How Shaolin's Forgotten Stance Ruined Gong Bu

Shaolin has many different stances, but there is one which has been mostly forgotten. It's not because it is useless, quite the opposite; it's vital to understanding the proper mechanics for front and rear arm punches, but most people have no idea it exists. The disappearance of this stance has lead to a lot of confusion around Gong Bu which has lead to it being altered over time away from its original use.

Many people will use a Ma Bu to Gong Bu twist for both front arm and rear arm strikes, but the body mechanics just don't work very well for a front arm strike. Rotation mechanics can be used for all sorts of things, but in this case, they were not the original intent of Gong Bu.

In this video I explore the original Shaolin long fist usage of Gong Bu, and discuss how the disappearance of Yao Bu lead to a fundamental change in Shaolin stance work. This distinction is key, and similar ideas can be seen in other Chinese martial arts. By understanding both rotation and translational mechanics for generating power, you can make full use of Shaolin's diverse range of techniques.

0:00 Shaolin's Forgotten Stance
0:30 Why You Are Getting Gong Bu Wrong
1:26 Yao Bu vs Gong Bu
3:00 Step 1- Spreading Confusion
4:49 Step 2- Replacing Difficult Movements

🎥 Just to reiterate the point made early in the video, the footage used as b-roll of various Shaolin practitioners is simply for illustrative purposes of people using the techniques discussed. I am making no assumptions about their knowledge about other techniques or level of skill. As I mention, rotational mechanics have become more popular, even among those that definitely do know the older long fist mechanics.

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Music in this video:
FormantX / Light Utopia and Our Last Stand / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Oomiee/ Dress Code:Black / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Reynard Seidel / True Fiction / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
Lovren / Key to the City / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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