is not there.

The teachers are partly responsible for this state of affairs; they train the body and teach technique, but do nothing for consciousness. As a result, their pupils fight to win, like children playing war games. There is no wisdom in this approach, and it is no use at all in the business of managing one’s life.
What good to them is their technique in everyday life?

Sports are only amusement, and in the end, because of the spirit of competition, they wear out the body. That is why the martial arts should strive to recapture their original dimension. Inthe spirit of Zen and budo, everyday life becomes the contest.

There must be awareness at every moment; getting up in the morning, working, eating, going to bed. That is the place for mastery of the self.”

For GM Sam Chin, martial arts are not a sport but a way of life.

It’s About Knowing Yourself

In an interview with Bryson Newell of the Somatic Primer podcast, my Sifu, Grandmaster Sam FS Chin, had this to say about martial arts for personal development:

“In the end, most Chinese martial arts do come down to cultivation (i.e., self-improvement). We use martial arts as a tool to learn about and train ourselves, like Shaolin monks. Shaolin used martial arts to cultivate themselves [spiritually].

Traditionally, Chinese martial arts always had the concept that in the end, you will go down the path of self-cultivation.

I like martial arts as the basis for self-cultivation because martial art itself needs a kind of readiness, and alertness, to begin with, you see. Likewise, as you cultivate yourself, you need alertness, readiness, right, [you need mental clarity].”

Martial arts can be a sport, trained for self-defense, and can be a way of life and self-development. The key is having the right mindset. Having the right philosophy, concepts, and principles adjusts your point of view and opens your mind.

Kung Fu Breathing Exercises

I put together a playlist on YouTube of my videos discussing kung fu breathing exercises. Most of these videos are excerpts from our my online coaching sessions. If you find these videos to be interesting or helpful, please consider signing up!

Kung Fu Breathing Techniques

There are as many different breathing exercises for kung fu as there are styles of kung fu (many)!

The Chinese have written records of breathing exercises dating back to at least 300 BCE and possibly much earlier. For example, the Daoist philosopher Zhuang Zi wrote “The men of old breathed clear down to their heels…”

In modern-day, the art of Chinese breathing exercises is called qigong 氣功 (pronounced chi gong). The root word qi 氣 (chi), meaning something like “vital force”, is made up of two characters that mean “steam” or “vapor”, and “rice”. The word qi is a recognition by the ancient Chinese that life is driven by the energy derived from both food and the air we breathe (vapor).

“For breath is life, and if you breathe well you will live long on the earth.”
~Sanskrit Proverb.

Chinese artwork related to kung fu breathing exercises called Neijing Tu — The “Inner Landscapes” from White Cloud Temple in Beijing

Playlist Contents

In Chinese martial arts, when we coordinate breathing exercises with specific movement patterns, we consider these to be neigong or internal exercises. Neigong is more specifically martial arts training; neigong training helps you to develop power, protect yourself from injury, and keep your balance, as opposed to qigong which is mostly for health and meditation.

Neigong will help you to understand how to use your breathing to generate more power and protect your inner organs from injury in a fight. In Chinese martial arts, this is also called “Golden Bell” or “Iron Body” training. If you want to get the very most out of your kung fu training, you can’t neglect training neigong.

In his book “The Zen Way To The Martial Arts” the great Zen master, Taisen Deshimaru, when asked by a student about the most important thing to learn arts, answered by saying “Breathing. What condition are you in below the navel? I don’t mean your genitals! I mean the hara 腹, three fingers beneath the navel (note that in I Liq Chuan we consider it to be two fingers below). The way to develop the power of the hara, to assemble all your energy there, is by right breathing.”

If you’d like more personal instruction or guidance with kung fu breathing exercises, consider signing up for our weekly online class or our group classes if you’re local.

What Is Qigong?

Have you heard of Qigong yet? It’s an ancient Chinese secret for health and longevity involving breathing and movement. During our 2022 training retreat, GM Sam Chin gave a free public lecture on Chinese Qigong at Rim Country Wellness.

What Is Qigong & How Does It Work?

