Chinese martial arts: From being shot and killed by the armed police during a mountain search to bec

Yoshinobu Funakoshi stood up, handed the folding fan to the translator behind him, unbuttoned his black kimono jacket, took off his wooden clogs, and walked barefoot towards the ring.

His feet are broad and thick, with five toes spread apart, giving him an extremely stable grip on the ground. Karate practitioners don't wear shoes so that the soles of their feet can directly feel the ground, allowing the power to originate from there.

The stride is extremely small, the heel barely lifts, the sole of the foot slides along the ground, and the center of gravity remains on the same horizontal line at all times.

This is a basic footwork technique in karate. The word "suri-zu" means to walk by rubbing one's feet.

Chen Sheng lifted the hem of his long robe, tucked it into his waist, and slowly walked onto the stage.

The two stood a zhang apart.

Yoshinobu Funakoshi's hands hung naturally at his sides, his fingers slightly bent, his knees slightly bent, and his weight was centered on his groin.

The "Immovable Stance" in karate is a stance where the feet are parallel, shoulder-width apart, and the center of gravity is between the two feet, allowing for both offense and defense, and enabling both forward and backward movement.

Chen Sheng is standing in the Cai Li Fo "Pulling Three Stars" stance. His right foot is in front, his left foot is behind, the distance between his feet is slightly wider than his shoulders, his knees are turned inward, his groin is rounded, and his hands are one in front and one behind, the front hand is like exploring water, and the back hand is like hiding a hammer.

The three stars, upper, middle, and lower, correspond to the three vital points of the head, chest, and abdomen. By guarding these three points with a stance, one can both attack and defend.

"Shotokan Karate, Yoshinobu Funakoshi."

"Hong Sheng Hall, Chen Sheng."

The two faced each other, as still as a deep pool or a towering mountain.

The hall was completely silent.

Dozens of martial arts masters held their breath, their eyes fixed on the stage.

Ip Man sat down next to Chen Hongwu and lowered his voice, "Brother Chen, who do you think will win?"

Chen Hongwu kept his eyes fixed on the stage and did not answer immediately.

Yoshinobu Funakoshi's stance is the standard stance of Shotokan Karate, with the front foot pointing forward and the back foot pointing outward at a 45-degree angle, with the weight distributed 30/70 between the front and back.

With one hand in front and one behind, the front hand forms a knife, and the back hand a fist. This is the most basic stance in karate, the "forward bend stance," which can be used for both offense and defense.

But Chen Hongwu noticed something even more subtle.

Yoshinobu Funakoshi's heels were slightly off the ground, and the tendons in his heels were taut, like a fully drawn bowstring.

This indicates that his center of gravity is not on his back foot, but rather suspended between his front and back feet. This stance generates tremendous explosive power, allowing him to launch himself forward like a cannonball at any moment by pushing off the ground with his back foot.

"This Japanese man's legwork is quite impressive. If I'm not mistaken, he's using the front kick and back kick techniques from the Shotokan school," Chen Hongwu said. His voice wasn't loud, but the surrounding martial arts instructors all perked up their ears to listen. "Master Chen is very knowledgeable."

He paused.

"In terms of skill, Master Chen is superior. But youth has its advantages; Funakoshi Yoshinobu is not yet forty, while Master Chen is over fifty. If we cannot defeat him within thirty moves, things will be uncertain."

Before the words were even finished, the air on the arena suddenly exploded.

Yoshinobu Funakoshi was moved.

With his left foot pushing off the ground and his right hip spinning wildly, he sprang forward like a cannonball launched by a spring, rushing into the center line. His right foot slammed onto the ring, shaking the surface, while his left hand simultaneously lashed out from below, aiming straight for Chen Sheng's chin.

Lead hand thrust! Reverse thrust!

The most direct attack method in karate is the jab punch. This punch utilizes the entire kinetic chain of pushing off the ground, rotating the hips, and extending the shoulder, resulting in astonishing speed.

Chen Sheng did not retreat but advanced.

He took a half step forward with his right foot, slammed his foot into the ground, twisted his waist and hips to the left, and swung his right arm horizontally out, cutting in from the outside and slamming hard into Yoshinobu Funakoshi's forearm.

