Elements Part III Training By: Shade A cool night wind blew down through the court yard as Jake and Chance stood, waiting for Timothy to begin instruction. They had spent the day training with Timothy, Tania, as well as Bruce and now were among the other students whom had all gathered together for late night practice. In this dim light, however, it was difficult to see just where the next kat may be so both of them carefully padded toward the front of the group as everyone became situated. As soon as all the monks were assembled the class began with Timothy explaining the form which Tania was now performing before the entire group. She had started out with the traditional bow then had executed several punch and kick combinations with what seemed like effortless ease. All the movements seemed to flow one into the other without a single pause and one could not tell where one technique started and another ended, even though she was moving quite slowly. Tania continued on as Timothy explained, "In practicing form one should be as gentle as a soft spring wind when moving and, in standing, sturdy as a mountain. Always coordinate your moves with your breathing and your breathing with your chi (internal power). In doing these three things one achieves the essential yin or internal part of kung fu." He paused briefly as Tania suddenly speed up, her movements going from smooth and flowing to fast and furious. Timothy continued, "While practicing form one should also learn to harness yang, external kung fu. This power comes from external, physical force generated by each muscle and bone in the body. When moving in this way you should be fierce as a tiger and agile like a lepord, quick on your feet and powerful in your striking." Tania stopped the form and bowed again before going into another form, one that seemed to both flow like the wind yet also achieve that ferociousnes of the tiger whilst remaining steady and agile. One move would flow back then the next would strike out with amazing speed, all while each soft and hard move changed places in a unpredictable pattern. "Now, at the final stage of training one should utilize both the soft and the hard, the yin and the yang. If one simply learns either and not both one can never hope to achieve full ability in kung fu. Only the best fighters can use both forms of fighting in a actual combat, using soft to accept and hard to counter. Once you can do this then you have taken the first step toward proficiency." Timothy paused as Tania finished her form then regarded the group before him once more. "Now, bearing that concept in mind, you may begin." With that Timothy and Tania faded back into the crowd as it broke up into smaller sections, each heading off into some part of the temple to train on their own. They made their way to where Jake and Chance were, Timothy regarding them both as they did. "I know you want an explanation." "You would be correct." Chance said. "It really is quite simple. All I said is that you should learn to be both gentle and strong when you are practicing, sparing, or in an actual fight. The soft part comes in when you either catch an enemy's attack or totally avoid it through foot work and hand work. The hard part is the strength used when you actually strict with a blow of your own. You see, both elements are easily utilized together." Timothy explained. "Oh, its that simple?" Jake asked. "Yes, that simple." Tania smiled, "Its like walking and running, walking gets you some place, running does so faster but at the cost of strength and stamina. But if you both run and walk then you will get there faster without loosing energy." "Now that you put it that way I understand, I think." Chance said. "So, what are we doing tonight?" "Not much really. You trained hard today so we will just cover some basic uses of pressure point fighting." Timothy turned, "Lets go back to the gym where we were earlier. Bruce and Linda are not going to be with us this time but we can train on our own." "Sounds good to me." Chance followed Timothy, Tania, and Jake to the gym they had been in that morning. Once everyone was inside Timothy closed the door and turned the lights up fully. Nothing had changed, the weapons were still on the racks and the floor was still covered in the mat's they had laid down earlier. Other than that the room was empty as it had been when they first came there that morning. Chance sat down as Timothy went over to one of the weapons racks and pulled down a kung fu version of a naginata. He came back over and sat next to Tania, setting the weapon close by. "I'll show you a form with this in a minute. You were asking about it but I didn't get a chance to show you yet." "What's the correct name for that again?" Jake asked. "Its called a Kwan Do, primarily used for slicing the legs off enemy's horses in ancient times." Timothy replied. Chance whipped a paw across his forehead, "Few is it hot in here. Is there air conditioning?" "Yes, as a matter of fact there is." Tania got up and, going