level, and a hooked hand must be held out behind the back at a 45-degree angle. This training isn’t easy, but if you can manage the space behind, then other directions and angles are also better controlled.
Joints are never locked
The joints must never be locked.
Locking the joints, such as the elbows or knees, is damaging to both physical health and martial art. From a health standpoint, joint locking can lead to stiffness and strains as well as more serious injuries. From the standpoint of usage, a locked joint pushes movements to their dead end, killing any potential for last minute changes in the movement. As a result, the rhythm and fluency within a sequence of movements is destroyed.
Never hyperextend the shoulders and back
In kung-fu, the shoulders should be in line with the chest, never pulled to the rear with the back arched and chest pushed out. Any martial art requires the practitioner to have an on-guard for protection. The arms should function as double doors, remaining closed to guard the chest. Over-stretched shoulders force the gate open, causing unnecessary and meaningless exposure to attack. Exaggerated and boldly stated postures also violate Chinese aesthetics, which finds beauty in restraint.
Breath through the nose
Except for yells, the mouth should stay shut. Keep the teeth together and touch the tongue to the roof of the mouth, placed behind the front teeth. Since taking air through the mouth usually results in short breaths, an open mouth encourages shallow breathing into the chest, panting, and gasping for air. Basic kung-fu breathing exercises train the practitioner to inhale and exhale long, deep breaths through the nose because this prevents or at least delays the onset of gasping and hyperventilation. Practically speaking, the practitioner can last longer without running out of oxygen.
Qi is held in the dantian
Training is by nature primarily external as the student learns the basics; internal elements are layered into the training as the student progresses to higher levels.
The most obvious and common error is holding qi (energy circulating in the body) in the upper torso, forcing the chest to become tense and the shoulders to elevate too high. In the upper levels of traditional kung-fu, even when the practitioner sends the qi to other areas of the body, the dantian (place in the lower abdomen) is never totally emptied. Any of China’s traditional body disciplines— health exercises, neigong, Beijing opera, folk dance, acrobatics, kung-fu—always require the qi to sink, never rise up and center in the chest because to do so will encourage short, shallow breathing and ultimately damage health.
Internal and external must go together
All kung-fu styles require both internal and external training if the practitioner is to reach the higher levels. One without the other is incomplete. This is true whether the styles are labeled hard, soft, external, or internal. At the outset, training is by nature primarily external as the student learns the basics; internal aspects of training are layered into the training as the student progresses to higher levels.
No preparatory motions
Techniques must be executed without special set up, such as running to build momentum for a leap or extra steps to help the delivery of a tornado kick. Every extra movement or preparation takes time, and a split second could mean the difference between success and failure in a fighting situation. To take advantage of a leak in an opponent’s guard, the practitioner must be able to attack from wherever the arm is positioned without preparatory motions. For example, drawing back the arm after a punch to gain distance for a second technique violates the kung-fu principles. The correct method involves the entire torso, using a powerful twist at the spine to send out the shoulder, elbow, and palm or fist to deliver the second blow. Forms that include running sequences to boost the practitioner’s leaps are more performance art and don’t enhance real kung-fu training.
All movements contain chan si jin
There are no straight movements in kung-fu. Movements are curved and involve twisting action, following the principle of chan si jin (silk reeling energy). Even during what appears to be a straight punch, the fist and arm quickly rotate, drilling toward the target. Blocks do not slam directly against the opponent’s arm but twist as they make contact to reduce the speed and power of the attack, redirecting the force away from the practitioner, and possibly creating a leak for retaliation.
A curved and twisted posture characteristic of the bagua style. Calligraphy behind the author was a gift from the editors of The Chang County (China) Martial Arts Record Book. It reads “Real friend of kung fu’s hometown.”
Global awareness
The kung-fu practitioner must be aware of the surrounding space, never standing at the edge but in the middle of a globe ready to exert energy or force in any direction. This broader awareness runs contrary to our normal mode of perception. The mind is usually filled with a tangle of extraneous thoughts as we go about our daily lives. However, kung-fu is incomplete unless it trains the mind, enlarging the practitioner’s mental capacity to include the space around him. When this global awareness is present, it can be seen very clearly in the postures.
Multipurpose movement
Each movement in kung-fu, whether defense or attack, always has more than one purpose. Therefore, the meaning of movements is not completely clear in the beginning, and they are rich in possibilities until the target is reached. Defensive and offensive techniques are interchangeable. An attacking punch can also be a blocking move, and the practitioner should be able to change the direction and focus of a movement as the situation demands. Single-point techniques delivered and then pulled back to redeliver do not follow kung-fu principles.
Double-layered training
Kung-fu training exercises, forms, and movements should not be designed and practiced with the sole intention of destroying an opponent. Real kung-fu training must enrich the entire human being, improving health, developing physical and mental abilities, and expanding one’s philosophical outlook and worldview. This is why kung-fu is such an outstanding and beneficial discipline for our society. The martial artist who tries to transform his human body into a human robot or super fighting machine is making a big mistake and demeaning the art of kung-fu. Practitioners should always check to make sure that their training is really kung-fu—educating and enhancing the body, mind, and spirit.
When you search for a good kung-fu coach, use this kung-fu DNA checklist. These principles can help you evaluate the authenticity of their kung-fu training, and you won’t be swayed by beautiful costumes, flashy movements, mesmerizing background music, self-made family trees, or movements that contradict the way of traditional kung-fu.
Drafting a Kung-fu Constitution
Kung-fu styles share a common foundation. Historically, kung-fu was born of the struggle for survival and was refined over centuries of accumulated experience and wisdom as Chinese medicine, health exercise, and martial arts evolved. The common foundation can be codified into basic principles that apply to most kung-fu styles. Without them, even the most graceful, flowing, beautiful performance is simply fake kung-fu. Just as in the realm of living things a fox is not a bird, such a form could not truthfully be categorized as kung-fu.
The key is to begin at the beginning; high level short cuts can only lead to dead ends.
These principles
