World Of Swords

Every once in a while somebody will make the statement that 'Isn't Wing Chun Kung Fu that art invented by a woman?' Inside that statement is a prejudice against ladies who can be pretty darned skilled. The statement also shows some basic ignorance.

Many years ago, the story goes, a certain warlord during the Qing dynasty was forcing his affections on a young peasant girl. The girl ran into the forest sobbing, where she was found by a Shaolin nun named Ng Mui. The nun taught the girl enough Kung Fu to fight off the warlord, and thus the pretty, little thing was able to marry the man of her dreams.

The man of her dreams, a fellow named Leung Bac-Chou, also knew some Gung Fu. During a little marital spat he decided to teach his bride a lesson, and wound up being taught a lesson of his own. Fortunately, wifey decided to share her style with hubbie, and the style was named after the wife: Wing Chun (beautiful springtime).

While one could find many plot inconsistencies with this myth, the fact remains that it is one of the more workable systems of the Chinese Martial Arts. This is because the martial system is concept based, but backed up by good, hard work. In other words, students of Wing Chun don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk.

The system concentrates on short range techniques. The main drill of the style is Chi Sau, or 'Sticky Hands,' a method by which practitioners circle arms and learn to be sensitive to a foe. People practicing the Sticky Hands Method for any length of time become able to 'read the mind' of an opponent fairly easily.

The system also has the incredible wooden dummy training device. This is a thick stand of wood with arms and legs. The student learns how to bash, guide and manipulate an opponent by working with this wood dummy.

Close range combat is not the only feature of Ving Tsun, however. For middle range work one learns to wield the Butterfly swords. For long range work there is the long spear.

Wing Chun has proven itself over the centuries, and the most famous student was Bruce Lee. Currently, Wing Chun Kung Fu is being practiced around the globe, and is renowned for its combat effectiveness. Not too shabby for a 'Girls Martial Art.'

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I watch Kung Fu Movies, so a title like Five Incredibly Deadly Kung Fu Styles is right up my alley. When you speak of these arts, however, you aren't talking movies. You are talking about incredibly potent disciplines that are the most dangerous martial arts in the world.

These are specific body disciplines which steel the body and make sharp the mind. People who engage in these arts have gone beyond the flesh, and are describing a world towards which mankind hurries with appreciation. Let's consider the five deadly Kung Fu styles.

No particular order, let's start off with Shaolin Gung Fu. Inspired by Bodhidharma, it has become the single, most powerful influence in all the martial arts world. Talk Shaolin and you are talking about the absolute protection of the iron body through Golden Bell Training, and the steel fingers that eventually result in Dim Mak (death touch).

Many styles claim ancestry in the Shaolin Temple, and Wing Chun Gung Fu has a definite right to the claim. Sometimes called a 'girly art' because it was founded by a 'Lady Monk,' this art shows that being sensitive to an attack allows one to lay waste to an opponent. Learn the Sticky Hands (Chi Sau) drill and you can see what is coming long before an opponent offers the attack.

Another sensitive art, definitely not a girly art, is the Praying Mantis (Tang Lang Ch'uan). Again, the arms intertwine, but the attack and defense is delivered from a more Shaolin based stance. Shaolin Powerful with Wing Chun sensitivity, that is the secret of the Praying Mantis Style.

Stepping outside the Shaolin influence, one comes to Tai Chi Chuan (Taiji Quan), which is a Wudan based art. This art practices whole body sensitivity, and is considered by many to be the peak of martial arts expression in the world. By 'emptying' the body one enables the body to generate massive amounts of 'Chi Energy,' and this energy is far beyond simple muscle and sinew.

A more rare form of Wudan Mountain Art is the style known as Pa Kua Chang (Baguazhang). This is a circular art designed to undulate and slither, and leave an attacker in a state of confusion. As in Tai Chi, Chi Energy are generated, but by the unique training method called 'Walking the Circle.'

Five arts, each of which is totally deadly, has its lineage, and has been proven over the millennium. And, there are deviations and variations which are subtle and powerful in their own right. Indeed, to know even one of the Five Incredibly Deadly Kung Fu Styles is to change the way you think, and many people specialize in more than one, putting the arts together in a form of self expression far beyond the mere mortal.

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To understand Morihei Ueshiba, the man known as O Sensei, one needs to examine contradictions in his life. This is something that most people, enraptured in reverie, do not do, and this is sad. For it is contradiction that we isolate the crucibles of existence, and the truth of what makes a man.

O Sensei was sick and weakly as a child, and lived a sheltered existence. His father tried to encourage him with tales of his Samurai grandfather. Did the manly tales cause him to grow strong...or encourage him to regard dreams as inspiration?

O Sensei studied briefly with many martial arts teachers before coming around to the teachings of Takeda Sokaku. Was he a mote waiting for a stone to roll over him and take him along? Or was there a spiritual substance to the man that made him a seeker of truth?

Early martial arts training included intense studies of Atemi, or Striking points. Linear approaches to techniques varied from linear to circular to linear during the founders studies. Eventually techniques became more concentrated on kokyu-nage, or Breath Throws, which is often considered the pure aikido.

The third most significant person in Morihei's life was Onisaburo Degushi, the head of the omoto-kyu religious sect. Interestingly, this 'woman's' religion, as it is sometimes considered, was sometimes involved in political brouhaha. One can sincerely make the question as to whether the techniques of Aikido are female at heart.

Spirituality is at the essence of Aikido. One can easily make the point that the art changed over the years in response to the evolving and experienced spirituality of Ueshiba. Often held up as the pivotal experience of his life, the founder's enlightenment and firm conviction that the universe is love, obviously tempered his technical approach.

Though sickly as a youth, O Sensei became known for his immense strength. Eventually, age deprived him of all strength but that which he had accrued in the spirit. Once again, we have a firm clue to the changing technique in the Master's Art.

Having made the above points, having compared and contrasted the man behind one of the world's most significant martial arts, one is left with certain conclusions. Straight line or curved, muscles vs harmony, even male to female, there is a significance of evolution which should be studied, and can aid any student's understanding of this most mystical art. In conclusion, to understand Morihei Ueshiba, the man known as O Sensei, one must analyze beyond the white washed accounts of his life, and know that he was earthy, real, and possessed of immortal character.

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