over to the wall where the weapons racks were, flicked on a switch. "It will be a few minutes before it cools off." "That's fine, just as long as it does." Chance slipped his jacket off. "Until then I'm gona get rid of this damn thing, its really warm." "It would be, the garments are made out of a heavy fabric." Tania said. "No wonder I was itchy today." Jake started removing his own, "I think after were done here I'll head over for a quick shower." "That sounds like a good idea buddy." Chance added. Timothy stood up, picking up the Kwan Do as he did. "I can show you a form with this now and, if you like, teach you the form instead of working on pressure points." "All right, why don't we do that." Chance suggested. "Fine with me." Jake stood up and stretched. "Ok, here goes." Timothy backed up enough so he had plenty of room and bought the Kwan Do up behind him so the blade part was behind his head and the staff like handle lay across his back. Without warning he let out a loud shout that shook the whole building as the vicious weapon he now wielded whistled and hummed through the air with incredible speed. He handled the weapon as if it was a part of himself, like he was executing an empty handed form. Chance and Jake looked on with surprise, both astounded with the speed that he used to executed each maneuver. They waited until he finished then nodded with approval. "Very well done, Timothy." Chance said. "Thank you." "Yes, very nice. I must admit, I did not expect something like that." Jake added. "It took me a long time to learn to use this particular kind of weapon so quickly. Tania can do the same thing, but with a staff, not a Kwan Do." Timothy said. Tania smiled, "I'm not that good." "Never underestimate yourself, Tania." Timothy regarded Chance and Jake, "She's being modest, her skill with a staff is quite remarkable. She handles staffs like I handle swords." "Exactly how long did it take you to learn that?" Jake asked. "Three years." "Holy kats! That long?" "Yes, Jake, and might I add that is extremely quick. It normally takes much longer, sometimes five years, for a student to master weapons with such precision." "So I would have to train for five years to do that?" Chance asked. "Not necessarily, you've had previous martial arts experience so you could probably do it in three." Tania said. "Your kidding." "No, I'm not. Let me prove it to you." Tania went to the shelf and returned a moment later with a couple of staffs. She tossed one to Chance. "Block my attack as quickly as you can without thinking about it." "All right." Chance waited then suddenly found himself holding the staff above his head to meet Tania's over head attack. "Good, you see how easy it is?" She put the staff aside and motioned to the weapons shelf. "Why not pick out a weapon you would like to learn, that is if you don't want to learn the Kwan Do." "I think I wana learn how to use a Kwan Do." Chance said. "Ok, then I'll teach you." Timothy retrieved a second one and handed it to Chance, "Lets begin." The hour passed quickly and by the time it was over Chance had learned the first part of a Kwan Do routine and Jake had learned the first portion of a spear routine that Tania had shown him. By that time both were ready to quit and headed to the showers after thanking Timothy and Tania. Timothy and Tania headed back to their quarters for the night as Jake and Chance headed for the showers. When they arrived they found the place to only have a few students inside whom had arrived just before themselves. "So, you like it here so far?" Justin asked. He was a younger kat than either Jake or Chance, around the age of 16. "Yeah, its really interesting and the training seems to be unique." Jake replied. "It is, after all, no one but the shaolin priests know this kind of kung fu." He replied. Jake nodded, reaching for his belt and regarding Chance whom stood by, "You can't shower in your clothes buddy." "I know." Chance reached down and undid his belt, slipping his pants off followed by his shirt. He regarded Jake, now with only a T-shirt and boxers on. "I'll meet you at the showers." "Ok." Jake finished undressing then, clad like Chance, made his way to the shower stalls. Chance, on the other hand, went quickly to relieve himself then came back to find Jake talking to Justin, "So, what do you mean by this Chi training?" "It's a technique used by our monk's which makes us invulnerable." "Invulnerable?" Chance asked as he walked over. "Yes, with the proper training one learns to focus ones chi to the extent that it can be controlled consciously, enabling one to send their chi to any part of the body and make it invulnerable. However, such a high level of skill takes many years to develop though the basic training in the area does begin around the age of five. When a monk reaches my age they are usually quite proficient in its use." Justin answered the both of them. "Tell you what, come to the main courtyard around 5:00 AM tomorrow and you can see what our Chi Kung training allows