Olympia Kung Fu

06/01/2026

TWELVE PRINCIPLES OF KUNG FU:
We don’t use ‘techniques’ to fight. We use principles. We use ‘techniques’ as a vehicle for learning those principles. Once the principles have are ingrained in our body, the techniques can be let go of, and we move in accordance with these principles at all times.

1. FOCUS (YI)
2. STRUCTURE
3. BODY MECHANICS
4. PUPPET STRINGS
5. ROOT
6. MOMENTUM
7. PRESSURE
8. CONNECTION
9. TIMING
10. TEMPO
11. EQILIBRIUM
12. INTERNAL POWER (GONG LI)

These twelve principles working together are what makes kung fu possible. If one of them is missing, it's like a sports car that's missing a spark plug or a distributor cap; it might look pretty but it doesn't come close to its full potential.

01/08/2025

I think of Chinese kung fu (“chuan”) like bringing a bicycle to a foot race; it starts with building a solid mechanical structure that gives optimal mechanical advantage when receiving and transmitting forces.
“Chuan” is not about practicing disparate techniques so much as learning the technique of operating that optimal mechanical structure like riding a bicycle.

First stage; build the bicycle from raw materials. (first year kung fu/tai chi)

Second stage; learn to ride the bicycle (connecting and moving with a partner, first without pressure and then with pressure).

Third stage; learn to “race” the bicycle. Learning how to apply your newly-developed skills in combative scenarios.

So building the “bicycle” that you are going to be riding is foundational. Modern steel cable suspension bridges that combine steel suspension cables with steel support columns are a good analogy for the compression/tension relationship of bone/connective tissue that comprises the “bicycle” structure of Chinese “chuan” and makes it powerful.

08/04/2024

“When you make contact, that's where the kung fu begins. When you break contact, that's where the boxing begins.”

�Kung fu punching happens while people are physically connected to each other at “bad breath distance”, where you can smell what your partner had for dinner. Landing a punch in kung fu is about managing momentum, pressure, and structure when two bodies are crashing into each other. I’m not talking about the stuff you see in movies, which is cartoonish. Historically authentic kung fu is clinch-fighting. The stuff you see in movies evolved for entertaining an audience, not for self-defense or warfare.

Murder doesn't happen at "safe distance". That's why traditional partner training always starts with arm-to-arm contact; it starts with exploring the "middle game" and how to move while in constant physical contact with each other.

In boxing, punching happens while people are physically disconnected from each other at “sparring distance” or “safe distance”, about 1-2 foot lengths outside of "bad breath distance" or "murder distance". That’s why clinching is not allowed in sport boxing, because it brings the boxing action to a stop.

Boxing is a very different physical skill from kung fu. Kung fu is about managing momentum, pressure, structure, and body mechanics. Boxing is about managing distance, footwork, timing, and reaction speed. Boxing requires a lot more athleticism than kung does, but it's also much better for developing athleticism. During the months I spent in a boxing gym, I had the flattest stomach I've ever had. Wish I could have continued, but it didn't work out schedule-wise at the time.

06/30/2024

“Kicking is good for self-defense if you can actually kick…”

Good for self-defense: yes. Great for self defense: no. Sports competition exists under different parameters than non-consensual violence. It’s great to have experience with the former, but it’s also important to know the difference between them.
We do not seek out real-world violence in our lives, so we must listen to feedback of those who experience it most. Combat sports athletes are one good source of information about realistic force-on-force, but they are not the only source. The other sources of realistic information whom I consider worth listening to are 1) club security (bouncers/doormen) 2) Law Enforcement and 3) criminals and former criminals.
Combat sports is a good place to start, but our understanding of real-world, non-consensual violence will be limited if we ignore the other three. With a limited understanding of how real-world violence unfolds, our preparation for meeting real-world violence will be lacking.

The general consensus outside of a sport context is that even if you’re an excellent kicker, most non-consensual violence happens at argument distance, not kicking distance. So not kicking is not useless in self-defense, but its usefulness is limited and it unnecessarily increases the risk of falling if you don’t keep both feet underneath you. Can be a fight-stopper, but it’s a higher-risk strategy.
Besides that, if you have the distance to kick, you have the distance to disengage, which in most cases (not all) is the smartest strategy. So it’s important to know kicks, but don’t rely on kicking as a primary self-defense strategy.

05/04/2024

Martial Arts is funny in that we prepare for violence, but won't seek out opportunities to use it in real life, only simulated violence in the safe space of a school or gym. So in order to train realistically, I feel it's important to listen to the people who have actual real-life experience with violence.
I count four categories of individuals who have experienced and used real violence in their lives that are really worth listening to when it comes to violence; what it's actually like and how we can better prepare for it. (1) Combat-sport athletes are only one of the four categories. The other three are: (2) bouncers/doormen/club-pub security, (3) law enforcement, and (4) criminals and former criminals.
Andrew Wiltse belongs to two of those categories. Since I don't belong to any of those categories, I've been listening to what voices like this say about real-world violence for many years. This is a great summary of everything I've come to believe about real-life violence and self-defense, outside of a school or gym or sports competition.

Professional BJJ Athlete Andrew Wiltse shares his wisdom from his years of competing and working security at the local bar scene. What to expect from a stree...

04/27/2024

04/27/2024

04/15/2024

Check out Smith and Bradley's complete line of watches at http://www.hard2hurt.com/smithandbradleyOnline courses on martial arts and self defense: http://har...

02/29/2024

I just learned that Master Po graduated from Franklin High School in Seattle in 1952. Mind blown.

This clip is from the episode called "My Brother: My Executioner" from Season 3. Starring David Carradine as Caine and Keye Luke as Master Po.

02/14/2024

Gordon Lu is the son of my wing chun teacher, Lo Man Kam. He once said to me, "At the highest level of wing chun, there are no techniques, only feeling." That's what I learned during my time in Taiwan, and that is what I have to teach. I learned simple principles that make kung fu easy to use and adaptable to any situation. I teach 'techniques' as a vessel for integrating those principles into one's body. When the principles have been ingrained, the 'techniques' can be let go of. We use principles to fight, not 'techniques'. My own expression of chisao is quite different from what Gordon Lu demonstrates here, but in the background is the roof top where I used to study kung fu during my early years in Taiwan. Makes me nostalgic for those days when my friends and I would get lunch together in the alley after the morning class and beers on Ba-de Road after the evening class.

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