Longfei-Taijiquan Association of Great Britain

Letter from the Chairman
Longfei News Letters - Volume 2, Issue 1

Quote: "Karate Begins and Ends with Courtesy."
Gilchin Funakoshi

I RECENTLY received a gift from a karate friend; a book written by Gilchin Funakoshi with the title Karate-Do, My Way of Life. Gilchin Funakoshi is the acknowledged father of modern karate-do - he dedicated his whole life to the study and development of Okinawan Style Karate. Born in the capital of Okinawa in 1868.

He brought his art to Tokyo in the early 1920s and by the time of his death in 1957 Okinawan Karate had been adopted by the Japanese armed forces, introduced to the country's universities and spread to the four corners of the earth.

The book is full of great martial arts anecdotes and insights. Funakoshi makes clear connections with Okinawan karate and the Chinese mainland. This association came through the inter trading with the people of Fukien Province of South China.

Funakoshi says that Chinese Kempo was introduced to the Japanese islands and it is from this historical source that present day karate evolved. Many students of oriental martial arts understand the Japanese traditional association with the Buddism of Bodhidharma The Chan (Zen) sect. It is interesting to note that Funakoshi equates the two schools of Okinawan karate, Nawate and Sharite with the two schools of Chinese boxing - Wudang and Shaolin.

Recognising nonsense

Recognising nonsense is the heading of a paragraph in Funakoshi's book. It deals with the so-called magic and miraculous of martial arts. He refers to the claims of exaggeration, the claims of developing the fingers to penetrate an adversary's rib cage, taking hold of the bones and tearing them out of the body. Fingers that have become strong enough not only to shatter a thick slab of wood but able also to crush with little difficulty a heavy stone or pierce the hide of a horse.

He goes on to say: "Many students still choose for one reason or another to foster such myths. For example, a person unfamiliar with the art may say to an adept: 'Tell me can you really shatter a huge rock with your fingers? Can you also make a hole in a man's 
belly with them?' Should the adept reply that either one of those two feats is quite impossible he would be telling nothing more than the naked truth. Perhaps, in the distant past, there were experts capable of performing such miraculous feats. To that I cannot testify but at least to my fairly wide knowledge, there is no man living who, however much he may have trained and practised, can exceed the natural bounds of human powers."

As a Taiji instructor and coach, like many of my contemporary's, I have experienced enquiries of and references to the magic and miraculous in Taijiquan. With an art that fosters the understanding of the concept of Qi and the mystery surrounding it perhaps it's no small wonder that myths arise. Stories abound on the use of empty force, remote force, the ability to dispatch someone 12ft to 18ft without touching your opponent. Personally I find this feat difficult when I can lay both hands on. 

Of course there are demonstrations of this dubious skill, however it's usually performed by the protagonist upon his own students, possibly mesmerised (dominate the will) by the teacher's character. All the attempts that I have witnessed in public on subjects other than the teacher's have failed unconvincingly to produce the goods. My favourite story that I relate to my students is about the Qigong teacher who was reputed to be able to plunge his finger (full of Qi) into a cup of water and turn it into tea, but his showpiece was to turn the water into wine. A handy guy to have along on a picnic! 

There will always be a section of society attracted to the extraordinary and the magical in contrast to their more mundane companions. Those of us who require to feel at ease, down to earth, at home with their environment and find a kind of magic in being healthy, fit, strong and relaxed.

This is not to suggest that martial artists are not capable of performing amazing feats of skill and strength. I have experienced being thrown force-fully back with what appears to be very little effort although from my personal reference this is a technique acquired only after years of dedicated training and hard work. "Beam me up Madam Blavatsky".

PUSHING HANDS WITH MASTER WANG

1998 finished with another visit from Master Wang. His November Pushing Hands seminar was over-subscribed as his popularity spreads. There were delegates from around Britain. These seminars have taken on a pattern of continuity which will continue for his 1999 visits in April and November. The introduction of the two-man Tui Shou and Ta Lu routines proved very popular and are an alternative to some of the more aggressive competitive Push Hands.

PROFESSOR HU XIAO FEI

IT WAS as a result of Mark Akinson's initiative that we were able to avail ourselves of Hu Xiao Fei's services in November. Mr Hu is a senior student of Professor Zhang Guande's and the Qigong System "Daoyin Yangsheng Gong." This was his first visit to Great Britain and he spent three weeks with Mark and seven days in Hertfordshire. I feel sure that all of us who attended his seminar in Codicote on 30th November will recall it with affection. Well done Mark and we hope to see some more of Mr Hu. Mark is with us on the 13th and 14th March to conduct an accreditation course on Daoyin Baojian Gong and Shuxin Pinxue Gong.

COMPETITION SUCCESSES FOR LONGFEI MEMBERS

CONGRATULATIONS to Anne Lo who gained the bronze medal at her first attempt in the Seventh European Championships. Congratulations also to Andrew Austin who came fourth in the European's in Athens. Andrew was just outside the medal awards but a fourth at your first attempt is a great result.

Anne Lo and Andrew Austin

DAVID NICHOLSON WINS GOLD IN THE DUTCH OPEN

DAVID took first place in Sun Style competition when he took his Yorkshire lads to Holland.

TRIPLE BRONZE FOR MICHAEL GRAVES

MIKE is heading for a great C.V. in competition Taiji. In the Dutch Open he took third place in three events: Fixed Step Hands, Moving Step, Pushing Hands, Sun Style Taijiquan.

Well done all of you and thank you for flying the Longfei flag.

Dick Watson, Chairman

STOP PRESS! Congratulations to Faye and Tarry on their new arrival, from Dick, Simon and all their Longfei friends.

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