Why Kung Fu?

Like fencing, boxing, archery and other martial arts of the west, Kung Fu has for centuries meant more than mere fighting in China.

It improves grace, increases eye/hand co-ordination, augments flexibility, teaches courage, expresses movement & form & promotes health.

Your child will start to notice a difference between themselves and their schoolmates. Physical movement is much easier to understand – small yet important things like no longer having trouble telling left foot from right.

The progressively structured aspect of training will make their mind analytical and as their understanding of their own body increases they will find ease and grace in sports and movements their peers find difficult.

Here is a very old story about Kung Fu. yet, it’s main character is a cook. This man was the head cook of a noble Chinese warlord. This cook, whose name nobody quite remembers, was a strange character always busy in his kitchen.

But the thing the head cook did the absolute best was cutting meat. Even though all the assistant cooks watched him cut meat all day long, no one could figure out how he did it so easily. the best of the other cooks hacked and pounded, sweat pouring off them.

Finally one of the asked him – “ how do you do it?” “why is it so easy for you?”

the head cook laughed “its very simple, no disrespect to the other cooks here but while they like to hack, tear or saw – I slide my knife into the secret places between bone and meet, and whizz-zip, separate everything neatly. I never resist where the meat wants to go.”

As martial artists we have admired the head cook because he never tries to do things un-naturally. One of the main lessons for Kung Fu is “don’t resist” if you meet someone that weighs 300 pounds and he starts to strike you, you can’t resist. If you avoid his rush and add yours to his movement he is now going the wrong way with 350 pounds. Use used his strength against him, all without meeting force with force.

A martial artist is always on guard. everything in life demands a warriors attitude. Hopefully you will never need to defend yourself against an attack, but there are conflicts in everyday life.

Sometimes when you feel as though you would like to hack, tear or saw, think about the head cook and see if there’s not a more efficient way to do what you are doing.

This is the true Warrior’s Way.