The Second Book in the Forest Dragon Series Available Soon!
In this second book of the series, I have attempted to provide not only the moves themselves but also the purpose and theory behind the moves. In this set of techniques and exercises the focus is on movements close to the body or “inner movements”. I refer to this phase of development as the metal phase after the corresponding phase of creation used in Chinese five elements theory.
In the first book I presented the first step of training to become a Pai Lum practitioner in the Forest Dragon system. In this book the student is introduced to the concepts that help them understand what it means to be become a practitioner of Pai Lum. There is a noticeable difference between the movements in phase I and phase II. This is true of all five phases but there is a clear shift between phases I and II. In phase I, most of the moves are fairly simple and the movement of the body is very linear, moving forward and back or left and right. The hand movements themselves resemble those of an Okinawan kenpo kata. The other phases are made up of movements that will appear to be more like Chinese kung fu. In the section on form . . . . .
Like the first book, this is a training manual and a reference for students. While I believe this book can be used on its own to learn these exercises and will certainly provide health benefits, no book can serve as a replacement for a qualified teacher. The instructors of the Forest Dragon School are most familiar with the exercises in this system but there are other qualified teachers of Pai Lum. The principles of exercise, training, and human physiology are the same regardless of the method of training employed. Pai Lum is not a specific set of exercises – it is a way of moving. It is not characterized by one type of technique or another – it is a way of fighting. Any qualified teacher will be able to use this book as a tool to be used as an aid in training.
Much like the style itself, the term Pai Lum is a bit of a mystery and a source of confusion. I have heard people say that Pai Lum means White Dragon. This is not correct; the style is not White Dragon Kung Fu. Grandmaster Daniel K. Pai explained that Pai Lum is the style and White Dragon is the animal. Think of the White Dragon as the symbol that represents the ideals of Pai Lum. The term itself is an oddity because Pai is the Mandarin word for white and Lum is a Cantonese word meaning forest. It is unusual to see the two dialects mixed in this way and in fact some people have begun using the Mandarin words Pai Lin rather than Pai Lum. The Chinese written language is the same regardless of which spoken dialect is used. It is traditionally written as 白龍 , but in most Chinese speaking countries the simplified characters 白龙 are used. Regardless of the dialect or spelling it is important to remember that P{ai Lum is not like most traditional systems or styles. Most styles consist of a specific set of forms that define that style and in general do not change. Pai Lum is not defined by the forms that we practice as most of them are not unique to Pai Lum, although there are a handful that are. Grandmaster Pai knew forms from many styles and would use them as he saw fit to teach his way of fighting.
- Pai Lum is a way of thinking – it is a way of living.
In the first book I presented the first step of training to become a Pai Lum practitioner in the Forest Dragon system. In this book the student is introduced to the concepts that help them understand what it means to be become a practitioner of Pai Lum. There is a noticeable difference between the movements in phase I and phase II. This is true of all five phases but there is a clear shift between phases I and II. In phase I, most of the moves are fairly simple and the movement of the body is very linear, moving forward and back or left and right. The hand movements themselves resemble those of an Okinawan kenpo kata. The other phases are made up of movements that will appear to be more like Chinese kung fu. In the section on form . . . . .
Like the first book, this is a training manual and a reference for students. While I believe this book can be used on its own to learn these exercises and will certainly provide health benefits, no book can serve as a replacement for a qualified teacher. The instructors of the Forest Dragon School are most familiar with the exercises in this system but there are other qualified teachers of Pai Lum. The principles of exercise, training, and human physiology are the same regardless of the method of training employed. Pai Lum is not a specific set of exercises – it is a way of moving. It is not characterized by one type of technique or another – it is a way of fighting. Any qualified teacher will be able to use this book as a tool to be used as an aid in training.
Much like the style itself, the term Pai Lum is a bit of a mystery and a source of confusion. I have heard people say that Pai Lum means White Dragon. This is not correct; the style is not White Dragon Kung Fu. Grandmaster Daniel K. Pai explained that Pai Lum is the style and White Dragon is the animal. Think of the White Dragon as the symbol that represents the ideals of Pai Lum. The term itself is an oddity because Pai is the Mandarin word for white and Lum is a Cantonese word meaning forest. It is unusual to see the two dialects mixed in this way and in fact some people have begun using the Mandarin words Pai Lin rather than Pai Lum. The Chinese written language is the same regardless of which spoken dialect is used. It is traditionally written as 白龍 , but in most Chinese speaking countries the simplified characters 白龙 are used. Regardless of the dialect or spelling it is important to remember that P{ai Lum is not like most traditional systems or styles. Most styles consist of a specific set of forms that define that style and in general do not change. Pai Lum is not defined by the forms that we practice as most of them are not unique to Pai Lum, although there are a handful that are. Grandmaster Pai knew forms from many styles and would use them as he saw fit to teach his way of fighting.
- Pai Lum is a way of thinking – it is a way of living.