NEW! DVD #18137 HUNG GAR Fighting Techniques
Sifu Donald Hamby, around 50 minutes

We all know about the difficulty of pulling moves out of forms to apply their applications. This DVD, by Sifu Don Hamby, may be the clearest presentation on the key applications coded into forms that we have ever seen. Seriously, one of the distinctions of the Hung Gar Boxing is the directness of its fighting moves and here we have a perfect example of precisely that.

It’s no surprise because Don Hamby has been teaching and promoting his beloved Hung style for decades. He moves with determination and accuracy while also throwing in some of the more sophisticated controls and wrist flicks that smooth all transitions.

The DVD starts with a Mantis demonstration by his son, Odell. Sifu Hamby uses this as a set up for the workshop. All the moves, such as wave punch, uppercut and tiger claw, are demonstrated precisely to fit their formal versions. Each move is classic Hung which, in this case, means they are strong, direct, clear and often deadly while—most important to my eyes—never trading sophistication for a generic combination of punch and kick.

The DVD ends with a straight forward Qigong.

NOTE: One title says this is the SECOND DVD of a series but I haven’t seen other number in this series. It certainly does not matter in the case of these demonstrations since the information is stand alone.

DVD #18075 HUNG GAR'S 12 Bridge Hands
Sifu Donald Hamby

Hung instructor Donald Hamby shows a lot of respect for his art and therefore for himself in these DVD presentations of his Hung Gar lineage. A student of Bucksam Kong and Lam Cho's son- Lam Chun Fai. He is accurate and traditional in his movements, classic in his outlook. He shows great concern for the understanding of an art which he obviously loves.

In a way, as is often the case, his obvious size and stature might make one miss the deeper levels of commitment and long practice that makes his movements strong and correct at the same time. In this form he shows the Bridge movements of the Hung system, their foundational practice along with self defense applications and then EXTRA applications.

DVD #18077 HUNG GAR'S Ten Shapes Form
Sifu Donald Hamby

Sifu Donald Hamby demonstrates the sections of the famous Ten Shapes Set which correlates the Five Animals and the Five Elements of Hung Gar.He and his students and family also demonstrate many applications from the form with a classical emphasis and a practical attitude. While the Steel Wire is the foremost Hung Gar set for internal strength, the Ten Shapes-created by Lam Sai Wing-is one of the most profound for mastering the transition of qualities from animal to element, from this energy to that. It is a cornerstone of the style.

This presentation DVD is done in the form of a "show". Audience friendly it demonstrates the usage training of Hung Gar Kung Fu. The bonus lies in the demonstration, both fast and slow, of the "Warrior's Palm" a form created by Lam Sai Wing. This is one of the best "beginner's sets" we have ever seen for Southern Hung and shows a relatively simple but traditionally grounded practice form which preserves Hung's distinctive flavor.

Sifu Donald Hamby's rendition of the Iron Wire is accurate including the vocalizations. He has an interpretation adopted, no doubt from his teacher Bucksam Kong, with bent forward postures much resembling Lam Sai Wing's texts. He shows this complex form slowly and completely for two repetitions and no narrative instruction (to expect to actually learn Steel Wire from a DVD would be, shall we say, a little silly). He includes, just for demonstration purposes, about half his 12 Bridges DVD to show these fundamental actions and their usage.

The entire system of Lau Family, three forms, has been absorbed over the last century and a half into the Hung Family system. And, for many, the first form of Hung is the Lau Fist. The Lau Fist is a beautiful little form based, essentially, on a box shape with two diagonal wings attached. One line of the box is an exact duplicate of another side so the student gets a feeling of an entire, and attractive set without having to learn too much new information. It also introduces diagonal butterfly hands and, at the end, a touch of softer technique. If you assume we actually know the set, you are right, and studied it under Y. C. Wong in San Francisco many years ago. Even with the slow motion and breakdown versions, the form is so short that Sifu Hamby has time to give many, many applications- very clearly and simply shown- at the beginning of this DVD.

The Double Shaped Tiger Crane form is often considered as the test of a person's Hung knowledge. This DVD covers this with a fast and slow breakdown of the set. Stances are show as well as explanations of the movements. Sifu Hamby also shows specific applications in the classic and also more street oriented veins. The DVD is bracketed by some choreographed fighting sequences in neat garden locations. The only deficiency might by that some of the teacher's words are lost due to the staging in front of a park waterfall and the ambient noise there.

This DVD is chock full. It starts with a "preview" of a movie where Sifu Hamby and others act out a trailer for a film. Then Donald Hamby himself demonstrates the famous "I" shaped Conquering Tiger, the basic form of Hung. This is a great form where first one arm and then the other is practiced to begin and then coordinated together. Techniques become progressively more sophisticated and many important sections of Hung style are introduced. This is followed by a demonstration (fast and slow) of the Tiger/Crane sparring form. Then applications from the form are broken down and explained.

The Southern systems have two aspects which make their Kuan Dao forms of real interest. First, the Kuan Knife (Dao) is a heavy weapon and the Southern systems have just the right timing and physical strength to perfectly match this weapon. Indeed most of the fine Kuan Dao sets we've seen are often Southern as opposed to, say, the Chen Taiji version... Also, as some might know, the Southern creator of the Hung style, Gee Sin Sim See, hid out on a floating opera for a while and therefore some Hung forms might be called "story forms" having a performance aspect. In this case the practitioner not only shows a nice, powerful and long form but imitates General Kuan riding his horse , trotting his steed and other equestrian motions. Besides the slow and faster demonstrations Sifu Hamby shows the Spear vs. Kuan in a demonstration, and a explanation of the Five Animal applications.

Lam Chun Fai's visit to the U.S.
Lam began learning from his father, the famous Lam Cho, at age five. At age eighteen he opened his own Kung Fu school. At the same time he helped run Lam Cho's school along with his brother, Lam Chun Sing. In this seminar/demonstration he shows the class both Tiger/Crane and Gung Gee forms, and answers question about applications with specific usage. The entire DVD starts with demonstrations of many Hung forms such as Lau Partner stick, Double Sabers, Lau Stick, Trident, and other forms representing Southern Boxing.

Want to see this author's memorial special edition?

This DVD starts with Sifu Hamby inviting us into his school. Then we see the breakdown of the Hung two person staff set. Though relatively simple and symmetrical many of the actions are superior to the fancier show forms because there is far less emphasis on the dreaded "clacking" noise and more on the correct use of the stick: supposedly a Shaolin inheritance which has, in many styles, almost vanished. This is a well constructed, do-able set given detailed instruction and slow and normal speed reps. As a bonus The Spear vs. Sword is included. NOTE: There appears to be a glitch on one version of the set where the sound goes off for about a half second making for an interesting but insignificant lag time between actions and sound effects.