Why do you Practise Kung Fu?

One important reason why the standard of kung fu today is generally low is that many people practise kung fu without being aware of their aims and objectives.

If you ask someone who has practised kung fu for many years why he has done so, it is not uncommon for him to have difficulty finding the real answers. He may say he practises kung fu for self-defence, for health, or for keeping alive a worthy tradition, but on deeper examination he often finds that those are not the real reasons.

This is evident from the fact that despite many years of training, he cannot defend himself with the kung fu he has learnt, is not as healthy and fit as a typical kung fu exponent recorded in classical kung fu literature, and knows little about kung fu tradition. The truth is that he has practised kung fu without clearly set aims and objectives.

Making Your Training More Rewarding

Obviously, if we are clear about our aims and objectives, our training will be more rewarding. Not only we shall not waste time over unnecessary training, we shall also have a higher level of attainment. For our purpose here, aims refer to general and long term aspirations, and objectives to measurable and more immediate needs.

There are three aims in all kung fu training:

For great kung fu like Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan, there are two further aims:

Self Defence, Health and Fitness

Combat efficiency is the first and foremost aim of all kung fu training. The term kung fu, especially as used in the West, means martial art. It is ironical, therefore, if you practise kung fu (including tai chi chuan) but do not know how to defend yourself with what you have learnt.

The second aim of kung fu training is health and fitness. Indeed, in our modern societies where fighting seldom happens, this benefit of being healthy and fit is more immediate and important than being able to fight. But the crucial point is that you will derive the radiant health a typical kung fu exponent of classical kung fu literature manifests, only if you practise kung fu as a martial art. If you practise kung fu dance, you will only get the type of health benefit that a dance can give.

Character Development and Spiritual Cultivation

Kung fu training itself is a process of character development. Qualities like tolerance, endurance, and perseverance are developed if you practise kung fu the way past masters did, such as practising the 'Golden Bridge' or the 'One Finger Zen" everyday for years. Qualities like mental freshness and calmness are pre-requisites if you wish to be a good kung fu fighter.

Great kung fu like Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan is more than a mere fighting art. Both Shaolin Kung fu and Tai Chi Chuan expands the mind and leads ultimately to spiritual fulfilment.

Meditation, known as chan (zen) in Shaolin Kung Fu and jing-zhou (silent-sitting) in Tai Chi Chuan, is an essential aspect in all levels of these two arts, although it is emphasized at the advanced levels, and although not many people today may be aware of this fact. Actually, the original aim of Bodhidharma and of Zhang San Feng, the First Patriarchs of Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan respectively, when they first initiated the arts, was spiritual cultivation.

Setting Measurable Objectives

Besides being clear of our general aims and consciously strive to achieve them, it is helpful to set measurable objectives for more immediate needs.

In order to attain the general aim of combat efficiency, we may set objectives like developing powerful arms and agile footwork, and mastering defence techniques against common attacks. We may, for example, set aside one year to practise how to counter the various kicking attacks typically executed by Taekwondo and Siamese Boxing exponents.

To attain good health and fitness, we may train the Shaolin art of 'One-Finger Zen' or the Tai Chi Chuan art of 'Three-Circle Stance' everyday for six months as our set objectives.

After the six month period we can assess whether we have been successful in meeting our objectives by using measurable tests like checking whether we are now comparatively free from colds and flus which we used to have, and whether we can comfortably block our seniors' attacks in sparring practice when previously we could do so only with difficulty.

Enriching our Lives

Setting objectives like increasing our endurance and perseverance levels from a minute to five minutes over a period of six months in zhang-zhuang (stance-training) can be readily combined with the objectives of developing internal force. It will be useful to check whether we have also transferred these qualities to our daily life, such as examining ourselves to see whether our disciplined kung fu training has made us more tolerable to other people and more capable of facing demanding tasks.

The various meditation methods in Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan enhance our mind and spirit. (In eastern philosophy the mind and spirit are often regarded as one.) We may, for instance, set objectives like enhancing our mental clarity so that we can comprehend a problem in five minutes when it took half an hour in the past.

Hence, if we are clear about what we intend to achieve in our kung fu training by setting aims and objectives, we can not only get more benefits from our practice in shorter time, but also enrich our as well as other people's lives.

Related Articles:

• Guidelines for Practicing Qigong
• Getting the Best Benefits from your Training

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