KAJUKENBO - TUM PAI
The original concept and development of techniques for tum pai was started by Adriano Emperado, Al Dacascos and Al Dela Cruz, in the early 60's. It was a attempt to create an advanced style for the Kajukenbo system that would incorporate more Chinese elements into the system.
In the mid-60's the developments that made up tum pai became incorporated into what was to be renamed ch'uan fa, thus leaving the tum pai concept in an indeterminate state.
In 1971, Jon Loren started incorporating the concepts of tai-chi and southern sil-lum into his kajukenbo classes. This was called northern kajukenbo until 1974. In 1974, while staying with Adriano Emperado in Hawaii, he demonstrated his concepts and techniques and asked if he could call it tum pai and bring the name back to life. Emperado granted permission with the acknowledgement that the original tum pai followed a different path than the revised tum pai soft style.
Here are the distinctions of the Tum Pai system:
Northern Tum Pai – Hybrid Gung-fu
The initial foundation of northern tum pai is based upon the Chinese combined classical structures of combat (northern praying mantis, southern sil-lum, eagle claw, etc.), tai chi ch’uan, and the streetwise techniques of the kajukenbo system. Tum Pai is a street art, not a sport, and is aggressive tai chi application gung-fu. Competition is not taught, but rather, students work out together without a win/lose concept. There are no winners and no losers. To this effect, it is noted for six specific structural characteristics as its basis for creativity and originality.
1. Soft Style Applications of Tai Chi Ch’uan: Northern tum pai is characterized by the fact that it is, in essence, the street application of tai chi ch’uan, using its theories of evasion, off-centering, yielding, rooting, reversing, and redirecting the flow of attack in a non-muscular way, allowing a person of any size to defend themselves. Basic tai chi practice is a regular part of tum pai training. The advanced theory and application of tai chi in northern tum pai is called yam foon jeet sow fut; translated, it means “night wind intercepting palm”. Tum Pai is based on traditional tai chi, not simplified or modified. It contains all the traditional weapon use. Tum Pai has its own tai chi certification program (initiated in 1975) as a separate art, as well as being a structural part of tum pai. In order for one in tum pai to certify a student as a separate tai chi teacher, they must have our tai chi certification themselves.
Tum Pai Tai Chi Instructor Requirements (Certification):
— Minimum of 4 ½ years of training time
(Minimum of 10 lessons per month)
(Minimum of 15 minutes of personal practice — 7 days a week)
Acceptable Completion (Viewed by Board) of:
— Short and Long Yang style Form
— Yang style Sword Long Form
— Yang style Sum Quay Sword Form
— Ng style Long Form
— Single and double push hands (Yang & Ng Form)
— Yang style Da lu
— Chi gua concepts and exercise practice
— Tai Chi physiology, energy alignment, structural alignment and breath concepts
— Tai Chi thesis (thesis on any subject related to Tai Chi – approved by Teacher – 7 typed pages minimum)
— Three day Tai Chi solo campout: Requirements given at time
— Final Tai Chi test (must achieve 2 out of 4 tests)
2. Tendon Structure: Northern tum pai ‘expression’ is based on a relaxed tendon structure concept, which aligns the overall posture of: arms, legs, feet, and hands. It structures them so that it eliminates muscularity, and opens the pathways for your internal energy to be focused and transmitted through, thus enhancing speed, reaction, and explosion. The enhancement of chi gives the practitioner a ‘feeling touch’ that is used to sense an attack and to give the practitioner a magnetic feel in chi sao (sticky hands) application. Tum Pai does not oppose force, it redirects force, reverses force, or yields to force. Tum Pai only operates in the relaxed physical and emotional state. There isn’t a rigid state. Power is issued by focused explosive chi strikes or the manipulation of the attacker’s central nervous system as in chin-na grappling.
3. Open Hand Training: Tum Pai is noted for its open hand techniques, versus the closed hand (fist) techniques. Though some techniques incorporated the fist way, the majority of the redirecting (blocking) and striking techniques are open hand. Because of the energy development and alignment in tum pai training, the slap-poke open hand tendon structure alignment, the magnetic pull, and the open palm internal energy strikes are a major part of the tum pai martial application. The relaxed open ‘feeling hands’ are a trademark of the tum pai system, and its yam foon jeet sow fut advanced system.
