by Master Liu Deming,
Disciple student of Hong Zheng Fu,
5th generation lineage holder of Liu He - Zi Ran Men.
Zi Ran Men Kung Fu has a rich tradition in China and is the style that lies at the foundation of modern San Shou competition fighting. The art’s lineage can be traced back to Dwarf Xu and Du Xin Wu and was championed by my Grand Master, Wan Lai Sheng, during the 20th century. Recently I made a journey back to my home province of Fujian, where my master, Hong Zheng Fu, and my grandmaster, Wan Lai Sheng, lived and taught. In the capital, Fuzhou, is the Haixia Zi Ran Men Research Academy, run by members of Master Wan’s first generation of students. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with the Principal of the Academy, Master Weng, Vice Principal Master Zheng as well as Master Gu Jian Liangand and two other Academy members, Mr Zhang Min and Mr Cao Shi Yi.
Since my personal recollections of the Grand Master Wan are now childhood memories, it was fascinating to hear these Masters speak about training under his direct guidance. Exciting stories of past times and exploits made it clear that the modern art is filled with the collective spirit of the great masters of Zi Ran Men history. Master Wan in particular, greatly influenced the shape and style of modern day Zi Ran Men. Renowned for his fighting skill and combative nature, Master Wan is generally remembered as a hardened fighter, who travelled the length and breadth of the country to engage with other martial artists. Perhaps less emphasised however is his scholarly nature and strict, devout approach to training.
As a Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Master Wan understood the importance of a disciplined approach to preparing the body. His training was strict, based on hard work and self discipline, and he believed strongly in the idea that one should purify the body in order to excel. He also believed in the importance of study and classical literature and never missed an opportunity to meet with and learn from martial artists from across China. Very fortunately, his collected wisdom was laid down in sixteen published martial texts, including ‘An Introduction to Chinese Wu Shu,’ ‘International Wu Shu Teaching Compact Manual,’ ‘International Qi Gong Wu Shu Teaching Manual,’ ‘International Gymnastics and Martial Arts Field Manual,’ ‘Expression of Wushu Technique,’ ‘Techniques of Traditional Chinese Medicine,’ and ‘A General Discussion of Chinese Wushu.’ His first book, ‘Wushu Hui Zong’ is a now a classic among Chinese martial arts literature. An idea of his personal ethics and approach to training can be gained from the ‘five classical principles’ he laid down for all martial arts practitioners.
1. Literature.
2. Wu De, the virtues of martial arts.
3. Taoist Philosophy.
4. Traditional Chinese Medicine.
5. Martial Technique.
Perhaps fittingly though, Wan Lai Sheng is most remembered for his fighting exploits. Like many who lived in China during the early to middle 20th century, Master Wan’s life was shaped by the great upheavals of that period. Amid a background of colonial intervention, World War Two and the Communist Revolution, the Grand Master Wan carved out a reputation as a martial artist of the highest skill. In his teenage years, he began studying Liu He Men with Zhao Xin Zhou. After six years of intensely disciplined training in that system, he then embarked on his studies in Zi Ran Men with Du Xin Wu. In 1928 he participated in the open combat competition at the Central National Martial Arts Institute in Nanjing. In notorious circumstances, this competition was brought to a premature conclusion due to the fierceness of the bouts and the dangerous injury toll. However the organisers and competitors had seen enough to recognise individual skill, and Master Wan was honoured as a champion for t he qualities he displayed. He, along with four other elite martial artists from that fateful event, was called upon by the Guandong Guangxi Commander in Chief Li Ji Chen, to establish a Martial Arts Institute in Guanzhou. In Chinese martial arts history, this event is now known as ‘The Five Tigers Head South”.
Due to the politically unstable environment, Li Ji Chen was deposed as Provincial President and the newly established ‘Two-Province Chinese Martial Arts Academy’ lasted only half a year. After this event, Master Wan spent his time travelling from one town to another, rarely stopping for long in any single place. This period of transience further shaped Master Wan’s life. He engaged with martial artists in Shanghai, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan and Fujian. He learned Lou Han Men from Liu Bai Chuan and studied with the great Wudang knight and errant swordsman Master Li Jing Lin. Finally in 1945, after the end of the Second World War, he settled in Fuzhou.
The art of nature boxing is imbibed with Master Wan’s experiences and philosophies. Foundation training is based upon highly developed and detailed preparation of the body. This preparation is designed to impart the physical and mental state necessary for combat. The style and strategy of Zi Ran Men (ZRM) combat is like the Grand Master Wan himself, aggressive, uncomplicated and straight to the point. Unfortunately, very little material regarding ZRM technique has been formerly translated from the original Chinese. Hence, in this article, some ZRM foundation techniques are presented with a modern, western slant on their fundamental conception.
