Relatively unknown still in the West, Ngo
Cho Kun is very prevalent in China and
throughout South Asia. It is a
hard, linear style, and it is believed many Okinawan Karate
styles evolved out of Ngo Cho Kun. Indeed, it seems to share
more with Okinawan Karate than many of the soft, circular kung
fu styles.
An offshoot Shaolin style from Fukien, China, Ngo Cho Kun
combines the techniques of five different chuan fa; Crane,
Monkey, Tai Chi, Lohan, and Tat Chun. It was created by Chua
Giok Beng nearly two hundred years ago. From there, it spread
throughout Fukien to Hong
Kong, Taiwan, and to
the Philippines.
In combat, the master will attempt to close the distance to his
opponent and overwhelm him with brutal hand strikes. Ideally,
only one strike will need to be made. Failing a one hit
victory, he will continue to press the attack with further hand
strikes, sweeps, and take downs.
Ngo Cho Kun also includes weapon training with several melee
weapons. Some weapons that are commonly thought to be of
Okinawan origin, such as the sai, actually came from Ngo Cho
Kun.
The Creed of Ngo Cho Kun, which all practitioners must follow,
is:
Your personal enemy is not as important as the people's
enemy.
Vengeance for the nation before vengeance for one's self.
Act righteously, and persevere through hardship.
Do not fight over words.
You must love yourself before you can love others and serve
your nation.
Schools of Ngo Cho Kun can be found in China, Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines. There
are only a few schools in the US.
Entrance Requirements:
No alignment or attribute restrictions, but prefers good,
unprincipled, or aberrant alignments.
Stance:
Called Chien Be. A sort of back stance, one foot in front, one
in back. Sixty percent of the weight is on the back leg. Lead
hand extended at chest level, open, rear hand pulled back at
chest level, open.