The type of Qigong that we’re practicing comes from Zhong Xin Dao I Liq Chuan, the martial art that we’re practicing here throughout the weekend, We were blessed to have Grandmaster Sam Chin here to lead us through this weekend’s training and to have the opportunity to experience some of the secrets through practice by breathing and moving to create and cultivate your own health and longevity. So without further ado, I will go to Grandmaster Sam Chin and Sifu Ashe Higgs.

Interview With GM Sam Chin

Sam Chin
Yes, I am glad to be here. All right, this is the first trip after COVID to Arizona here. Tomorrow, we are trying to promote the art we call Zhong Xin Dao which is a style of Chinese kung fu.

Alright, kung fu is about cultivation; it’s about the skill of knowing yourself, right mental and physical. So it’s based on the principles of Zen and Tao. It’s about balancing, about harmonizing; basically, it’s about how to be happy.

So, to understand how our minds and bodies work, it’s how we feel ourselves. Through understanding the movement, the breath, and then what to call, we say “qi/chi”.

What is the “qi”? Qi is the energy flow; it’s about the attention of how you look into the mechanism of the body, right.

Ashe Higgs
So, we mentioned that tomorrow morning, we’re going to be having the free Qigong session during the farmers market here at Rim Country Crossfit.

So, what is qigong?

Can Qigong Heal?

Sam Chin
Qigong is the art of energy cultivation, you could say it’s breathing exercises.

Qi is the life force you could say. So, what we eat, how we breathe, it’s the life force within us; everyone has it. Life force is also outside [of us] you see, we need to have that to survive. Through attention, through concentration, we are able to gather it; gather it for healing, for the purpose of healing any person.

Ashe Higgs
We all want to be happier and healthier, how does qigong help us to be healthier?

Sam Chin
Now, basically, because of the movement, there’s mental and physical, when once mental is physical. So this is what you call the unifying mental and physical. When you unify the action with the movement, you maintain your mind in the moment; when we talk about the moment, the moment has no kind of feeling of “you like, or you don’t like”; it’s a feeling of “as such”. When you feel it “as such” with balance, and harmony, you will have a feeling of satisfaction and joy.

This is one part of things that leads you to happiness. This happiness will be kind of continuous happiness that is different from another kind of happiness; when you get [the emotional kind of happiness], you’re afraid of losing it.

Qi Gong & Cancer

Ashe Higgs
So, I hope you don’t mind me mentioning it, but a few years ago you had cancer.

Sam Chin
Yes, in 2013 I had cancer. I had mantle cell lymphoma, so I went through chemo and a bone marrow transplant; because of qigong and meditation and understanding how the mind works, how to handle me, myself mentally, it helped me to go through [the process of treatment].

Ashe Higgs
Did it give you tools for stress management during that time?

Sam Chin
Yes, it helped me to look into the [mental and physical] process. So like I said, when you look at the process, it’s just seeing what is happening [now]. So, if you don’t really have any resistance [to change], right, you won’t suffer.

Ashe Higgs
And it seems like it also gave you the ability to tolerate the chemo easier than most people. And it seems like you recovered faster than most people normally do, under those circumstances, right? If I remember correctly, you told us some stories that the doctors were impressed with how fast you could recover.

Qi Gong & Anxiety

Sam Chin
Yes, because it’s all about the mindset, or mental attitude. If you can stay more in the present, you won’t have [such a] stressful experience you see. Normally, when you have stress, it’s because you bring in all this past experience into [the present]. There’s a joke in Zen that knowledge and our past experience is attacking us, because [we’re] comparing [and judging] things; that makes us feel very stressed. So when we train qigong and all these exercises we call kung fu, it’s a skill of maintaining [yourself] in the moment, trying to maintain in the present to see what is happening.

Ashe Higgs
And you used the word “acceptance”, right, and said it’s more about what is happening, but at the same time it’s not like you gave up, right? You’re still here. So [flowing] is not a passive kind of thing, it’s still active.

Sam Chin
We say that nature itself is about change. To be in the moment is actually very active; active, and alert [with the quality of] readiness, so you will just enjoy the moment. It’s not that you will just [give up], but we can just enjoy everything as it is, to say that means we don’t add anything in or we don’t take anything away.

