1 Quick Change to Improve the Look of Your Form

There is one very easy way to improve the look of your form. As you perform, your body gets used to executing the techniques at a particular height. One very quick way to impact the look of your form is to lower the stances slightly from your normal height. Practice at the new height and over time your form will sink to that height. When showing the form, it is easier to remember to stay low than to remember all the little points that you need to fix in the form so this is one of the quickest changes you can make for immediate results.

Horse Stance Training

All styles of Kung Fu stress the importance of stances. Regardless of which stances are most important to your particular style, you are probably still asked to do some sort of horse stance training. I have often been asked by students about how to practice/train stances.

The base stance for practice is the horse stance. Once again, depending on the style the proper technique can differ. I recommend the student take the time to understand the proper way to do a horse stance in their particular style. Understanding this is important to ensure that the student practices properly on their own.

The next question is normally how to practice, high stances or low stances. The answer is both. I recommend higher stances for long periods of time while doing something else such as watching TV to take your mind off of shaky legs. I also think it is important to practice proper stances in the lowest possible position to train your legs to hold your weight at that height. You will never fight in your lowest stance but training your legs to be comfortable in a low position will help when you need to be in a lower than possible position.

The 6 Stance Exercises of Fut Gar Kung Fu (Stance Dice)

Stance training is a fundamental part of Kung Fu training. Fut Gar Kuen has a series of 6 stance training exercises that follow the 6 faces of a die. The stance exercises are combined with hand techniques to make the training more complete.

1. The number 1 on a die is a single dot. Our stance training is done by holding a Hok Bo.
2. The number 2 is a Ma Bo exercise combined with the double punch techniques used in Fut Gar to build your pulling power and waist turn.
   
3. The number 3 is a Diu Bo shifting exercise. Start in a Diu Bo, slide forward and turn to face the reverse direction. Your trailing foot should now be where your lead foot began. In the end, the student will only be making contact with 3 points on the floor as he/she shifts back and forth. Hand techniques used are punches on a 45 degree angle from the body.
4. The number 4 is simulated by stepping in a square using a Ma Bo as in exercise 2. The double punch technique is used again in this exercise at each side of the square. This exercise is called the punching square in my school.
   
5. The 5th technique is done by planting your left foot and rotating around that foot by stepping your right foot in 90 degree turns. The hand technique used is Gow Sau, first over your right leg then over your left leg before each 90 degree turn.
   
6. The sixth is similar to number 3 except with a sideways shift to move to the next 3 spots. Starting in a Diu Bo the student shifts sideways to another Diu Bo followed by a shift forward and turn. At this point, the student will start the sequence again by shifting sideways. Hand techniques used are a push block from the elbow outward.

Although it is difficult to describe, it becomes clear to the students after they have done the exercises a few times. I thought I would write this as a general reminder to the students that are practicing this at home.

Generating Power in Fut Gar Kung Fu

Students of my school will understand that generation of striking power in Fut Gar Kung Fu is different from the generation of power of most other Martial Arts styles. Fut Gar does not use a Gung Bo (Front/Bow Stace) in its hand forms. The theory is that pushing your weight forward into a Gung Bo to generate power will produce too much forward momentum which allows another martial artist to pull you off balance with a quick grab and pull.

Generation of power in Fut Gar Kung Fu comes from a combination of pulling backwards with your non-striking arm and turning at the waist. Pulling back the non-striking arm should be done as hard as possible as if you were throwing an elbow strike. Grandmaster Chen Rong En speaks about Leung Tin Chiu as someone who would create a snapping sound every time he pulled his arm back. As students train in Fut Gar they will be instructed on where the elbow should end up based on the strike being thrown. The pull will generally be in the exact opposite direction of the strike being thrown. The back should be kept straight and the body should pivot on an axis that is straight up and down.