Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Essentials...
Puting It All Together with Forms: Chung I Chuan
A One Form Style Complete In Its Simplicity
By Salvatore Canzonieri
In Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, Forms are the
purposeful choreographing and execution of movements and
techniques into a specified sequence. As such, Forms are an
essential element of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts in that
they serve as a means of juxtaposing and consolidating a style's
techniques into a usable form of expression. Taken together, all
the Forms for a given style create an encyclopedia of the style's
theories. Forms are a short hand version of a style's
'language', so to speak.
It is the Forms that make a style distinct and unique from
another. Many styles say the same thing, but execute their
techniques differently. The best fighting Forms are those that
are practical, economical in movement, and truly teach a lesson
in self defense. The constant repetition of Forms has been shown
to actually physically change the neural pathways of the body to
create 'muscle memory'. Thus, the practioner is changed by the
Forms and becomes almost a different person over time. In this
way, the founder of a style's Forms is still around as a teacher,
his/her ideas being direct transmissions through time to the
present day practioner.
Every style has a different number of Forms that they
practice, ranging from many to few. Styles such as Choy Li Fut
and Shaolin Chuan are composed of 100s of Forms, because these
styles are composite styles that synthesize the essenses of many
other styles. Many older styles such as the Wah, Pao, Hua, Cha,
and Chang Chuan, which were created in Northern China before the
17th century, contain about 10 forms. In contrast, may newer
styles such as Wing Chun, Pak Mei, Southern Mantis, which were
created in Southern China after the 17th century, contain about 3
forms. Northern styles were developed when people had more time
to learn them, Southern style generally were created after the
Manchu takeover of China and were meant to be learned quickly for
use by Chinese rebel patriots.
Then, there are styles that are used by the military that
have one form only and are meant to be short, but complete
systems that cause their practioners to use their body correctly
with maximum effeciency and effectiveness with little time spent
on theory. These one form systems are to the point and devasting
in their swiftness, practicality, economy of movement, and
generation of power. They represent the best in what modern
Traditional Chinese Martial Arts have to offer if one wishes to
learn a complete system in little time. They are ideal for
today's busy person that is always on-the-go but still wishes to
develop his/her martial arts abilities. These styles are meant to
be fully used for self defense while also conditioning and
developing the practioner's body. The movements are well thought
out as to which internal and external bodily movements will give
the maximum gain to the practioner. Such styles are represented
by Gung Li Chuan, Lian Bo, Chuan Shu Er Shi Fah, Tuan Da, Dachen
Chuan, and Chung I Chuan.
One form styles are a very good way to either augment one's
studies with supplemental or new ideas, bolster one's style in
areas it might be defecient in, or add complementary or
contrasting techniques to one's arsenal. Also, they can be the
starting point for beginners interested
in the martial arts but wary of commiting themselves to years of
study yet. Or, they can be a means for someone with little free
time to still learn and use a complete yet compact martial art.
A very good example of one such style and form can be seen
in a video available from T.C Media (it can be purchased for only
$39.95 by by calling 1-800-824-2433 or writing to T.C. Media, PO
Box 657, Santa Clarita, CA 95056). The video is well produced and
organized so that any martial arts practioner can learn from this
tape very easily, which is a rarity in instructional martial arts
videos. The techniques for this 37 move form (36 plus the
closing) are layed out in both regular and slow motion. The
narrator gives a clear explanation and description of what to
exactly do and how to execute the moves with suffecient speed and
power. The demonstrators of the form do a great job of showing
how to move the body correctly and show much skill in the
generation of internal and external energy. Each movement is
done with a sharp snap that does well to show the effeciency and
effectiveness of the Chung I Chuan's techniques.
Chung I Chuan (which means "Heavy Intellectual or Thinking
Fist") is a style that is one of the simplest and most practical
Chinese Wushu styles that is modern and still keeps true to
Traditional Chinese Martial Arts concepts. It was developed in
the 20th century by combining the best techniques from various
Northern and Southern styles. Techniques taken from Chang Chuan,
LoHan Chuan, Southern Shaolin, Choy Li Fut, and others can be
seen. Chung I Chuan has been officially adopted by the Taiwan
military training program for many years. Also, Chung I Chuan
combines traditional martial arts with modern execrcise
philosophy and the most modern ideas in sports medicine to create
a style whose one form is excellant for both maintaining one's
physical health and for use in self defense.