Through meditation and qigong, we’ll be able to look at things “as such”. When you’re doing things, let me say, everything has beauty by itself; you’re not comparing anything and then you will have the kind of joyfulness because you look at is the thing and it is not comparing, but it’s not that you don’t know the difference, you know the difference, but you’re not comparing it.

So everything has its own place. That’s why it exists. See, it’s not that “this is bad”, and “this is good”; this [kind of thinking/judging] is all from your own point of view. Anything that exists, has its own value; [things exist] because they all have a relationship and interact. So when whatever you encounter, every little thing has its own, intrinsic beaut.

So, everyone is the same; everyone has their own beauty by themselves if you can stay in the moment, but that takes the training, right? To understand, to have your attention there; how to pay attention within yourself.

Qi Gong Awareness

So that means you must first understand your breathing. Training your breathing in Chinese is called qigong. Qi is “breath”, gong is “exercise”; actually, it’s just breathing exercises.

Breathing exercise is about the pressure within ourselves, how we adjust this pressure through movement, and all these things. So, through this, at that moment you will attain peacefulness; this is what we call “discipline and concentration”.

So, when we want to attain this right being… learning how to be mindful, we will see things in a way we have not seen before because we’re more mindful. That is the purpose of training.

Learn More About Qigong

So, this mindfulness training will help you to get through everyday life, and not to be stressed out, because you know yourself, and how we handle your mind and body; how this mind affects the body, how the body affects the mind, and how to balance this [relationship].

If you can balance this, you will balance your movement, balancing your action, balancing your speech, how you talk, and everything. So, with this balancing, it creates harmony; with harmony, then you will affect your surroundings: your family, your colleagues, your workplace, and everything. So, this creates positive energy.

Ashe Higgs
It helps us to be better people.

Sam Chin
It helps you be a better person.

Ashe Higgs
So, movement and breathing exercises help us to understand our mind and understand our body better, like you’ve said before,” first you must know [understand] yourself, only then can you use yourself correctly (i.e. right action).”

Sam Chin
Yes.

Ashe Higgs
Rudy, you wanna take over?

Rudy
Thanks for joining us! Join us tomorrow for the free qigong from 10 AM to 11 AM, and to be present in the moment, come get a massage as well.

We’ve got chair massage going on here right next door to rim country CrossFit, at Rim Country Wellness with Miss Amy Jen’s coming up from the valley from eight to noon. So come join us for the Qigong class. Enjoy the farmers market, check out the art (of Zhong Xin Dao) to be more present, and become happier and healthier with us. A great night.

Sam Chin
Thank you

What Is The Martial Arts Yell?

The Martial Arts Yell Explained

Are you wondering why people demonstrating martial arts yell at the top of their lungs? What we see in most demonstrations is silly. However, the origin of yelling in martial arts is based on sound physiology and a little bit of psychology. We’re going to discuss everything you need to know. What it is, what it’s actually called, and why martial artists of all styles use it.

Let’s get right to the most important point: why the heck do we do it? The short answer is that it increases power. All martial arts train three things: attack, defense, and power.

We train them for one specific purpose: to end a fight as fast as possible. Without power, attack and defense are useless, so anything that increases power is invaluable.

Bruce Lee using his kiai, or martial arts yell. — Bruce Lee put his famous martial arts yell to good use in *The Big Boss*.

For self-defense, the penalties for failure can be catastrophic. Maximizing your power output could mean the difference between life and death.

How The Martial Arts Yell Works

All Power Comes From The Ground

I’ve written about some of the physiology and psychology of this subject before, which you can read here. The secret lies in the diaphragm and a little bit of physics. All power comes from the ground. Regardless of the activity, everyone is stronger when they can establish a solid connection to the floor to generate force.

One of the feats of strength I enjoy demonstrating for friends is tearing a deck of cards in half. Not all cards are created equal, and some are more difficult than others. In particular, the cards used in casinos tend to be very difficult. They’re thicker than a standard deck of cards. They’re also coated with a thin film of plastic called an “air cushion finish.” It makes the cards more durable for heavy use. I can tear an easy deck in half while sitting down. But to rip a challenging deck of cards in half, I always have to be standing up. Standing lets me fully connect to the ground through my legs and engage my core.

