Source: Xinhua Editor: huaxia 2024-11-08 

All genuine Chinese gongfu (family) lineages possess a TCM (folk) prescription for 'Iron Fighting Wine'! These pages written in Medical Chinese ideograms are highly valued and treasured - even though they possess a number of different (but related) names - all variants of theme! As we value Traditional Okinawan Goju Ryu - this bottle is heading to a very good and esteemed Instructor of that martial art living in the UK! Brewing and bottling Dit Da Jow is a family affair that involves an element of profound spirituality. 

​As regards 'tradition', 'lineage' and 'respect' - these are aboth fundamental Chinese cultural aspects which were brought suddenly into the modern world in 1911 (the ‘Nationalist’ Revolution) and 1949 (the ‘Socialist’ Revolution). In Japan, this process began with the Meiji Restoration of 1868. This all evolves around the concept of 'face' (面子 - Mian Zi) - or the ability to walk through the public spaces with one's dignity fully intact and face on display. To traverse the public spaces used to demand a stern adherence to the teachings of 'Confucius' as defined by various philosophers and politicians, etc. Indeed, Confucianism regulated not only the society of China for over two-thousand years, but also many other countries including Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Okinawa (including large areas of South-East Asia). Furthermore, wherever Chinese people have migrated - Confucianism has followed. Confucianism still defines Chinese society, but the way this happens has evolved over the centuries and can still seem baffling to the uninitiated. Regardless of this, understanding ‘Confucianism’ is the only way ‘in’ and ‘out’ of a Chinese cultural grouping.

​In the old days, breaking these rules led to the breaking of one's body - a simple correlation between spiritual morality and physical punishment. The individual body used to be the property of one's parents and belonged to the State (that is to the 'Emperor'). The body of a child used to represent the continuation of a family's ancestral 'Qi' energy and the lasting of the Clan Surname. Judicial execution often involved public beheading (the 'loss' of face through the loss of the head) – a punitive process which usually including the killing of all members of the same family (depending upon the severity of the offense). Social execution involved the 'exclusion' of an individual and a family (Clan) - from all meaningful social interaction. It is interesting to note that despite the differences in political and economic view that exist between Beijing and Taipei, for instance, Chinese people living in Taiwan and Mainland China would agree (both implicitly and explicitly) about what 'face' is, and about what 'losing' and 'saving' face actually entails - so important is this central aspect of Chinese culture. 

​Today, the forces of modernity have radically redefined this tradition - but occasionally murders and beatings do still occur throughout Chinese society - usually involving disputes regarding love affairs, relationship betrayals and intimate deviations, etc. Of course, if an individual is known to have behaved in a terrible fashion for whatever reason, social ostracization tends to follow. Remember, China is comprised of 56 ethnicities which enlarged through the Chinese diaspora as it intermixes with different people throughout the world. This means that 'saving face' and 'losing face' tends to vary in interpretation. For instance, my modern academic colleagues in China tend not to give 'face' much consideration - but the older members of our Chinese family still live their lives by this concept! Okinawa, for instance, is still being punished by the Mainland Japanese for being historically ‘Chinese’ – and this has involved the post-1945 US Military Bases being lodged of the Island. This US neo-imperialist presence has been compounded by an assault on Ryukyu culture that has been intended to eradicate all obvious ‘Chinese’ cultural tendencies and replace these with a blend of Americana and Nipponisation. Yet the robustness of the Okinawan way of life stands inherently strong – with an older version of ‘Confucian’ ideology lurking firmly in the background and regulating the martial arts, leisure and business communities. 

​Indeed, the Chinese concept of 'face' (面子 - Mian Zi) literally translates as 'Face Child' or 'Face Master'. The second ideogram '子' (zi3) means 'a child that is born already old and wise' - and is associated with 'Laozi' (老子) - one of the founders of Daoism. Perhaps 'Saving Face' would be better redefined as 'Preserving Face'. In England we talk of proudly holding our heads-up high in public.. Of course, in the strict Confucian model, the onus is on the individual rather than the social collective. Today, the social collective is just as responsible as the individual - so that the entirety of society works together to preserve the status quo. Now, it is as if the collective society has its own 'face' that has to be preserved in the 'face' of individual behaviour. It is a two-way street. Individual responsibility is now balanced with collective responsibility - creating a preserving 'tension' of positive interaction. An individual's 'face' is considered secondary and is only saved when the 'face' of orderly society is acknowledged and preserved. Having explained all this, there still exist pockets of Chinese culture spread throughout the world that uphold older versions of ‘Confucian’ ideology and expect all incomers to understand and respect this reality. 

