Kung Fu is an Art.

Kung Fu can be a "fighting art", as a means to fight to save lives, to protect weaklings, to deter bullies etc, but most important it must be look upon as an Art that builds resilience, integrity, righteousness and morality.

Kung Fu is not "Fighting", Kung Fu is "Art", is martial art ....the Art of Justice, Humility and Righteousness.

In the modern era, many people train with the wrong concept. Why? Being deluded by the commercial promotion of showbiz organisers in martial arts tournaments and equally deluded by the so called "grandmasters" in the martial arts world. Many train and fight like what you see in tournaments. To them, that is fighting.

Growing up in a rough neighborhood at a young age, fighting is second nature to a street boy. I grew up during the time where the street is our playground, where there are seasonal activities, like kite fighting, marbles competitions, fighting spiders craze, cards collection and many "kampung" games that only Singaporean can understand. Fighting was common.

At the age of about 13 years old, I got a book price for doing well in a local neighborhood school, which I used to buy a book simply called "Karate" That is my first "initiation to martial art. Subsequently, I saved enough money from the pocket money that was given by my parents for food during the recess to join a Kung Fu school called International Shaolin Self-defense Academy. The highlights of the training were sparring, as there are many "Lei Tai" tournaments during the 60s & 70s. The tournaments then were more like "fighting" then sparring.

Fighting is for animals. Yes, is actually what I would like to convey. Their instinct for survival and self-preservation. Learn from the animals then. Watch how they fight. That is fighting. For those who are not train in martial arts or self-defense, will have to fight like the animals then. Use your teeth, use your finger nails, scratch, pinch, slap, hammer, kick the groin, gorge the eyes, go for the throat etc. That is Fighting!

In my Army days when I were in Taiwan doing our overseas military training, two of my camp mates and myself were jumped upon by their local gangsters called "Tai Bao" during our RR (rest & recreation) night outings. Being already a "black-belt" in Shaolin, I were fearless until the gangsters flicked out their pocket knives. All the training that I had, did not prepare me psychologically to deal with the life threatening situation. This experience mould the way I subsequently think of the way I train. It also teaches me to be humble, realistic, cautious and to be prepared for the worst.

Learn Martial Arts for Health, well-being, building resilience, integrity and morality. Learn the "Tao" of martial arts. If you enroll into a Karate school, go to an Aikido dojo, learn TKD, do Tai Chi at the park, then you are learning an Art, a martial art of course. But do not get "stuck" in an Art and foolishly claiming your Art is the best and discrediting other Arts. Truly, your Art is no more better or worst then the rest of the Arts. It is just your deluded ego mind. But it is also true that each Art has its strengths and weaknesses.