You see the same thing in powerlifting during the bench press. Even when lying on a flat bench, athletes still need to get good leg drive to lift the most weight. My theory is that your nervous system needs to feel your feet on the ground to generate maximum “neural drive.”

Anatomy of The Martial Arts Yell

illustration of the diaphragm and muscles of the deep core and pelvic floor — some deep core anatomy

While many people might be tempted to only think of a strong core as “six-pack abs,” the six-pack is only the most superficial layer of muscle. The real core is much deeper and can be thought of as a ball. The bottom half of the ball is formed by the bony structure of the pelvis, which is lined with many small muscles (the so-called “pelvic floor”), and the diaphragm comprises the top half of the ball. It’s a large, dome-shaped muscle that separates the heart and lungs from the organs, which rest below in the pelvic bowl. The top and bottom are joined together by a belt of large muscles around the trunk.

When you activate the pelvic floor, the diaphragm, and “the belt”, you create global compression around the abdominal cavity, which is mostly water and therefore cannot be compressed. Instead, you form a very firm fluid ball with the spine supported nicely inside. This helps you effectively transfer force from the ground, through the spine, and out to the arms.

“Something I tell my patients is that when you are using the exhale forcefully (like fogging up a mirror aggressively) it intensifies the contraction of all of your core.”
~Marci Zavala, BS, MSPT, NTP

When In Doubt, Breathe Out

Grandmaster Sam Chin, the founder of Zhong Xin Dao I Liq Chuan, says, “don’t let the movement interfere with your breathing .”

When we need to generate maximum force, during weightlifting, for example, it’s common to perform what’s known as a Valsalva maneuver. During a Valsalva, the glottis (throat muscles) are closed to create a tight seal with a big breath trapped in the lungs, making the entire trunk as stiff as possible.

This “interference” with the breath is entirely appropriate in this scenario. Any given set might only last 15 seconds, followed by the luxury of a prolonged recovery period.

However, during hand-to-hand combat, particularly in a battlefield scenario, where fighting might go on for an extended period, maintaining your breathing is a literal matter of life and death.

Another difference between using the breath in weightlifting and martial arts is that the movements are more of a grind during heavy lifting. For fighting, we only need maximum tension for a split second at the moment of impact for striking or kicking.

The Espresso Press Example

Allow me a brief but relevant tangent here. With the cost of everything going berserk lately, I decided to invest in an espresso maker for the house. For $130, I could save myself $6 per day by making a double shot at home and just adding water and ice when I’m ready for an iced coffee later in the day.

The thing about making espresso is, you need a lot of pressure, between six and nine bars, to be exact. Usually, this is achieved by grinding the coffee very finely, which requires a lot of pressure to pass water through once you’ve tamped the ground coffee down. This can be a problem if you don’t have a grinder that can grind your beans finely enough. The makers of the Flair Neo addressed this problem by designing their basket with a “pressure control valve .”

Essentially it restricts the flow of the espresso into a tiny nozzle, so the plunger is trying to push the liquid through faster than what the little valve will allow. This creates additional backpressure in the brew chamber, and we get to our magic six-nine bars.

When we shout, the glottis briefly contracts, similar to a Valsalva. We get the same effect as my espresso press by shouting, yelling, or grunting. The large muscles of the core are suddenly contracting and trying to force a massive volume of air through the now very narrow valve of the throat. This increases the pressure in our abdomen while at the same time allowing us to breathe continuously during a prolonged period of high oxygen demand. You could think of the shout as a “micro-breath hold” amid a flowing breath, like the old Tai Chi Classics, which tell us to seek the “stillness in movement.”

What’s In A Name?

The Japanese term for the martial arts yell is kiai (氣合). The literal translation is “energy harmony” or “energy unification.” However, I’ve often seen it transliterated as “spirit shout,” which is much less vague. The Japanese word ki (or qi 氣 in Mandarin) means something like “vital energy .”

