Laila: Hi! Welcome to watchmojo.com I am your host, Laila. Today we'll go in depth with one of the leading experts in White Crane Kung Fu, who tells us about this traditional martial art.
Shifu Lorne Bernard: Basically White Crane Kung Fu is a style of traditional kung fu that comes from Fujian in China, which is a province in Southern China. The White Crane style was invented by a woman, and consequently the system focuses on dodging and striking pressure points. So our main fist technique is this way. So it's almost as if we are trying to nail points like a tiger. Originally, it was meant as a self-defense method in the crudest possible means and those people died, but this is 400 years ago, they trained with weapons. Obviously, it wasn't for art, it was to defend the village. Of course today, the health benefits, people who do martial arts tend to eat well, go to bed early, train everyday. So when you are at 40, you are probably in better shape than most of your friends. So of course, it’s a benefit for that too and you have some skills in self-defense if ever the need arises.
Laila: Can it just be a hobby as well?
Shifu Lorne Bernard: It can be a hobby but you have to take things in the proper perspective. In today’s society, everybody is in a hurry. They want to learn violin in five quick easy lessons. You can't learn violin that way. If you do kung fu once a week, it's okay. It's better than nothing but you can't really think you are doing Chinese martial arts; most people will train at least an-hour-a-day six-days-a-week.
Laila: I see that you have some weapons here, is that just to develop skills?
Shifu Lorne Bernard: So of course. Originally, these weapons were used in combat. For us, we still use them in with a combat approach in mind. Now of course, in the civil society, I am not going to grab a big sword and run down the street. What we can do however, because we are training with heavy weapons like traditionally, those heavy weapons will make us develop our arms, shoulders, body dynamics, also in complete systems like White Crane. We have so many weapons that after studying about 18 weapons, anything becomes a weapon. This microphone is a deadly weapon, the rope around the microphone, your shoes is a deadly weapon. So once you know how to use so many weapons, anything you have in your possession can become a weapon, and that's one of the goals.
Laila: Thank you very much for your time.
Shifu Lorne Bernard: You’re welcome.
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