This is a ‘Summary’ of my research regarding the ‘internal’ (within the ‘Miyagi’ family) and ‘external’ (outside the ‘Miyagi’ family) transmission of Goju Ryu (which is NOT complete by any means) - but which provides a basic (historical) framework (post-1945) which is often obscured by the insular nature of the existing lineages. As someone of part Chinese descent, and whose family suffered at the hands of Japanese Nationalism during WWII in China – I do not in any way support or condone Japanese Nationalism or the racism and fascism that permeated Japanese culture between 1868-1945, etc.  As a historian, however, I find it interesting to study and clarify how an aspect of exported Chinese martial culture developed in another country! Lineages, by their very nature, tend to only recognise their own transmission structures whilst inherently refusing to recognise a) the ‘existence’, and b) the ‘relevance’ of other (similar) lineages. This is because traditional martial art ‘lineages’ originating from within China, Okinawa and Japan – have either grown out of actual families (associated with specific ‘Clan’ surnames), or monastic, religious or spiritual associations and/or other special individuals, etc.  

This is a Confucian tradition that traces reliability and strength through its preserving structures - as those institutes that are replicated (continuously) from one generation to the next. Indeed, the present generation of teachers link the past (of the tradition) not only with the present – but also with those practitioners yet to materialise in the future! This is a grave duty and responsibility within the Confucian tradition that permeates many daily aspects of everyday culture through many Asian countries. Although ‘content’ and ‘interpretation’ can vary widely between teachers representing the same tradition – there is no reason why there should be a difference in ‘quality’ between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ transmissions as this designation is genealogical in nature and does not correspond in any way to ‘external’ (Yang) and ‘internal’ (Yin) mastery within the martial art being transmitted.  

A thumbnail transmission map of Fuzhou White Crane Fist, Higaonna Naha-Te and Goju Ryu Karate-Do may look something like the following – at least in blueprint: 

Xie Chongxiang [謝崇祥] (1852-1930) - Fuzhou White Crane Fist Master (this identity is disputed). 

Higaonna Kanryo [東恩納寛量] (1883-1915) - As a ‘foreigner’ from Okinawa (and being from ‘outside’ the ‘Xie’ family) he inherited an ‘external’ lineage of this White Crane Fist martial art during 1881. Higaonna Kanryo was in China between 1867-1881 (this dating is disputed). 

Miyagi ‘Internal’ Family Lineage (1915-1980) 

Miyagi Chojun [宮城長順] (1988-1953) - Miyagi Chojun inherited an ‘external’ (that is a lineage of Naha-Te ‘outside’ the Higaonna family) during 1915 – just prior to the death of Higaonna Kanryo. Between 1915-1953 – Miyagi Chojun invented and developed Goju Ryu Karate-Do. 

Miyagi Takashi [宮城敬] (1919-2008) - This is the eldest son of Miyagi Chojun who inherited the ‘internal’ (that is ‘inside’ the Miyagi family) lineage of Goju Ryu Karate-Do and started teaching during 1951 (in Tokyo). During 1955, on the 3rd Commemoration of the passing of Miyagi Chojun (October 8th) - Miyagi Takashi founded the ‘Transmitting Brilliance Training Hall’ (講明館 - Ko Mei Kan).  

He transmitted this ‘internal’ Miyagi lineage to his eldest son - Miyagi Toru [宮城徹] (b. 1947).  

In-turn, Miyagi Toru has already (formally) passed this ‘internal’ Miyagi family lineage to his second eldest son – Miyagi Manabu [宮城学] (b. 1980).  