Hanzi/Kanji characters are often a combination of simpler characters, as is the case with the word ki/qi. We see the character for steam or vapor, but it can also be thought of as the breath. In the West, we have a similar Latin word, anima, which also means spirit or breath, depending on the context. It’s a recognition by the ancients that, in the words of Mr. Miyagi, “no breathe, no life .” In that sense, the spirit shout can be considered the “unification of mind, breath, and body/action as one.”

The Koreans use a very similar term called kihup (기합).

“One cry, one instant containing all space-time, the entire universe.”

In Mandarin, the term is fasheng (發聲), meaning “vocalize.” When I asked my kung fu brother and native Chinese speaker Jeff Wong about it, he said:

“You see the similarity of the term fasheng (pronounced fa shung), or fat sing in Cantonese, to fajin 發勁 (fat ging in Cantonese). Fa 發 is to issue or manifest.

Kiai in Japanese Kanji (Chinese characters) means ‘breath+harmonization’, which is the true purpose of fasheng. However, kiai doesn’t really describe the action, whereas fasheng is literal, with the purpose obscured.”

InThe Zen Way To The Martial Arts, the great zen master Taisen Deshimaru says “The kiai is that same (full) exhalation, combined with a loud voice; the sound has to spring out naturally from the depths of the body, and for that one obviously has to know how to breathe, which few people do.”

Bruce Lee Movies — Learn about the stories behind the movies.

At the beginning of this article, I mentioned how most of the dramatic screaming done in modern martial arts demonstrations is ridiculous. The keyword is “dramatic”; much like Will Smith “slapping” Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, it’s strictly for performance. The performer uses a high-pitched yell coming from the upper chest most of the time. When done this way, the mechanics are all wrong, and the long, drawn-out nature means the glottis isn’t constricted; we don’t get the appropriate backpressure we’re looking for. At best, this type of screaming can help get you into a heightened state of arousal.

Whether you choose to vocalize with a “ha,” “hut/hup,” “oss,” or simply grunt or hiss, the sound should be short and sharp to contract the glottis and timed to coincide with the impact of the blow.

Conclusion

So there we have it! Everything you need to know about what the martial arts yell is all about.

In the traditional Japanese arts, it’s referred to as a kiai. In kung fu, we call it fasheng. Western arts like boxing don’t have a specific term, but they still do it, often simply grunting or hissing.

Although holding our breath increases trunk stability and thus power, holding the breath is inappropriate in a hand-to-hand combat scenario. This is because the length of time we need maximal trunk stability for self-defense is much shorter. The length of time we may be engaged with an opponent is much longer than we might experience during a set of strength training and without the benefit of nice, safe rest periods to recover any oxygen debt.

Getting the most out of every action was critical for the old masters when it meant whether or not they would live to see another day. The act of shouting engages the deep core muscles and the diaphragm in particular. A nice stiff core supports the spine and is an effective bridge to transfer force from the ground.

Lastly, remember that the shout should be some sort of short, sharp sound when done correctly. While other sounds can be made, like heng, om, or even simply humming, these kinds of breathing/sounds are more appropriate for relaxation and recovery. For power, we want a sound that helps contract the glottis and the core muscles to get the kind of deep abdominal pressure we’re looking for.

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I Liq Chuan – Martial Art of Awareness

I Liq Chuan (ee lee chwen) means “mental-physical martial art”. We often refer to it as “The Martial Art of Awareness”. As a system of martial arts training, the curriculum has three main sections:

Philosophy, Concepts & Principles
Solo drills
Partner Training

Philosophy, Concepts & Principles

Philosophy & Concepts of The Martial Art of Awareness

I Liq Chuan is not just about self-defense techniques. We say that “we are not training to be the best, but to bring out the best in ourselves.” You could say that self-improvement is our most important objective.

In other words, we are using martial arts as a tool, not as a goal.

Training martial arts “as a goal” means that self-defense is your primary endpoint. You only care about what works in the ring or on the street. While this has the benefit of ensuring that you’ll be the most effective fighter that you can be, it doesn’t mean you’ll be the most effective person you can be. The application of what you develop in training narrows down to just a very narrow slice of possible experiences.

