10 Questions on "Becoming a Shaolin Wahnam Practitioner"

[sancrica]

Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family,

Wonderful questions have been asked! And of course, the answers from Sifu, are just as amazing as always. :-)

Maybe, if appropriate, I would like to ask some questions that came to my mind:

In one the Questions & Anwers Series, Sifu once wrote:
.

"The saying “nan quanbei tui”, or “Southern Fists Northern Kicks”, typically sums up the main difference between Southern Shaolin Kungfu and Northern Shaolin Kungfu. Southern Shaolin styles are well known for fists, whereas Northern Shaolin styles are well know for kicks...

...So another typical difference, besides the use of fists and kicks, is the Northern Shaolin styles are agile and involve a lot of wide movement and open space, whereas Southern Shaolin styles are solid with narrower movement and less space. Many commentators mention that this typical difference is due to the availability of wide, open ground in north China, and crowded narrow lanes in the south."

- May Sifu share with us if there would be any style that might suit better in a multi-opponent fight or is it just the skill that counts?

- May Sifu share with us what would the best strategies/patterns/skills/styles be when involved in a multi-opponent fight in a wide and open space? How about in a narrow and closed space?

Thank you for taking into consideration my questions. :-)

With Love, Care and Shaolin Salute,

Santi

[LeeWeiJoo]

Dear Sifu,

FJ brought up an interesting story about Sigung Ho and how he fought off a large group of armed attackers with just a spear, and all by himself.

If I may ask again, Sifu, are there other such amazing stories that you can share with us?

Thank you, Dimitri, for facilitating this thread, and to all who asked questions.

With Shaolin Salute,
Lee Wei Joo

[Chi Addict]

Another question!

Dear Sifu,

On the topic of weapons and multiple opponents, what is the approach our Shaolin Arts has on:

1) using a medium-length staff (up to chest level of the person)
Would it handle the same like a long staff (person's height or more)? Or it has it's own principles for combat?

2) using a short-length stick (length of an arm or shorter)
Does it handle like a sword,sabre or differently?

3) using a very short blunt-impact weapon (eg.a pen or torchlight)
Does it handle like a dagger, though it's not sharp or bladed? Or it also has it's own principles for combat?


While i can imagine using a long-range weapon (eg. staff/spear) to fend off groups of attackers,
how would the above 3 different weapons be utilized in the same situation to fight off multiple attackers?


Regards,
FJ

[Dimitri]

Question 4 - Answer 4

Enjoy!

Question 4

May Sifu share with us what are the most important aspects (in order of importance) for winning a multi-opponent fight (with and without weapons)? May Sifu please elaborate?

In order to continue with our school tradition of transferring these wonderful arts to our daily lives, may Sifu share how can the following strategies be used to enrich our lives and the lives of others (both personal and professional)?:

- “Catch the Leader First”.

- “Break Through the Weakest”.

- “Over Bridge, Flow with Water”.

- "Back-wall Battle".

- “Dodge-hit Battle”.

Santiago



Answer


The most important aspects in order of importance for winning a multi-opponent fight with and without weapons are as follows:

Safety first.
Decisiveness.
Precision.

These aspects are important in one-to-one combat, but are specially important against multiple opponents, especially when the opponents are holding weapons.

Safety first is very important in any martial art, but in today’s combat, martial artists disregard their own safety. They merely exchange blows. It seems that the one who can take the most punishment, and who can last the longest, will win. It is ironical to call their art an art of self-defence. There is simply no defence, and no art.

I recall that when I learned from my four sifus, especially from Uncle Righteousness, safety first was much emphasized. Not only we knew how to defend against various attacks, when we attacked we must cover our opponents so that they could not accidentally hit us.

I remember that when I first saw advisements of Taekwondo, which advertised itself as a martial art, I was appalled at its high kicks. Taekwondo practitioners would have no defence against opponents who exploited their high kicks.

These Taekwondo practitioners would typically answer, “See who is faster!”, assuming that their opponents were too slow or too ignorant to counter. Such an attitude would never happen in kungfu. A kungfu practitioner – one who knew how to apply kungfu techniques for combat, and not one who just exchanged blows – would never expose himself whether his attack was striking, kicking, felling or chin-na.

