The Tactical Retreat of Shaolin Kungfu

[Andrew]

That's a great post again Anthony .. thanks.

Andrew

[Zhang Wuji]

I am not qualified to post on this thread actually, but let me provide the references in Sifu's book for his own words on the topic:

"Any efficient defense must include attack. if we only defend, whether in kungfu sparring or ordinary life, at thebest we achieve a draw. if we never counter-attack, we may be forced into a continual passive, receiving position..." (pg 89, "The Complete Book of Shaolin", Cosmos 2002)

"...by giving your opponent the convenience of attack, you have provided the oppportunity for him to defeat you." (pg 122, ibid.)

Now back to the back-bench where I belong.....

[Andrew]

Maybe second row rather than back bench Wuji?

Thanks for the useful links back to Sifu's works.

Andrew

[beausimon]

[B]

Boxing vs. Shaolin

Many people assume that the Boxer has the advantage of speed because of his agile footwork. It's true that boxers are fast, but there are many disadvantages to their footwork. For starters, it is tactically slower. In the above example, I can swerve away from the attack without moving my feet and swerve back to deliver a strike long before a boxer could bounce away and bounce back.

What about Boxers who slip under or around punches? This is a faster tactic, but because of the Boxing stance, it leaves them vulnerable to other attacks. In order to slip a punch in Boxing, you must crouch down or lean to the side, thereby exposing the back of your head as well as your legs to attacks (both illegal moves in Boxing). You are also vulnerable to grappling (also illegal in Boxing).

In order to compensate for the weakness in their stance, boxers usually cover their head (hands up near their ears) while slipping punches. That may protect them from fists covered with large gloves, but it will not protect them from the subtle and fast attacks of a Snake Fist or a Tiger Claw -- both of which are possible only with when using Top Yang Bottom Yin.

In Shaolin stances -- precisely because the stances are deep and solid -- we can move the upper body in many ways, and we can do it without exposing ourselves. Thus, we can have agility not only in the way we step, but also an entirely different kind of agility from the waist up (Top Yang). Think of a snake coiled and ready to strike. The bottom, coiled half hardly moves (Bottom Yin), but the top half is still incredibly agile (Top Yang).

The combination of a rooted stance, waist power, various hand forms, and internal force makes it possible to deliver devastating strikes from many angles without even moving the feet. That is the beauty of Top Yang Bottom Yin -- it maximizes the advantages while minimizing the disadvantages (discussed above). Thanks to Top Yang Bottom Yin, we can be more agile than a Boxer, and we can do it without making ourselves vulnerable to potentially deadly counter attacks.

Another disadvantage of the Boxing stance is that bouncing makes your Qi float, thereby making it difficult to differentiate between real and feigned attacks, especially when you add kicks and grappling into the mix. It is impossible to maintain the Six Harmonies while bouncing around. But with Shaolin stances, you can be calm and alert while simultaneously being agile and powerful. This is another aspect of Top Yang Bottom Yin -- the mind (shen) is fresh up top while the Qi is rooted below.

Hi Anthony,
Thanks for the great post. Would the situation be more difficult if the opponent is a kickboxer ?

Thanks.

[Antonius]

Yes, the situation would be slightly different against a Kickboxer. We must always be fluid and adjust to the situation at hand, thereby keeping our Kungfu "alive." But the tactics I have mentioned here are extremely flexible and can also be applied, with minor variations, to a kickboxer.

I'll elaborate on an example from above. I left something out of the story of Ronan sparring Sifu. Ronan told me (sorry buddy, gotta share ) that he was so amazed by Sifu's skills that he decided to "test" them further by trying to sneak in a groin kick, even though he had agreed beforehand to attack Sifu using only Western boxing techniques. (Ronan was a new student at the time and can be forgiven for trying to be sneaky. )

Just as Ronan expected to connect with the kick, he kicked air and looked down to see Sifu's leopard punch held an inch away from the soft tissue at his own knee. Sifu had used a Simple Retreat and the pattern "Angry Leopard Charges Rock" (found in "The Art of Shaolin Kungfu") to simultaneously evade Ronan's kick and attack a weak spot. Sifu's response illustrates the principles:

-No defense, direct counter.
-Avoiding an opponent's strong points; striking the weak ones.