Qwan Ki Do
The Qwan Ki Do (Vietnamese Quán Khí Đạo ) is an Asian martial art . It's a mix of Chinese and Vietnamese Kung Fu .
The founder Pham Xuân Tong
Pham Xuân Tong was born on July 17, 1947 in Ninh Bình , near the city of Nam Định (Tonchino) in Vietnam. At the age of 10 he started daily martial arts training under Master Châu Quan Ky. From the age of 14 he was also taught traditional Chinese medicine , acupuncture and osteopathy . At that time he also became the first young student to achieve 1st Dan . He was also trained in traditional Vietnamese martial arts by other masters in order to expand his large repertoire. At the age of 19 he was already winning a large number of competitions.
In 1968 he emigrated to France and completed his studies in sports science . Because of his skills, he was already considered one of the greatest Vietnamese experts in martial arts. After the death of his master Châu Quan Ky in 1967, Tong was appointed as his successor. In 1973 he founded the national movement Viêt Võ Đạo in Europe . He was named international technical director and received an 8th Dan within the next few years. In 1981 he resigned as director and developed - as an obligation of his former master - his own martial art, in which he brought all his experience and knowledge: Qwan Ki Do. Today Grandmaster Tong is state-employed in France and is responsible for the athletic training of the Police. He is strongly committed to Vietnamese art and culture. The World Union of Qwan Ki Do now has national committees in over 20 countries.
History of Qwan Ki Do
The various styles were merged by the Vietnamese Grand Master Pham Xuân Tong, who lived in France and developed a new style from this large area. In 1981, Grand Master Pham Xuan Tong gave his martial art called Quan Khi Đạo or Qwan Ki Do , coupled with the establishment of the World Union of Qwan Ki Do .
Origin of the name Qwan Ki Do
He chose this name to honor the ancient traditions and values of his motherland:
- It is a dedication to his master CHÂU QUÁN KY by mentioning his name in the name of the method.
- It contains the name of the old method VÕ BẮC NINH (QUÁN KHÍ, 1009 BC), which was only passed on in secret within the family.
- In addition, the name names two fundamental elements of martial arts:
Connected with the word "Quan", which can be translated as "the whole", "the whole", "together", Quán Khí Đạo means something like "the path of life energy". To facilitate the understanding, especially in the Western Hemisphere, the name was linguistically adapted to Quan Khi Dao .
Regulations and traditions
The 10 principles
The Qwan Ki Do is governed by the 10 principles of the World Union of Qwan Ki Do was developed. Every Qwan Ki Do student must adhere to it. Students who do not do this face sanctions or leave Qwan Ki Do.
- Achieve the high technical level of Qwan Ki Do through: effort, perseverance, self-confidence and respect for others, in accordance with the tradition of martial arts.
- Developing body and mind, for yourself and for others, not for your own vanity and pride.
- Realize the moral virtues that are the foundation of Qwan Ki Do: justice, righteousness, gratitude, simplicity, humility and tolerance.
- Qwan Ki Do develop according to the thousand-year-old traditions that were left to us by the masters and never betray these traditions through narrow-mindedness, defamation and division in the method.
- Respect graduates, teachers and club leaders and promote cohesion among members.
- Recognize free combat and competition as a means of development, not as a goal.
- Improve yourself through self-criticism and diligence.
- Respect all other martial arts.
- Respect the rules of Qwan Ki Do.
- Use Qwan Ki Do only for self-defense.
Training rules
The general training rules were developed to ensure the orderly and regulated course of training. These are
- remain silent
- Listen
- See
- Do
Traditions
In Qwan Ki Do there are many very ancient traditions that are followed. Many can be traced back to the traditions of the Vietnamese people. This includes bowing, tying the belt, counting in Vietnamese, the courses and the relationship between a student and his master, which for Europeans seems strange.