Later I learned that these arts, like Taekwondo, Karate, Boxing, Muay Thai and Wrestling, were martial sports protected by safety rules. An exponent according to its safety rules, for example, could not strike the groin of a Taekwondo practitioner, grip the arm of a Karate practitioner, punch behind the back of a Boxer, poke his fingers into the eyes of a Muay Thai practitioner, or hit the head of a wrestler.

But they are no safety rules in kungfu, which is a fighting art. Our Shaolin Wahnam kungfu practitioners may not strike the groin of a Taekwondo practitioner, or poke the eyes of a Muay Thai practitioner, but nasty combatant might. Safety first is therefore a very important aspect. We must make sure that our opponents cannot hit us, whether by accident or by design, whenever we attack.

Another important aspect when fighting multiple opponents is decisiveness. We have to decide whom to strike in a group of opponents. If the leader of the group is not capable, we strike the leader so that when he is down, the others may run away. This is employing the tactic known as “fighting against robbers, first strike down the leader.”


If the leader is capable, strike down the weakest person so that you can escape. This is employing the tactic of “kill a cockerel to scare the monkeys.” Make it bloody if weapons are used, but do not kill the leader or the weakest person. There will be a lot of legal proceedings when a person is killed. Even in the past when societies were not so law-abiding, killing or maiming a person might cause the others to fight for their lives, thus making your escape more difficult.

There is nothing glamorous about fighting. Your aim is not to be a hero, but to come out of combat unharmed.

The third important aspect is to be precise. There is some difference between decisiveness and precision. One may be decisive but not necessarily precise, and vice versa.

When fighting against multiple opponents, you must be precise. If you want to hit someone’s head, you must hit his head, not his shoulder or two inches from him. If you want to break someone’s arm, you must break his arm, not just tap on his elbow or totally miss his arm. You cannot take any chance, especially when some opponents are holding weapons.

The following strategies can be used to enrich our lives and the lives or others: catch the leader first; break through the weakest; over bridge and flow with water; back-wall battle; dodge-hit battle.

“Catch the leader first” is a strategy to attack the leader of a group. When he falls the others will flee. Suppose a group of colleagues accuse you of doing something illegal or dishonourable. You didn’t do it but the group are speaking at the same time.

You pick out their leader, raise your voice and address him. You ask him to prove his argument, but without allowing him to continue, you say that you have the right to sue him if he fails in his proof. This can frighten him and silence the others.

“Breaking through the weakest” is used when the leader of a group is formidable. In the above example, if the leader is talkative or good at debate, you turn to someone who is timid. Asking him for proof and stating your right to sue, you walk out of the group giving them no chance for further accusation.

“Over bridge” suggests that once you have an advantage, you keep pressing with the adantage or with other advantages. Suppose you are a salesman. Your client has just bought your product or service. You keep on selling other products or services, but making sure that you do not overwhelm him. “Flow with water” suggests that your client has rejected your product or service, or is hesitant in his speech, you follow up with other products and services.

“Back-wall battle” refers to a strategy where you have your opponents in front, not allowing any of them to get to your back. You are the manager of a company, and many workers come to you with their problems. You line them up and speak to one at a time, not all at the same time.

“Dodge-hit battle” refers to a strategy where you constantly move about amongst your opponents, hitting them decisively and precisely as you move, and your constant movement is your defence as you have moved away from their target. You are a captain of a restaurant and there are many customers waiting to place their order of food and drinks. Although they may be impatient, they cannot make any order until you go to their table.

<End>

[sancrica]

Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family,

I would like to thank Sifu for answering my question and for his always endless generosity. As always, Sifu's answer is illuminating and truly inspiring! :-)

With Love, Care and Shaolin Salute,

Santi

[Leo Shaolin]

Dear Sifu,

Thank you very much for your comprehensive answer.

I am looking forward to the upcoming course!

Best wishes,

Leo

[Dimitri]

Dear Family,

question time is over. We still wait for one question from sipak Markus from Finnland and Angel from Spain.

In the meantime the answers will be published.


With shaolin salute,

Dimitri

[Dimitri]

Dear Family,

here we go with answer 5.

Dear Sigung, thank you very much for your answer.

Question 5

As we know the levels 10-12 requires a lot of skills and a good performance to make the best out of it.

What was the content, and how were the training methods to these last high end levels in

- Sitaigung Lai Chin Wah's school

- Sitaigung Chee Kim Thong's school

- Sitaigung Ho Fat Nam's school

- Sitaigung Choe Hoong Choy's school and in

- The Shaolin Temple?