Goju Ryu ‘External’ Transmissions (1935 Onwards) 

Japanese language sources state that at the age of 14-years old (in 1923) - a Japanese national (and former soldier) named Yamaguchi Minoru (b. 1909) – met a Capenter from Okinawa named ‘Marutani Takeo’ [丸谷武雄] who taught him ‘Karate’. In 1929, Yamaguchi Minoru founded the ‘Goju Ryu Karate-Do Kempo Dojo’ on the site occupied by the ‘Shinsengumi Garrison’. During the same year (1929), Yamaguchi Minoru entered the Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto) - to study law. Here, he founded the ‘Karate-Jitsu Study Group’ - with ‘Karate’ being written as ‘Tang Hand’ (唐手 - Tang Shou). The ideogram for ‘Jitsu’ (術) referring to a ‘war art’. In 1931, Yamaguchi Minoru invited Miyagi Chojun to Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto) - and began many years of receiving instruction. Between 1935-1936, Miyagi Chojun returned to Mainland Japan and transmitted his Goju Ryu Karate-Do system to a number of interested Japanese students living within Kyoto (and other places). Whilst teaching at Ritsumeikan University (Kyoto) - Miyagi Chojun continued to instruct ‘Yamaguchi Minoru’ {山口實実) to whom he would eventually grant the first name ‘Gogen’ [剛玄] (Strong Mystery) and transmit the ‘external’ lineage of Goju Ryu Karate-Do around 1937 – giving permission for ‘Yamaguchi Gogen’ to teach Goju Ryu Karate-Do throughout Mainland Japan! In 1950, Yamaguchi Gogen established the ‘All Japan Karate-Do Gojukai’ - with Miyagi Chojun agreeing to be honorary Chairman. During 1951, Miyagi Chojun awarded Yamaguchi Gogen a 10th Dan Black Belt grade – with the rank of ‘Hanshi’ (範士) - or ‘Master’.  

During 1952, Miyagi Chojun transmitted an ‘external’ lineage of Goju Ryu Karate-Do to Yagi Akitoku [八木明德] (1912-2003). It is said that Miyagi Chojun granted permission for Yagi Akitoku to open his own ‘Dojo’ to teach Goju Ryu Karate-Do – and that this is the only ‘external’ (or ‘outsider’) Dojo that Miyagi Chojun allowed to be founded during his lifetime. According to this history – a ‘belt’ and ‘training uniform’ was transmitted by Miyagi Chojun to Yagi Akitoku (which reads very similar to the ‘robe’ and ‘bowl’ being transmitted by Zen Masters to their disciples). During 1957, Yagi Akitoku founded the ‘Brilliant Warrior Training Hall’ (明布馆 - Mei Bu Kan) in Okinawa. (As an aside – it is interesting that the ‘Komeikan’ and the ‘Meibukan’ both make use of the Chinese ideogram ‘明’ [Chinese = Ming – Japanese = Mei) - which translates as ‘bright’, ‘clear’ and to ‘understand’, etc. This suggests that this Chinese ideogram possessed an important meaning and association to Miyagi Chojun.  

During 1955, a group of students who had trained with Miyagi Chojun during his lifetime, gathered together in Okinawa to ‘vote’ for a new representative of the ‘external’ (that is, ‘outside’ the Miyagi family) Goju Ryu Karate-Do tradition. This group chose ‘Miyazato Eiichi’ [宮里栄] (1922-1999). Through his student ‘Higaonna Morio’ [東恩納盛男] (b. 1938) - Goju Ryu Karate-Do spreads throughout the world! According to Chinese language historical records, Higaonna Morio was associated with ‘Miyagi Anichi’ [宮城安一] (1931-2009) who although possessing the same Clan surname of ‘Miyagi’ - was not directly related to Miyagi Chojun with whom he trained from 1948-1953 (exclusively so - between 1949-1951). It is said that both Miyagi Anichi and Yagi Akitoku were friends who were accepted together as disciples by Miyagi Chojun during 1948. Whilst being called ‘Miyagi’, however, Miyagi Anichi would have inherited an ‘external’ lineage of Goku Ryu Karate-Do – if indeed any such formal transmission took place.  

Conclusion 

Obviously, all the sons of Miyagi Chojun would have had an equal and consistent martial arts education, and all could clam an equal right to representing an ‘internal’ Goju Ryu Karate-Do lineage (with this right extending to the Miyagi male off-spring in the traditional model and their male and female off-spring in the modern system). Even within the traditional system this would be consider true – with the caveat that Miyagi Takashi (the eldest son) would possess the authority to decide important issues. Furthermore, the Miyagi family probably taught many people from outside their family – with some of these people possessing the right to claim an ‘external’ Goju Ryu Karate-Do lineage. By the time of the passing of Miyagi Chojun (in late 1953) at least two Goju Ryu Karate-Do lineages had been established: 

a) Miyagi Takashi (1951) - ‘Internal’ (Tokyo) 

b) Yagi Akitoku (1952) - ‘External’ (Okinawa) 

