Bak Mei Kung Fu Vancouver
BAK MEI THEORY
Prepared by Michael Chu with information provided by Grandmaster Yip Chi Sum and Master Wilkie Wu
1. Bak Mei is a style of high-stance Kung Fu.
2. Major stances: triangular stance, straight parallel pliers stance, and diagonal parallel pliers stance.
3. Three major angles: circular (圓形), flat (扁形), thin (薄形).
4. Usage of steps: rapid forward, backward, and sideways movement of stances; step darting, stance changing, and stance pressing.
5. Attack is mainly by the use of the phoenix eye fist, palm, tiger claw, forearm, elbow, and foot.
6. Defence is mainly by the use of the slapping hand, curved wrist (elephant trunk hand), gripping hands, tiger claw, palm, and forearm.
7. Actions of the hands are tight and close, elbows need to be sunk, shoulders need to be loose, and the locus of the long hand action and short hand action is short or non-existent.
8. Actions of the foot are to kick at the middle and lower positions.
9. Four body shapes: floating (浮), sinking (沉), swallowing (呑), spitting (吐).
10. Breath: inhale, exhale, stop breath, and press air down to tighten the abdomen.
11. Muscles need to be capable of being softened, hardened, shrunk, and stretched at will like the muscles of swimmers.
12. Every action requires a simultaneous use of six powers: hands, feet, waist, abdomen, shoulder, and neck energy -- for concentration of the power to the defensive and/or the attacking point with explosive power.
13. Most actions are done by using both the defensive hand and the attacking hand simultaneously. There are also some actions done by using both hands for defence or both hands for attack simultaneously, but all actions must be fast and powerful.
14. There are eight major ways to use the hands: draw (挽), cut (割), rope (索), collide (撞), rush (沖), whip (鞭), spring (彈), and rotate (盤).
15. The four aims are to obtain shocking power, sticky hands, releasing hands, and heavy power to enable the trainee to reach the peak of Bak Mei martial arts.
16. Teaching requirements: the teacher must be a good and long-practiced master and teach personally.
17. Learning requirements: the student must have the ability to understand, think, practice hard, and increase his or her strength and power.