Zi Ran Men Gong Fu is an ‘internal’ martial art. Through ZRM foundation training and specialised Qi Gong practice, one works to nurture the spirit of the mind (shen) and regulate the circulation of the body’s energy (qi). Through dedicated practice, a high level of well being and health may be achieved, where the internal and external aspects of the body are unified and the qi flows harmoniously, smoothly and fully, supporting the physical self like a breeze in the sails of a ship (hun yuan zhi qi). As the name ‘Nature Boxing’ suggests, in ZRM philosophy self defence and combat are seen as natural, perhaps primitive human functions. Hence, development of hun yuan zhi qi is also essential for ZRM fighting technique, through the attainment of a clear mind and control of the body. In this natural state, the mind (yi) guards and directs the qi. The qi, in turn, naturally engages the body’s motor skills and muscular strength (li). Bringing these elements together (Yi, Qi and Li) the body moves freely, with deft coordination of eye, hand and foot and with fast, spontaneous reactions.
Therefore we say that when you are facing your opponent you are calm and almost playful, like a child or a curious animal. Such a state may sound peculiar for someone preparing to fight, however the free state of mind and body means that, once attacked, your response is unencumbered, fast and spontaneous and of a manner that provides your opponent with no means of escape. This aim is captured by the saying ‘Dodging like the wind, moving like a sword from the scabbard’.
Mental clarity and spontaneity are keys to ZRM fighting technique. When facing up to your opponent, ZRM strategy is based upon quick, clear actions that transform the nature of the engagement to your advantage. Whether you are launching a long-range attack or exchanging punches, all thought and movement must be sudden and decisive. In ZRM, this strategy is based upon agility and foot movement. It is said that if your step is slow, your attack will be slow and if your step is unstable, your attack will be unstable. With the suppleness and foot-speed of a dancer, you must step in and out of your opponent’s space, dodge and weave left or right, and quickly adjust from defense to offence and back again. Once you have summed up your opponent, if you are game to fight then fight. Decisiveness, and ability to rapidly take the initiative away from your opponent, is how you can occupy the superior position and dominate the situation.
That all sounds good philosophically, but how does one condition the body for ZRM combat? In terms of conditioning training, ‘dodging like the wind and moving like a sword’ requires extremely strong and flexible ankles, knees and hips. A good analogy for the physical state one aims for in ZRM conditioning is to look at the movement of a cat, whose speed and power rely not on bulking strength and endurance, but rather upon small but powerful tendons and muscles that store and release energy like a steel spring.
ZRM Gong Fu training has three main components, Basic Training, Conditioning Training and the ‘Nature Form’ Form training. Unlike many traditional Chinese martial arts, form training does not comprise a major element of building a physical foundation. The emphasis is more upon moving freely and naturally rather than being controlled by form. A central element to ZRM foundational conditioning is the Ba Fa Dang (Eight Method) stretching and strengthening exercises. The Ba Fa Dang is a series of static and dynamic postures and exercises that act to open up the hips and lower back and increase ankle and knee flexibility and strength.
The ‘Eight’(Ba) in Ba Fa Dang refers to four methods of stretching and opening up the lower back and legs, and the development of four types of power in the lower legs. The four stretches are static postures, which involve low stances with the hips open and sunk. The shape of these postures follows the shape of the Chinese symbol Ba. The ankles are held close together (or far apart), while the toes and knees point outward (or inward) from the body and the pelvis lifted. Such postures are isometric exercises that simultaneously build strength and flexibility in the leg muscles and tendons and open up the meridians. This practice helps to develop the catlike steel springs referred to previously by developing ‘four powers’ in the lower leg; the tip of the foot (pushing off the ball and toe), the middle of the foot (supporting through the arch and metatarsals) and the ankle and heel (particularly powerful dorsi-flexion and plantar flexion).
Hence in the Ba Fa Dang we have four postures, The Green Elephant Draws the Needle from the Earth (Qing Xian Xi Zheng), The Eight Shaped and the Inverted Eight Shaped Stance (Zhen Dao Ba Zhi Gong), The Crow and Sparrow Step (Ya Que Bu) and The One Shaped Horse Stance (Ling Pai Shi). Dynamic elements of ZRM conditioning training include the Lower Hip Step (Ai Dang Bu), The Inner Circle Hand (Nei Quan Shou) and the ‘Ghosts Head’ Hand.
