VALUES AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES OF CHI LING PAI ®.
There are many noted virtues in a student of Chi Ling Pai® martial arts.  Some of these virtues are honesty, loyalty, generosity, and sincerity.  Students of Chi Ling Pai® are also expected to be polite and humble, and to display a tremendous amount of patience and self-control.  

An important part of Chi Ling Pai® is the traditional Asian family structure.  Master Decker frequently talked about “The Family,” which was the Chi Ling Pai® gung fu brotherhood.  “The Family” was a very important part of Master Decker's teaching, wherein everyone comes together to achieve one common goal.

CHI LING PAI ® PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS.

THE CIRCLE:  SMOOTH AND FLUID MOTION. 

Master Decker often said, “There is no such thing as a straight line.”  He believed circular motion to be optimal, and the best approach to combat.

TRIANGLES AND CENTERS.

The “center” represents an individual’s center of mass.  If you can control a person's center, you can control their ability to fight.   For example, in Tai Chi Ch’uan push hands practice one practitioner attempts to up root or unbalance the other by locating their center and using that to place them into an awkward position.

The “nine centers” are contact points that may be used to place an attacker into an unfavorable position, giving the defender an upper hand in the combat. These “nine  centers” are explained by the triangle principle.  Master Decker broke the body down into these nine points to help align the student's body mass, energy, and intent as one.  These nine points include:
 

• The center of the foot

• The knee

• The tan t’ien

• The hips

• The shoulders

• The third eye

• The center of your hand

These centers are not only used to teach students unity in motion, but also teach how to disrupt the opponent's center to shut down and control their movement.

Structure (body alignment) in Chi Ling Pai® is taught using the “nine centers” and the triangular patterns they form.   The imaginary triangles formed by these centers build upon each other, resulting in nine triangles that combine to form a structure called “the pyramid.”  This was Master Decker's method of explaining internal body mechanics.  By aligning your centers, you align your mass and energy as one.  For example, the combination of the two hip centers and the tan t'ien center is what Master Decker referred to as the Magnum Rotating Center (MRC).  It is the hips and waist.

The red dots in the above image show some important centers while an opponent throws a straight right punch: the leading centers and shoulders, the third eye, and lead foot.  When connected, these centers form a pyramidal structure.

The foot center is important because it is a ‘leading center,’ allowing you to close the gap on an opponent. Other leading center points are the front hand or arm and shoulder.  Next in importance is the third eye, followed by the rear shoulder, which controls any follow up strikes.  The solar plexus is also a primary area of control when working the upper body.  A small blow to that region can quickly give you the upper hand in a confrontation.

The Pyramid.

The above image shows the alignment of the nine centers and the parallel line placement of the feet.  The purpose is to align your intent, body mass, and energy as one in one direction. 

DIVIDING THE BODY BY THIRDS (SAOU CHIEN TSU).
Saou Chien Tsu, also known as “adjusting body triangles,” is a way of specifying the nine panels (on the upper body) to help the student to better understand the ways of dealing with incoming attacks.  The “panels” are conceptual target locations.  They help the student get a handle on distance and space (height, width and depth).  This principle is similar to the 'gates' principle that is found in most gung fu systems.

Saou Chien Tsu and Centers within the giant 'beach ball'.  The giant 'beach ball' is the range of circular motion that surrounds the practitioner's body, the 'sphere' that the gung fu fighter fights within, their 'universe'.  The beach ball principle of Master Decker's is similar to the dynamic sphere theory in Aikido.

STRONG SIDE FORWARD.
Akin to 'putting your best foot forward', strong side forward means adopting the side in combat that is your handedness (right handed or left handed).  But still be able to fight from the other side.  Master Decker was left handed and started his forms from the left side.  He also mainly demonstrated from a left handed lead. 

FEET HELD IN PARALLEL LINES.
The feet in Chi Ling Pai ® stances hold parallel line positions.  The reason is to help guide and align our body mass, energy, and intent as one.

