Description

WING LAMSifu Kwong Wing Lam was born in Canton and began his training in Chinese martial arts in Hong Kong at age eight. He began his studies in Tai Chi. But because of its slow movements and focus on meditation rather than physical activity, Tai Chi was a poor choice for one of his age. After about six months he lost interest and quit. A year later he began studying Southern Hung Gar from Master Chiu Chao and his son, Master Chiu Wei. In this style Sifu Lam discovered the fun of practicing Kung Fu.Curious to know more about the arts, Sifu Lam also studied Northern Shaolin under Master Yen Shang Wo for six years. He spent his childhood mornings training with the Chius, and his evenings training with Yen Shang Wo. This traditional Kung Fu training was taught in a very strict manner. Techniques and movements of a set were taught step by step, with the student practicing on their own to master the movement and understand the concepts behind them. No new material would be shown unless the student could master the previous lesson.Upon completing the Hung Gar and Shaolin systems, he spent another ten years learning other styles such as Five Animal Fist, Praying Mantis, Ha Say Fu Hung Gar, and Wing Tsun, with such notable masters as Leung Hua Chu and Lum Jow. In addition, Sifu Lam hit sand bags for Iron Palm training, and practiced Chi Kung (Iron Body) for strength. He also completed the Tai Chi system from Master Yen. Sifu Lam also learned Xing Yi, Bagua and Sun style Tai Chi, learning under Sun Jian Yun, the daughter of Sun Lu Tang, founder of Sun style Tai Chi. Sifu Lam has been a major force in establishing the legitimacy of Kung Fu in this country (USA). He emigrated to the United States in 1965, and opened his San Francisco School in 1967. He opened a second school in Sunnyvale six years later. Since then, he has been featured in numerous articles in martial arts magazines such as Inside Kung Fu and Black Belt. Sifu Lam has taught Kung Fu and Tai Chi at De Anza College in California, and led seminars across the country and in Europe. He also has made videotapes, and written books on Kung Fu. In the last 30 years, he has taught several thousand students and certified many new masters. Many of these masters now have their own schools. Sifu Lam and these instructors continue to help students achieve their goals and reach their fullest potential in the martial arts. Sifu Lam has also dedicated time to improving the overall aspects of Chinese martial arts training. Never satisfied with the poor quality of modern Chinese weapons, Sifu Lam has learned to forge and fit his own arms — swords, knives, chain whips, and halberds. His specialty is the custom refitting of blades with heavy guards and handles, worthy of practice and combat. Some of Sifu Lam’s pieces have commanded over a thousand dollars. Now Sifu Lam is proud to present his custom creations to the public via the Master’s Secret Workshop!IRON PALMIron Palm or Iron Hand (Chinese: 铁掌功) is a body of training techniques in various Chinese martial arts. These conditioning techniques are typically meant to condition the hands to allow a practitioner to deliver very powerful blows without injury to his or her hands.OverviewIron Palm is a broad term covering many different conditioning methods. Some Iron Palm systems are considered internal and others are purely external in training methods. Martial artists who practice Iron Palm training are not unified in their training and techniques. Some teachers treat their Iron Palm methodology as a valuable secret, and only share their specific techniques, training methods, and herbal remedies with a select few.Iron Palm is not a martial arts style unto itself, but a type of conditioning featured in many schools of Chinese martial arts. Some non-Chinese martial arts styles, such as Muay Thai and many schools of Karate, also feature hand conditioning; however, the term “Iron Palm” is not normally used to describe these types of training.General PrinciplesIron Palm training often involves three primary components:1.Strengthening of the striking limbs by developing the tendons and ligaments from the shoulders to the fingertips, then striking or slapping relatively hard objects enclosed in canvas/leather bags. Following a conditioning session, the striking area is usually treated with a medicinal aid created from plant derivatives, usually a traditional Chinese liniment called Dit Da Jow.  A common belief among practitioners is that failing to apply Dit Da Jow after Iron Palm training sessions can have negative effects on long-term health, such as movement limitation, arthritis, and other nerve damage to the hands.2.Using proper technique to strike with greater force: As in other martial arts, students learn specific body mechanics with the intent to produce a more powerful strike. Students train to relax the body and release residual tension in order to move faster. This is usually done with standing meditation routines designed to release the residual tension in the body and develop “linking” power.3.Engaging in Qigong exercises in order to develop “qi” (also chi or ch’i, or Japanese ki). This Qigong training coordinates breathing to improve mental focus, resulting in a more powerful strike.Direct and Indirect methodsSchools of Iron Palm training are often divided into “direct” or “indirect.” Both methods usually consist of striking progressively harder surfaces. Some practitioners also refer to their training as Nei Jing (“internal”) or Li (“external”), this deals with the Qi energy or type of force (jin) used. In the “direct” method the hands are thrust into buckets or containers of the medium; the hands come into direct-contact with the substance. In the “indirect” method, the practitioner strikes bags or other containers filled with various materials. As training progresses, the bags or buckets filled with increasingly resistant substances starting with sand or beans, progressing onto gravel or rocks, then finally steel shot. Practitioners can measure their progress based upon the number of strikes performed in a particular training session or by the amount of clock time spent training.UsesThe Chinese Martial Arts can utilize a wide variety of open and closed hand strikes. Hardening the hands is also considered by some to supplement speed and strength lost through aging. Iron palm practitioners often demonstrate their abilities by breaking hard objects such as bricks, coconuts, stones and boards with their bare hands or in some cases hitting a steel object rapidly without sustaining injury. These demonstrations were often street performances used to make money for a martial artist or martial arts school.Enjoy!!!