Martial Arts Master Tan Soh Tin, Present Master of the Nam Yang Pugilistic Association, at Nam Yang Shaolin Training Camp, Thailand. Special Breathing Methods The special breathing which characterises Sum Chien training is certainly a very powerful form of Chi Kung and is the subject of much interest and discussion.  It is important to noteContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 12: Breathing & Teaching”>>

Some Background Information To me, what is most important about Sum Chien training is its huge potential to change our lives for the best.  Hence discussing this first.  To benefit from it we do not need to know about its history but, as humans, a knowledge of our background and culture and just where weContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 11: Origins”>>

As I mentioned earlier, when we adopt the straight Sum Chien posture we connect our crown point (Pei Hue) with the Yang Chi of the Heavens and our root point (Hue Yin) with the yin chi of the Earth.  Sum Chien training also typically begins with a sequence of movements which include one which thrustsContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 10: Tapping into the Energy of the Universe”>>

A good example of how training our body posture and language, including the face affect us as a whole. Martial Arts Students demonstrating the Sum Chien at Nam Yang Thailand Training Camp. Life is largely about how we interact with others.  Psychologists tell us that only 7% of what we communicate is through our wordsContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 9: Speaking with the Body”>>

Martial Arts Master Iain Armstrong demonstrating the Sum Chien Face at Nam Yang’s Thailand Retreat. Training the face during Sum Chien practice seems to have gone out of fashion a little. It is widely known that the old masters used to contort their face into a strange grimace when they practised but most of theirContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 8: Training the Emotions”>>

Practising the Sum Chien face and body posture prepares us to switch into the right emotional state should we need to fight. Female Martial Arts Instructor Emily McCarten at Nam Yang Thai Retreat. This is one of the most powerful yet least understood aspects of Sum Chien training.  I was fortunate that it happened toContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 7: Training the Senses, Expanding Awareness”>>

If Sum Chien is performed with the right breathing methods the internal organs are greatly strengthened both in terms of their ability to perform their function and their ability to resist damage.  In this sense it may well be considered a form of iron shirt chi kung, although this name is more usually used toContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 6: Strengthening Internal Organs”>>

Martial Arts Master Iain Armstrong releasing springy internal power into a lethal throat crushing technique. There was a period, beginning at the close of the 1990s, when I was writing a column for ‘Combat’ magazine and Master Tan took me around Singapore’s most prominent kung fu groups to interview their Masters.  He would translate sinceContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 5: Internal Power”>>

Twisting the elbows in while performing ‘holding the tree branches’: one of the key techniques in Sum Chien training. Relaxing and sinking into a stance keeps all of the joints intact.  This is essential for the efficient transmission of strength. The stance is relatively short, with the front foot only one foot’s length further forwardsContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 4: Body Mechanics”>>

A straight spine is one of the key elements in Chinese Kung Fu training. Female Martial Arts Instructor Marion Hofer training at Nam Yang’s Shaolin training camp, Thailand. A straight spine works like a straight axle around which the torso can pivot.  More to the point, when the spine is straightened, the energy centres thatContinue reading “Kung Fu Training: Sum Chien – The Heart of Shaolin, Part 3: Posture”>>