SAFETY FACTOR (18 INCHES).
The student in Chi Ling Pai ® was taught to maintain a defensive perimeter of 18 inches from the body.  Nothing was allowed to penetrate this barrier.  The reason being that if someone gets too close it is much harder, if not impossible, to stop their incoming blow.

NOTE:  there are exceptions to every rule and one exception to this principle is the Bat Sao Gung style knife fighting that Master Decker taught that also operates behind the 18 inches.

NINETY DEGREES.
This was the degree of interception that was emphasized by Master Decker when performing blocking techniques.  The point of interception between your block and the opponent's technique he referred to as “EXP”.

FOUR SIDED FIGHTING.
This principle meant that you could be positioned in one of four places around the opponent:  directly in front of them, to their sides (90 degrees), and behind them.

THE OCTAGON.

The Octagon Principle.

The octagon represents a circular arrangement of the nine angles of attack and defense around the body of the opponent or the practitioner.  This is like the angles of attack in Filipino Kali.  The octagon also teaches the concept of planes.  The octagon also acts as a map on the ground to aid in understanding footwork and positioning and it contains the Pa Gua circle.  For example, the north, south, east and west coordinates of the octagon represent the 'four sided fighting' positions that can be taken on an opponent. 

This is martial arts geometry.  Here we remind the reader that the Chi Ling Pai practitioner does not move along straight lines but rather moves in circular motions that are described by the planes in the octagon.  Some examples of that are below.

Vertical Plane Up: Rising Fist Punch.  This punch is deceptive because it slips into and rises out of the opponent's blind spot position, similar to a boxer's uppercut.

Vertical Plane Up: Crane Technique

Golden Peacock punch executed on diagnol plane down

WAYS OF HANDLING ENERGY.

There are five main ways to deal with the opponent's attacking energy in Chi Ling Pai ® and they are,

1.  Accept.  Accept the opponent's energy and transfer it into the ground or take it and use it.

2.  Pass.  Move your body (turn your waist) so the opponent steps and their energy is redirected behind you.

3.  Destroy.  Strike the opponent's attacking limb.   

4.  Cancel.  Attack their body structure so their attack loses its power.

5.  Neutralize.  Nullify their incoming attack so it loses its power.  This is a 50/50 approach.

• Master Decker would also use a way he called 'STOP' which could be done as either a cancel, a neutralization, or both.  The stop was similar to the stop technique that is found in western boxing or the hip stop that is found in Kali-Silat.

The defender who is wearing white ACCEPTs the opponent’s technique through an outside high Panel.  In this case a rising crane technique (travels circularly on the vertical plane of the octagon) vs. a straight left punch.   Notice the 'body language' or rotation that aids the defender in their technique (45 degrees outside angulation of the body that causes the defender's center to intersect the opponent's center by ninety degrees; EXP that is the dot that is marked in red.  That is the point where the arms cross as the crane block moves through it's circular arc). 

The defender ‘connects’ with the opponent and feels which helps to read the attacker's intent (their next move) as they start to control the opponent's body through slight alterations of their posture.  The defender is essentially performing a kind of Tai Chi ‘push hands’ at this point to help give the defender added control over the attacker.  All of the above occurs within a split second of time and without thinking.

Next, using a STOP, the defender's left hand checks the opponent's right shoulder so they cannot throw another punch.  The opponent is effectively trapped, or checked, on both sides and the defender can strike by sliding up either hand.

Since either hand can threaten the opponent, this position also uses Master Decker's “fractured mirror” principle (or Possum, see Animal descriptions below).  This puts the opponent in a position akin to a “pin” in chess, wherein the piece cannot move without exposing a more valuable target.

Here the defender uses a STOP against a wrestler's take down.  This technique utilizes proper body alignment.  WARNING: This counter is NOT meant for sport and could break the opponent's neck.

• Use the panels to help you understand height, width, and depth.