The dynamic elements of ZRM foundation training are perhaps the most interesting, and warrant some explanation and discussion. So called ‘step’ training is most often performed in a circle. The most basic circle walking step is the Ai Dang Bu. This step is performed in a low legged crouch with hips sunk and the pelvis raised, and with the lower back relaxed (also known as ‘sitting in the chair’). The feet tread forward and around the circle ‘like a drill’ meaning that there is emphasis on grounding the foot, toe to heel, with downward pressure placed progressively through the arch of the foot and through the ankle. In each step the tip of the leading toe must follow the line of the circle and the ankle joint must remain completely stable (no lateral movement) throughout the shifting of weight.
A typical upper body drill to combine with the Ai Dang Bu is the Nei Quan Shou. The ‘inner circle’ is created by rotation of the arms, as if the hands are turning a large wheel that is held out from the chest and at right angles to the body. The ‘inside’ hand rises from the chest, past the mouth, and curves upward and away from the body, whereupon it becomes the ‘outside’ hand that pulls down and toward the abdomen (Dan Tian) and chest. As one arm works the inside hand, the other arm works the outside hand, turning over and over a circle without end or beginning. The step and hand movements are combined such that the forward step is synchronised with the outward moving hand on the same side of the body. The intention is to combine the Yi, Qi and Li of the fist and foot, so that they gather as one, both working like a wheel to propel the body forward. The necessary focus of Yi during circle walking is characterised as, ‘Body like the curve of a bow, hands shooting like arrows and feet sinking like drills’.
As well as building the appropriate physical conditioning for ZRM combat that I have discussed, the Ai Dang Bu is a powerful form of Qi Gong. From a TCM perspective, repeated practice opens up the meridians in the entire body, especially in the chest and torso. This disperses the heart fire and brightens the eyes. Hence the final focus of Ai Dang Bu is ‘Eyes like shooting stars’, where the vision is clear and unflinching. In practice, the focus is upon relaxing your body’s Qi so that it naturally sinks to the Dan Tian where the mind should remained calmly focussed. The front of your body becomes like a well or gently flowing waterfall, while the back of the body becomes like a flexible ball.
According to legend, when Du Xin Wu started his training with Dwarf Xu, Master Xu instructed him to walk the circle (Ai Dang Bu Nei Qian Shou) and nothing more. After months of this training, Du Xin Wu finally asked, “I have been walking this circle for some time now, what am I doing this for?” Dwarf Xu answered “It is for everything. It is Qi Gong for your health and longevity. Is is Gong Fu for your fighting skill.” Observers at the 1928 Nanjing martial arts competition report that when Master Du performed the Ai Dang Bu Nei Qian Shou for the crowd, he moved so quickly that his body seemed a blurred shade while his eyes remained clear and solid.
Initially, Ai Dang Bu practice may be uncomfortable, as the body clears it’s fire. The next stage is the purification of the Qi and the sinking of fire into the water of the Dan Tian. The body’s movements during this stage of practice become light and almost effortless. In the final stage, after a long period of practice, Gong Fu is finally achieved and the Qi proliferates through the entire body. Enormous amounts of internal strength and power (jin) are generated and the body reacts as previously described, with total unity and freedom. The whole body now becomes ‘the eye’, sensing the opponent regardless of his line of attack and seamlessly moving from offence to defence with devastating speed.
Achieving heightened awareness is also the subject of ZRM lore. It is said that Du Xin Wu was forever testing the skill of Dwarf Xu, by launching surprise attacks on his Master. Some of these attacks were said to be bold and precocious, sometimes while the master was asleep, sometimes with a weapon, and on one occasion dangerously near a cliff when Dwarf Xu was not paying attention. However the young Du Xin Wu never got the better of his master and was, more often than not, on the receiving end of fast retribution for his attacks.
Beginners should be conservative in their approach to Ai Dang Bu training. Initially, the hips should not be sunk too low when attempting to step, to preserve the knees and ankles. Everything else should proceed naturally, in accordance with the main principle of ZRM training. Hence the breathing should be natural, inhaling and exhaling through the nose, and the length of practice determined by what feels appropriate to the individual. Like the experience of taking a brisk walk or a jog, Ai Dang Bu is a little like ‘getting in the zone’. At some point, the body starts to carry and propel itself thoughtlessly. One should not expect to experience extraordinary feelings or experiences when attempting circle walking for the first time, several years of consistent practice are required to build the necessary foundation.