Jochen just posted an excerpt from Adam Hsu’s book “Lone Sword against the cold, cold Sky” on the Bailung Blog. We especially like following part:
These factors however, are all external to the Kung Fu itself. Therefore these are not reliable indicators. To judge the purity of a person’s Kung Fu, I must see him practice. Only from watching his punching, kicking, turning, stepping, jumping – only from his movement – can I tell if what he does is pure KungFu or not. […]
For this reason, I treat a practioner’s personal history – meaning his master, style and forms – like name-brand clothing. With enough money, anyone can shop at Macy’s. But wearing the most stylish clothing does not automatically transform you into a fashion model nor does it necessarily make you beautiful. How do you carry yourself? Are your movements gracious and graceful? What about expression on your face, the look in your eye? Designer clothing with “stiff” and “sour” will not be flattering and could make you look worse. Likewise, incorrect practise of as many forms as you want in any great style you admire can make you worse, not better.”
(Adam Hsu, Lone Sword against the cold, cold sky, Santa Cruz, 2006)
Also fits a bit on the discussion we had recently on this blog.
[via Training bei Bailung e.V.]
