Drunken boxing
 Eight Immortals | |
| Also known as | Drunken Boxing, Drunken Fist, Drunken Style, Drunken Kungfu, Drunken Eight Immortals Boxing, Drunken Luohan Boxing, Wine/Alcohol Boxing |
|---|---|
| Focus | Feints and deception |
| Country of origin |  China |
| Creator | Unknown |
| Famous practitioners | So Chan (one of the Ten Tigers of Canton), Wong Fei-Hung (folk hero and central figure in Hung Ga kung fu) |
| Olympic sport | No |
| Part of a series on |
| Chinese martial arts (Wushu) |
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Drunken boxing/fist/style (Chinese: 醉拳; pinyin: zuì quán), Eight drunken immortals boxing (Chinese: 醉八仙拳; pinyin: zuì bā xiān quán), drunken louhan/arahat boxing (Chinese: 醉罗汉拳; pinyin: zuì luó hàn quán) and wine/alcohol boxing (Chinese: 酒拳; pinyin: jiǔ quán) are a group of Chinese martial arts, or styles of kung fu, characterized by movement that resembles that of a drunkard and an emphasis on feints and deception. The eight drunken immortals are a central theme in drunken boxing, alluded to in technical jargon like names of principles and techniques.
History
It is difficult to compose a coherent narrative of drunken boxing's history, as reliable sources are scarce. It is nearly impossible to point to the time or place of drunken boxing's origin, nor to trace a credible lineage of teachers and students between drunken boxing's earlier documentations and present day practice. Drunken boxing probably appeared and disappeared in different places and at different times, with little more than common cultural and martial arts context to relate the different cases of drunken boxing with each other.[1]
Written Records
The earliest written reference to drunken boxing is probably in the classic novel Water Margin, in which the Song Dynasty rebel Wu Song is depicted as a master of drunken boxing.
In the kung fu manual "Boxing Classic" (Chinese: 拳經; pinyin: quán jīng) from the 18th century, Shàolín monks are described as practicing the style of 8 drunken immortals boxing. This style is described as a technical derivative of dì tàng quán.[2]
Un-Written Records
The Bāǐng quán lineage from Henan attributes it's wine boxing to the Shàolín quán style.
Hung Ga lineages stemming from Wong Fei Hung attribute their drunken boxing to So Chan.
Styles
When detailing the various styles of drunken boxing, it is useful to observe that drunken boxing is not a single martial art with an established lineage and hierarchy, but rather a group of loosely related kung fu styles. In this respect, drunken boxing could also be understood as a phenomenon within kung fu. Furthermore, drunken boxing rarely appears as a complete and independent system, but rather as an advanced feature within a broader system. A martial art may include a few drunken boxing techniques, 1 or more drunken boxing taolus, a complementary drunken boxing fighting tactic or a more developed drunken boxing sub-system.
- Some Hung Ga lineages include 1 set of drunken boxing. Wong Fei Hung's unique status as a culture hero along with his numerous depictions in popular culture were influential in disseminating drunken boxing into public conciseness.
- Some Choy Li Fut lineages include 1 set of drunken boxing
- Hark Fu Mun include 1 set of drunken boxing
- There is a Southern style of kung fu called 8 drunken immortals boxing[3]
- The most popular form of drunken fist practiced today is probably the modern Wushu taolu called drunken fist. Wushu taolu are based on traditional kung fu taolu. Wushu differs from traditional kung fu in its emphasis on visual aesthetics as opposed to combative effectiveness, and in its pedagogic structure. Wushu drunken fist is generally more acrobatic and dramatized than traditional drunken boxing, with the player visually mimicking a drunkard. Many references to drunken boxing in popular culture resemble Wushu drunken boxing.[4]
- Bāǐng quán may incorporate the most extensive drunken component (called wine/alcohol fist) in existing traditional kung fu, with a developed training curriculum, weapons, movement and fighting theory etc., making it a virtually stand-alone style.
- Ying Zhao Pai includes 1 set of drunken boxing
- Some Qi Xing Tanglang Quan lineages include at least 1 set of drunken boxing
- Fu Zhensong system includes an 8 drunken immortals staff set
There are Northern and Southern versions of drunken monkey boxing, which is related to drunken boxing.
Technique
The technique described here is based to a large degree on the Bāǐng quán style of wine boxing.
Movement
Drunken boxing is internal in nature, and emphasizes the role of jin. Movement is initiated in the dan tian area, and is moves through the body distally towards the hands and feet. The musculature is kept as soft as possible.
Movement in drunken boxing is relatively unique among martial arts in the frequency and degree in which it deviates from vertical posture, with the torso bent and twisted in all directions.[5] The default hand position is the "cup holding fist", which is a softly held semi-open fist that uses the knuckles to strike and the tips of the fingers to grab. Other hand positions are used, too, among them the phoenix eye single knuckle fist.[6]
Combat
Many aspects of drunken boxing are specialized towards deception: continuous bobbing and weaving and slipping, feigning instability and lack of focus, attacking from unusual angles and seemingly weak positions, sudden changes of momentum, compounding multiple attacks with the same limb, use of blind-spots and visual distractions, changing game plans in mid-fight and employing concealed or improvised weapons.