4. Night Wind Forms (Yam Foon Jeet Sow Fut): These forms were created over a 20-year span to emphasize non-opposition, circular redirection (small circle theory) as opposed to linear motion, relaxed non-muscular movement that emphasizes internal energy, and noted especially for its explosive releasing of energy. Tum Pai and its “night wind” forms are thus a style of tai chi that teaches students tai chi energy movement coupled with realistic martial techniques. Tum Pai is considered combative tai chi in motion, and “yam foon jeet sow fut” is its advanced application.
5. Outdoor Training: It is one of the few systems that incorporate outdoor martial survival training, living, and trained sensitivity awareness developed from harmony with nature as a regular part of its curriculum. Advance testing for higher ranks incorporates these outdoor training skills to enhance a practitioner both mentally and spiritually, and to learn to gather from the earth’s forces an energy connection that is not only used martially, but in everyday life.
6. The Healing Art: Tum Pai is noted not only as a strong internal gung-fu art, but it is also noted for its ability to naturally restore one’s health from regular training. All techniques of martial structure are health-based and aligned through tai chi principals. This creates a constant flow of energy throughout the body, receiving and expelling through the Earth’s forces so that the body’s organs, nerves, muscles, etc. are constantly balanced. This is coupled with internal health principles, restorative massage, nervous system knowledge, and herbal health principles. A senior teacher would thus have a good knowledge of medicinal herbal health as well as being a high level martial artist. There is a separate herbal certificate for individuals who specialize in herbal medicinal health.
As a hybrid gung-fu system, northern tum pai differs from classical systems, for it contains emphasis on defense against American boxing, wrestling, and advanced street fighting attacks, rather than oriental attack. Not having one set pattern for defense against these, it teaches to change its flow and pattern to whatever type of situation occurs.
Though it has classical roots and teaches, partly, the classical way (traditions, customs, basic structures and healing), it also teaches the “hybrid way” of no ties, restraints, or bindings to hinder the ultimate defense. In other words, it teaches the foundations to the practitioner, but he himself develops “his way” or his own system from the basic structure to fit himself. The system therefore does not teach the student, but only helps “guide” him, “for he himself makes himself”.
Though it usually takes approximately six months to acquire basic knowledge and ability for an average street attack, it must be noted that to obtain a complete basic structure in northern tum pai, it would take approximately five years of continuous training. For students who want to live the art, there are five more years of intermediate training and a lifetime for advanced training (this includes inner strength development, various nerve manipulation, and poking (chin na techniques, and energy healing coupled with extensive herbal training). It is from these structures – forms and techniques training, etc. – that students, through confidence, can naturally become themselves and gather the tools for self-expression and creativity emphasized by northern tum pai.
The structures are then their tools to work with, so that, basically, a student would never run out of new tools (techniques) and would be a student of learning all their life. There is always more to learn about the system, more to learn about themselves, and more to create and experiment with to fit themselves. During their life in the art, the student would be touching tradition, but yet not be tied or bound to any structure, for these are just many rays of light to many “paths” out of the darkness. tum pai’s goal is to live long and feel good.
Northern tum pai is not a sport. Rather, it is an art based on street application of self-defense that holds no rules or guidelines from sport competition other than the philosophical philosophy of the wu teh code (warrior’s moral and etiquette code). Martial code is taught as the core and spirit of northern tum pai. It emphasizes one’s complete honor and sacrifice in defending one’s self or loved ones.
Emphasizing a strong mental attitude and bearing, it is balanced by technical soft style evasion, redirecting, and reversing the flow of attack concept in a non-muscular energy direction way, allowing a person of any size to defend themselves. Instruction includes basic, intermediate and advanced open-hand form (night wind forms) training, weapon sets, tricks (punching attack applications), ground grappling, locking, sweeping, throwing, kicking, and open-closed hand and elbow striking. Inner grappling includes chi sao (sticking hands) neutralizing and nerve poking, and chin’na (nerve locking) techniques. Weapon defensive and offensive instruction includes: short knife, club (short and long stick) staff, chain, sword (double edge and broad), three-sectional staff, the fan, throwing stars, chain whip, and the bow and arrow.
© KAJUKENBO-The Original Mixed Martial Art, 2006