This being the case, an interesting question is why did a group of Miyagi Chojun students-disciples (who had trained with Miyagi Chojun during his lifetime), choose NOT to recognise the authority of Miyagi Takashi (his eldest son) and Yagi Akitoku – a very well-established ‘external’ disciple? By choosing ‘Miyazato Eiichi’ as a contemporary Goju Ryu Karate-Do ‘authority’ - a ‘new’ external martial lineage was generated – a lineage not created by Miyagi Chojun during his lifetime or the Miyagi family after his death. Having said all this, however, the intended ‘lineage’ of Goju Ryu Karate-Do may not be as straightforward as implied above, as it is well-known that Miyagi Chojun’s best ‘disciple’ was ‘Shinzato Jinan’ [新里仁安] (1900–1945) - who obviously was not from the ‘Miyagi’ family. As ‘Shinzato Jinan’ died during the final days of WWII – Miyagi Chojun had to make other plans with regards to preserving and transmitting Goju Ryu Karate-Do. Again, Chinese language historical sources state that it was Miyagi Chojun’s other (external) disciple ‘Seiko Kina‘ [嘉纳正兴] (1911-1994) - who was also permitted to teach students in his own right during Miyagi Chojun’s lifetime! 

Dear Tony

I translated this interesting text:

'Komeikan was founded in 1955 by the eldest son of Miyagi Chojun (1888-1953) - the founder of Goju Ryu Karate-Do. The eldest son - Miyagi Takashi (1919-2008) was the 2nd Head of Goju Ryu (afer his father) - and founded this organisation on the 2nd anniversary of the passing of Miyagi Chojun in 1953 (Showa 30). The organisation was called '講明' (Ko Mei) or 'Transmit Brilliance' - technically the full name being 'Transmit Brilliance Training Hall' (講明館 - Ko Mei Kan). The purpose of this organisation is to penetrate and clarify the origin and meaning of the 'essence' of the Goju Ryu Karate-Do Style! 

This knowledge is used to enhance 'how' and 'why' Goju Ryu Karate-Do is practiced within the modern world! As this is the only genuine lineage - Miyagi Takashi carried on his father's legacy until he passed away at the age of 89! He practiced Goju Ryu Karate-Do to maintain his own health, demonstrating its benefits as a mental and physical discipline. 

As for myself, I am the 3rd Head of Goju Ryu Karate-Do - the grandson of Miyagi Chojun - and my name is Miyagi Toru. It is my duty to carry on the genuine Goju Ryu Karate-Do lineage! Miyagi Chojun taught the 'Hard', 'Soft' and 'Integrated' Way which he learned from Higaonna Kanryo (1853-1915). What was passed-on from the origins in China is the need for 'logic' and 'reason'. Every purpose must be clearly understood, fully comprehended and correctly practiced. At the 'Komeikan' we work hard to combine 'tradition' with 'modernity' so that there is no contradiction between the past, the present and the future! We use body conditioning, basic technique, Kata and Kumite! 

​Komeikan Director: Miyagi Toru - EMAIL:  [email protected]

講明館館長から
​
講明館は、空手道剛柔流の開祖宮城長順（1888－1953年）の長男で宗家２代目の宮城敬（1919－2008年）が1955年（昭和３０年）の開祖三回忌を機に命名、設立されました。「講明」とは意義を説き明かすこと、事理を講究し明らめることという意味です。

師父亡き後、敬は空手の道を講究しその真理を明らかにせんと研鑽を重ね、開祖の指導理念の基に正統剛柔流の普及に一生を捧げました。８９歳で逝去するまで自身の健康維持に空手道を実践、精神的・肉体的鍛錬法として、その利点を明らかにしてきました。

私の祖父である開祖長順は沖縄の伝統「手」を近代空手道として確立しようと、それまで秘密裏に一部の人に口伝とされてきた技のすべてを、「理」にかなった身体動作として厳密に定義づけ、「剛柔」の哲理で攻防自在の「手の道」を説きました。

空手道修練で私がいつも心がけていることが、この「理にかなっている」ということです。宗家剛柔流講明館では、予備運動（剛柔体操）から形の演武、そして組手までのあらゆる稽古を通し、「伝統と創造」をテーマに稽古に励んでおります。