Like many styles of kung fu, drunken boxing employs a wide variety of attacks, including striking, chin na and wrestling, with trapping range fighting as a default skill. Strikes and grabs are alternated with the hands striking as they extend towards the enemy and grabbing as they retract . The power for grabs is sometimes generated by dropping the body, either through slightly lifting the feet of the ground and then stomping down with the weight of the entire body or by falling to the prone.
Some styles of drunken boxing use traditional kung fu weapons, often the jian or gun.[7] The Bāǐng quán wine boxing system includes many weapons, including saber, spear, guan dao, flute, fan, gourd bottle, sash, sash tied to guard and more.
Some common misconceptions about drunken boxing are that drunken boxing fighters attempt to seem drunk to their opponents, or induce alcohol before fighting.
Training
- Rolling a chin na stick (~3" diameter stick with a weight tied to the far end by a rope) using the finger tips
- Iron palm[8]
- Fingertip push-ups
- Iron rings
- Wooden dummy
Fu zhu gong fa
Fu zhu gong fa are repetitive movement drills that train basic movement patterns of drunken fist. These exercises can be understood as building blocks of drunken movement, or as a basic vocabulary from which fighting techniques can be composed and powered.
Drunken boxing forms build on the basis of the zhu gong fa to create a wider technical variety. At their most basic, drunken boxing forms are a codex of fighting techniques choreographed together like a dance. However, movement techniques as they appear in the toulu are somewhat abstract and open to interpretation and may have any number of fighting applications. Advanced students are sometimes encouraged to improvise on the traditional toulu.
Like many other kung fu styles, the default method of sparring in drunken boxing is sticky hands. Continuous contact sparing, similar to sticky hands, is used to train armed combat, too.
Eight Immortals
The Eight Immortals (Chinese: 八仙; pinyin: Bāxiān; Wade–Giles: Pa¹-hsien¹) are a group of legendary xian("immortals") in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a power tool (法器) that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight tools are called the "Covert Eight Immortals" (暗八仙). Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in the secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Penglai Mountain-Island.
The Immortals are:
In literature before the 1970s, they were sometimes translated as the Eight Genies. First described in the Yuan Dynasty, they were probably named after the Eight Immortal Scholars of the Han.
Eight Immortals in drunken boxing
In drunken boxing, the eight immortals are used as martial archetypes, or as 8 sub-styles of drunken boxing. Each immortal is has his or her own strategy, preferred weapons, training methods and mindset. Eight immortal training is considered to be advanced, as it builds and compounds upon the common technical basis of drunken boxing.
In combat sports
Though traditional kung fu practitioners tend to be underrepresented in the higher levels of modern combat sports, some athletes have incorporated implicit drunken boxing tactics into their fighting styles. Some of have alluded to drunken boxing through the style of their movement, while others express a personal style that happens to converges with drunken boxing combat principles. Often crowd favorites, these fighters share the ability to move in an apparently "un-tactical" and playful manner, dancing and taunting, while exploiting the effects of their unusual and confusing behavior on their opponent in order to launch deceptive attacks.
- Genki Sudo would often turn his back to his opponent or dance during fights, and successfully employed spinning and flying attacks. In his entrance to his fight with Ole Laurson he alluded to drunken boxing through costume and dance.
- Michael Page has used drunken-like movement in his indirect, movement based style.
- Samart Payakaroon used a high degree of combat IQ to ambush opponents, often intentionally placing himself in tactically inferior positions from which he launched successful counter attacks. He never acknowledged any affiliation to drunken boxing.
- Emanuel Augustus was sometimes nicknamed "The Drunken Master" because of his movement-heavy deceptive style
In popular culture
Cinema
- Heroes of the East
- Dragon Lady
- Last Hero in China
- The Forbidden Kingdom
- Drunken Master
- Drunken Master II
- Drunken Master III
- Legend of the Drunken Master
- The World's End
- Duel
- True Legend
- Hero Among Heroes
- Kung Fu of the 8 Drunkards
- Ong Bak 2
- The Shaolin Drunken Monk
- Raging Phoenix
- The Blind Swordsman
- Yellow River Fighter
- Drunken Monkey
- Dance of the Drunken Mantis
Television series
- Naruto
- Iron Fist
- Slug Street Scrappers Ep. 3
- Water Margin
- Juni Taisen
See also
References
- ^ Pickens, Tim (2015). Six Harmonies Drunken Boxing. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 11. ISBN 1515026531.
- ^ 1959-, Shahar, Meir, (2008). The Shaolin monastery : history, religion, and the Chinese martial arts. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 9780824833497. OCLC 259735411.
{{cite book}}:|last=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ 1947-, Liang, Ting, (1989). The drunkard kungfu & its application (2nd ed ed.). Hong Kong: Leung's Pubns. ISBN 9789627284086. OCLC 52024840.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help);|last=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Henning, Stanley E. (Winter 2008). "Visiting Tianshui city a look into martial culture on China's northern silk route". Journal of Asian Martial Arts: 26+.
- ^ Ben Johanan, Tomehr (December 1, 2012). "Drunken Boxing". Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine. December 1, 2012: 54–49.
- ^ Ripski, Neil (2010). Secrets of Drunken Boxing Vol. 1. Lulu Press, Inc.
- ^ 蔡, 京 (1959). 民族体育之花: 談談新中國的武術运动 [Flower of National Sports : Discussing the New China Martial Arts Movement]. 人民体育出版社. p. 1.
- ^ Jing, Fa Zhang (2014). The Path of Drunken Boxing. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1500850527.