us to do." "We'll be there." Jake said. "Yeah, I would very much like to see this demonstrated." Chance added. Justin nodded, "Very good," He headed into one of the near by stalls and activated it, "I will see you then." The next morning Jake and Chance stood in the court yard, watching the monks train. As they watched neither could believe what they were witnessing. It had all started with some simple morning stretches then progressed to the execution of what seemed to be circus acts. Everything from bending a spear against the throat to smashing stacked bricks to enduring head butting was seen. At one point the monks took up a battering ram and lined up, taking turns hitting each other in the abdomen full force. Not a single one of the monks was injured though several did get rather worn out. Jake noticed a younger monk going over to the side to sit down for a rest. Taking advantage of the situation, Jake went over and asked why some of them were so worn out all of a sudden. "Its because of the chi training. Just like one can endure only a certain amount of physical training before running out of energy one can only endure this hard chi kung training for just so long. At one point you are bound to be tired out from using so much chi." The young monk fell silent as he entered into a meditative state, leaving any further questions Jake had had unanswered. Jake left the young monk and went back to where Chance now stood watching curiously as the monks prepared for another one of their strange training feats. "He said that he'd become worn out out from using so much chi, whatever that means." "Sounds like a question for later." Chance regarded the now smaller group of monks. "Umm, buddy, I think we better go now. I've a feeling I don't want to see this next part." Jake looked curious, "What are you talking about?" "Well, just see for yourself." Chance replied. Jake shrugged and looked toward the group of monks. "They are just standing there, I don't see what..." He stopped abruptly, voice becoming weak, "Oh god! what are they doing?!" Both tomkats watched as a group of the monks abruptly started walking across the yard with weighted ropes now attached to their testicles. (No, I'm not trying to be sick! They actually do this! It helps the real Shaolin Monks desensitize themselves, allowing them to take direct attacks to the groin! If you don't believe me then look it up for yourself!) "Damn! That has gota hurt!" Jake took firm hold of Chance paw, "Lets get out of here." "I'm for that." Chance followed without any resistance. "I just hope that I don't have to see this again. There has to be a purpose to it but seeing it just makes me winch!" Both of theme beat a hasty retreat to their room and waited there until the call for morning meditation. Later on that day Chance asked Justin about what they had witnessed and were quite surprised to hear why the monks were doing what they did. "That training excersize allows a monk to eventually take direct attacks to the groin. When I said that the monks become invulnerable I meant it." "I guess you did." Jake decided to change the subject, "What other purposes do the other exersizes we saw have?" "Well, the head butting toughens our skulls to the point that we can have bricks broken over our head without being injured. The blows to the abdomen from the battering ram strengthens us internally in that the blows are directed to where the chi resides. Brick breaking is a result from years of hitting an object with our fists every day. Eventually we become hard as iron all over, from head to foot, as a ultimate result of all this training." "Very interesting, and could Chance or I train in any of this?" "Of course! That's part of why you are here anyway. Your mental training won't begin for a while yet though your external training can be expanded to other areas than just that which you are supposed to experience." Justin said. "Let Tania and Timothy know what you want to do and I'm sure they will arrange it for you." "Ok, we'll do that, and thanks again." Chance said as he and Jake got up and left. They found Timothy and Tania out in now empty meditation hall where they were practicing on their own. Both were now wearing the traditional Omarian monk robes, not the ones that most of the monks wore. Instead of having a traditional Shaolin robe on they each wore a Chinese style coat and pants. Upon asking if they could be trained in hard chi kung Chance and Jake immediately received a positive answer. Timothy and Tania were both more than willing to teach them what they wanted to know. "So, where do we start?" Chance asked. "Here," Timothy set a couple of bowl's before Chance and Jake, each one filled with grains of sand and pebbles mixed together. "You start by slowly thrusting your empty paws into these bowls and eventually increase speed. If you do this enough then within a months time you should have pretty strong hands. Just practice a little each day, slowly increasing the intensity as you go along." "Ok, whatever." Jake