Shaolin Kung Fu. The Original Training Techniques of the Shaolin Lohan Masters

165 Pages·2020·7.93 MB·English

by  Donn F. Draeger, P’ng Chye Khim

S
HAOLIN
K F
UNG U
The Original Training Techniques
of the Shaolin Lohan Masters
DONN F. DRAEGER and P’NG CHYE KHIM
Foreword by Alexander Bennett
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo Rutland, Vermont Singapore
www.tuttlepublishing.com
© 2020 Tuttle Publishing
ISBN 978-1-4629-2160-7
Contents
Foreword 7 Basic Kicking Exercises
Preface 10 Kicking Method (1) 56
Kicking Method (2) 59
Acknowledgments 12
Kicking Method (3) 60
1 The Background Leg-Strengthening Exercise 64
Legend 13 The Shaolin Open Hand and Arm
History 15
Use of the Hands and Arms 68
Some Definitions 17
Delivery of the Open Hand 68
Northern and Southern Shaolin
White Crane Exercise 71
Systems 19
Hand-and-Arm Coordination
2 Fundamentals of Shaolin Kung Fu Exercise 76
Handsign and Salutation
3 The Lohan Pattern
Origin and History 22 General 81
Making the Handsign 22 Opening the Pattern 84
Using the Handsign 25 1. Lohan Kai Kung 84
Mental Outlook 26 2. Chin Pu Chong Ch’uan 86
3. Sang Pu Swang Chuay 87
Stances and Postures
4. Te Chiao Hern Tu 88
General 26
5. Hey Hu Chuan Sing 88
Level-Horse Stance 27
6. Lohan Yee Ting 89
Triangle-Horse Stance 30
7. Yu Chuan Sing Tui 90
Independent-Leg Stance 32
8. Tui Pu Chey Chang 90
High Independent-Leg Stance 36
9. Ching Kan Toh Yueh 92
Cat Stance 38
10. Hern Ch’uan Chuan Sing 92
The Shaolin Fist 11. Lohan Chi Ku 94
Forming the Fist 40 12. Ching Kan Fu Hu 96
The Fist as a Striking Surface 41 13. Lohan Cho Hu 96
Delivery of the Shaolin Fist 42 14. Swang Loong Chu Hai 97
15. Ting Su Yang Ch’uan 98
Basic Punching Exercises
16. Pai Yuen Ching Tao 99
Long-Punching Method (1) 44 17. Erh Hu Chu Tung 100
Long-Punching Method (2) 46 18. Tui Pu Ta Hu 101
Short-Punch Training Method 50 19. Fan Sao Chi Tui 102
20. Ching Kan Tuan Chiu 103
The Shaolin Foot and Leg
21. Ching Kan Pu Min 103
Use of the Legs 54
22. Chuan Sun Chiao Nan 104
The Foot as a Striking Surface 54
23. Hey Hu Toh Sing 104
Delivery of the Foot 55
24. Ching Kan Chong Chui 106
25. Ching Kan Chiang Moh 107
26. Mung Hu Ju Tung 109
27. Lohan Sun Tien 109
Closing the Pattern 109
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4 Applying the Lohan Pattern 23. Applying the Hey Hu Toh Sing 140
General 110 24. Applying the Ching Kan Chong
Opening the Pattern 112 Chui 142
1. Applying the Lohan Kai Kung 112 25. Applying the Ching Kan Chiang
2. Applying the Chin Pu Chong Moh 143
Ch’uan 112 26. Applying the Mung Hu Ju
3. Applying the Sang Pu Swang Tung 144
Chuay 114 27. Applying the Lohan Sun Tien 145
4. Applying the Te Chiao Hern Closing the Pattern 148
Tu 116
5 Shaolin Training Methods
5. Applying the Hey Hu Chuan
General 150
Sing 116
Costume 151
6. Applying the Lohan Yee Ting 118
Training Area 151
7. Applying the Yu Chuan Sing
Method 151
Tui 120
Hardening Your Anatomical
8. Applying the Tui Pu Chey
Weapons 153
Chang 120
9. Applying the Ching Kan Toh Toughening Your Hands, Fists,
Yueh 122 Forearms
10. Applying the Hern Ch’uan Chuan
Sand-Pan Method 154
Sing 123
Stone-Block Method 156
11. Applying the Lohan Chi Ku 124
Sandbag Method 156
12. Applying the Ching Kan Fu Hu 127
Toughening Your Feet, Knees, Legs
13. Applying the Lohan Cho Hu 129
14. Applying the Swang Loong Chu Shinbones and Insteps 158