If you’re a professional fighter, law enforcement, or security professional, this approach makes perfect sense, especially in the short term, where maximum usable self-defense skills in the shortest amount of time is imperative. However, for the majority of people, with no urgent need to defend themselves, we can go a bit slower and a bit deeper to understand the principles.

To put it another way, a technique is like knowing how to use a fire extinguisher as the quickest, easiest way to put out a fire. Understanding the principle is knowing that a fire needs oxygen to burn; take away the oxygen, and you put out the fire, and there are many ways to cut off the oxygen to a fire, for example. The fire extinguisher is quick and easy, but understanding the principle is adaptable to more situations. The principles, once mastered, will make the same person a better fighter than they would be if they only knew techniques.

The Martial Art of Awareness As A Tool

Coming back to the idea of martial arts as a tool, as opposed to a goal: when you train martial arts as a tool, rather than developing skills that have a very narrow application, we develop skills that have very broad applications. We use the body (physical) to train the mind (mental). In other words, through the practice of martial arts, we cultivate wisdom.

The philosophy, concepts, and principles are like a compass guiding all of our training. They teach us to look closely at ourselves. Through careful observation, we learn to see things more clearly, and we learn how to remain calm (i.e., “still and clear”) under high-pressure situations (like a fight).

Stillness and clarity are skills that can be applied in any situation. In short, I Liq Chuan emphasizes an approach based on mindfulness.

Solo Drills

The Basic Exercises of I Liq Chuan

The second section of The Martial Art of Awareness is all the solo or individual training (basic exercises). We describe this section of our training as “unification of mental and physical”; you could say it’s the process of “uniting mind and body as one.”

Basic exercises help us get our body organized and integrated; they develop fundamental motor skills around three essential qualities: power, balance, and relaxation. At their core, basic exercises are a process of exploring how your body moves in three dimensions and its relationship with gravity.

All martial arts make use of some kind of basic exercises practiced by one’s self or under the watchful eye of a coach. Western martial arts like boxing will make use of solo drills like shadowboxing, hitting the heavy bag, or working the slip bag. The purpose of basic exercises is to take complex motor skills and break them down into their core components and drill them repeatedly over time to improve neuromuscular efficiency. To put that more simply, we learn to move better and with less effort.

Although kung fu, or Asian martial arts in general, are often more well known for their forms or kata, basic exercises are actually considered to be more important. Basic exercises are referred to in Chinese as jibengong (基本功). The term jiben has the Chinese word for “root,” and altogether means “fundamentals” or “basic skills”. Forms should just be demonstrations of motor skills developed through basic exercises the way the performance of a complete song is the result of the practice of more fundamental musical skills like scales.

Balance To Change

The body benefits from movement, the mind benefits from stillness. — Basic exercises become dynamic meditation when done with focused awareness.

Tai Chi principles teach us that change is the most basic quality of our experience. The highest goal of Tai Chi then is to “change with change”.

In a self-defense scenario, we’re looking for the ability to easily change directions.

Although we need a certain amount of tension to exert force, it’s tough to change direction when we’re stiff, or rigid, therefore it is important to learn how to maintain relaxation during movement. Relaxation also helps us to conserve energy.

Find Your Center

Self-defense situations are dynamic and unpredictable. An attacker will not simply strike once, and then pause mid-motion for you to launch your counter-assault as we see in so many bad martial arts demonstrations. They will change level, change direction and use multiple attacks from different angles. We must have balance to change with change.

Although when children are young, we often teach them they are not the center of the universe, from a practical point of view, we are the center of our own experience.

Balance comes from the center. However there is not one center; the mind has a center, the body has a center, and true balance is not just “50/50” of two different things. There is a synergy in true balance that comes from the partnership of opposites, like “one long and one short”, or “one heavy and one light”, or “form and formlessness”.

The Martial Art of Awareness: Mind & Body As one

The mind is formless, the body is form.

