The Yangtze River is the dividing border of northern and southern regions of China. Chinese martial arts finding their origins north of this river are commonly referred to as northern Chinese martial arts. Traveling south of this river, southern Chinese martial arts distinctly differ from their northern sibling. Though the fundamental aspects of culture- Daoist and Buddhist- are the same, the practice of martial methods and techniques are not. With Shaolin and Wudang to the north, northern Chinese martial arts were more susceptible to tradition than combat while under Communist rule; whereas southern Chinese martial arts flourished considerably in combat while under foreign control. When China began to tighten its hold on society, Chinese martial artists were the first to feel its grip: Chinese martial arts and its practices were officially banned. Finally when this ban was lifted, contemporary wushu was born: northern martial arts began to appeal aesthetically and became void of combat effectiveness, thus changing the meaning of northern Chinese martial arts.

             The meaning of Chinese kung fu has become privatized to its practitioners: health or spirituality has found itself as a common focus, and martial combat has become irrelevant in most cases. What’s worst, Yang Shen(养身- health) is broad in its definition: feeling healthy equals adequate practice. As a result, what was once diluted from combat to aesthetic is further diluted from aesthetic to a placebo effect. Practitioners have also begun to supplement Chinese martial arts with other forms of holistic health and spirituality such as yoga, reiki, and various forms of meditation. This has allowed northern Chinese martial arts to stagnate in combat effectiveness. Martial arts outside of China have evolved into a different realm of fighting: and though past masters of Chinese martial arts told and wrote about super-human feats and devastating methods of attacking, that level of martial skill no longer exists in Chinese martial arts today.

BOXING OR FIGHTING

             Empty hand combat is defined as the effective use of strikes (hand and foot), wrestling or take downs, and grappling or joint manipulation. Each system of martial arts specializes in at least one of these methods, or at the most, two.

The basic training of striking systems of martial arts are fundamentally the same: core fighting stance(s), the core strikes, core striking in relation to stance, core stance in relation to footwork, core striking in relation to footwork, defense against core striking, and body conditioning for impact-receiving and delivering. In addition to these core aspects, range, speed, and power must be trained as well.

From day one, combat martial artists begin fighting. They are taught how to apply whatever basic technique they've learned, and then are paired for sparring with the requirement of only using that technique. When the combatant is able to demonstrate a working knowledge, through sparring, of the technique, other core methods are introduced.

Northern Chinese martial arts most often teach core stances first: horse stance, lying leg stance, bow stance, diagonal stance, and cat stance. Training in these stances most often focus on muscle endurance and flexibility: the practitioner is often postured in a low basin stance over several minutes; the requirements of which are the aforementioned focuses of training. Northern Chinese martial arts' striking methods are usually- but not always- practiced over these stances. However, a good example of basic stances with fundamental striking found in all northern Chinese martial arts is wu bu quan(五步拳- 5 stances boxing). This basic set introduces the five stances already mention and the core strikes: left and right straight punch, drilling palm, pushing palm, slipping palm(take down), and a right spring kick. It is often encouraged, but not required, to learn the set on the left side as well. After mastering this set, many problems occur in the aspects of basic fighting methods for striking.

STANCES COUNTER MOBILE FOOTWORK

             Typically, a combatant of a martial art is introduced to fighting stances that are neutral or unbiased to speed, range, and power. The basic stances of northern Chinese martial arts', with the exception of the cat stance, are all power stances; and are thereby biased against quick footwork. Power stances can be defined as stationary or rooted stances that allow for maximum torque without compromising balance. This means starting from any of the introduced stances hinders speed as they are, in a sense, 'flatfooted'. Even the diagonal stance hinders speed: the diagonal stance is not a retreating or advancing step, and its speed relies on corkscrewing or torque power while moving from high to low or vice-versa. This means the cat stance is the only basic stance that is susceptible for quick footwork.