Hai 130 Knees 159
15. Applying the Ting Su Yang
Miscellaneous Training Methods
Ch’uan 131
Shoulders 159
16. Applying the Pai Yuen Ching
Wrists 160
Tao 132
Eyes 160
17. Applying the Erh Hu Chu
Tung 133 6 Potpourri
18. Applying the Tui Pu Ta Hu 134
Shaolin and Some Other Asian
19. Applying the Fan Sao Chi Tui 134
Combative Arts 161
20. Applying the Ching Kan Tuan
Weapons of Shaolin 163
Chiu 136
21. Applying the Ching Kan Pu Min
Glossary-Index 164
138
22. Applying the Chuan Sun Chiao Nan
138
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Foreword
SINCE THE EARLY SEVENTIES, martial arts movies featuring sleek Asian combatants
leaping adroitly through the air while unleashing a (cid:976)lurry of kicks and punches
on stunned, usually much buffer opponents, have been popular and have even
motivated millions of people to take up the martial arts themselves. Many of
the (cid:976)ighting machines starring in these mostly Hong Kong movies apparently
studied the ancient form of Shaolin Kung Fu. Thus, Shaolin has become synon-
ymous with the Western image of Asian martial arts. In fact, there is a saying
that, “all martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin.” Whether this is
true or not, it is undeniable that the Shaolin Temple’s in(cid:976)luence on the technical
and philosophical development of future styles in China and other parts of Asia
cannot be denied. In spite of the movie renditions, the martial arts of the Shao-
lin Temple are truly ancient and resonate with a deep philosophy that negates
the use of violence.
With over 1,500 years of history, many variant forms have developed over
the generations. It is believed that perhaps more than a thousand styles of Sha-
olin-derived kung fu exist, each one with its own unique techniques for (cid:976)ight-
ing and physical and mental well-being. The style of kung fu explained in this
book, Lohan (Hood Khar pai), traces its roots to one of the oldest forms of kung
fu, and in its current form was (cid:976)irst introduced from Southern China to South-
east Asia in the late 1940s. The monk who propagated it there was Sek Koh
Sam (1886–1960). He (cid:976)irst taught the system in Singapore from 1947 and then
transferred to Malaysia where he founded the Sao Lim (Shaolin) Hood Khar Pai
Association in 1953 (Penang Sao Lim Athletic Association.)
After his death in 1960, one of his top students, P’ng Chye Khim, coauthor
of this book, eventually became the lead instructor at the organization. Master
P’ng Chye Khim was born in Penang in 1939. He (cid:976)irst met Sik Koe Chum in 1956,
and eventually became the 49th generation master of Sao Lim Khar Hood Pai.
P’ng Chye Khim was particularly famous for his phenomenal “Iron Palm”
technique, which observers claim was so powerful that heavy punching bags
bent on impact. He was also known for his ability to use the double-edged
swords often used in wushu (Chinese martial arts). Despite his formidable
(cid:976)ighting ability, he was known and respected as being a man of great humility
and courteousness. He was also an expert in other styles of Chinese martial arts
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such as Tai ji quan and was a renowned physician of traditional Chinese medi-
cine. He passed away in 2010 but his legacy remains as a true master of his art.