bow
In Qwan Ki Do, students bow with the Nghiêm Bai . Every movement of this greeting has a meaning that is steeped in tradition and important for the students. Every movement has a term that the trainer pronounces out loud when greeting. Bowing is performed in the following order:
- Chuân Bi : stand straight, feet shoulder width apart, hands form a triangle
- Nghiêm : feet are put together, hands are drawn to the side into fists, above the belt
- Nghiêm Lê : right hand to fist, left hand encloses the fist, forearms horizontal, trainer / training partner is viewed
- Lê : Bend your upper body slightly forward, head stays straight
The greeting is made:
- upon entering the training hall, we honor the place and the masters who have passed on their knowledge in this place
- upon stepping on a mat, we agree to exercise considerately and respectfully
- when we start or end training with a partner, thanking them for training with us
- In front of the trainer, his assistant or another student, if you have a request or a question, you wait in Chuân Bi beforehand
further education
Every Qwan Ki Do student should strive to further educate and improve. For this purpose there are grandmaster courses, training camps and regional courses.
numbers
Qwan Ki Do counts in Vietnamese. This is built into the heating, for example, when push-ups are to be counted. Every student should master the numbers.
- một - one
- shark - two
- ba - three
- bốn - four
- năm - five
- sáu - six
- bảy - seven
- tám - eight
- chín - nine
- mười - ten
clothing
suit
The students of Qwan Ki Do wear a black suit (Vo Phuc) with a yellow stripe that extends from the collar to the lower end of the jacket and with a Qwan Ki Do badge on the left side at the level of the heart. Students who have taken a Dan exam are allowed to wear a bat quay on the bottom right of their jacket. If available, a club badge can be worn on the right shoulder. Only special badges are worn on the left shoulder, such as a national team badge. However, this is reserved for members of the national team.
The suit is black because this color symbolizes earth and water or the deep sea. Often the black and yellow color are also understood as based on the teachings of AM and Duong (comparable to Yin and Yang ). Black stands for uncontrolled power and yellow for mastery of power.
The suit also includes a belt that shows the graduation. Before the training begins, the students put themselves in a list sorted by graduation. The master stands in the middle in front of his students. On the right side are the young people and adults, on the left side the children. The student with the highest graduation is always in the front right, and the student with the lowest graduation is on the left.
The Qwan Ki Do badge
The badge is present on every Qwan Ki Do suit. Thus all Qwan-Ki-Do students are connected by a sign, regardless of where they come from and what graduation they have.
The badge consists of many symbolic details:
- an outer white circle with the European Qwan Ki Do and underneath the Vietnamese Quán Khí Đạo, the white color stands for infinity, the universe
- a dragon that forms the second circle represents the circle of life
- the dragon itself represents the knightly spirit and the Vietnamese people
- two small circles that show Am and Duong represent the harmony between mind and body
Much of the Vietnamese culture is lived in Qwan Ki Do. The theory of colors also plays a major role here. Every color has its meaning.
Graduation system
As in any martial art, a graduation system has been developed in Qwan Ki Do for the orientation of the students. Students who start with Qwan Ki Do receive a white, soft belt. This should symbolize the emptiness and flexibility of the students. With every passed exam, the student is allowed to sew a strip on his belt. This belt is worn until he takes the black belt exam. A solid black belt follows the white, soft belt. Now the student is no longer a beginner. Each black belt takes an oath of honor, so that the traditional character and authenticity of the Qwan Ki Do - Quán Khí Đạo method is preserved. Anyone who has passed a Dan exam wears a black belt with red stripes on top and bottom. This student has trained Qwan Ki Do for so long that it has already passed into his blood. Further belts follow with the different Dan grades.
Tie a belt
The belt is tied with one knee on the floor before training. Female students tie their belts on the right and male students on the left. The black belt is tied in the middle. There is no talk or other distraction so that the student can concentrate on his belt. He has to be aware of which path he has already taken and which is still ahead of him.
Colours
Children aged 4 to 6 wear yellow caps. Children up to 12 wear red caps. Young people and adults wear blue caps. A maximum of 4 caps are sewn onto a belt. If children have trained for a long time and have not yet reached the age of 13, they are allowed to wear a purple belt after an exam. With each further test, white caps are sewn on. If a 4th cap blue is particularly involved in his club, his master can appoint him as his assistant coach. Now he can help with training and wear a blue belt. Both the purple and blue belts are soft and pliable. They are also to be understood as an award. Only a few students are allowed to wear these belts.
