Journey to find a Master-by Sifu Robin Gamble
At the age of Eighteen, after watching the Classic Kung-Fu movie ’Shaolin Temple’ with a friend of mine, my friend developed an outlandish idea to travel to China and train with the ‘Shaolin Monks’. The intention would be to learn the powerful and beautiful art of Kung –Fu and to become excellent Kung Fu fighters. It was a very fun idea, but for me at least, not a serious one.
However, after mentioning the idea to a few friends and family they said it sounded like an amazing experience and that I should go for it. So after many months and with some trepidation, I got the money together and set off to China to begin training at a ‘Wushu’ academy with ‘Shaolin Monks’ in Ji Lin province.
‘Wushu’ here refers to the beautiful martial arts performance that is largely practised and demonstrated in China today, it is different on many levels from ‘Traditional Kung-Fu’. For example in Wushu there is little to no attention paid to combat or cultivating the mind. I very much enjoyed the Wushu training and gained flexibility and agility from it, also it was there at the academy that I first gained exposure to the arts of Tai Chi Chuan and Chi-Kung. Unfortunately, I broke my collarbone shortly after arriving in China on that first trip and had to return home.
With Li Sifu, my first martial arts teacher and excellent 'Wushu' Master
Upon my return to the U.K., I quickly realised I was now hooked on Chinese martial arts, and just about anything else Chinese. I consumed Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies at an alarming rate, and soon bored anyone who would listen with stories of Kung-Fu.
At home I checked out the local schools but couldn’t find anything like the training in China, so I saved up eagerly to return the academy.
On my second visit to China and the Wushu academy I started taking more of an interest in the slow and graceful art Tai Chi Chuan and an explosive style of Kung Fu called Baji Chuan. Both arts were taught at the academy by an elderly ‘Long Sifu’ (Sifu is Chinese for Master), he was said to have previously been a bodyguard in the Communist government. There were many interesting stories about Long Sifu, but it was definatley clear he was a seasoned martial artist with ‘internal force’ and deep knowledge of combat application. He had also mastered the art of ‘Red Sun Palm’ (a Chi Kung method for developing internal force) and I vividly remember that his grip was incredibly painful. On this two month visit I became much more interested in the ‘internal’ martial arts like Tai Chi Chuan, Chi-Kung and traditional Kung-Fu and much less interested in the impressive acrobatics of ‘Wushu’ which to me only seemed useful for demonstration. The internal martial artist relies on developing power or force through increasing the flow of energy or ‘Chi’ through his or her body. Usually the internal force is developed through Chi-Kung. An internal martial artist relies on internal force for power in combat application, as opposed to say a kick boxer who develops his power through ‘external’ methods like weights, press ups, kicking and punching the heavy bag.
I returned home with a desire to spend a year in China searching and training with internal arts Masters.
Initially, I returned back to the Wushu academy to Study Tai Chi Chuan and Baji Chuan from Long Sifu and Lin Sifu (Long Sifu’s disciple). I never knew the lineages of these two masters, but I must say that they could use their Kung Fu for combat and had done so on many occasions. After a couple months of training at the academy, I befriended a guy called James. He was also hooked on Kung Fu after watching the famous TV series with David Carradine named ‘Kung Fu’. We decided to leave the acadamey and travel around China in search of more adventure and more Internal arts Masters.
Long Sifu, my first Tai Chi Chuan teacher, and a Master of 'Baji Chuan' and 'Red Sun Palm' Chi-Kung.
We were extremely lucky, as we met two Wu style Tai Chi Chaun Masters, Hao Hui Mu and Chen Huiliang in Beijing. Both were inner chamber disciples of the late Grandmaster and famous Tai Chi historian Wu Tunan. Wu Tunan was an inner chamber disciple of Wu Chien Chuan (Joint founder of the Wu Style of Tai Chi Chuan) and Yang Shao Ho (famous member of the Yang family who was famous for his fighting ability). Both James and I were much impressed by these two Masters’ who although in their later years looked to be much younger. They were very calm, relaxed and happy. Later I was to find out that this was a hallmark of all genuine internal art Masters.
Both masters were very kind to us, they demonstrated some impressive feats of ‘soft’ internal force and gave us a great deal of good advice about what to look for in a good teacher.
I will refer to Hao Hui Mu here as Hao Lao Sher (Lao sher means teacher in Madarin) as this was how I referred to him when he accepted me as his student. Hao Lao Sher at that time worked for the Chinese Martial Arts Association and International Wushu Federation in Beijing. He had travelled to every province of China with his work for both of these organisations. Because of his extensive Kung Fu knowledge and travel experience he suggested that James and I travel to Nan Chan city to study with Grandmaster Wang Yam Ping of the ‘Hunyuan Gung School’ of internal Kung-Fu, which was famous for it amazing health benefits and combat. We off course followed this generous advice and travelled down to Southern China in search of more Masters.
