武

術

Wǔ Shù

台灣傳統武術

Traditional Chinese Martial Arts in Taiwan

The late Ming and Qing dynasties were a violent eras, giving rise to many effective martial arts (武術 Wushu). These were weapon systems and empty handed combat methods called 拳術 Quánshù, which means boxing, but consists of the striking skills of 踢 Ti “kicking” and 打 Da “striking” and the wrestling skills of 摔 Shuai “throwing” and 拿 Na “seizing”. People would 下功夫 xià gōngfū or “put in the hard work” to gain these fighting skills. The coastline of what is now 福建 Hokkien (Fujian Province) had been hardened by centuries of piracy and resisting the Qing conquest, insurgency and ethnic warfare. The 閩 Min of Hokkien took to the seas for their fortunes. They brought their fighting arts with them to Okinawa, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Not only did they use weapons effectively in combined arms formations, they also brought their hand to hand combat methods known as 拳頭 Kuntao.

明末和清末是兩個非常暴力時代，許多有效的武術應運而生。這些是武器和空手系統。稱為拳術，但包含踢，打，摔和拿的技巧。為了獲得這些格鬥技巧，以前人「下功夫」。現在的福建省的海岸線因幾個世紀的海盜活動、抗清、叛亂和民族戰爭而變得好鬥。閩南人出海尋求財富。他們把自己的武術帶到了沖繩、台灣和東南亞。他們不僅在聯合兵種陣中用武器，還帶來了空手格鬥技術，「拳頭」。

Meanwhile North China experience an economic and population boom in the first half of the Qing, but was later plunged into war and famine as the empire declined. Banditry meant merchants needed bodyguard escorts. Desperate young men formed gangs. Following the fall of the Qing, mainland China entered an era of Warlordism. Civilian martial arts became important for survival. Yet despite the chaos, some still realized that traditional culture, including the martial arts, were threatened by rapid modernization. Organizations like the Chinwoo Athletic Association sought to collect, modernize and save the martial arts. During the Republican Era the fighting arts of North China were brought to Taiwan where they joined local Kuntao in the rough-and-tumble street fights and challenge matches of Taiwan’s past.

同時，華北地區在清朝上半葉經歷了經濟和人口的繁榮，但後來隨著帝國的衰落，陷入了戰爭和飢荒。盜匪出沒，商人需要鏢局。絕望的年輕人組成了幫派。隨著清朝的覆滅，中國大陸陷入軍閥割據時期。民間武術對生存至關重要。然而，儘管混亂不堪，人們還是意識到，包括傳統武術在內的傳統文化正受到快速現代化的威脅。精武體育會等組織致力於收集、現代化和保存武術。在民國時期，華北武術被帶來台灣，並與當地的拳手一起參與了台灣激烈的街頭鬥和擂臺台賽。

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長拳 Cháng Quán "Long Fist"
彈腿 Tán Tuǐ

體現武術，逆轉衰敗

Embodying the Art, Reversing the Decay

Although once formidable, the traditional Chinese martial arts are beginning to go extinct or become irrelevant. Social upheaval, war and famine plus neo-Confucian values, gentrification, and the modern economy have all led to serious decay in the Chinese boxing skills. YET amazing combat skills are still to be found here in Taiwan, but the talent pool is shrinking. In my efforts to reinvigorate the Taiwan fight culture and share it with the world, I have come to excel in both traditional pugilism and weapon skills. As a teenager I began with Praying Mantis Boxing and a foundation of “Long Fist”. I am also training the Fujianese-Taiwanese art of Taizu Quan (Emperor’s Fist), an old form of Kuntao. I am disappointed in the weak martial prowess of many of my traditional Chinese martial arts, so I’ve resolved to be the change I wanted to see in this world. My multi-disciplinary approach combines knowledge in athletics, pedagogy, history and culture with the traditional martial arts. Thus I am able to create training environments and transmission systems that allow students to rapidly gain fighting skills from these methods.

中式傳統武術曾經很好，如今卻開始走向消亡或變得無關緊要。社會改變、戰亂、飢荒，加上新儒家價值觀、紳士化和現代經濟的衝擊，導致中華拳術嚴重衰敗。然而，在台灣，依然可以找到技藝精湛的搏擊高手，但人才庫卻不斷萎縮。為了振興台灣的搏擊文化並將其與世界分享，我努力在傳統拳法和器械技巧方面都取得了卓越的成就。十幾歲的時候我開始學螳螂拳和長拳基礎。我也在練太祖拳，很老的福台武術系統。我對很多中式傳統武術家的格鬥能力很失望，所以我決定成為我希望看到的世界的改變。我的多學科教學方法將體育、教育學、歷史和文化知識與傳統武術結合。因此，我能夠創建訓練環境和傳授系統，讓學生能夠透過這些方法快速掌握格鬥技能。

— Vincent Tseng（曾煥捷）

My Method

我的做法

  • Traditional martial arts come from a tradition, a cultural lineage, transmitted down generations. Thus is comes from within a culture which itself adapts to the ebbs and flow of history and changes in its environment. To understand how a fighting system “works” it’s best to understand the historical and cultural context it comes from.

  • Techniques and combat concepts are great. However if one’s body is not capable of carrying out the task, all of it is theoretical. In order to be a Chinese Boxer one must 下功夫 or put in the work / do gong fu. We must not hesitate to do so, or we can only blame ourselves when we’re inadequate.

  • Play is a natural way to learn and come to excel in something. It is engaging, and the rules of the game also trainers to restrict the skills and variables so trainees can focus on the necessary attributes and techniques. Sparring games allow students to learn and personalize their tactics. This graduates to full on sparring to simulate the stresses and realities of combat. Everything is pressure tested, more or less.

  • The Traditional Chinese Martial Arts have an ancient practice of war dance called 套路 taolu. Depending on the regional culture, some taolu (sequences/forms) encapsulated combinations of techniques, implying the strategy of the system. Others were fundamental exercises to strengthen the fighter’s ability to utilize the favored techniques. Others were movement patterns to ingrain the frame and power generation of the system. All of them contain the essential movement meta of the fighting method. Decoding the nuances of taolu allows one to fully embody the system.

  • Every combat method has some strategic doctrine. Strategy is an overarching method towards victory. These guidelines help us arrange the technical repertoire into effective tactical options.

  • Without fight experience, all this training is preparation and theory. One must have SOME fight experience to KNOW beyond doubt they can fight. Once you fight, it truly becomes yours. With enough experience, it is fully a part of who you art. It is thus, not just a fighting method but an expression of you - an art.

  • The martial culture is going extinct. As with biology, if the talent pool is to improve and expand then the strong systems and training methods (like good DNA) must be spread. We must teach to the best of our ability, coach athletes to victory and mentor aspiring martial artists for the future to improve. As our resources grow we must find ways to improve the habitat for the creature that is Wushu.

    We carry on the flame of Wushu as torch-bearers of Chinese fight cultures.

Thanks to my teachers, training partners and mentors.

感謝我的師父們、訓練夥伴和導師。