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Hung Ga Style Weapons - StickStick is considered as one of the most important long weapons: training hard, pupil acquired 
excellent bases, useful for studying next long weapons. In fact, they are used as a stick. The only difference
is the metal part to the end of stick: the principles are the same.
According to the form, the use of each will be quite different, but the central part of the weapon will be used (blocking and attacking) as a simple stick. The study and the training need a remarkable coordination capacity both in the legs and arms movements. Footwork is very important because this weapon has not a blade or a bit: so therefore we have to coordinate ourselves to obtain necessary strength and power. In Hung Gar training programs we usually find three stick forms (because masters descent from very different schools): there are Lau Ga Gwan, Hao Gwan, Ng Long Bat Gwa Gwan. The first one is a single form, while the others can be performed also in sparring. Hao Gwan is very different from the others: in this form we use a cylindrical stick 2,5 centimetres in diameter, usually high up to pupil’s eyebrow. Concerning to stick use, it is impugned with both palms of the hand turned bottom (often with handle in central part) and we use both "two heads" (both the extremities are used to attack). It is said that this form is inspired by a mythological Chinese character. His history comes from Indian sutra: he is portrayed as a Monkey King skilled in the stick use. He isn't the Monkey Kung Fu Style leader, but only a mythological figure. Instead, in Lau Ga Gwan and Ng Long Bat Gwa Gwan, the stick is as high as the pupil and has a thinner extremity than the other. In these forms, only an extremity is used to strike and the handle is typical of Southern Styles: we hold a stick extremity with a hand, while the other one is turned in opposite way in the centre of the weapon. Lau Ga Gwan and Ng Long Bat Gwa Gwan have the same characteristics: very intense footwork, high and low blows. When Lau Family Style was absorbed by Hung Gar, the form Lau Ga Gwan was introduced in teaching program, together with other two forms. Ng Long Bat Gwa Gwan is an advanced level form. Sifu Luigi MartoneConcerning to this form, history (or legend) tells about Gi Yang (or Yeung) of Song dynasty: he decided (after losing a battle, while his brothers won), to expiate this fault retiring in Shaolin Temple. He was an expert of spear but the use of cutting weapons 
was forbidden in the monastery: so he kept on training replacing it with the stick.
In fact many techniques are the same as spear forms ones: for example a part is executed impugning the weapon with the right hand ahead (typical stick handle of Southern Style), while another part is executed with the left hand ahead (Southern Spear). In fact this form is performed also with the spear. Technical part of this article was written by Sifu Martone Luigi, technical director of EHGA-Italia, together with Mauriello Salvatore. ----------------------- |
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