SHAOLIN KUNGFU AGAINST WESTERN BOXING
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An opponent using Western Boxing is very fast. Can you please explain how a kungfu exponent can fight against a Western Boxing opponent?
It is not uncommon for many kungfu students, even after many years of kungfu training, to find it hard to fight against Western Boxing opponents, especially if the training of the kungfu students consists mainly or solely of form practice. Even if the kungfu students have learnt sparring, Western Boxing opponents can be formidable.
This is a good eye-opener for some kungfu practitioners, including some masters, who boast that kungfu is very profound although they themselves have never sparred, and that martial arts like Western Boxing, Karate and Taekwondo are very simple. It is true that kungfu techniques are more profound, but they fail to realize that combat efficiency depends on many other factors.
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Indeed, if combat training is not methodical, the profound techniques of kungfu become a liability instead of an asset. If training is superficial, in terms of methods used as well as time spent, simple punches, kicks and blocks are easier to apply, and consequently more effective, than profound techniques which demand more skills.
Because they are unable to apply complex kungfu techniques skillfully, many kungfu exponents, including some masters, mistakenly think that kungfu techniques are too flowery and stances are too cumbersome for combat. Some of these masters simplify kungfu, calling their resultant arts various forms of kungfu-do.
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Actually there are many excellent kungfu techniques a kungfu exponent can use against a Western Boxing opponent. But he must not merely use the techniques. He must have the necessary skills to do so. And if he understand combat principles and apply them, his chance of defeating a Western Boxing opponent is much enhanced.
When a Western Boxing opponent attacks you with his typical Western Boxing punches, if you respond with typical kungfu techniques like “Single Tiger Emerges from Cave” and “Black Tiger Steals Heart” as in Hoong Ka Kungfu, or “Than Sau” (Mirror Hand) and “Phew Chee” (Thrust Fingers) as in Wing Choon Kungfu, or “Peng” (Ward Off) and Vertical Punch as in Taijiquan, especially if you execute these techniques in proper stances (which it should be), unless you are very skilful, you are likely to be hit a few times by his fast as well as deceptive punches. The problem is not due to the kungfu techniques and stances but due to the lack of skills in using them.
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Two main reasons why Western Boxing opponents beat kungfu exponents in the above situation are the speed and deceptive tactic of the Western Boxing opponents. Using those kungfu techniques and without much skills further aggravate the kungfu exponents' disadvantageous situation. Those kungfu techniques, including the Wing Choon Thrust Fingers, are slow compared to the springy punches of the Western Boxing opponents. They are also “real”, which in this case means they are “straight-forward” without being “tricky”, compared with the deceptive punches which can be “real” or “apparent”.
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An understanding and application of combat principles will help to overcome this situation. In fact the use of such kungfu techniques above against fast Western Boxing opponents indicates a lack of kungfu philosophy. It is what past masters referred to as “dead kungfu”, i.e. without making kungfu alive by using it according to the combat situation in question.
As Western Boxing opponents are fast, it would be disadvantageous to match them with speed. As they are deceptive, it would be disadvantageous to block their every attack. So, how would you respond to fast, deceptive punches. Simple — if you know kungfu philosophy. “Avoid the opponents' strong points and attack their weaknesses”. Hence, avoid their fast punches, irrespective of whether they are “real” or “apparent”.
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What are their weaknesses. Actually there are many. For example, their lower body is exposed, and they lack “solidness” in their balance, which means even if they are well balanced it is easy to fell them. But here we shall just focus on two of these many weaknesses, namely their reach is relatively short, and their techniques are “soft” (which does not mean they do not have force)..
Two effective tactics for attacking these weaknesses are “Use long to strike short” and “Use hard to strike soft”. The pictures below illustrate how I apply the above two tactics against Darryl who poses as a Western Boxing opponent
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I use the Shaolin poise pattern “Single Tiger Emerges from Cave” to observe Darryl. Judging from his stance, I expect him to be a Western Boxing exponent.
As he attacks me with a left jab, irrecpective of whether it is a “real” or a “feint” attack, I move my left leg diagonally to my left side into a right Bow-Arrow Stance and strike his attacking arm with my left arm, using the pattern “Lohan Strikes Drum”.
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Darryl's initial left jab is a feint one. He follows with a right jab. I move my left leg a slight step to my left into a left Bow-Arrow Stance and swing my right reverse fist upward at his right ribs, using the pattern “Throw ball in Waves”.
Almost irrespective of how Darryl would respond, I immediately move my right leg a big step diagonally to my right side into a right Bow-Arrow Stance and swing my reverse left fist upward at his left ribs.
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Immediately I move my right leg forward into Darryl stance and strike his solar plexus with my right low punch, using the pattern “Precious Duck Swims through Lotus”.
As Darryl lowers his hands to try to defend against my low punch, I move my left leg diagonally to my left side and swing my left arm downward at his head. Darryl ducks to protect himself.
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Immediately, and almost irrespective of how Darryl responds, I move my left leg diagonally forward and swing my right reversed fist upward at his left ribs, using “Throw Ball in Waves”.
Then I move my right leg diagonally forward and swing my left reversed fist at Darryl's left ribs. It also happens that Darryl is making a right jab at me, but my moving diagonally forward to my right side avoids his attack.
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Immediately I move in to strike Darryl's solar plexus using “Precious Duck Swims through Lotus”. Darryl lovers his hands to block my attack.
Almost irrespective of how Darryl responds, I move my left leg diagonally to my left side and swing my left fist downward at his head. At this time Darryl bounces back, so my downward arm strike his left arm instead.
Many people may not believe it, but I can use this same combat sequence against a Western Boxing opponent almost irrespective of how he would respond. This claim can be readily verified. Practice the combat sequence 50 times a day for six months, then apply it on some Western Boxing opponents as if you were merely performing your routine training. The combat sequence consists of only four patterns and is reproduced below for your reference.
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In the beginning practice the sequence slowly, ensuring that the form of each pattern is correct. Next, practice the sequence smoothly but with force, treating the four patterns as if they were one long pattern. Then performs many sequences continuous, without scarifying correct form and force, and gradually increase the speed.
It would be helpful to smoothly count “1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, ...” as you perform the four patterns of each sequence, performing the pattern smoothly and with force as you count it.
When you can perform the four patterns smoothly as if they were one pattern, change to counting the sequence instead of the patterns. Hence, you count “1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ?49, 50” as you train.
A more important factor in combat is not the techniques but the skills. If I lack the agility to move effectively away from his attack, or lack the force to strike him decisively, I would not be able to defeat the opponent despite applying right techniques. In your training, once your techniques are correct you should focus on skills.
In a real fight, the opponent will be put out of action with just one or two strikes. The first “Lohan Strikes Drum” or “Throw Ball in Waves” would have broken his arm or ribs, rendering him inefficacious to continue combat.