With Hao Lao Sher outside the 'National Wushu Association', in Beijing China
What was taught at the academy was very similar to Yi-Chuan a famous ‘internal’ martial art created by Grandmaster Wang Xian Zhai. What James and I experienced there revived my faith in the Chinese Kung Fu and the internal arts. The students at this academy had incredible ‘golden bell’ skills (the ability to withstand full power kicks and punches to the torso and limbs) as well as fantastic striking skills, which they would happily demonstrate on the willing. Their incredible power was developed through eight hours of standing meditation/stance training a day. I also met many students at the school who had overcome illness and pain through their training. All the students at this academy were calm, happy and very confident. I would later realise that this was a great sign of good teaching.
Training with good friend and training partner James at the Hunyuan Gung Acadmey.
Although hugely impressed with the school, after a month I found the intense meditation slightly too much for my young ‘Monkey’ mind. I also still longed to study genuine Tai Chi Chuan which I had originally set out for, and so I returned to Beijing to see if I could study Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan with Hao Lao Sher. Luckily for me, He generously agreed to teach me.
While waiting for Hao Lao Sher to return from a business trip I had time to visit Han Dan province and see Yang Lu-Chan’s house. Yang Lu-Chan was known as the ‘Ever victorious’ as we was never beaten in Combat and he his skill in Tai Chi Chuan was known far and wide, historically he is acknowledged as bringing Tai Chi Chuan into the public eye by travelling to Beijing and demonstrating his combat ability on the willing. Until this point in the mid to late 1800’s Tai Chi Chuan was a highly secretive art practiced in villages and in Taoist mountain temples.
It was an incredbile trip and I was lucky enough to ‘push hands’ with a distant relative of the Yang family who looked after the house. I also met with other local teachers in the area, who were quite powerful in the martial aspect of Tai Chi Chuan.
Pushing Hands with the caretaker of Yang LuChan's house, who was also a relative of the Yang Family. At that stage of my training its clear I didn't know what i was doing!
When I returned to Beijing Hao Lao Sher arranged for me to live with Martial Arts Associate Professor named Zhang Xu Guang who worked at the University of International Business and Economics, where he is vice secretary-General of History and theory of Chinese Wushu. Although Zhang Lao Sher was not a formal teacher of mine I cannot convey how much I benefited from his knowledge while living with him and his kind wife. Zhang Lao Shers’ specialty was Hsin-Yi Chuan (one of three main internal Martial arts of China) but he had also studied under many lineage holders in Tai Chi Chuan and other Chinese martial arts.. From crossing hands with him and watching his demonstrations it was evident that he had very impressive internal force and a very deep knowledge of martial arts. When he demonstrated martial applications of Hsin-Yi Chuan, he did so with such power and speed, I was left feeling that I was only capable of moving in slow motion.
After spending half a year with Hao Lao Sher studying the Wu Style of Tai Chi Chuan my time in China was up, and I returned to England.
Upon return to the U.K., I carried on looking for Tai Chi Chuan masters, and spent time training with my old time School friend named Ronan. While I had been away in China he had been training traditional Shaolin Kung Fu with a Master from Malaysia. I was really impressed with his Shaolin Kung–Fu skills, particularly his sparring and force, which after several sparring sessions, I felt I was definitely lacking in. Many times in sparring he would force me back against the wall with powerful ‘Black Tiger steals heart’ punches. Off course I became very interested in his Master, who luckily for me also taught Tai Chi Chuan as well as the Shaolin Kung-Fu. I didn’t need much encouragement to save up and travel to Malaysia and take an Intensive course with Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit. Much of what my friend Ronan had in Kung-Fu skills was exactly what I found so hard to find in China.
The Intensive course with Sifu Wong was a revelation, and worth easily ten times more than I paid for it. All the ‘secretive’ skills I had been searching for were as far as I was concerned being given away on a platter, I couldn’t believe my luck. During the course, the training made me feel energised, and I realised what had been missing in my previous combat training. One particular event from the course which is still imprinted in my mind was when Sifu applied a Chin Na lock on my arm, I went quickly head first onto the floor and remember thinking ‘How is it possible this small gentleman who is half my size, has at least twice my strength??’ Through the five day course I felt calm, peaceful and happy, yet powerful and focused. I had only read about Tai Chi Chuan like this in books. Sifu Wong was to me the ideal of the Tai Chi philosophy, strict but kind, powerful but compassionate, a man of exceptionally high morals but enjoying life everyday. Needless to say I practised what I learnt and have not looked for another Master Since.
A year or so into my training and Sifu accepted me as an inner Chamber disciple and later allowed me to become an Instructor. Five years on, and it is my great pleasure to share the benefits that I have enjoyed through my practice, by spreading the arts of Cosmos Chi-Kung, and Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan.
With Sifu-Wong Kiew Kit in Penang, Malaysia
My heartfelt thanks is extended to all of the teachers who have generously helped me alone the way. Particularly Hao Lao Sher and my Sifu, Wong Kiew Kit.
