The “wrong” kata and their consequences

21. January 2021

The “wrong” Kata: The fourth and the fifth Tai Tsuku are classically the upper level forms in Lung Chuan Fa Kempo. In the region of East Westphalia, especially in our Seibukan Association, the 4th Tai Tsuku is popular because it is long, peppered with kicks and punch combinations. The 5th Tai Tsuku is more focused on hand strikes and therefore not as impressive as the 4th, which looks more athletic because of the high kicks.

The fourth and the fifth Tai Tsuku are classically the upper level forms in Lung Chuan Fa Kempo. In the region of East Westphalia, especially in our Seibukan Association, the 4th Tai Tsuku is popular because it is long, peppered with kicks and punch combinations. The 5th Tai Tsuku is more focused on hand strikes and therefore not as impressive as the 4th, which looks more athletic because of the high kicks.

Wrong traditions

We have a problem with this. Because by now we know that both our 4th and 5th Tai Tsuku are actually called differently, are taught in other Kempo styles as master or black belt forms and have rather nothing to lose in the student area. In addition, our interpretations differ only slightly, but still substantially at some points. And especially in these Kempo Kata (or Kuen, the Chinese term for Kata) it is the details that matter, the lifting and lowering, the correct breathing, the correct and sometimes different stances.

Furthermore, from a methodological point of view, it makes little sense to train both the Sifat and the Tai Tsuku as independent student kata side by side. As a teacher, I have to be able to explain what I am practicing and asking my students to do. In the case of our kata system, however, I could not. What is the difference, what are the historical reasons for this duality? As a person who likes to question his actions, I became more and more uncomfortable with this system as my level of knowledge increased in recent years. The reason, “we’ve always done it this way,” is a very stupid one. Because “always” in this case is a maximum of 30 years ago. It’s hard to refer to “ancient traditions” and ancient grandmasters.

Pigtails cut off

As a student of Sifu Olaf I learn an early and original way of learning Shaolin Kempo, which in terms of form is round as a complete system and systematically builds on each other. Much is similar, but more structured and logical. So the active black (and one brown) belts in Lung Chuan Fa put their heads together and consulted – because especially the long-time active ones are most affected by any change. And not all of my thoughts may meet with approval in this circle, when it is a question of questioning oneself and what has been learned for a long time and exchanging it for something new.

But my comrades-in-arms are themselves already students of Olaf Bock or are open to the new insights. And so it didn’t take much talking at all to cut off some of the braids that have wound themselves a little crookedly around the Lung Chuan Fa. In other words, we will no longer teach 4th and 5th Tai Tsuku in the future, but will give the forms back their original way of execution and their place in the system. The first through third Tai Tsuku will continue to be taught as independent forms in the student area. The Ch’uan Fa and the Tasi Yoti will become forms required only in the high student and DAN grades.

Thus, we have now purged our form system of some developments and duplications that have crept in over the decades in the remoteness of East Westphalia and artificially puffed up the Lung Chuan Fa.

Kata in Lung Chuan Fa Kempo

Kata
	1. Tai Tsuku	Sifat Pertama	Long Kuen
	2. Tai Tsuku	Sifat Kedua	Ch’uan Fa
	3. Tai Tsuku	Sifat Ketiga	Tasi Yoti
		Sifat Keempat	Zhang Fan Kuen
		Sifat Kelima
		Sifat Keenam

Weapon forms
	1. Bo Kata	Sai / Tekpi	Kwan Dao	Steel chain	Dao	Wu Dip Dao
	2. Bo Kata
	3. Bo Kata

The “wrong” kata and their consequences

Wrong traditions

Pigtails cut off

Kata in Lung Chuan Fa Kempo

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