Dimitri


Answer


In both the Shaolin syllabus and the Tajiquan syllabus, the following is mentioned.

Level 10: Unarmed against Armed
Form: Empty Hands Enter White Blade.
Application: Unarmed against dagger, staff and sabre.
Force: Countering feign moves.
Philosophy: The principles and practice of Apparent and Real.
Note: “Over Bridge, Flow with Water”.

Level 11: Single Unarmed against Multiple Unarmed
Form: Tiger Enters Herd of Sheep.
Application: Single unarmed against multiple unarmed.
Force: “Bamboo Man” or “Through the Woods”.
Philosophy: “Back-wall battle” and “Dodge-hit battle”.
Note: Agility stamina and endurance.

Level 12: Single Unarmed and Armed against Multiple Armed
Form: Dodge Hit.
Application: Single unarmed and armed against multiple armed.
Force: Dodging skills and using enemy as shields.
Philosophy: “Catch the Leader First” and “Break Through the Weakest”.
Note: Importance of mind and energy control.

In Level 10, both Shaolin and Taijiquan students, being unarmed themselves, learn how handle an armed opponent holding a dagger, a staff or a sabre. They also learn how to counter feign moves. They learn the difference between apparent and real, and understand the philosophy of “when there is a bridge, go over the bridge; if there is no bridge, flow with the water.”
In Level 11, students learn how to fight against multiple unarmed opponents. They apply the principle of “a tiger enters a herd of sheep”. They learn “Bamboo Man” or “Through the Wood”. When I was in Alor Star, I spent some time practicing with “bamboo man”. They learn the philosophy of “back-wall battle” and “dodge-hit battle”, and understand how to have agility, stamina and endurance.


Our training in neigong, or internal arts, provides us with agility, stamina and endurance. An excellent example of relevant exercises is the Eighteen Lohan Art. Participants in our Intensive Shaolin Kungfu Course and Intensive Taijiquan Course, which are of a lower level that the Becoming a Shaolin Wahnam Kungfu Practitioner Course, can spar for a few hours without being tired or being panting for breath. This shows stamina and endurance.



In Level 12, which is the highest level of both the Shaolin and the Taijiquan syllabus, students being unarmed learned to fight against multiple armed opponents holding various weapons. They understand the philosophy of “dodge-hit battle”, capture an opponent’s weapon, and use opponents as shields. They learn the principles of “catch the leader first” and “break through the weakest”, and understand the importance of mind and energy control.



An example of mind control is entering into a chi kung state of mind, where participants free their mind of all thoughts, or attain a one-pointed mind. An example of energy control is chi flow where participants can control the direction and speed of the chi flow. These are basic skills, and as one progresses, he (or she) deepens his skills.


These skills were not formally taught by my sifus openly in their schools. They were advanced skills and were taught only to special disciples after the disciples had won the trust of the masters.

I believe that a kungfu practitioner should know these skills. Hence, when I planned the syllabus for Shaolin Wahnam Association, the forerunner of Shaolin Wahnam Institute, I included these skills in the syllabus.

<End>

[LeeWeiJoo]

These skills were not formally taught by my sifus openly in their schools. They were advanced skills and were taught only to special disciples after the disciples had won the trust of the masters.

I believe that a kungfu practitioner should know these skills. Hence, when I planned the syllabus for Shaolin Wahnam Association, the forerunner of Shaolin Wahnam Institute, I included these skills in the syllabus.

Dear SIfu,

Thank you for so generously sharing these advanced skills with us.

With Shaolin Salute,
Lee Wei Joo

[Angel]

Dear Sifu,

This year, in Italy Sifu said that this course will be very good not just for teaching but also for personal development. I felt that Sifu´s statement was far deeper than what i could perceive at that moment but during the preparation process and as the beginning of the course approaches, specially after reading these marvelous answers, i can perceive more clearly how will it be and i´m just amazed. Thank you very much for offering again this wonderful opportunity.

My question is if new methods of internal force training will be transmitted during the course and, if yes, what benefits will have in our kung fu development as well in our daily life experience.

Thank you Dimitri for facilitating this Q&A.

Best regards,

Ángel

[Dimitri]

Let's give sipak Lee Wei Joo an ah-ha answer.

