The Core of Long Fist
The types of material we teach here—Tai Chi, Bagua and Long Fist Kung Fu—all belong to a large family of Kung Fu style from middle and northern China. Tested in war and refined in peace, this huge family of Kung Fu styles has many unifying principles. Most of the principles here were rarely spoken in ancient days.
The Fist is the Body
Every technique should use the entire body
Reeling Silk Energy
Every technique should have coiling energy
Continuous Motion
Every technique should blend into another
An Inch of Stretch, an Inch of Power
Each shorter technique should have the potential to expand suddenly
One Less Inch, One More Technique
Each shorter technique should have more possible techniques in it
See the Line Off the Circle
Run tangents to the form curves
Long Fist is Like Water, It Can Go Anywhere, Be Anything
Long Fist should be clean in performance to show that the practitioner can go anywhere
Kung Fu is a “Second Thought” Fighting Form
No technique really exists until the situation occurs
Open the Doors Then “Leak” In
Each technique should open a door then exploit the advantage
Issue Power
Students of Long Fist should be able to “issue power”
Forms Should be Alive
Forms should not look like frozen poses or dancing sets
Long Fist Starts Generic and Ends Customize
Each student must express his or her own individuality in the style, the Long Fist has all variations in it already
The Potential for the Whole Body Power Should Exist in Each Movement
All movements use the principle of Tong Bei (through-the-back), and each movement should have the explosive potential of whole body committment
With or Without Weapons, the Body Moves the Same, Using Qualities, not Actions, to Deafeat the Opponent
When a Long Fist expert does a Splitting Fist (PiDa), he drops completely. Punching upward, he lifts everythig. When he turns, the waist is a hub.
Flexibility in Form, Flexibility in Mind, Flexibility in Application
The Long Fist student my be able to change at every level
If the Idea is Wrong, the Application is Wrong. Grappling, Striking, Defending; all in Each and Every Action
Momentary conditions, not thoughts, determine the application of each move
In Forms Practice, the Depth, not the Speed, Power or Grace, is the Key
Forms exist to practice usage. Therefore the idea of fighting should be more than the flash or speed of a form.
Forms should be clear
The clarity of a form suggests the proper power and meaning
Long Fist is the Mother of Many Styles
There are a great many styles: Bagua, Tai Chi, Hung Gar, PiGua Zhang, Tong Bei: all good in the right hands. Long Fist is like the water from which we can make tea, or coffee, or whiskey or any other drink. We can go anywhere from Long Fist. It is a perfect foundation for martial study. Many styles are viewed as flowers from the garden of Long Fist.