• Use the circles to help you understand the angles of attack and defense (circular motion).

• Use the centers to align yourself and manipulate the opponent to your advantage.
  

Master Decker describes in his own words these concepts and principles in this YouTube video on the Chi Ling Pai® Tiger and Crane form and its applications. 

"Identify, Accept, Neutralize, Cancel, and Destroy; and above all, be patient" - Master Decker.

CHI LING PAI ® TRAININGS AND TECHNIQUES.

HORSE TRAINING AND TRAINING THE “BASICS”.
Chi Ling Pai® uses horse training, which means the student holds low stances for long periods of time to strengthen their spirit, mind, and body, especially the legs.  It is a form of isometric exercise that makes them very strong and durable.  Every technique is practiced from every stance. 

This hard style training is not for the faint of heart and tests the student's character and willpower.  The purpose was to push the student past mental barriers and prepare them for the harsh reality of combat.

Students who are older or have limited mobility may be trained using other methods.

STANCES

Some Chi Ling Pai® stances include

• Horse
• Bow Stance
• Cat Stance
• Fish Tail
• Spring Leg
• Leopard

HAND STRIKES

In addition to strikes common to most martial arts, like the straight punch and the back fist, Chi Ling Pai® features unique strikes, including:

• Rising fist punch:  A punch that comes from under the opponent and strikes using the back of the two largest knuckles.
• Black feather: A combination of a straight punch and a reverse hook punch.
• Golden Peacock:  A punch executed from above on a 45-degree downward angle.
• Iron Whip:  A strike with the back of the hand executed similarly to a back fist. 

The black feather punch travels forward and sideways on the horizontal plane on the octagon.

A black feather punch executed forward and sideways through the opponent's jaw.

Iron Whip strike to the neck.

KICKS

Some of the kicks to be found in Chi Ling Pai® include:

• Front kick
• Side Kick
• Hook Kick
• Monkey kick
• Spinning Double Crescent Kicks
• Lotus Kick

Front kick to shin.



A low sidekick is used here with the outside edge of the foot to check the opponent's lead leg and close the gap.  For a power strike, the heel would be used instead.

BLOCKS

Some of the blocks to be found in Chi Ling Pai® include:

• Monkey's way block (1-2-3 block / fan block)
• Circular Tiger block
• Descending Dragon block
• The Wall
• Leopard Blocks

1-2-3 BLOCK (FAN BLOCK).
This block is taught as a drill in which one student throws straight punches aimed at the other student's chest.  The student receiving the punches executes three palm blocks for each punch thrown. 

The drill teaches the students to feel an opponent’s centers and intent, as well as your own center.  The fan block exercise also teaches proper technique, stance, and what Master Decker termed “body mechanics.”

THE WALL.
Traditionally, this is a double forearm block that is used to stop powerful blows such as high roundhouse kicks.   It also acts as a destruct because it can be very Painful to the person who is striking or kicking at you.  It can also be used with one forearm.

Stopping an opponent's movement in this way uses both the “Accept” and “Neutralize” principles taught by Master Decker.

Both the 1-2-3 Block and The Wall are concepts, not just techniques, and these concepts extend into other aspects of the art in many ways.  These two concepts usually repeat themselves in much of Chi Ling Pai®.

BLOCKING AND STRIKING USING THE SAME HAND.
A favorite tactic of Master Decker's was to block and strike using the same hand, usually his front left hand.  This is an advanced form of blocking because it takes less time and distance to execute a counter strike.  Master Decker also combined this approach with simultaneous blocking and striking, implementing attack and defense at the same time.

TAKE DOWNS

Some Chi Ling Pai® take downs include:

• Third Eye Take-Down
• Iron Broom
• Spinning Top

Third eye and hip center take down.

After:  felled opponent.

Third Eye Take down against right hook punch:  a circular throw down with palm slap, utilizing the shoulder center and third eye center.