講明館館長 宮城 徹

Global Kungfu Network Editor: Yang Yanfang (林竞峰) ​

"Everyone who earns the black belt must do promotional work - which is an obligation to your art - and it doesn't matter if your financial conditions are good or not!’ ​

Lin Jingfeng, 65 (as of 2012), is the Head Coach of the China Region of the International Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate Federation. He is also the Vice President of the Zhuhai Karate Association and all year round he is travelling and teaching in Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Changsha and Hong Kong. On April 6th, 2012, he sat down with reporters at the karate Dojo situated in the Zhuhai Sports Centre.  ​

Lin Jingfeng is a native of Hong Kong – but he speaks Putonghua very well. He is of medium stature, but he is very stocky. In his conversation, he appears to be kind, humble and very modest. He started to learn karate at the age of 15, got the first black belt at the age of 19, and is now an internationally recognized 6th Dan teacher. He told us that the journey went smoothly. He was part of the first batch of (Chinese) people to learn karate in Hong Kong, and also amongst the first group to successfully pass a black belt grading. ​

When we first saw him, the scars on his arms and feet caught our attention, but his secretary told us that it was not the result of injuries, but an allergy to herbs. Lin Jingfeng said, in fact, when practicing karate it is easy to get injured, but he rarely gets hurt himself. This was done when he was practicing striking the sandbag. He was fine, but he used healing herbs on the cuts, grazes and bruises, but the allergies became what they are now. When he was teaching Goju Ryu in the Hong Kong Karate Association, many people in the class were seriously injured and they often had to call an ambulance after each session! Due to the realistic, tough and rough nature of Goju Ryu training - when the ambulance arrived and saw the wounded all over the floor – they did not know who to treat first! Part of the problem was calling an ambulance every 15 minutes due to yet another failed challenge match between a local fighter and one of our more talented Goju Ryu fighter! Things got so bad that the local hospital contacted the police – who launched an investigation – believing there was illicit or underground fighting for money going on!  ​

Later, Lin Jingfeng went to Japan, where he was taught the orthodox Goju Ryu karate by Miyagi Anichi Shifu - the brother-in-law of the former ancestral inheritor Miyagi Chojun! Lin Jingfeng told us that there are only four main styles of karate in Japan. As one of them, the Goju Ryu style of karate is mainly characterized by relatively small, circular and direct movements which are good at close-range defending and attacking. During 1980, he was instructed by his Master to travel to Fuzhu (in Fujian province) to seek-out the ancestral ‘Chinese’ martial arts styles that form the foundation of Goju Ryu Karate-Do. In other words, those Chinese martial arts styles which advocate and blend the mastery of yin and yang in their attacking and defending techniques. In other words, Lin Lingfeng was given the task of locating the fighting styles of Fuzhou that Higaonna Kanryo (1852-1915) studied, inherited and brought back to Okinawa around 1881. He was seeking out the same ‘gate’ (门 - men) of inheritance through which Higaonna Kanryo passed all those years ago! Lin Jingfeng stated that he could not find any historical, cultural or physical evidence that matched the reality of the obviously ‘Chinese’ orientated martial techniques preserved and passed on within the Goju Ryu tradition. Instead, following this failure, he decided to re-introduce the people of Mainland China to Goju Ryu Karate-Do – which is obviously a descendant of Chinese martial arts – despite being preserved within the Okinawan area of modern Japan today! Lin Jingfeng is of the opinion that Karate-Do possesses a 600 year history in China and it is about time that Chinese people understand this important exported aspect of their historical culture!  ​

Lin Jingfeng and Zhuhai ​

Lin Jingfeng has been in Zhuhai (Guangdong) for 6 years. In the past 10 years, he mainly stayed in Pan Yu (Fuzhou), while his family was in Hong Kong. Over the years, he has been traveling around and communicating with karate associations in other places. We located him by coincidence. It happened that Lin Jingfeng was teaching, and the students were very different in age. Lin Jingfeng told us that people are getting younger and younger – with many girls now taking-up the training! The youngest student today is only 7 years old! Indeed, he explained that traditional Goju Ryu is very intense – but he feels this attitude is not always good in the modern world! Very young children cannot participate in such a feudalistic atmosphere – and so he has toned-down the frequency of training intensity! This adjustment has made it suitable for men, women and children to practice. Now there are five dojos in Zhuhai, including Sun Yat-sen University Zhuhai Branch, Beijing Normal University, and Jinan University. ​

