As a child I always wanted to learn Kung Fu, being inspired
by Kwai Chang Kaine and Black Belt Theatre. Having somewhat of a bad temper
(believe it or not), my father thought it better that I learn the primarily
defensive art of Aikido. My father had significant training in both Aikido and
Judo himself so he may have had a bias towards Japanese arts. I spent roughly
15 years studying Aikido with a variety of instructors. In the back of my mind
I still wanted to learn Kung Fu.
One day while walking down the street in Lindenwold NJ I
came across a Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu school, the Sifu (chief instructor) was
no other that Master Moy Bah Hugh (Pete Pajil). I knew very little about Ving
Tsun (“Wing Chun”) at that time. I had some brief exposure to it in the early
80’s when Phillip Holder paid a visit to Sensei Robert Danza’s Aikido school in
Collingswood NJ to teach a seminar; other than that I had only seen Ving Tsun in
martial arts magazines. Although I was a huge fan of Bruce Lee during the 70’s
and 80’s, I did not know enough about Kung Fu to recognize what he was doing was
primarily Ving Tsun. So, on a warm spring day in 1995 I walked into the Moy Yat
Ving Tsun School in Lindenwold NJ, Sifu and I talked for a bit and he
introduced me to Pak Sao.
To the uniformed Pak Sao looks like patty cake, not very
combative at all. Having studied Aikido for so long I understood the importance
of sensitivity and the ability to read energy and respond in real time. However
my understanding of sensitivity was in the context of how to use another person’s
energy to apply a throw, joint lock, or take down. I had not thought about
using sensitivity in the context of striking, at that time it was a completely
new concept to me. In addition, the idea of being able to use sensitivity for
either effect was very appealing.
As I began my Ving Tsun training I realized there was a
great deal of Kung Fu to be learned from what on the surface appeared to be a
very simple exercise. In playing Pak Sao we begin to experience the efficient practicality
of occupying centerline. We also have an opportunity to experience and develop
the structure necessary to both dissipate and generate forces. Lastly, Pak demonstrates
how we can redirect a strong force using a lesser force applied at a tangential
angle.
Here is a video of two of my students, Russell and Tom, playing
Pak Sao, it's not as easy as it looks, come on out to the school and experience it for yourself! www.vtkfsystem.com