The fact that he teamed up with Donn Draeger in this project is signi(cid:976)icant. To
many non-Japanese martial art enthusiasts, myself included, Draeger is widely
touted as one of the greats in terms of being an actual practitioner, and as a re-
searcher of martial arts as a (cid:976)ield of academic inquiry. It was Draeger who popular-
ized the term “Hoplology,” or studies of human combat behavior from the 1960s.
Draeger was born in Milwaukee on April 15, 1922. His martial arts career started
when he entered the gates jujutsu and judo dojos as a child. In 1943, after graduating
from Georgetown University, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and saw action in
several fi erce World War II battles including Iwo Jima. Dispatched to Korea after
the war, he taught judo to troops stationed there among his other duties in the Ma-
rines. He retired in 1956 with the rank of captain and dedicated the rest of his life
to researching combat systems of the world. He spent much of his time in Japan
where he studied modern budo disciplines including judo and jodo and became the
fi rst foreign student admitted into the celebrated classical school of Tenshinsho-den
Katori Shinto-ryu under Master Otake Risuke.
Although he is usually cited for his expertise in the Japanese modern and
classical martial arts, his interests were certainly not limited to Japan. He trav-
elled extensively through Asia with hoplology students in tow, and the many
books and articles he published from the 1960s through to the early 80s guide
readers through illuminating journeys into idiosyncratic martial arts of many
regions. His impressive body of work, although several decades old now, still
provides required references for any English thesis on the subject so long as
the author wants to be taken seriously.
This particular book, Shaolin Lohan Kung-Fu, is one of many classics that Drae-
ger authored or co-authored. P’ng Chye Khim provided knowledge of the system.
Draeger was not a technical expert in this particular style by any means, but his role
was in successfully conveying P’ng Chye Khim’s fi ner linguistic and contextual nu-
ances to the rest of the world. If Draeger’s name is on the cover of any book, then you
can rest assured that the content, no matter how arcane or inaccessible the teachings
may have been, will now be accessible to any serious student of the art or lay reader
alike. As such, his immense contribution to the worldwide dissemination of martial
arts, Japanese or otherwise, cannot be overstated.
Interestingly, in the preface to this book, Draeger and Khim state in an al-
most apologetic tone, “The shaolin of the Hood Khar pai is not necessarily the
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best of the possibly many thousands of different shaolin systems in existence,
but we have chosen Hood Khar pai shaolin because it truly represents the use
of a genuine, traditional Chinese hand-to-hand art in a new role bene(cid:976)icial to
modern society.” They then predict the response of naysayers to the publica-
tion of this book. “There will be those who will criticize us for breaking the or-
thodox veil of secrecy that surrounds all genuine shaolin teachings. However,
we believe that this narrow interpretation of orthodoxy has already caused too
much of what constitutes shaolin art to perish and be forever lost to modern
man. This loss is a shameful and needless waste of an important part of Chinese
culture. This book is a small attempt to forestall any future loss of the shaolin
art. We hope this book will serve as a record of some of the important aspects
of shaolin and will stimulate others to write about shaolin.”
In other words, they knew that this project would leave them open to criti-
cism from all manner of “traditionalist martial arts trolls,” but their intentions
were pure. To this day, there will no doubt be people who take issue with their
collaboration in revealing the workings of this noble art. In truth, we should
be grateful that they collaborated to stymie the crowing of pretenders and the
degeneration of this ancient knowledge.
In 1979, Draeger visited the Aceh tribe in Sumatra to research indigenous
combat systems. Draeger and his team all suddenly became ill. They believe
that they were in fact poisoned as the region they ventured into was not known
for its hospitality to curious outsiders, no matter how culturally reverent they
may h ave been. Draeger suffered a severe bout of “amoebic dysentery,” and
although he was hospitalized and treated, it was in his stoic nature to ignore
any discomfort and get back to his work as soon as he possibly could. A teeto-
taler, and a man of immense physical and mental strength, perhaps it was his
stubborn inclination to avoid the in(cid:976)irmary and suck up any pain that led to a
gradual worsening of his condition, and ultimately his untimely death from
liver cancer in 1982.
