Natural Boxing Fighting Strategy
Master Gu Jian Liang is one of Wushu Scholar's oldest friends and contacts in China. He is a practitioner and teacher of Zi Ran Men (Natural Boxing) native of northern China and now living in Fujian Province. Thin and wiry like his master, Gu was the only live-in disciple of the famed Wan Lai Sheng, and stayed close to his master until Wan's death.
Like his master, Gu was frequently drawn into confrontations, often from other stylists keen to challenge the reputation of Natural Boxing, a self-proclaimed fighting style. He was never defeated, thanks to his naturally fiery temperament and the practical yet demanding techniques of this style.
Natural Boxing's philosophy of fighting has at its heart the principle of continuous overwhelming attack. Footwork and stances are relaxed and springy, and the practitioner stands lightly on the balls of their feet throughout their patterns and movements to give maximum speed of entry and the ability to change direction quickly and without warning. Master Gu explained to us that when practicing patterns or fighting routines, a stylist should focus his or her gaze far into the distance, to avoid being distracted by your opponent's size or attempts to confuse or deceive you.
Strikes are delivered with every available part of the body to ensure the offensive never finishes - fists, fingers, elbows, shoulders, feet, knees, hips are all utilised. During the course of one interview, we asked Master Gu which points on the opponent's body are most effective to aim for. ?Any bit, anywhere on their body,? he replied. ?Just hit them. Keep hitting until they give up.?
At first, it seems that striking is untargetted and haphazard, yet this cuts to the core of Natural Boxing fighting tactics. Master Gu explained that the aim of Zi Ran Men training is to develop natural movements that are spontaneous and unforced. In fighting and striking, strikes are directed towards the opponent's exposed weak points. Before a fight begins, it is impossible predict where an opening will present itself, so every point is a possible target. This is in marked contrast to the 'slugging' approach seen in amateur boxing contests.
The Natural Boxing training regime encompasses over eighty patterns and several hundred short combinations and drills that improve speed, reaction, co-ordination. Master Gu explained to us that when training Natural Boxing, a stylist should practice these drills for 30-40 minutes beyond the point of tiredness. During this period leading up to exhaustion, the body will start to relax, accept the movements and perform them in an effortless way - this is a key to Natural Boxing.
Wan Lai Sheng's ideas about martial arts stood apart from the traditional martial arts community in the 20th century, and he often faced challenges to prove them in lei tai competitions, but his philosophy was backed up with remarkable scholarship of Chinese martial arts and a backbreaking training regime. He would make his own students practice Shaolin, Liu He and Tai Chi Quan styles, not as supplements to Natural Boxing, but so they could understand how to defeat other practitioners of those styles. The relaxed, unrestricted movements of a natural boxer are only developed through endless training and an in-depth knowledge of how martial arts work.