started punching at the bowl before him, "How long should we do this?" "For about a half hour each day." Tania answered. "And this will give us iron fists?" Chance added. "Yes, after about a year you should be able to break several bricks with ease." Timothy replied. "So we will have to continue this after we leave the temple?" Jake asked. "Yes, if you chose to." Tania said. The week passed quickly for Chance and Jake as they continued deeper into their training. With the passing days they slowly developed a training routine that they would follow for the rest of their time at the temple. On Monday Jake and Chance rose early as usual and after morning meditation, practice, and breakfast took their usual break. They sat in one of the clearings in the forest near the temples boarders as the sun started to heat the air, hinting at the heat to come in the day ahead. Chance stood up and stretched as Jake sat next to him, "Chance, what do you think so far? I mean of this temple and the training we are receiving?" "Well, it certainly is different and it has been a relief from the city life." "I agree, and you don't have to be so much on guard all the time." "Yeah, that's very true." Chance stood up and stretched, "By the way, you know where Timothy and Tania are?" "No, actually I haven't seen them today. I hope nothing's wrong." Jake started to get up as well, "We do have a class with them this afternoon so we may as well try and find them here before lunch." "All right, sounds like a good idea to me." Chance said. They found Timothy and Tania in one of the larger gyms toward the temples front just as they ended one of the morning sessions. Tania was first to notice the tow walk in the back door, "Hello Jake, Chance." "Hi Tania, was this where you tow were all morning?" Jake asked. "Yes, as a mater of fact. I was going to tell you where we were but it was already getting late and I had to rush over here to help instruct." "What was that class which you just let out? I saw some of the final moves they executed and they were not like anything Jake or I have seen as of yet." "That was Tai Chi, a type of slow moving meditation practiced by the monks here. It is an internal art, meaning it is a soft style. Not a hard one such as tiger's claw like you tow have been learning." Timothy said as he walked over. "What is the difference? The slow movements?" "A little more than that Chance. Tai Chi tends to be more gentle in that while executing a form you are relaxed but not a lazy sort of relaxed, a more alert relaxation. Being alert to the subtle movements of your body and the chi which flows through you helps you to strengthen your kung fu skill and focus. Ultimately, Tai Chi promotes longitivity, better health, and better chi flow." Tania explained. "How is it you know so much?" Jake asked. "Tania probably won't admit it but she is very talented in the soft arts. It's her specialty and any time we return to the temple she is asked to teach at least a few classes." Timothy said. "I'm only as good as any other kat would be from years of study. Given time either of you could learn as much as I have, perhaps even more. There is always room for improvement, even for a master of kung fu." Tania explained. "Your being modest, Tania." Timothy regarded Jake and Chance, "She really is very proficient, she just will not say so." "Stop teasing me..." Tania said. "I'm not teasing you, its the truth weather or not you wish to acknowledge it." Timothy pulled her up to his side and placed an arm about her shoulders. "If you want to learn Tai Chi or any other internal art she is the one to ask." "Stop it Timothy, your embarrassing me." She turned into his hold, trying to hide the fact she was now blushing. Timothy let out a deep purring laugh, "Come on, enough of this. Let's go get some lunch." He looked up at Chance and Jake, "You coming?" "Yeah, no harm in eating a bit earlier than usual." Chance replied. After second meal Chance and Jake followed Timothy and Tania back out to where they had been earlier. The class was not to begin for another half hour yet but they wanted to have some warm up time so decided to hang around there until things started up again. Finally when the class began Jake and Chance took spots in the front row being as this was there first time learning a soft art. Both wanted the full impact of the work out and wished to learn as much as they could for their time at the temple was growing short. True they had four weeks left being as they had been there for tow, however that time would pass very quickly indeed. The rest of that afternoon was spent training with the classes that Timothy and Tania were teaching as well as training with their friends later on after the classes were ended. That evening Jake and Chance went to a sunset meditation and from there headed off to an early bed. Both kats knew very well that with the next morning would come the beginning of some of the more intense training for which they had prepared the past tow weeks.