Does Kung Fu Work in a Fight?

IS KUNG FU EFFECTIVE?
REAL FIGHT - STREET FIGHT - SPORTS - MILITARY

Is Kung Fu viable in real violent encounters? Will Kung Fu work in a Real Fight?

First off, Kung Fu is not itself a martial art, but is a blanket term for literally several hundred martial arts that can vary greatly from each other. Contained within these arts are all manner of weapons and all proven aspects of martial arts such as grappling, chin na, striking, kicking, throwing, and body toughening. Secondly, even within the same art, schools and practitioners can have varied focuses.

These differed intents can be generally categorized as:

Spiritual Growth: internalization, meditation, and health. Often with some self defense applications.
Theater & Performance: choreography, acrobatics, stunts, and forms competitions.
Self Defense: to teach average people basic techniques giving them a chance in violent encounters.
Family: arts taught to children to instill discipline, develop confidence, and learn basic self defense.
Fitness: arts taught to adults to get into shape and possibly learn some basic self defense.
Combat Sports: adult competition, no weapons, and using techniques safe for the ring.
Law Enforcement: arresting restraints, non-lethal controls, club, taser, & mace, to augment firearms.
Traditional Combat: melee weapons & martial arts as trained for feudal combat, never adapted for sport.
Modern Combat: military arts trained to augment firearms without many traditional melee weapons.

At Imperial Combat Arts our focus is Modern and Full Feudal Combat Training, for lethal combat situations.

Thirdly, what constitutes a "fight" can also have several meanings.

Dueling: school yard fights, street fights, sport fights, often ending in a knockout, tap-out, or choke.
Lethal Intent: first degree assault, weapon attacks, group attacks, assassination, and murder.
Melee: large scale brawls, riots, and group-on-group fighting.
Gun Battle: shootings, drive-bys, firearm related shootouts, military firearm engagements in war.
Warfare: full modern military combat, explosives, rockets, body armor, armored vehicles etc.

Understanding the uses and limitations of all martial arts and weapons is important for staying grounded in situational reality.

There are many variables in combat and there are no guarantees, as even a firearm doesn't guarantee victory.
A man can be shot several times and still shoot back, people are commonly stripped of their own gun and killed by it, as even special forces train weapon retention drills. People shrug off pepper spray, dogs, and heavy hits all the time. Along with the physical firearm, extensive training is needed not only to shoot the gun accurately, but also in reloading, malfunctions, and the actual study of gun-battle tactics.

Likewise, no Martial Arts training guarantees a win. There are many factors like the number of opponents, age, weapons, terrain, skill levels, motive, natural ability, experience, health, fitness, fatigue, stress factors, luck etc.

TECHNIQUE EFFECTIVENESS

People often question the effectiveness of combat techniques because they cannot easily see them in action. It's not uncommon for people to show one kick to the groin or other move that doesn't negate the opponent and say "see it doesn't work". If you think of how many strikes a fighter may take to the head before a knockout you could say striking to the head mostly doesn't work. You don't have to cut with a knife to know that it can cut, and the reason that techniques like eye gouging and groin strikes are taught in the military, is because they are effective. However, these combat techniques are not easy to apply to a trained fighter.
It takes a lot of training, strengthening, and hard work to master them. Life and death combat is often savage, and far from easy.

"Some techniques we train are mastered by people with 180+ pounds of force behind their grips. The average 18 year old today in the U.S. only pulls 60-80 pounds. It isn't that the move is impossible or doesn't work, it just won't work for someone so weak."
-Mang Taan

CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS

Shuai Jiao Wrestling 600 C.E.

Chinese culture is one of the oldest surviving cultures, dating back to around 2100 (B.C.E.). Almost all Asiatic Martial Arts and Weapons come from, or were influenced by the Chinese. Many Chinese martial arts predate the existence of Shaolin, Karate, Jujitsu etc. As just one example (out of many) Jujitsu dates to around 1130 C.E., whereas the precursor, still trained today in various respects, Shuai Jiao, dates back 6,000 years in written history. Shuai Jiao is jacket wrestling that uses grappling and joint locks. In its battlefield era, known as Jiao li, it also contained strikes, blocks, pressure points attacks, and was trained by soldiers alongside military weapons and archery.

KUNG FU IN MODERN MILITARY

Chinese Martial Arts have had a huge impact on the world's military hand-to-hand combat and weapon training that is used today. For example, the legendary Shuai Jiao Master Chang Dong Sheng, who remained undefeated against all martial artists in China's 1933 mixed martial arts competition, would go on to teach the military's elite forces in the Second Sino Japanese War and WWII.

PAKUA IN SPECIAL FORCES

Pakua (Bagua) is a legendary Wu Tang art taught today at Imperial Combat Arts, in it's original combat nature. Pakua trains to fight multiple opponents in all directions with the use of chin na, weapons, throws, kicks, and bare handed strikes. Trained by the Elite Imperial Bodyguards of China, Pakua was taught by Tsai Ching Tung, a body guard to the Empress Cixi, to William E. Fairbairn who later developed the hand-to-hand combat training for the allied forces in WWII.

Fairbairn is considered the father of close quarters pistol, knife fighting, and hand to hand combat the military uses still today. Fairbairn trained under Tsai Ching Tung for 10 years and considered him "a man of terrifying prowess". The whole idea of a man being able to fight several men, overlapping them, using chin na and strikes combined, as well as use anything as a weapon, is combat Pakua. Enter Page> Pakua Chang

U.S. MARINES

As far back as WWI the U.S. Marines were already documented using the martial arts techniques of: Kung Fu, Jujutsu, Judo, Taekwondo, and Boxing. Today the U.S. Marines teach their soldiers MCMAP which they say added additional martial arts to not only teach lethal combat, but to now include focus also on peacekeeping. The Marine Core states MCMAP is compiled from Kung Fu, Jujutsu, Eskrima, Aikido, Taekwondo, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Karate.