When mind and body are one, people are capable of amazing things. In modern terms, we often refer to this as a “state of flow” or “being in the zone.” Synergy is an outcome above and beyond the sum of the whole. Conversely, 0.8 x 0.2 = 0.16. If you’re like me and not very good at math, let me emphasize the obvious here: 0.16 is less than either 0.8 or 0.2.

Practically, what this means for our lives is that when we operate at a fraction, outcomes are less than the whole.

Most of us spend the majority of our time operating by fractions, particularly in today’s distracted, digital world. When we’re eating and scrolling on social media, for example, we neither truly notice and enjoy our food nor actually process what we’re seeing on our phones or how what we’re seeing makes us feel, which can, in turn, affect how much we eat. It becomes a vicious, negative feedback loop.

However, when we bring the mind and body together, a state of stillness and clarity arises. We can see more and do more, perhaps even much more than we ever thought ourselves capable of.

Partner Training Drills of I Liq Chuan

“Everybody has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.”
Mike Tyson

Examples of some partner training in our Tempe, AZ martial arts classes

Basic exercises improve balance and coordination, but by themselves are not enough to learn how to fight. In the words of Bruce Lee, “You cannot learn how to swim on dry land.” Throwing a ball, carrying a bag of groceries in from the car, or lifting a child off the ground are all applications of force, and likewise, hand-to-hand combat between two (or more) people simply boils down to the application of force, which we perceive as pressure.

So then martial arts, at its core, is simply the study of force, or pressure: how to apply force (offense), how to deal with a force being applied to us (defense), and how to create the most force possible (power).

In Chinese kung fu, we use the term san da, or san shou, to describe “free fighting”. The Chinese word san means “scattered” and has the sense of “chaos”; it’s a recognition by the old masters that real fights tend to be messy and chaotic. Only choreographed, cinematic fights look pretty. Real violence is ugly and messy, but within chaos, we can find order (principles).

Any good martial arts system takes the chaos, scales it down into simple drills that focus on principles, and then progresses the drills back to more and more free, real-time applications that more closely resemble the chaotic messiness of a real fight.

The Martial Art of Awareness uses two different types of partner training to study pressure: spinning hands and sticky hands. Both spinning and sticky hand training have multiple stages and almost endless possible variations.

Spinning Hands

Although in combination, our arms are capable of an amazing variety of movements across multiple planes, if we look closely, the arm is only capable of five basic movements.

flexion (open)
extension (close)
adduction (close)
abduction (open)
rotation

We can move the arm above our heads, which is technically referred to as flexion; we can move the arm downward and eventually behind the body. This is referred to as extension. Flexion and extension happen on the verticle axis.

We can move the arm in, across the body, which is referred to as adduction, and if we move the arm out, away from our body, this is referred to as abduction. Adduction and abduction happen on the horizontal axis. As we can see from the diagram above, with the shoulder joint as the fixed center, we get a kind of cross; we can move up and down and side to side (or you could say in and out), and we can rotate from the center of the cross.

Only Two Circles

Subsequently, if we look at a complete cycle (i.e., full range of motion, in sequence), we can reach

up
in
down
out

Or we can go in the opposite direction and go down, in, up, and out. This gives us two basic circles of movement, one from out-to-in and one in-to-out. All upper body movements come from just these two circles.

I LIq Chuan Spinning Hands Two Basic Circles — The Two Basic Circles

When we look at some different types of punches, a hook, a cross, and a haymaker are all examples of “out-to-in,” whereas a straight punch, a jab, and a back fist are “in-to-out.”

With this in mind, we’re just training these two circles and how to maintain the right pressure throughout the entire circumference or range of motion. We call it spinning because we’re turning the circles over and over again. It’s a process of repeatedly looking at the change.

It’s All About Pressure (& Space)

Spinning hands helps you to develop the right pressure; right pressure has the effect of a virtual sphere, a quality of roundness. It’s the pressure that keeps your opponent from being able to hit you while at the same time creating the space for you to hit your opponent. We refer to right pressure as “fullness.”

A short clip on fullness from our martial arts zoom classes.