Here we go with answer 6:

Question 6

Sifu has continually improved and evolved his teaching methodology over the years so that students, both old and new, continually accumulate more and more benefits. What are some of the ah-ha moments that Sifu had that led to the formation of our Shaolin Wahnam Kung Fu syllabus as it is today? Will our syllabus continue to change and evolve in the future as Sifu improves his teaching methodology?

Sifu Lee Wei Joo


Answer

Since teaching kungfu and chi kung at least 30 years ago, I have improved my teaching methodology tremendously, often beyond recognition. I have often said that teaching kungfu and chi kung is an excellent way to improve ones performance of kungfu and cjhi kung, and I am a shining example.

I have many advantages that other masters may not have. I teach more than a hundred courses a year, whereas most masters have the same class following them every year. A course of a few hours or even a few days is different from a regular class of unlimited duration, but what I learned in my teaching, I apply quite immediately in the next course.

I also have the advantage of being childlike, of viewing any new situation with awe, whereas many masters regard their jobs as routine, sometimes they are quite bored with what they have to do every day.

Like many instructors in our school, I am also generous. This is closely linked to the policy of our school. If we wish to preserve and promote the greatness of kungfu and chi kung, we have to share secrets. Our training also make us very generous.

There were many ah-ha moments in the formation of our Shaolin Wahnam kungfu syllabus today, which for our convenience may be divided into our Shaolin syllabus and our Taijiquan syllabus. There were also ah-ha moments in our chi kung syllabus. It is worthy to note that our kungfu is also chi kung and meditation, but some of these ah-ha moments were discovered in chi kung classes where our students did not learn kungfu.

Many of these ah-ha moments have become so common-place that they are no longer ah-ha moments now, though they might be in the past. Some of the teaching methods developed over time. So they might not be ah-ha moments, though they are very significant.

I have often mentioned that our typical students now can attain in one month the wonderful benefits that I would take a year to attain when I was a student – at a time when I was already known as a kungfu genius. Others many not believe it; but that is their problem. Hence we have to guard against over-training.

One of the ah-ha moments to many new students, though it might not be so to me or our instructors as it has become common-place, is chi flow. It took me more that 20 years to have a chi flow consciously. Our student at the most would take a month; those who attend my intensive or regional courses would take less than half an hour! Chi flow is very significant because all chi kung benefits come from chi flow, and our kungfu is also chi kung.

Another very significant ah-ha moment, though many students may not realize it, is that our kungfu as well as our chi kung are triple cultivation, i.e. cultivation of the physical, energy and spirit, or “jing”, “qi” and “shen” in Chinese. This is very high level kungfu and chi kung. Much of kungfu and chi kung today is only physical. Most of what others practice as kungfu or chi kung are actually not kungfu or chi kung; they merely perform kungfu forms or generously exchange blows, and they only practice gentle physical exercise.

Many students had their ah-ha moments when they overcame their diseases, especially so-called incurable diseases. This was a main reason why I taught chi kung to the public.

More students, who were already healthy, found joy in their daily living. This was more obvious. What might not be so obvious was that they attained peak performance. They usually practice kungfu.

These ah-ha moments, which might not happen instantly but spread over a period of time, are directly related to the formation of our kungfu syllabus. When I wrote our kungfu syllabus, I was keenly aware that practicing kungfu in our law-abiding societies will bring us peak performance and spiritual joys.

Let us now look at the “Becoming a Shaolin Wahnam Kungfu Practitioner” course for which your question is particularly related. At the course, amongst other things, I shall teach how to capture an opponent’s weapon, and how to fight against multiple opponents who are unarmed and armed.

These are very advanced topics, not normally taught in most other kungfu schools. If they are ever taught, they are taught in secret to specially selected disciples who have won the master’s trust. This may provide some ah-ha moments to many students.

Our syllabus has become so advanced today that we need to guard against over-training. I may continue to improve our teaching methodology and share the secrets with our students.

<End>

[LeeWeiJoo]

Thank you, Sifu, for the enlightening answer and for generously sharing these arts with us.

Thank you, Dimitri, for facilitating this thread.

A big smile from the heart to all who participated in this important discussion.

With Shaolin Salute,
Lee Wei Joo

[Dimitri]

Here comes the answer to the question from FJ. Enjoy!

Question 7


You once recounted that Sigung (Ho Fatt Nam) fought off a huge group of armed attackers who tried to burn his house down.