FORMS.
Forms are choreographed patterns of movement practiced alone or in pairs.  They act as a library of movement to teach the student the techniques, principles, and mechanics of a martial art.  One of the primary methods of learning Chi Ling Pai® is through its forms.

THE TIGER AND CRANE FORM.
This form is the foundation of Chi Ling Pai®.  It contains all 864 basics of the system. Many concepts and principles are found within this form and it typically takes a student over a year to learn, and many more to master.

Other Chi Ling Pai® forms include Five Animals, Fists of the Five Ancestors, Seven Setting Suns, White Lion, King Mantis, and Butterfly.  The author has counted at least 23 forms taught by Master Decker, not including the weapons forms, and is sure there were more. However, you are only required to learn 15 forms. Not everyone is taught the same forms. They are taught the ones that match their personality and body type.

ANIMAL FIGHTING TECHNIQUES. 

Chi Ling Pai® contains animal fighting techniques.  These are unusual movements, unexpected by the opponent, and they focus force differently due to the different shapes of the fists.  This gives the practitioner versatility and an advantage over ordinary fist punching and striking. 

Although the basic hand and body positions can be the same, the fist, attitude, and expression of the Chi Ling Pai® practitioner changes to adopt the particular animal that is being articulated.  It is also about energy and character expression, not just the physical tools.  What follows are examples of the animal styles in Chi Ling Pai® Gung Fu.

Bear Style is lumbering, but strong and usually suited to a more stocky or large-sized fighter.  This style involves powerful whipping and explosive palm  striking movements. 

Snake Style is cold-hearted and pinpoints weaknesses, using finger strikes to vital points, palm strikes, and coiling movements that trap the opponent's limbs. 

Monkey Style, usually suited to smaller persons, uses animated fast body movements, pawing movements, backhanded strikes, and trapping.

Leopard Style is a quick and powerful in-fighting style usually best fitting for medium-sized, athletic persons.  The style involves a flat shaped fist that strikes with the fore knuckles and is based on speed and explosive rapid fire striking.  Using a flat fist, the force of the leopard strike is concentrated into a smaller horizontal area like a wedge, increasing its impact.  The leopard fist can fit more easily into places a normal fist cannot, such as between the ribs. 

Crane style is elusive and usually suited for longer limbed fighters.  Poised, soft, yet also explosive, crane utilizes a beak fist that strikes using dotting of the fingers or the back of the hand.  Crane also strikes using the backs of the hands, palms, and fingers to the eyes.  It contains the wing block (elbow rotations).  

High Crane vs. Straight Left

Mantis style is similar to crane style but uses a fist where the index finger protrudes, the mantis fist.  It is usually suited to strong and muscular short to medium sized fighters.  Mantis uses trapping motions with arm breaks, eye pokes, leg sweeps and breaks, and rapid style punching and palming.

Tiger, usually suited to “alpha personalities,” is a very direct, hard style that is strong and aggressive.   Dynamic tension style movements are trained.  This form emphasizes sheer aggression using clawing motions, pounding with tiger palms, and pinching and ripping movements.

Eagle, another aggressive animal, uses forearm strikes, hammer fists, wing blocks and strikes, pinches muscles and bone (collar bone as an example), and a three-finger claw to the throat.

The Phoenix style contains a fist where the first index knuckle protrudes.  This one knuckle punch allows the practitioner to focus their energy into a very small point, which greatly increases impact.  Phoenix fist is used to destroy incoming punches by striking the tender parts of the arm, such as the back of the hands, forearms, biceps and targets the vital points of the body such as behind the ear and the neck.

The Dragon style (a favorite of Master Decker) employs long arm flowing circular motions consisting of hammer fists, forearms, and fist blows.  Dragon fist is similar to Phoenix fist, with the middle knuckle protruding instead.

“Prince Dragon” is a technique that destroys incoming blows using a painful sideways slap of the palm.  Therefore it's nickname “prints dragon” because it leaves a red palm print on the opponent's forearm.