It is also the only stance that can work in relationship with mobility and wu bu quan's core strikes. However, even here, this stance has a problem and cannot be counted as a basic fighting stance. No matter if both sides are mastered, the cat stance, in relation to the strikes introduced, negates or limits the basic power necessary for those strikes; especially if the stance is low basin. And because all of the core strikes in wu bu quan use torque for the lead hand's striking techniques or strikes from a rooted stance with the rear power hand, the cat stance alone is insufficient for utilizing the strikes introduced.

NO CORE FIGHTING STANCE

             Even if one forced the cat stance to be used as a fighting stance, one would find problems once the fighting begins. To begin with, the only way to make the cat stance work at the fundamental level is to bend the age old concept of the body leading with its right or left side: left leg and hand forward or to stand in the opposite, southpaw stance. Bending this concept simply means, if the left leg is leading then the right hand leads, and vice-versa. This would allow more mobility for the basic stances in relationship with the core strikes. It would also allow the use of core strikes from a stationary cat stance without losing power. This minor tweak, however, comes with great compromise. The core defense is cancelled out by this stance manipulation. Wu bu quan teaches the practitioner to defend with the leading hand of the leading leg; and to strike with the power hand- even if that means switching fighting stances from orthodox to southpaw to complete the strike. Furthermore, this stance manipulation forces the kung fu practitioner to step into the power hand of the opponent when attacking, while his/her defensive hand is not in position for protection; and if it is, it opens their defense on the opposite side. The opponent, also, would not need to throw combinations to exploit this flaw. This is pointed out to show how fundamentally flawed this adjustment is.

INCOMPLETE DEFENSE

             Yet, the defense in wu bu quan is a problem without changing the hands in the cat stance. There are five different strikes including the one take down in wu bu quan; however, wu bu quan only teaches how to defend two of those strikes. Defense methods against the take down, spring kick, and drilling palm are not a part of the form as is the defense against the straight punch- from the power or leading hand- or the pushing palm technique.

PROBLEMS FOUND AMONG COMMONLY PRACTICED TRAINING METHODS

              Northern Chinese martial arts focus specifically on low basin stances, yet fighting arts that take place at the ground level are typically ground fighting or wrestling arts. This training habit does not enhance striking abilities nor provide any fundamental methods for ground fighting.

Most schools of northern Chinese martial arts practice striking from a non-fighting stance: holding the arms to the sides of the body while kicking, or standing in ma bu while punching does nothing for fundamental striking abilities. Though kicking and punching skills can be improved in technique, speed, and power; those attributes are useless if defense, range, and offense from a mobile stance are not learned simultaneously and in conjunction to the strikes.

Alongside the above mentioned problems, strength methods for the lower back, abs, and triceps are nonexistent: a strong core is detrimental to the strength of the limbs. Furthermore, exercises to strengthen the neck against being knocked out are also absent from training.

Finally- and probably the most important- is the lack of focus placed on in-school sparring as a tool for problem-solving; resulting in the (in)direct relationship of the lack of importance placed on sparring with different schools of martial arts. The direct relationship of this problem to its result is based on schools having no fight-problems or challenges outside their own arts' fighting techniques to solve. Indirectly, this leads and/or affects the importance of sparring with different schools of martial arts.

              Observing the core fundamentals of northern Chinese martial arts, in an objective way, as well as trying to apply those basics in sparring with boxers and wrestlers has shown that northern Chinese martial arts have major flaws in today's martial art world, particularly combatively. One would have to assume that if the consensus of practice methods among schools are all about the same, then the root problem has to be in the tradition in which these arts are practiced. Especially since the root problem is combat, and this is where other non-Chinese martial arts have evolved. The answer is in the fundamentals! No rule-sport or traditional alike- can define if an art is effective or not; however, the broad fundamental training methods of fighting, which are common in every martial art, will discern whether the art has the capability to be an effective means of combat. There are many qualities that make a fighter; likewise there are core qualities or aspects that make an art combative as well.