Lin Jingfeng told us a short story. One of his students worked in a government Department in Doumen (斗门). After coming here to practice with his son, in a dispute over a demolition issue, the student stepped forward to quell the incident. Lin Jingfeng said that karate is not only about learning, but more importantly, after you learn it, you have to have the courage to face emergencies and use your own abilities to solve problems. At the age of 65, he has been learning karate for 50 years. He said that the learning process of karate is not as interesting or exciting as some people think – as it involves repeated, boring and arduous exercises - which test a person's skill at patiently enduring. Regarding his persistence in karate, Lin Jingfeng was very calm in his words. When he first started learning, he felt that he was too weak, but later on, there were not too many twists and turns, and he didn't think too much. He said that no matter how old he is, he will definitely be thinking about the future. It is to live to old age and to continue to learn, whilst promoting karate has become a habit. He hopes that more people can understand and learn karate. ​

Lin Lingfeng in Profile ​

Chen Yangdi (陈阳娣), who has been with Lin Jingfeng for quite some time as the secretary of the Zhuhai Karate Association. She came to Zhuhai from Pan Yu (in Fuzhou) with Lin Jingfeng and won the runner-up in the women's group of the ‘First Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Karate Competition.’ According to her, the one who defeated her at that time was the Macau representative in the last Asian Games who had won a Silver Medal in the Asian Games. As a disciple of Lin Jingfeng, Chen Yangdi said that learning karate is very hard. You have to repeat the same movements every day, and the practice is very intense. Sometimes after practice, it is difficult to walk up the stairs and hold chopsticks. However, she feels that she has become more confident and happier in her karate learning, because parents often tell her that their children have changed a lot and become more sensible since taking classes here. ​

Chen Yangdi told us that Teacher Lin once gave the heroine - Chen Baozhu (陈宝珠) - a martial arts instruction in the movie ‘The Lady Killer’, and film and television stars Di Long (狄龙) and Liang Xiaolong (梁小龙) once learned karate in Teacher Lin's place... Lin Jingfeng interrupted her, ‘They are too popular now – perhaps we shouldn’t mention them.’ ​

Source: Zhuhai News Network.. ​

林竞峰：把空手道带回中国 
全球功夫网 编辑：杨艳芳  日期：2012年05月17日 
“每个进入黑带的人都必须去做推广工作，这是义务，跟你经济条件好不好没关系。”现年65岁的林竞峰是国际冲绳刚柔流空手道联盟中国区的总教练，珠海市空手道协会副会长，常年奔波在珠海、广州、长沙、香港四地。4月6日，在珠海体育中心的空手道道场内，他这样告诉记者。 
 
　　林竞峰是香港人，他的普通话讲的还算清楚，身材中等，但却很魁梧，谈吐之中显得为人和善、谦虚、低调。15岁就开始学习空手道，19岁拿到了黑带初段，现已经是国际公认六段师范的他告诉我们一路过来，都很顺利，他是香港第一批学空手道的人，也是第一批拿到黑带的人。 
　　刚见到他，他手臂、脚上的疤痕引起了我们的注意，但他的秘书告诉我们，这不是伤，是对草药过敏引发的。林竞峰说，其实练空手道很容易弄伤，但自己很少受伤，这是练沙袋的时候弄的，本来没事，上了草药，结果过敏就成了现在这样，全是疤痕。当初他在香港空手道协会教课时，班上很多人受伤，每次受伤后要叫救护车，有一次救护车上来看到满地的伤员竟然不知道要抬走哪一个，最厉害的一次是每15分钟叫一次救护车，后来医院就直接报警了，以至于警察怀疑他们在斗拳。 
 
　　后来，林竞峰去了日本，获巳故流祖宫城长顺的入室弟子宫城安一师范亲自教授正统的刚柔流空手道。林竞峰告诉我们，空手道在日本主要有4个流派，刚柔流作为其中的一支，主要特点在于动作比较小，主张并擅长近距离攻击。1980年受师傅嘱咐第一次来到福建福州市寻找刚柔流同门，但很可惜没有收获，后林竞峰就一直致力于在中国内地和香港推广刚柔流空手道。林竞峰告诉记者，空手道600年前是中国的武术，他的目标是，发扬空手道，并将它带回中国。 
 
