Forms and Applications

[mark]

Thanks Guys,

In your opinion, is it easier to control the exhalation using your mouth as opposed to your nose.

George, are you the same George from the Ark Wong thread on the old Southern Fist forum? If not I might be confusing you with George Castro? For some reason that name sticks in my mind.

Blackravin, was GM Wong still alive when you started training? If so what do you remember most about him? Any stories?

Mark

[blackravin]

I was there the last few years before GM Wong passed away.. But I do remember him foundly.. He wasn't teaching much at that time anymore and I believe Sifu Holub was giving the private lessons (but I might be wrong, it was so long ago) and Sifu Louie Martinez and another fellow were teaching the public class and doing most of the teaching at that time.. I recall one day a man in his mid 30's walked in from the street and tried to steel some swords from the locker room and another student yelled "Sifu someone is trying to steel the swords.." You should have seen Sifu just walk right up to the man and just jump straight up and kick the man in the face. He didn't know what hit him. He dropped the swords and just went running out the kwoon as fast as he could.. Needless to say, it was just increidible how this little old man we a saw, could just move the way he did.. He was always really nice to all of us youngsters, but when we played around to much or made to much noise he would take us to the back parking lot and put us in a horse stance and would say, "I'll be right back and we better hold the stance". Again, he was increidible, but also gentle man.. I only have good memories of what little interaction I had with him..

Blackravin (a.k.a. El Cuervo)

[mark]

Blackravin,

Thanks for the stories. It's pretty amazing how many lives he touched.

[Gary Steuer]

As far as the breathing goes, when you breathe out through your mouth you are able to control your breath, which helps you to control your force. You control the breath with the shaping of the mouth and the breath is directed down towards the ground. On the inhale through your nose you should keep your tongue pressed up against the roof of your mouth in order to control the inwards breath.

And yes, GM Wong was truly a remarkable person !

[mark]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the clarification regarding the breathing. Do practitioners of your style also make specific sounds like they do in hung-gar and choy lee fut? Hey, by the way, whats the temperature their today? Whats the name of the city or town you live in? I'll check it out on an atlas.

Have a great day!

Mark

[blackravin]

Mark, this is my understanding and Uncle Gary or Sifu George Sanchez can tell me if I am wrong or right.. My understanding is that we do have specific sounds although I didn't learn all of them, just a a few.. They are very low sounds and are very gutteral/barretone (hope I spelled that correctly); they are meant to vibrate the organs and stimulate the adrenal system; therefore alowing them to get a sort of work out and get them to start cleaning themselves out and working properly.. I will try to see if I can put some of it on film for your viewing.. If I am completely off base please let me know guys, I won't take any offense to being corrected if I have been miss-informed..

Blackravin (a.k.a. El Cuervo)

P.S. Most of these sounds are done in our Chi Gung or Power Issue training (a kinda dynamic tension training).

[mic]

Sorry for deviating a bit...
Reading this information about sounds reminded me that when I was about to join Gary's class I told him, very straight forwardly, that I was not about to make any sounds like Bruce Lee and "kiaiii" like in Japanese MA! Glad it was not part of the practice of our group.
Later, exhaling sounds made absolute sense when making an effort as in Tiger excercises. Still later, in Holistic massage therapy school, it also made sense that a client would be encouraged to make "sighing" sounds upon exhaling while being worked on, especially during a few tender key or pressure points to release toxins and muscular knots.

[George Sanchez Ng Ga Kuen]

Hello Mark, First I am George Sanchez, George Castro is one of my close Kung Fu brothers we both share a lot of the same thoughts and training methods of our style. I normally don't spend much time on Kung Fu web sites but recently their was a lot of TALK about us on the Inside kung Fu Magazine web site that had to be addressed. Gary and cuevro have good sites that I do check on. Next I personally always breath out threw my mouth while training or fighting, always steady breaths. as far as sounds go, I am often told that I make low growling sounds when in deep thought or just before action. I also found myself making higher pitched sounds when at play [Sparring] with Se Ming, none of that Karate stuff though. Peace, George Ng Ga Kuen

[Gary Steuer]

Sounds are low and made to the action that is being done . Different sounds ( Vibrations.) work different organs. Chi training has always been dealt with on a mystical level and truthfully it is only ( Only. Easier said than done. ) learning to control your flow of adrenalin . The trick is to control the adrenalin without stressing the body to injury. It takes a lot of trust on your body and mind which work independently in order to make it work. GM Wong was truly a master of this . And, just between you and me, Bruce Lee was not a friend of GM Wong...............

[Gary Steuer]

Soprry about that Ron !

[G.S. N.G.K.]

Gary, you now have my e-mail address feel Free to contact me at any time we'll set up something with the Brothers. I was first at Daly st. in 75 and have been back with Se Ming since Master Wongs passing. I believe it was Se Ming who told me about Sifu's encounter with Bruce Lee. Lee had heard about this OLD MAN [Sifu Wong] and came to school and wanted to sparr with him. Lucky for Lee Sifu Wong would have none of it. I've seen Sifu's power. One time Sifu was playing with us he went to the middle of the studio and set his horse stance, then told us to see if we could move him [there were 8 of us] we all pushed as hard as we could in all directions but could not move him at all he just laughed . It was just one of the things I saw Sifu Wong do that let me know I was in a special place and the right time. and that continued for me with Se Ming. George Ng Ga Kuen

[Gary Steuer]

I live in Pattaya , Thailand. It is a seaside resort community of well over 1 million people. It's about 100 miles south of Bangkok. Bangkok is like New York City, with the same population, only the people are shorter ! We have a English language newspaper that comes out every Friday and you can read it online to see what happens here...www.pattayamail.com There are basically 2 seasons, hot and hotter !. In the Winter, which we are in now, the temp drops to around 80. About 70 when the cold air comes down from China !

Happy New Year !

[G.S. N.G.K.]

Happy New Year Gary, Great news link, always good to know what is happening elsewhere. George Sanchez

[mark]

Hi Sifu Gary,
I hope things are well in Thailand. I have two questions for you.
1. What was GM Wong's take on weight lifting?

2. I have seen many flavors in how people play their kung-fu. Some very fast, all the way down to very slow. After one had done a form for years, did he recommend speeding it up?

Thanks,

Mark

[steeve]

Mark

Do you mean George Castro of the Shaolin Kenpo Family.....

George do you learned Kenpo under Ralph Castro ???in California a student of GM Ed Parker?

Steeve