In meditation, we look at the continuous rise and fall of the breath, which we know by the change in pressure in the body. Likewise, in spinning hands, we are repeatedly observing the “rise and fall” of pressure on the point of contact with our partner as we move continuously from in-to-out or out-to-in. In this way, spinning hands becomes a dynamic, moving meditation.

Sticky Hand

Learning how to maintain the quality of a ball or sphere is necessary, but by itself is not sufficient for self-defense. The final, objective outcome of effective self-defense training is the ability to finish a fight. Just as in sports, defense alone will not win the game. You must score points (and more points than your opponent) to win.

I Liq Chuan sticky hand training develops four fundamental qualities for self-defense:

flow
fend
control
freeze

Flow

Flowing means “to be with.” It comes very much from the quality of mindfulness and being present. In the context of The Martial Art of Awareness, it’s neither anticipating nor catching up to your training partner. With regard to pressure, when we touch our training partner, we neither resist nor allow any gaps to happen. The pressure should neither increase nor decrease. However, there is a “minimum viable pressure” that must be maintained at all times. Contact is not enough; there must be connection. There is much more that could be written technically about flowing, but we’ll save that for our members-only area.

Fend

After we develop some flowing, we must bring the quality of the ball back into our training. When we fend, we learn always to keep the quality of the ball between us and our training partner as they move freely and try to tap our bodies. It’s a dynamic, spontaneous application of maintaining the sphere of fullness; it’s a more actively defensive level of training.

Control

As we develop more skills, we can make the application of the ball more precise and further restrain our training partner’s movements by controlling both their hands and their balance. When someone is fighting for their balance, it’s hard for them to fight you. The central nervous system shuts down the ability to generate power when it thinks we’re falling and acts reflexively to try and regain balance as a first priority. By continuously manipulating our partner’s balance, we’re essentially putting our training partner into a perpetual state of falling. This is control.

Freeze

Freezing could also be referred to as “jamming.” If we compare it to firearms, when a weapon misfires, it’s temporarily unable to function until we “clear the jam.” Freezing your training partner is similar in the sense that our application of pressure is so precise that they are temporarily “unable to function” with regard to effective attack and defense.

Another way of thinking about freezing is that you are put into such a perfect state of balance that any movement away from that position puts you into a state of imbalance. You could think of it like someone holding you in place on a tightrope. As long as they’re holding on to you, you’ll be fine, but if they let go, or you struggle to get free of their control or try to attack them, you’ll only succeed in making yourself fall off the rope.

In real-time self-defense applications, “freezing” might only last for a split second, but it represents a brief moment of time when you are completely free to attack your opponent “at will” while they are briefly “immobilized”, which translates into a tremendous advantage for anyone who has that level of skill.

Conclusion

Let’s review; all martial arts train three things:

Power
Offense
Defense

I Liq Chuan’s two-pronged approach to developing these qualities is unique, focusing on “cause” rather than “effect” and deliberate, mindful action.

Our basic exercises bring mind and body together; they teach you to look within, to know yourself. They help develop coordination, balance, and, most importantly, mindfulness. When you know yourself and understand both your strength/power and its limitations, you can use yourself skillfully.

At their most basic, the skills of both offense and defense just come down to pressure.

Defense is based on “fullness” or maintaining the qualities of a sphere. Offense comes from recognizing the “empty” (gaps) or penetrating the opponent’s sphere.

I Liq Chuan uses partner work called spinning hands and sticky hands to learn how to recognize, maintain and use the right pressure, distance, and angles.

The Martial Art of Awareness is a good tool for developing mindfulness because a gap in your awareness is a gap in your defense. When you get hit or lose your balance, you know right away. You get instant feedback on your progress. Fullness is “yes” or “no.” You can’t fake it.

In the end, everything circles back to that first component of the system, the philosophy, concepts, and principles. It’s about “knowing.” When we move, we know. We are aware. We are not simply reacting reflexively.

Knowing from the present moment is not just a sterile, intellectual grasp of things; it’s understanding. Understanding is wisdom. Overall, that’s our primary goal for training I Liq Chuan; to use martial art as a tool to cultivate this kind of stillness and clarity.

So, in other words, we’re using martial arts to train the mind.

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