　　林竞峰与珠海 
 
　　林竞峰来珠海已经6年了，这之前的10年，他主要待在番禺，而他的家人都在香港，这些年来，他一直奔波各地，并与其他地方的空手道协会作交流。 
我们去的很巧，刚好是林竞峰在教学，学生们年纪大小跨度非常大。林竞峰告诉我们，由于现在来学习的人年纪越来越小，有个学生只有7岁，而且女生也越来越多，为了利于空手道的推广，现在他已经将空手道练习的强度适当降低，使得男女老少都适宜练习。现在在珠海包括中山大学珠海分校以及北师大、暨大在内的道场就有5个。 
 
　　林竞峰给我们讲了个小故事，他的一个学生在斗门一政府部门工作，在和儿子来这练习之后，在一次关于拆迁问题引发的纠纷中，这个学生挺身而出平息了事故。林竞峰说，说空手道，不仅仅是学，更重要的是在学过之后你还要有勇气去面对突发事情，并利用自己的能力化解问题。 
 
　　现年65岁的他已经学了50年的空手道了，他说，空手道的学习过程并不是想有些人想象的那样很酷，更多的是重复枯燥艰苦的练习，在中也能够锻炼一个人的耐力。对于空手道的坚持，林竞峰在言语当中表现的非常平静，刚开始学时因为觉得自己太弱，但后来一路走来中间并没有太多的波折，也没有多想，他表示自己不管年纪多大，以后肯定是活到老学到老，推广空手道变成习惯，他希望有更多的人能够了解、学习空手道。 
 
　　侧面的林竞峰 
 
　　一直陪在林竞峰旁边的陈阳娣是珠海市空手道协会的秘书，她随林竞峰从番禺来到了珠海，曾获得“第一届粤港澳空手道选手权”女子组的亚军，据她介绍，当时打败她的是上一届亚运会中的澳门代表，并在亚运会中获得了银牌。作为林竞峰的弟子，陈阳娣表示，学空手道很苦，每天要重复一样的动作，练习强度也很大，有时候练完之后，走楼梯，拿筷子都很困难。不过她觉得自己在空手道中学习中变得更为自信，也很开心，因为经常有家长对她说，自从在这上课之后孩子变化很大，更为懂事。 
 
　　陈阳娣告诉我们，林老师曾经在电影《女杀手》里面给女主角陈宝珠做武术指导，影视明星狄龙、梁小龙曾经在林老师这学过空手道……林竞峰却打断了她的话，“他们现在太红了，这样说不太好。” 
  
来源：珠海新闻网 
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Living in a second floor flat in London – and given that we are a family that collectively practices a style of (traditional) Chinese Martial Arts – much of daily training has to take place within our living-room! Obviously, with over a year of Covid19 Lockdowns – training in the ‘safety’ of our own home has been an important part of our collective psychological well-being and physical health! As part of our Longfist family style of gongfu requires the procuring and maintenance of the ‘heavy-hitting’ related with this ancient martial art – striking a suitable object on a regular basis is an important and integral part of our training regime!  ​

We had to ensure that the free-standing punch-kick bag we chose could a) with stand the power of our kicks, punches, knees and elbows, etc, and b) not ‘fall-over’ as a consequence of being repeatedly and intensely hit. Having now used this product for over a month – subjecting its structure to every kind of martial arts strike imaginable – we are very happy with its performance, design and durability, particularly as we filled it with ‘water’ rather than sand (as we couldn’t go shopping due to Lockdown). The water has worked perfectly satisfactorily and it must be assumed that if sand is used – the already present stability will be even more enhanced! ​

​This is a very well designed, constructed and presented piece of essential (traditional) martial arts equipment. Like any ‘professional’ grade striking device – expert instruction is required to avoid any type of impact-injury. After training this device can be pushed into a convenient corner for storage. As we have young children (and pets) wandering around our flat – ‘safety’ has been a priority – and this bag will not fall over when ALL the safety instructions are followed correctly. Even our young children enjoy punching and kicking this bag – and as we guide them properly – they do not experience any superficial damage to their hands or feet. However, a big and strong man or woman experienced in ‘striking’ - they soon learn that you ‘get back’ all the effort you put out! An all-round excellent product!  ​