September / October 2008

[SimonM]

Reads Pg. 10 column 2.

Swords lack defense?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Say what?

[Zi Zheng]

In the fact that you don't want to really have anything slamming against your sword. it will dull your blade. Granted, the bottom couple of inches is what is primarily used to block, it is not meant to "block" but parry. That is why straight sword is the most revered of all weapons. The skill using it doesn't come from knowing how to use the sword, but how to move your body and use the sword as an extension of it.

Here comes all the comments about how all weapons are extensions of your body, and I know this, but, we're talking about sword here.

weapon to weapon (not person, or skill) compared to twin hooks... less defense.

ex.) You can use the back of the twin hook to block. You can use the guard to block but it would be a complete noob tactic. but it's still there to protect the hands.

you get the point.

[GeneChing]

Thanks for the comment SimonM. I really miss the reviews of each issue on this forum. We had that going pretty regularly for a spell, then it dropped off. Thanks for revitalizing it.

I understand what Zi Zheng is saying. I've always questioned the architecture of the jian guard. Unlike western sword development which evolved from finger rings and knuckle guards to a coquille, the jian guard didn't evolve much at all. It's design does little to protect the hand. You have to rely mostly upon your parrying skill with the forte. I've always written that off to the burden of Chinese culture - 5000 years of orthodoxy.

[SimonM]

Part of the problem is that the article doesn't specify Jian; rather it says "medium-sized weapons such as the straight sword".

And a basket-hilted straight sword has very strong defense. Furthermore the extra hooks and points on tiger hooks, although they can be advantageous, could also be used against the wielder if facing a skilled enough swordsman.

The reason, in my opinion, that weapons like the tiger hooks remained peripheral is that for all their exotic flair they lack some of the practicality and applicability of simpler designs.

Such as the straight sword, the sabre and the spear.

[SimonM]

The cover article is a really entertaining story.

[GeneChing]

...and thanks again for the feedback.

I felt jian was implied, but I appreciate your comment, SimonM. I personally feel that twin hooks were peripheral for several reasons. On a very basic level, they are hard to learn. I have a sharp pair from Dragon Well with absurdly long pommel spikes. One mistake with those and you'll slash your own wrists. If you work with sharps, you know exactly what I mean. On a practical level, they are hard to sheath. A simple sword can be contained in a scabbard. You have to have some weird scabbard for hooks and that would be hard to draw quickly. This makes it more of a battlefield weapon than a personal arm that you might carry around on a daily basis. One more reason is that they are harder to make.

But still, hooks are really cool and a personal fav of mine. I wrote a short piece for our featured weapon on hooks back in our 2001 May/June issue: Kungfu's Deadly Twin Hooks

[SimonM]

That is one of the things I take umbrage to in the tiger hooks article. The author states "straight swords... require a higher degree of skill".

Considering the later statement of:

"when fighting against long range weapons you have one technique that enables you to match distance for distance. You can hook the swords together and swing theem about you in a circle, resulting in eight to ten feet of striking range"

I am of the opinion that the article tends to down-play the skill necessary to make use of this weapon, especially as described by the author.

I would counter that using a straight sword effectively requires a lower degree of skill as it is a simpler and safer weapon to use but that the debth and breadth of straight swords techniques worldwide means that true mastery of the straight sword requires a greater degree of skill.

As for twin hooks looking cool we are in agreement. They look neat.

Still when push comes to shove give me a good old straight sword.

[TaichiMantis]

2001 May/June issue[/URL]: Kungfu's Deadly Twin Hooks

Gene, I think you would enjoy this article by Randy Choy, my kung fu uncle. Also, Alex Tse just put up a vid of his own performance of double hooks. (filmed in the 80's in super8)

[GeneChing]

Our cover story is now live. So is the original interview.

Old School Street Fighter: Master Hoy Lee, the Father of American Jow Gar

And the bonus (just for the e-zine)
Hoy K. Lee Interview 3/24/2008

[TaichiMantis]

Nice article! Here in Grand Rapids we have Sam Chan's school. Sifu Chan learned Jow Ga under Si-Kung Lee Ngou during his youth at the Hong Kong Jow Ga school. Under Si-Kung Lee Ngou, Sifu Chan studied Jow Ga Kung Fu, Jow family Lion Dance, and traditional chinese medicine.

[mooyingmantis]

BAH! We RICHARD'S are starting to feel unloved!

Richard "Cranium" Tolson

[GeneChing]

This is in reference to the article we ran in this issue: The Legacy of Chen Pan-Ling By Brian Bruning

Learning from the master
Frederick martial arts students learn from Taiwanese master
Originally published October 03, 2008
By Nicholas C. Stern
News-Post Staff
Photo by Travis Pratt

Mark Small began practicing martial arts more than 30 years ago. The Asheville, N.C., native's first teachers were from Taiwan.

So when he heard that Chen Yun Ching, a 70-year-old martial arts grandmaster from Taiwan, was giving a five-day series of classes for the first time in Frederick, he rushed to Maryland.

"His credentials are extensive," Small said. "That's what master Chen is great at; he's standardized his father's ... practice and made it available to all audiences, no matter your age or health condition."

Small was among more than a dozen students who had a chance to learn from Chen last month at John Scott's martial arts studio in Frederick.

Scott's former teacher was a disciple of Chen's and he has studied Chen Pan Ling (Chen Yun Ching's father) style, which he now teaches in Frederick, for more than 20 years.

Last year, on a training visit to Taiwan, Scott said Chen approached him while they were walking through the mountains and mentioned he'd like to visit Frederick.

"It was quite an honor for him to ask me and tell me he wanted to come," he said.

Since then, Scott has anxiously prepared for the visit. He said when he told Chen that Frederick Mayor Jeff Holtzinger declared Wednesday to be Chen Yun Ling Day, the martial arts expert shed tears of appreciation.

"He's a wonderful guy," Scott said.

Carrying on the tradition

Chen Yun Ching, speaking through a translator, said he began studying his father's special blend of martial arts at age 8.

Chen Pan Ling's father was a wealthy man from China who hired several martial arts masters from various disciplines, including Tai Chi Chuan, Shing-i, Ba Gua Zhang, Shaolin and Seng Chuan, a rare form of mountain boxing, to teach his children. Chen Pan Ling then synthesized these various forms into a comprehensive technique.

As is traditional in China, the art has been handed down to Chen Yun Ching as a sort of inheritance.

In 1999, Chen retired from his career with the Tai Chung bus company in Taiwan, and began spreading the lessons of his father throughout the world.

Martial arts are a great way to maintain health and provide for self-defense, Chen said.

American students have surprised him with their earnestness and attention to the minute details of his teachings, Chen said.

Even though the United States has put men in space, Chen said he is amazed when Americans can't understand how Tai Chi is good for their health. One reason may be because the deliberate, graceful exercise focuses more on breathing and developing strength and flexibility in the inner organs.

Adam Finkelstein of Frederick and his wife, Kelly Rausch, have been studying with Scott for about a year.

Finkelstein said having Chen available to suggest subtle adjustments has made a difference in his form.

"He's a gentle, friendly expert with a good sense of humor," Finkelstein said.

Denise Giles began studying with Scott about six months ago for health reasons.

Giles, who retired from a government job, said the physical and psychological stress caused from a busy lifestyle builds up over time and becomes difficult to notice.

"With martial arts, you've got to concentrate, and concentration alleviates stress," she said.