Anyone know about Bok Fu?

[Beka]

There's a school that I pass by on the bus every day to *my* dojo. There's gigantic windows and you can see everything inside. They all wear a heck of a lot of patches. Anyway, the sign outside said "KUNG FU" and "KARATE". The style is called "Bok Fu", and in my opinion, some of the "kata" look really really Chinese. Some of the videos look impressive, I just don't know why they don't settle on a name. They say they teach "karate", but they don't specify which kind of karate, and they name they use has -fu for the ending, which to me looks like the obvious Kung Fu. While hybrids are definately possible, I just get a little bit of a fishy feeling. Does "Bok Fu" exist outside of the West Wind schools?

 

They have been in business for over thirty years in the Bay Area. This is their url. be careful because there's a dude that totally screams, so turn down the volume.

 

http://www.westwindschools.com/

[TheDevilAside]

You will never find a more devastatingly practical and complete form of self-defense in the world.

From that sentence alone, I would turn away completely. Also, devastatingly practical, what the hell? Just say devastating, practical and complete.

Our exclusive private training is the most expensive in the world

Now that's marketing

[TheDevilAside]

Aaanyway, I completely ignored your original question.

 

I've never heard of Bok Fu, but it's mentioned on a few forums and very few websites. Apparently it stems from Shaolin Kung Fu?

[Pacificshore]

Hmm.............I wonder if this is the same West Wind dojo, I use to compete against way back in my younger days

[Draven Chen Zhen]

History of Bok Fu

 

The following text is condensed from the “Five Elders of Sil Lum Gee” by John F. Di Virgilio. The text in its entirety can be found at https://www.wing-chun.com/elders.html

It was at the Fukien Sil Lum Temple that five Chinese youth, each from prominent families, began their training under warrior monks. These five were destined to become the “Five Elders of Sil Lum”. The eldest, in learning rank, was Fung Doe Duk, who would later found the style of Bok Fu. In 1673, after a long siege, the Sil Lum temple was destroyed, and the Five Elders made their way independently to a temple on O-mei mountain in Sezchaun province.

 

In 1675 the Five Elders reached the temple, but agreement as to how much political involvement and how many students they should teach was tenuous at best. Two of the Elders attempted to settle the dispute in a martial arts match. Bak Mei defeated Jee Shin with a devastating series of phoenix eye punches. The well liked Jee Shin soon died from the wounds that he had received during the match. Jee Shin’s death shocked the other Elders. The enraged Mew Hin soon challenged Bak Mei to another fight. Although closely matched, fate did not favor Mew Hin in the fight, and he lost his life. With the death of Mew Hin and Jee Shin, the animosity increased.

 

Fung Doe Duk was next to take up the challenge against the undefeated Bak Mei. Having witnessed the first two deadly fights, Fung Doe Duk was able to avoid Bak Mei’s favorite techniques. Bak Mei was also able to avoid injury from Fung Doe Duk’s initial maneuvers.. The final blow came During a close in clash. Fung Doe Duk was able to deliver a bone crushing kick to Bak Mei’s foot. Bak Mei did not recover from his compound fracture which led to his death a short time later.

 

The surviving Fung Doe Duk and the last remaining Elder, Ng Mui, soon parted ways to travel and to teach on their own. Fung Doe Duk taught his Bok Fu Pai and other Sil Lum arts to his followers. He spent much of his remaining years in western China, and a good distance from most of society.

 

Bok Fu Do, or Way of the White Tiger, is a branch of martial arts that has its origins in ancient Chinese Kung Fu. The creator of ancient Bok Fu was a Shaolin monk and Taoist swordsman named Fong Sai Yuk (also known as Fong Do Duk). Fong Sai Yuk also invented a “soft” form of martial arts known today as White Tiger Tai Chi.

 

Just a little something to get to know the style.

 

Greetzzz ChenZy

[Drunken Monkey]

another thing i have pointed out before.

 

any stories regarding the five elders should only be taken as that; stories.

 

the one you presented to us is just one story.

 

other stories have them going about their different ways never directly meeting.

 

not sure why the shaolin elders would go to o-mei as this was the female counterpart of the shaolin temple, set up in defiance of shaolin and according to legend, there is a bitter rivalry between the two.

 

besides, the burning of the temple only relates to one of the sites (exact location unknown).

 

they did not burn ALL shaolin temples.

 

if they needed santuary, they could have chosen any of their own temples or perhaps even help from wudang.

 

there is also a lot of confusion, coincidences and too many similarites between some of the stories despite maybe a hundred years difference.

 

it has been specualted that the elder stories was in fact to hide the true origins and the identites of the true masters of the new styles that were emerging during the anti-ching period.

 

each of the elders have one major style attributed to them

 

but at the same time they all seem to have contributed to all of the major styles.

 

i can't see how five people travelling on agreed different routes would meet and have the time to develop and teach and train so many styles, over quite a great distance.

 

(also, it is quite well know that fong doe duk appeared on the red junks, which puts him about 100 years after the dates mentioned in the article)

 

anyway.

 

enough of myths/legends/history.

 

i have to say i am confused.

 

everything they mention on the site is clearly karate.

 

the pics are of guys wearing gis.

 

i'm not entirely what 'bok fu' actually means?

 

is is supposed to be white tiger (bak fu)

 

or northern tiger (buk fu)

 

or something else?

 

my guess that it's white tiger looking at their symbol.

 

only thing is, again, in the pics they are doing something that definitely looks like karate.

 

doesn't mean it's not a good school though, or even if its a good style.

 

you know how it was.

 

the school's been around for ages, right from the time when no-one knew the difference.

 

the name 'kung fu karate' is probably just a left-over of that legacy.

 

also, the name 'bok fu' could just be the name of the school (white tiger from their badge) badly translated from chinese (again, a leftover of the 70s).

[stuart]

Look at the tournament pictures, they sure love their badges!!

[Draven Chen Zhen]

yeah it looks like a mixed school, some kung fu , some karate, boxing..

[sAtelitte]

Look at the tournament pictures, they sure love their badges!!

 

Was also my first thought when i saw the pictures Also couldn't find any resemblance with shaolin kung fu in their stances, seems like 100% karate to me

[Beka]

oh my god oh my god!!!

 

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?s=b9ad5e0f2ef0235260f70d334b6a7ffe&threadid=12882

 

Some guy started training at West Wind... I haven't finished the article yet, but I'm pretty sure this is the thread the guy started which gave him a spot in the bullshido.net hall of fame... woah. i gotta get to reading.

 

okay, the asterisks say bu ll shi do, but all one word