Although I never had the honor of meeting either of these masters, I have
been fortunate to have met some of their students and associates. Those who
knew them respected them to the highest degree, not only for their skill and
knowledge in martial disciplines, but also because of their humble and rev-
erent demeanor. Congratulations to Tuttle for republishing this book. It will
continue to guide countless people in their quest to understand the deepest
reaches of the martial arts.
Alexander Bennett
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Preface
THIS IS AN INTRODUCTORY BOOK on the subject of shaolin. Shaolin is a popular form
of Chinese hand-to-hand art that originated centuries ago and that continues
to be an important part of the lives of many millions of Chinese and an un-
known number of non-Chinese peoples throughout the world.
The system of shaolin that is the basis of this book is that of the Hood Khar
pai, a Chinese organization founded by a Shaolin Temple monk, Sik Koe Chum.
In 1940, Sik Koe Chum left South China for Medan, Indonesia. He moved to
Singapore in 1947; then, in 1955, he made his way to Penang, Malaysia, to re-
pair a temple there. In 1956, he founded the Hood Khar pai in Penang and, until
his death in 1960, dedicated himself totally to the dissemination of genuine
shaolin teachings. This book is dedicated to his memory.
The shaolin of the Hood Khar pai is not necessarily the best of the possibly
many thousands of different shaolin systems in existence, but we have chosen
Hood Khar pai shaolin because it truly represents the use of a genuine, tradi-
tional Chinese hand-to-hand art in a new role bene(cid:976)icial to modern society.
All Chinese hand-to-hand arts have both good and bad points; no system
is any better than the trainees who practice it. It does not matter which art is
the best. What matters is whether the student is satis(cid:976)ied that that in which he
engages is good for him and will mold him into a wholesome person prepared
for his role in an ever-changing and always dif(cid:976)icult world. Each trainee must
be motivated to study diligently the art of his choice.
There will be those who will criticize us for breaking the orthodox veil of
secrecy that surrounds all genuine shaolin teachings. However, we believe that
this narrow interpretation of orthodoxy has already caused too much of what
constitutes shaolin art to perish and be forever lost to modern man. This loss
is a shameful and needless waste of an important part of Chinese culture. This
book is a small attempt to forestall any future loss of the shaolin art. We hope
this book will serve as a record of some of the important aspects of shaolin and
will stimulate others to write about shaolin. To those who say that the contents
of this book do not represent the pure art of shaolin, we address the following:
The present form of the airplane is not an example of its prototype or pure
form, but there are few people who can validly argue that the new airplane is
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less ef(cid:976)icient or less useful than the old. Likewise, improved records and feats of
physical prowess in all kinds of sport clearly indicate that the modern entities
are in no way inferior to their ancestral forms.
The system of romanization used here for Chinese words and names fol-
lows that of the International Hoplological Research Center, Hawaii, as adapted
from the Hood Khar pai and the Chinese Post Of(cid:976)ice system.
P’NG CHYE KHIM
DONN F. DRAEGER
Penang, Malaysia
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Acknowledgments
MANY PEOPLE WERE RESPONSIBLE for making this book possible, some more directly
than others. We extend our gratitude to all who contributed so generously of
their time and experience while this book was being prepared. Special thanks
go to Yuk Yin, priest of the Song Kheng See in Penang and patron of the Hood
Khar pai; to Chew Ah Pee and Lee Ah Choo, who served as the models, together
with the Chinese coauthor, for many of the illustrations of training exercises
and techniques; to Khoo Kay Chee, who translated the technical portions of
the text; to Pye Ling Shan Rur, who painted the likeness of Ta Mo, and to Shi
Mit Tu, who was the calligrapher for the painting; to D’Arcy Champney, whose
skillful artwork heightens the explanations of fundamentals and techniques;
to Kobayashi Ichiro and the members of his photographic staff for the special
care taken in preparing the photographic illustrations; and to Gail Brooks, who
typed the (cid:976)inal manuscript.
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