Twelve Bridges Hands! Bridge Collapse!

The word "仆" means to fall down. It refers to using the entire arm as a bridge to strike horizontally down, like an iron rod, specifically designed to break through the opponent's center line.

Hung Kuen emphasizes bridging techniques, and Choy Li Fut emphasizes them even more. Chen Sheng has immersed himself in this art for forty years, his bridging techniques becoming both heavy and powerful. The Foshan martial arts community bestowed upon him a title—

Foshan's first bridge!

"Bang!"

The impact of flesh and bone produced a muffled thud.

Yoshinobu Funakoshi felt a numbness in his forearm as the force of his punch was forcefully dissipated, his entire arm swinging away. He was startled, but he didn't stop.

With his forefoot retracted and his hindfoot pushing off the ground, he twisted his body and lashed out with his right leg like a whip from the side, his instep pointed and his toes slicing through the air with a sharp whooshing sound, aiming straight for Chen Sheng's left ribs.

Kick technique!

Turning kick!

Karate's kicking technique originated from Ryukyu's Tang-te and also incorporated footwork from traditional Japanese jujutsu. It centers on power generated from the waist and hips, resulting in immense strength. Gichin Funakoshi once said, "A single kick can break a three-inch wooden board."

Chen Sheng neither dodged nor avoided.

He lifted his left arm from below, fingers spread, palm facing up, his entire arm like an iron pillar prying it up from the ground and firmly anchoring it to Yoshinobu Funakoshi's ankle.

Twelve Bridges Hands! Swift Bridge!

"Xiao" means brave and swift. The bridge hand lifts up from below, using the strength of a lever, with the elbow as the fulcrum and the forearm as the lever, using the reaction force from the ground to pry the entire arm up.

Chen Sheng practiced this bridge for forty years.

"Bang!"

With the clash of legs and arms, Yoshinobu Funakoshi felt as if his ankle had struck an iron pillar, his entire leg was thrown upwards, and he instantly lost his balance.

Before he could adjust, Chen Sheng took a step forward with his right foot and rushed into Funakoshi Yoshinobu's inner gate.

At the same time, his right fist suddenly shot out from his waist.

The fist moves along the center line, and the power originates from the spine.

Throw the ball through the air!

The "Piercing Thrust" punch in Cai Li Fo boxing is based on the "Long Bridge Stance," with the punch following the center line and the power flowing through the entire spine. Zhang Yan famously used this "Piercing Thrust" punch to take on ten opponents on the streets of Foshan, one punch for each of them, and none of the ten men could even walk out of the alley.

Chen Sheng's punch was swift and decisive.

Yoshinobu Funakoshi barely managed to turn to the side, crossing his hands and pressing down in an attempt to block the punch.

The cross-shaped defense is a standard defensive response in karate.

But the power of Chen Sheng's punch exceeded his expectations.

"Thump!"

It felt like a mallet hitting a cowhide drum. Yoshinobu Funakoshi felt a jolt in his arms, his hands went numb, and he was thrown back three steps, his back slamming heavily against the ropes of the ring.

A gasp rippled through the audience.

"Master Chen, what a brilliant bridge player!" Yao Cai couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Li Su loosened her clenched fist, but her brows remained furrowed.

Chen Hongwu remained silent. He watched as Funakoshi Yoshinobu sprang back from the side rope, readjusted his stance, and although his footwork was momentarily disordered, his breathing remained steady.

Yoshinobu Funakoshi stood still again, his arrogance gone, replaced by a solemn expression.

He took a deep breath and let out a low growl from his chest and abdomen.

The ki-ai of karate is the same as the sonic attack of traditional Chinese martial arts.

The sound comes from the hand, and the sound drives the force.

Back when Mas Oyama was training deep in the mountains, he would practice breathing exercises in front of a waterfall every day, focusing on this very breath. He would exhale a single breath, simultaneously with his punches and kicks, unleashing all the power in his body in an instant.

When Yoshinobu Funakoshi struck again, his tactics changed.

He no longer used wide, sweeping kicks, nor did he rush to attack the center line. Instead, he adopted a sideways stance to reduce the area he was hit.

Instead of launching a direct attack, the hands constantly probed, feinted, and assisted.