Shaolin Sparring

Can you spar with traditional Shaolin Kung Fu techniques? Or do you practice traditional techniques, and then abandon them once you start sparring?

Sadly, most Kung Fu students today lack a systematic approach to sparring.  So it’s no surprise that they cannot use traditional techniques in sparring. If you watch them sparring, it is obvious that they are not using techniques from their traditional forms. Their sparring looks like kickboxing, not Kung Fu.

I am extremely lucky.  Because I inherited a systematic sparring methodology from my teacher, I can use traditional techniques while sparring.  And so can my students. If you watch the video below, you can clearly see that we are using traditional techniques:

To quote the song, it looks like “Kung Fu fighting.” There is no bouncing, no boxing, no padding, and no karate in what we do. It is 100% traditional Shaolin Kung Fu.

I remember when I first started sparring in my Karate days.   I was a Green Belt, and I was thrown into the mix against Black Belts. A soon as my Sensei said, “Go!”, I thought to myself, “Now what?” Needless to say, that Black Belt had his way with me that day.

Later, when I was a Karate Black Belt sparring against Green Belts, I remember looking at their faces and thinking, “They have no idea what to do.” (Of course, it was a lot more fun being on this other side.) Though I did eventually learn how to spar, my progress was slow and haphazard. And I never once managed to use a technique from my traditional Karate forms.

Kung Fu is not magic. It is scientific. You cannot expect sophisticated movements to magically work for you just because you practiced them alone on the top of a mountain for 10 years. If students follow a systematic methodology and practice sufficiently, they will find free sparring a natural progression. They will be able to apply their techniques spontaneously not because Kung Fu is magic, but because they have practiced according to a systematic method.

The Method

In the Flowing Zen Studio, beginners are taught a series of combat sequences that cover all categories of attack and defense. There are 16 basic sequences, each of which consists of roughly 4-10 traditional patterns. A single combat sequence practiced alone would look like a segment of a classical form. Linking four or more combat sequences together would look just like a classical form.

Phases of Sparring

In practicing these combat sequences, there are important phases to be practiced along the way:

The main reason students fail to apply traditional Kung Fu patterns is because they lack the above methods. It is easy to see why trying to jump directly from Step 1 (forms) to Step 7 (free sparring) will result in failure every time. Jumping straight into free sparring is a guaranteed way to make your sophisticated Kung Fu techniques feel useless.

Skills

There are other reasons why few people can apply traditional Kung Fu patterns in sparring or combat. The most obvious is that they do not know the application of the technique. Some teachers even encourage students to figure out the application on their own, as if solving an ancient puzzle. I can tell you from repeated experience that the application you may imagine or figure out on your own is, at best, only one of many applications. It will likely also be the most unsophisticated one.

Even if you personally witness the sophisticated application, you still may not “get” it.  This is true in any art.  You can’t just pick up a complex surgical technique from watching.  You need to be mentored.  You need someone to show you the subtleties.

I witnessed, understood, and practiced the application to a traditional pattern for over a year. I later felt the same pattern applied by my Sifu during sparring. What he did might have looked the same to others, but to me it was completely different.  Don’t get me wrong: I was not practicing the physical form of the move incorrectly. I just lacked the other skills required to make that physical form so effective.

The application of these patterns depends a great deal on these skills. Unfortunately, such skills are not easily seen. Many of these skills, even when felt directly from a master, still take years and years to perfect.

Force

This leads us to another reason why people fail to apply their techniques: a lack of force. Force can be explained and applied in many ways. Internal force is not even necessary. A Tiger Claw will suffice here as an example of force.

Let’s say you know a particular Tiger pattern called “Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain.” You have learned the application and the necessary skills directly from the world’s best master. Let’s say you practice this move thousands of times. Your master is there every day to correct your mistakes. A year later, you are able to apply this pattern in sparring 80% of the time.

Even if you raise your percentage to 99.9%, you are still missing a key ingredient. If you have not trained the force for your Tiger Claw, then your technique is worthless. Why? Because force is necessary to make this particular pattern effective.

You may land the technique, but you will only succeed in tickling your opponent’s arm with your Tiger Claw. This is why force training has always been an essential ingredient in traditional Kung Fu.  There are many ways to develop force, like Iron Palm, One Finger Zen, and Golden Bridge.  Until you develop force, your Kung Fu will remain empty.

Kung Fu Fighting?

Many people don’t believe that Kung Fu can be used for sparring or fighting. Some argue that classical postures are only for training strong legs. Others argue that stances don’t work in combat. Others argue that modern methods, like kickboxing and wrestling, are more effective.

If you train sparring systematically in a good school, you will learn, through direct personal experience, the inaccuracy of these claims. Once your elegant and sophisticated Kung Fu patterns begin to come alive, you will appreciate the incredible legacy that has been passed down from past masters. If you practice correctly and consistently, you will see that Kung Fu – including proper stances and elegant classical patterns – can certainly be used for sparring and for fighting.  More importantly, they also promote good health, vitality, and mental clarity.