Exams for red caps are taken after 6 months, exams for blue caps after 9 months. However, these are only guidelines. Each student only takes an exam when his master is convinced that he is up to the new graduation. Therefore, there may be students who take their black belt examination after just 5 years.
meaning
In spite of everything, it is important not to attach too much importance to the belt and the câps on it. These are only guidelines and are not intended to encourage a senior student to mistreat others.
elements
The physical work
technology
In Qwan Ki Do, fist, foot, scissors, lever, sweeping, throwing, holding and self-defense techniques are taught. Depending on the level of development of the student, certain techniques are shown and practiced. Always pay attention to the age of the student, as some techniques are physically very strenuous or can be dangerous.
Similar to other martial arts, shadow fighting is practiced in Qwan Ki Do. These are called Quyên. These Quyên are a very important part, because the student can use a Quyê to show which movements he has already learned and how well he can do them. It is also about the quality of the strokes, blocks and positions. The most important thing in the Quyê is the expression, as it depicts battles with usually several attackers. Almost all quyên contain a quat (battle cry).
Students who have long learned can also learn animal techniques. These include both individual movements and whole quynes with animal techniques such as those of the tiger (Ho), the crane (Hac), the monkey (Hau Nhi), the snake (Xa) and that of the dragon (Long).
struggle
Combat exercises are just as important in Qwan Ki Do as practicing the individual Quyên. The fighting is always 1 against 1. The fighting exercises are intended to strengthen the students' self-confidence. In combat, the students apply the learned fist and foot blows according to the rules established by the World Union of Qwan Ki Do. The students wear protective clothing so as not to injure the opponent. Fist and shin guards are worn in every fight. In addition, mouthguards, groin guards and chest guards for girls and women. Children wear a vest. Children, women and young men wear head protection. Men over the age of 18 no longer wear head protection.
Fighting is not about defeating your partner or causing them pain or proving yourself. The fight is about your own development, the correct application of the techniques you have learned and the scoring of points. The fighter must not show any feelings during the fight. Neither fear nor sadness or anger are allowed. The fighter must keep himself under control by his own breathing. When you have scored a point, any joy is not welcome, as it can quickly be viewed as arrogance.
weapons
In Qwan Ki Do every student can learn to use a weapon if he has participated in a grandmaster course. Weapons are a special part of Qwan Ki Do because exams can be taken here too.
The first weapon is always a wooden one. Children up to 9 years of age learn song cots first. These are two small bamboo sticks. These are adapted to the size of the student. Children from 10 years and adults learn the bong, a long bamboo stick. Certain movements are also learned in weapon training and Quyên is run. When the students have mastered their weapon and have completed a certain number of courses with the grandmaster, they are allowed to take an exam.
Students from the 4th Câp Blau and students over 18 years of age are allowed to learn a metal weapon after their examination.
Weapons training is, above all, a long-term and complicated job. The various turning and punching exercises must be carried out correctly, otherwise you can get injured quickly. As a master once said: The bong is your best friend, it always tells you when you do something wrong!
The mental work
The spiritual work is also called inner work. In contrast to the physical, in which the body should be strengthened so that it can master the training of Qwan Ki Do, this is about keeping the body and mind healthy.
In Qwan Ki Do you can learn Tam The. Similar to Tai Chi , this is a Vietnamese therapeutic exercise. Movements are made slowly and consciously. The focus here is on breathing control. Stretching is also very important, but not just in preparation for kicks. With the right stretch, the student can strengthen their organs. This is called organ massage.
A lot of emphasis is placed on theory in Qwan Ki Do. There the student learns the history of Qwan Ki Do and its rules, connections between the seasons and organs, the teaching of meridians and the meaning of movements. Every movement in Qwan Ki Do has a Vietnamese name and meaning.
Qwan Ki Do in Germany
The style is represented throughout Germany as well as in Austria , Switzerland and other European countries. There is also a European championship where the style owners can compete with each other in their arts.
literature
- Werner Lind : The dictionary of martial arts. China, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, India, Mongolia, Philippines, Taiwan, etc. Sportverlag, Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-328-00838-1 ( Edition BSK ).
Web links
- Website of the Qwan Ki Do Dachverband Deutschland e. V.
- YouTube video of the 2003 World Cup in Berlin
- Video of the Danträger demonstration at the EM 2013 in Switzerland
Individual evidence
- ^ Qwan Ki Do Dachverband Deutschland e. V .: Grand Master Pham Xuân Tong - founder of Qwan Ki Do.Retrieved June 25, 2018.