I recently made a trip to Beijing to visit Yao Honggang, my first coach in China. He has come a long way since I first met him almost a decade ago. Back then he was living at a Shuai Jiao school, training full time with free room and board, with an income equivalent to 500 dollars a month.
Since then, he became a Shuai Jiao champion only to discover that, careerwise, it didn't offer much of a future. So he entered MMA and earned about 500 RMB (Chinese currency) in his first bout. He is now a professional MMA fighter, competing all over the world, and owns his own MMA school where he teaches boxing, kickboxing, Shuai Jiao, grappling and MMA. His younger brother Yao Zhekua has also had great success as a fighter and has been on the MMA reality show Ultimate Fighter China and has fought in UFC undercards.
Throughout my three decades of martial arts training, I've cross trained in various grappling styles such as Judo, BJJ and Sombo, but I'm primarily a traditional martial artist and don’t keep up much with the MMA scene. On visiting Yao’s school, I was pleasantly surprised to walk in on a Shuai Jiao class. Shaui Jiao was originally what I learned from Yao. Most students were wrestling in the traditional Shuai Jiao jackets, though a few wore MMA-style training gear. In the far corner of the gym was a coach working with a young lady on some boxing skills. I observed kickboxing, BJJ, and boxing classes during my brief visit, and took part in a kickboxing class.
It is interesting to think of the origin of MMA from a Chinese Kung Fu practitioner’s perspective. In Chinese Kung Fu there are four categories: da (打), ti (踢), na (拿) and shuai (摔). These are the same ranges that an MMA fighter trains in. Kung Fu fighters of old did not overlook the importance of fighting at different ranges. Granted, ground fighting has been looked down upon because it leaves one too vulnerable to weapons or multiple opponents. However, in working with one of the older masters out of Shaolin recently, I realized that ground fighting does exist to some extent within the Chinese Kung Fu curriculum.
Though in the present day MMA fighters and Chinese Kung Fu stylists may train in very different ways, Kung Fu originated for combat and contained all ranges of empty-hand techniques in the fighting strategies. Just as Chinese Kung Fu was divided into two categories at the end of the Cultural Revolution – Taolu (forms) and Sanda (kickboxing) – so too are the traditionalist and the sport fighter divided into two separate categories today. The MMA competitor does not have any need or desire to train in methods that don’t help the fighting skills directly and efficiently, whereas the traditionalist may train in more obscure methods that, while indirectly training the body for combat, have health and artistic value as well.
Yao Honggang (school owner and pro fighter) with school's moto.
To survive in today's world, the Kung Fu stylist needs to evolve and grow. This does not mean throwing away traditional training methods, nor should one overlook the importance of the style's fighting roots. Chinese Kung Fu has very specific fighting strategies which lend well to self-defense. Part of the problem with modern-day Kung Fu is that in many schools it has lost its roots. For the Shaolin Kung Fu artist, Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) has become an integral part of training in most schools. This allows the Shaolin stylist to train kicks, punches and throws. The traditional applications found within the forms offer a wide range of applications including locks, chokes, throws and vital point area attacks, as well as defense against weapons and multiple attackers. Shaolin and other styles of Chinese Kung Fu have many two-man drills that focus on everything from body toughening to balance games, all designed to train specific Kung Fu fighting attributes.
For the traditionalist looking to try their hand at competition, there are many venues without going outside their chosen art. The Kung Fu community has such divisions as Chi Sao, Tui Shou, Sanda, controlled-contact continuous sparring, Shuai Jiao, and recently weapons sparring.
The author practicing on the bags during his visit.
For those looking to test their rooting skills, some Kung Fu-specific grappling such as Shuai Jiao may be suitable. In Shuai Jiao matches, the main objective is to throw your opponent to the ground while remaining standing. Tui Shou (push hands) is another form of upright Kung Fu grappling; again, the main objective is to remain balanced and rooted while controlling your opponent's limbs and disrupting their balance.
For the stylist more interested in the striking component of the Kung Fu arts, there is continuous sparring and Chi Sao (Wing Chun's sticky hand). For the stylist wanting to put the grappling (throws of Kung Fu) along with the striking aspect of the Chinese systems together, there is Sanda (Chinese kickboxing), which allows both within their rule set.
The weapons division has not been as popular, but is quickly gaining followers in the Kung Fu competition scene. As weapons are an integral part of training in all Kung Fu systems, it only makes sense to let Kung Fu students test their weapons skills in a competition setting.
Though the professional fighter earns a living by training and competing while the traditional martial artist may not, they still have several things in common. They both dedicate their time to training their bodies and minds through martial arts techniques. They both push their limits and challenge themselves daily. They both strive to be the best they can be.