Chung I Chuan uses the three basic stances: the horse, the
Bow & Arrow, and the Empty (or cat) stance (which are done in the
style of Northern Wushu, characterized by linear stepping). From
the Empty stance, one can shift into any combination of the three
and then into two moving stances: the Cross-Step and the
Lock-Step (which are done in the style of Southern Wushu,
charecterized by semi- circular hooking stepping). These steps,
as one steps forward, use the knee to break an opponent's
balance; the difference between the steps being only the angle
that one enters from (outside or inside the opponentþs knee).
There are two basic punches or fists used in this one form
style: the standing fist, which turns 90 degrees from the waist
to strike with the fist eye up; and the Flat Fist, which turns
180 degrees from the waist to strike exactly like the typical
reverse punch. The name of the style ("Chung" - heavy) comes
from the way the punches are slammed into the opponent with a
powerful waist generated force, making the fists feel very heavy
as the centrifugal force gives them much enertia.
The other hand technique in this style's form is the palm, of
which there are four: the cutting, chopping, lifting, and
pushing palms. The cutting and chopping palms involve evading a
strike and counter-striking with the side of the palm. The
lifting palm uses the Northern method of guiding the oncoming
attack away in a deflecting manner to redirect an opponent's
oncoming attacking force. Simultaneously, a fist strike is made
by turning the waist and perssing the back heel into the ground
to transfer power out of the way and into the fist, as the
attacker goes by. The pushing palm is exactly as the name
implies, an opening is made in the opponentþs defenses and the
palms take advantage of the situation by pushing the opponent off
balance. The methods is like that of Tai Ji Quan's, with
internally generated power coming from the opening movements of
the body's joints.
Kicks are few also, being only two: the Northern snap kick
and the Southern heel kick. Both are done very low and involve
heavy thrusting power. The opponent is pulled towards you as a
snap-kick is delivered or the heel of the foot is stamped into
the opponent as one advances forwards aggressively. The kicks are
not show kicks but used to destroy the opponent's advances or
retreats.
The Chung I Chuan style proceeds in a linear fashion,
bearing down on the opponent and then shifts into a sudden
turnaround, led by the turning of the waist. It is an aggressive
form that uses Northern long range fighting techniques to quickly
close the gap on the opponent and once in close fighing range,
uses Southern fighting techniques to switftly and powerfully
takedown the opponent with waist generated force, allowing the
opponent no room to withdraw his/her position.
Each of the form's 37 moves have a practical purpose. The
form wastes no time with flowery salutes, it immediately sets out
to devastate the opponent. One can see why the military adopted
this style as one of their hand to hand fighting tactics. The
video shows each of the form's techniques in meticulous detail,
allowing one to see how power is delivered and energy transferred
in the execution of the movements.
What makes the one form style even more effective and
efficient is its use of proper body mechanics to open and close
the hip joints (the kua area) so that fa jing power is emitted
with each devastating strike. Also, there are surprise moves that
involve stepping back and crossing the legs for leverage so that
the opponent is looked over one's shoulder and, once the waist
makes its turn, immediately is flung up into the air! This is
done as one closes the gap and steps from far into close range.
In Chung I Chuan much is made of waist generated power. The
form shifts from horse to bow, or from empty to other stances,
with a great shift in weight and pivoting of the waist in a
forward momentum that bears down on the opponent like a
locomotive, with
much mertial force behind it, hence the name again, Chung or
heavy. By pivoting with the waist as one turns and shifts, the
back leg presses against the ground so that power is pushed down
and back up from the unyielding ground and is then transferred up
and out the striking fists - like a springing coil. Each strike
is ensured to have a snapping whip-like quality that goes right
through a target.
The video's demonstrators of the form show the applications
of the movements to be of equal efficiency and effectiveness in
its deadly practicality. Many of the moves pull the opponent off
balance with one hand and strike with great momentum with the
other hand (often to the jaw or collarbone). The attacker is
often pushed and pulled in two different directions and then
either kicked or punched to finish. Much of Tai Ji Quan's
fighting principles can be seen to have been incorporated into
the style.
Though a short 37 move form, Chung I Chuan is also a
complete style. It exhibits all the attributes of a Traditional
Chinese Martial Art: swift evasion, closing of the gap,
waist-generated striking power, fajing energy, efficient and
effective movements and counters, internal power from
opening/ closing of the kua area, and use of the joints as well as
the muscles to augment and transmit energy. All in all, such a
one form systems as these allow you to practice a traditional
style Chinese martial art while still catering to the hectic and
often dangerous needs of the modern age.