FIFTEEN
The Plum Blossom set is the culminating integration of the dynamic coiling motions, awakened energy and awareness cultivated through preceding practices.
It expresses the heart of the warrior spirit actively – as a martial skill if required – but principally to provide energetic forbearance against the forces that seek to subdue one’s unique expression. This program also includes a form called Beautiful Springtime, which is an integral part of the short-force martial arts application taught in correspondence with the gateway to Shadow Fist Kung Fu.
Gateway to Shadow Fist Kung Fu
Plum Blossom is the gateway into Advanced Shadow Fist Kung Fu. As a dynamic walking form it integrates and applies previous learning through energized coiling and focused awareness, as a multi-level expression of the warrior spirit.
Shadow Fist Origins
Shadow Fist was traditionally known as ‘Black Fist’. The reason for this mysterious name is that the shadow-less elbow and the slapping hands are so fast that the training partner (or opponent) will experience conscious blackout; and the only way to cope with this is to have the kinesthetic memory that causes one’s creativity to harmonize with the onslaught, thereby protecting oneself. The art functions at close-quarter spacing and the straight-line stepping serves to define this range.
The Eight Directions of the Bagua
The name Plum Blossom comes from the stepping path that describes a flower with eight petals spiraling out from the center to eight Gates. Building upon Temple Bagua foundations, The practitioner learns to absorb the centralized force and turn to face and walk in the eight specific locations of the outside of the Bagua circle, utilizing this energy to infuse one’s outwardly facing mudras with power.
The set employs the principles of the Temple Bagua walking and shifting, employing the unicorn and small twisting yang stance for rotations, returning to horse stance, then applying coiling straight-line techniques unique to Lo Ban Pai’s Dragon Coiling System.
Harvesting Chi
Plum Blossom is extremely energetic, teaching the practitioner to draw the coiling energy from the ground and environment to the forearms and palms.
As in Temple Bagua, the Plum Blossom practitioner acts from the center. The circle mirrors the containment area around the body – developed in Windlock and Shadow Fist Fundamentals – beyond which energy dissipates.
In practice any point can be the center, so the set cultivates the skill to make wherever the warrior is the central hub. This generates the potential necessary for the practitioner’s personal power to be full and complete at each gateway that is faced, performing the guard-like gestures that protect the core.
The Heart Center
The center that is protected, and from which movements flow, is the heart. While some arts train the mind to harness and direct this energy, Plum Blossom expands the skill developed in Temple Bagua to respond to the environment following the dictates of the heart as opposed to the socialized mind.
The speed of awareness required to do this in daily life highlights the value of the skill the Plum Blossom teaches. Not only will the practitioner’s responses be guided by the heart but such action will draw on personal power that is fully available to engage the experience – be it any normal life circumstance or encountering a dragon gate.
Beautiful SpringtimePartner Training Sequences
Beautiful Springtime introduces integral short-force martial applications of Lo Ban Pai, which are taught in correspondence with the Plum Blossom and the Wooden Dummy. This program includes instruction in pushing hands, coiling sticking hands, rolling sticking hands and various two-man sets.
Iron Oak Wooden Dummy
Wooden dummy sequences will be taught to cultivate the practitioner’s ability to harness the power required to implement the straight-line techniques embedded within the dragon coiling.
Plum Blossom is only available to approved students that have completed the necessary prerequisites.
This is a four-week program consisting of four levels, which can be undertaken as single weeks if preferred. This provides the student with the opportunity to learn the program in four separate 5-day sessions or attend a complete four-week course.
Level 1: 5 Days
Level 2: 5 Days
Level 3: 5 Days
Level 4: 5 Days
Complete Program: 20 Days