Extract from https://shaolin.org/general-2/legacy...att-nam08.html:

“….The combat that most impressed me was when more than 35 attackers came to burn his house and kill his family. It was like a kungfu movie except that it happened in real life. Not only he fought them off using a spear, but also he had to defend his family and prevent them from burning his house.

My sifu was so compassionate that he did not want to hurt them, but seeing that they refused to go away, he had to wound the leader to scarce them away. He thrusted his spear onto the side of the leader and blood gushed out. All the attackers then ran away. Had he missed by a few inches and pierced the leader’s liver or kidney, the leader would be killed.”

What specific strategies, tactics and techniques was he using to handle such a large group of armed attackers?

In your opinion, would using the staff in such a situation be just as effective?

Would we be learning some of these strategies, tactics and techniques in the multiple attackers training syllabus during the course?

FJ

Answer

The above real story was one that led me to learn from my sifu, Sifu Ho Fatt Nam.

The other real story was about by Siheng, Yong. Yong was a top Taekwondo master, specially picked by Korean masters who would take over from them when they left. Yong injured his leg and he sought my sifu for treatment.

During treatment he was so inspired by the Shaolin Kungfu that my sifu taught that Yong wanted to learn some Shaolin Kungfu to supplement his Taekwondo. But eventually he gave up Taekwondo to learn Shaolin Kungfu.

At that time I was looking for opponents for free sparring. I had difficulty against Taekwondo kicks. I was much intrigued by Yong’s comment. He told my friend, Chang, a secret which Chang later reported to me. Yong said he could beat any Taekwondo exponents in Malaysia, and as a subsequent thought, even the Korean masters.

In his fight against more than 35 attackers who came purposely to burn his house and kill his family, my sifu used the strategies, tactics and techniques that we shall learn in the “Becoming a Shaolin Wahnam Kungfu Practitioner” course in Penang from 26th November to 2nd December 2018.

Knowing my sifu well, he would have used the strategy of “a tiger in a herd of sheep”. But he had to protect his family. If he moved about among the attackers, some attackers would have kill his family. So he probably used the strategy of “with his back facing a wall” so that he could protect his family.

He used the tactic of “killing a cockerel to scare away monkeys”. He must have thought that the attackers were not capable, or else they would not have attacked in mass. Had the attackers were capable, a practitioner would have used the tactic of “breaking through the weakest”.

But my sifu could not use the tactic of “breaking through the weakest”; he had to protect his family. My sifu was very highly skillful. It would be very difficult to find attackers as capable as him.

The technique my sifu used was “Yellow Dragon Emerges from Cave”. It was unlikely that my sifu used “Green Dragon Shoots Pearl” as the lance he used was quite heavy. In “Yellow Dragon Emerges from Cave” a practitioner, holding the shaft of the lance with his two hands, thrust out the lance without moving the hands. It was suitable for a long, heavy weapon. In “Green Dragon Shoots Pearl” the main hand sliced forward to the supportive hand so that the lance had a longer reach. It was suitable for a long, light weapon.

It was likely that my sifu’s main hand was his right hand, and his supportive hand was his left hand. In other words, he held his lance with his left hand in front. In Kungfu terminology, the main hand is called the “emperor’s hand”, and the supportive hand the “minister’s hand”. My sifu was a master of Flowing Water Staff, and “Yellow Dragon Emerges from Cave” was a frequently used pattern. In this case, my sifu was holding a lance instead of a staff.

It was a lance thrust, and blood gashed out from the leader. The others ran away, carrying their leader with them.

In such a situation, using a staff would not be suitable. If my sifu used “Yellow Dragon Emerges from Cave” to dot or pierce at a vital point, which might actually be more deadly than a lance thrust, blood would not gash out, and the followers would not run away.

The lance thrust must be very accurate. If it missed the target by inches, it might have pierce the kidney or the liver, and the victim might die. In this case, it would be unwise to kill the leader. The followers, finding their leader dead, might stay on and fight.

When using the tactic of “killing a cockerel to scare away monkeys”, a practitioner must make it very bloody, but he must not kill the leader or else his followers would fight for life.

<End>

[LeeWeiJoo]

What a marvelous answer. And to think that the strategies, tactics and techniques that Sigung used would be taught at the course!

Thank you, Sifu.

With Shaolin Salute,
Lee Wei Joo

[PM]

Thank you Sifu for sharing your wisdom!