Long Arm Dragon.  The arms move in circular patterns as the
defender (black) shifts in their stance from side to side.

Possum is an advanced animal technique that was taught by Master Decker.  It involves set ups such as slipping the palm under the arm of the opponent to bait and switch them.  The opponent takes the bait and then is hit by a powerful blow from the other hand that is waiting in the blind spot, and vice versa. 

“Teacup” is a special fist formed like holding a cup in your hand.  Back of the hand strikes are used to attack the muscular regions of the opponent's body and their arms. 

The above are just some of the extraordinary techniques and sub-arts that can be found within Master Decker's Chi Ling Pai® Gung Fu.  Different practitioners specialize in different specialties depending upon what matches their individual personality, preference, and energy.

BAT SAO GUNG.

Bat Sao Gung (Eight Hand Fighting) was Master Decker’s style of knife fighting.  This is an extreme art.  The movements involve 'check marks', zigzags, dotting, and trapping.  The practitioner does things like cut horizontally across the attackers forehead to cause blood to drip into their eyes, blinding them.  The Bat Sao Gung fighter can also trap and fillet the opponent's arms, and pound on their chest to cause their heart to palpitate to spill their blood faster.  

 
IRON PALM / IRON HAND. 
Master Decker taught a special brand of iron hand training. Master Decker used this method to condition the hands to deliver a powerful impactful force, yet the hands would not become deformed from the training.

PA GUA

(Pronounced “Ba Gwa”.  Also spelled Ba Gua or “Ba Gua Zhang”, meaning Eight Trigram Palm).

Master Decker's “private art”, and the art he taught advanced students, was his own personal brand of Pa Gua.  Pa Gua is an art where the student practices walking around the edge of a circle in various patterns while executing techniques, including figure eights and smaller circles.  It also includes walking “rails”, what Master Decker termed linear stepping, similar to Hsing I.  

There were 8 circles and 8 rails that were taught.  All of the aforementioned techniques and movements of Chi Ling Pai ® such as the animal fighting techniques and the Bat Sao Gung were put into the Pa Gua method of circular stepping and fighting.  The practitioner became a violent tornado of motion as they struck, trapped, destroyed and wrenched the opponent's body.

S.D.S.D.S.F. (Sifu Decker's Scientific Dirty Street Fighting).
Having a military background, and therefore being fond of acronyms, this was Master Decker's style of street combat.  S.D.S.D.S.F. basically means “Chi Ling Pai ® for the street.”  It also contained, as he termed it, “the aggressiveness of Kempo (karate).”

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. 

CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND GROWTH.

Chi Ling Pai ® students develop their own personal expression of the art.  For example, some students of Master Decker may concentrate on the animals of Snake and Bear, and have a specialty in knife fighting.  Others may concentrate on Leopard and Mantis, and have a specialty in the chain whip or the stick.  Many students of Master Decker have also cross trained in other martial arts and attained high rank in other martial arts systems and families, just as he did.

Chi Ling Pai ® students also believe in perpetual learning and improvement.  We are all students of the martial arts.  No matter what rank or awards we may achieve or are honored to receive, we continuously strive to learn, refine, and improve ourselves as martial artists and as human beings.  We are not only students of the arts; we are also warrior students of life.

THE ONE TRUE ART.

This concept means that all martial arts are actually pointers to the one art that is the 'super set' of all martial arts.  All martial arts are seen as a journey to the same destination albeit using different pathways or means.  The one true art contains all the other martial arts, binds them all together, and results in martial art unity.  

Still, the student never forgets their source and where they came from.  They continue to honor the art(s) they have studied and the teachers that have enabled them on this journey, and the student places them above themselves.  

Also, the concept of one true martial art is not just meant in terms of martial physics, but also in terms of our familial association with others and the spiritual reality of oneness.  It is within this level that the Chi Ling Pai ® student may begin to venture into the spiritual side of the martial arts and engage in meditation and other practices.