Introduction of White Tiger

Si-Gung (Master) Bob Johnson studied Kung Fu in Hong Kong in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. It is thought that he studied under several teachers, but his main teacher was Grandmaster Wong Cheung from the Sil Lum Hark Fu Mun style. The late Si-Tai Gung (Grandmaster) Wong Cheung didn’t teach a set syllabus as is the norm in many Western clubs, but would teach each student individually as he and they thought appropriate.
Bob Johnson also studied Chinese martial arts in New Zealand and India. When he returned to England he then formulated his knowledge and experiences of these various arts into his own style which he named White Tiger. His focus had been the practical street side of the art of self-defence and fighting.  
 
I (Paul Burkinshaw) started Kung Fu in early 1986 with Sifu John Holden studying Shaolin Fist. After many years I was informed that Sifu Holden had formed his own style four years previous to me starting my training. Sifu Holden diluted the original White Tiger style with other systems when he formed his own style. Sifu Holden first studied under Master Tom Carey’s Tiger Ripping association. This was the association name for the White Tiger style Master Carey had learned under his good friend Master Bob Johnson, the original founder of the U.K branch.

I took over from Sifu John Holden in 1997 and renamed the style Sil Lum Kune (Cantonese for Shaolin Fist) wishing to return to a more traditional manner and syllabus.  Following many years of research, I was finally given the facts about the origins of the style and was able to establish links with the Black Tiger instructors in Hong Kong and the U.S.A.  I am now in the process of studying under Master Eric Tsai in Hong Kong with the aid of Jerry Davis in the U.S.A. In December 2006, I renamed the club back to its original title of Sil Lum Hark Fu Mun and reorganised the syllabus incorporating the Black Tiger forms and techniques.

Since January 2008, my assistant instructors and I have been also been studying the White Tiger style which hadn’t been passed onto us due to Sifu Holden’s changes. Much of this style as already stated was concerned about the fighting and self-defence side of the art. It therefore made sense to incorporate this side with the traditional forms we have learnt from our Hark Fu Mun brothers to complete the system.

One of the first drills / forms taught to novices in the White Tiger style is the hand form. Therefore we have also introduced this form into our Hark Fu Mun system at the novice level of White sash (First grade). The White Tiger Hand form (Fu Sau = Tiger Hand), is a combination of various hand strikes in a set sequence to develop speed of hand change between the various hand formations. This speed drill also aids development of fluidity, co-ordination, accuracy, and purpose of each movement. Our students have commented on how much they enjoyed learning and performing this routine. We have noted as instructors on how easy the students have picked this up which has proved a good stepping stone to the next level of form within the style.

After the hand form, the White Tiger style then progresses onto what they call their White Tiger training form. In Hark Fu Mun we have incorporated this Baak Fu (White Tiger) form at the level of Yellow Sash (Second grade). This form has more obvious applications which the students are able to use for self-defence. This routine has twenty sets of practical applications which Bob Johnson wanted from Kung Fu when he formed his White Tiger style. Students are able to distinguish these applications and therefore apply them to self-defence scenarios.

The remaining forms are in fact self-defence applications against various attacks learnt in a set order. This allows the student to perform these applications with a partner as self-defence moves, or on their own as a free flowing routine done in an almost freestyle manner.
At first, I found it hard to appreciate the value of these self-defence forms apart from the obvious use of some sets for applications against certain attacks. Over the past year of training these forms, it has slowly become apparent that they are indeed very good tools for developing and honing ones quick re-actional skills to multiple attackers from all directions.

When reviewing our own self-defence syllabus alongside the White Tiger applications it became clear that instructors within our association taught different self-defence moves from their own strengths and taste. We believe the structure and movement in the remaining White Tiger forms provides an excellent platform to train Tiger style applications and after discussion we felt that using these forms would benefit students and instructors alike allowing them to learn self-defence in a set pattern following the style of Tiger Kung Fu. These self-defence techniques are meant to be a foundation to build off and grow from.


Written By
Sifu Paul Burkinshaw