“It's right to learn, even from the enemy.” -Ovid

MILITARY KUNG FU TECHNIQUES

There are many traditional Kung Fu techniques found in the combat training of todays armed forces and special forces. For example the S.C.A.R.S and CQD programs taught to Navy Seals and other armed forces was designed, not as self defense, but for soldiers in high risk situations. This combat training contains several Kung Fu techniques such as a Leopard Paw strike to crush the throat.

OUR MILITARY INSTRUCTORS

Imperial Combat Arts past Masters and Instructors have taught even more recently in the U.S. Military during Vietnam and have Iraqi War era U.S. military training. Our Grandmaster Long taught knife fighting, the use of the Vietnam Tomahawk, Survival, and Hand-to-hand combat to U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. Advertised since the mid 60's our schools have offered classes from C.E. Smith on special forces weaponry. C.E. Smith was a Green Beret/Airborne Ranger who served 3 tours in Vietnam as Special Forces in the Phoenix Program. Prior to Vietnam Smith was an Operation and Intelligence Instructor and spent 5 months training Laotian soldiers to fight communists. Smith retired to teach Special Forces Operations to ROTC as was a primary Instructor in our schools. Our past Masters also served in WWII, The Second Sino Japanese War, and served as Generals and Imperial Bodyguards throughout the history of the Ch'ing Dynasty.

IMPERIAL COMBAT ARTS TODAY

At Imperial Combat Arts our focus is Modern and Full Feudal Combat Training, for lethal combat situations.
We begin all students with the Wu Tang Arts teaching combat martial arts as taught for military use, and as arts that can be developed quickly with the natural body. We begin all students with the study of Knife, Gun, Club, and Improvised Weapons as taught to U.S. soldiers from our military history.

Advanced students and Instructors enter into more advanced martial arts with the 8 Animal System. These combat martial arts require extensive hand toughening, body conditioning, and advanced modes of movement that are far beyond standard combat training or sport fighting. Advanced practitioners also train fully immersive battlefield weapons such as Sword, Axe, and Spear. By training all types of battlefield weapons our Masters can fight at the highest levels with and against any objects.

COMPLETE COMBAT ART

All martial arts taught at Imperial Combat Arts are considered complete combat arts. By our definition a complete combat style must include bare handed fighting and hand toughening, leg toughening, chin na, ground-fighting, grappling, throws, firearms, battlefield first aid, survival training, in addition to all melee weapon types; bladed, blunt, long, soft (e.g. rope), flails, ranged weapons, firearms, and improvised weapons.

IMPERIAL WU TANG

These legendary military arts were trained by Officers and the Imperial Guard since 960 c.e., with over a millennium of war in their refinement. Wu Tang means essentially "Military Training" and is a mastery of all manner of weapons, as well as forming the body into a weapon itself. These Arts of War are based on fighting multiple opponents using weapons, and then when unarmed, apply these same weapon techniques with highly toughened legs, arms, and hands. Enter Page> Wu Tang

IMPERIAL 8 ANIMALS

These highly lethal and legendary fighting styles are for a true elite class of martial artist, and require years of toughening and training to master. Each animal style is itself a complete martial art with its own history, weapons, strikes, chin na, and signature hand toughening, brought together into one combat system over 300 years ago. Imperial Combat Arts teaches the legendary arts of Tiger, Panther, Leopard, Boar, Eagle, Crane, Mantis, and Snake Kung Fu. Enter Page> Eight Animals

MELEE WEAPON MASTERY

Imperial Combat Arts has direct lineage to the ancient battlefields of China and teaches master levels of traditional and modern weapons. Melee weapons are used in almost every life and death fight short of firearms, from the knife & baton to any improvised objects. This part of training is often neglected from other martial arts and yet is perhaps the most important to study. Fully immersive weapon training is vastly different from basic Kung Fu. Enter Page ⚔ Weapon Mastery

GROUND-FIGHTING & CHIN NA

Combat Chin Na is a non-sport, life & death study with intense focus on fighting multiple armed opponents in all areas of Joint Locks and Grappling, both standing and on the ground. This study includes striking and weapons, and uses devastating gripping, gouging, and tearing techniques designed for battle. Chin means literally "to seize or trap" and Na means "to lock or break. Chinese Chin Na consists of many highly effective and long proven combat techniques. Enter Page> Chin Na

FIREARMS TRAINING

Firearm training at Imperial Combat Arts is derived from our long military history. Our Grandmasters served as Imperial Bodyguards, Veterans of the Second Sino-Japanese War (WWII), Vietnam era Special Forces (Green Beret Officer), as well as an instructor today with current U.S. military training. Evolving alongside our melee weapons and unarmed combat styles, modern gun-battle tactics are an important part of our teaching true Masters of all Weapons. Enter Page> Firearms

WILDERNESS SKILLS

From ancient nomadic hunters, to our past Grandmaster who was a Vietnam era Special Forces Officer and instructor of evasion, survival, and combat, Imperial Combat Arts trains its students in both primitive and modern wilderness skills. These classes include Camouflage/Evasion, Tracking, Traps, Navigation, Hunting/Foraging, Rappelling, Knots, Fire Craft etc. This training is a traditional part of developing the confidence, capability, and grit of a warrior. Enter Page> Wilderness Skills