LIKE THIS: Neng Lung practising yin chun, a sanshou technique.
KUNG FU champion Ling Neng Lung is nothing like his soft-spoken self when it comes to talking about martial arts.
He is so deeply involved that he can talk for hours about the beauty of martial arts, wushu and other kung fu disciplines.
From the exploits of kung fu icon Bruce Lee to those of Hong Kong action movie star Jackie Chan, Neng Lung is well greased in the development martial arts.
And of all the disciplines, the powerfully-built 44-year-old has a special penchant for sanshou or sanda (free hand combat), a sport that is losing its gloss among the younger generation these days.
Neng Lung had taken part in at least five professional sanshou bouts around the world – from Taiwan, the US and Korea to Brunei – and won numerous accolades in his long fighting career.
His greatest achievement was winning the champion title in the International Chung Cheng Cup Chinese Kuoshu Free Combat (Sanshou) tournament (heavyweight C) in Taiwan in 1988.
He was also the champion of champions in the 4th Sarawak Taekwondo Championship in 1984; the champion of the Borneo Cup Boxing Championship (feather weight) in Brunei in 1986; the champion of the 4th Sarawak Chinese Wushu (Sanshou) tournament (medium weight); the champion in three weight categories (light middle, middle and light heavyweight) of the Mr Sarawak Bodybuilding Champion-ship from 1990 to 1998 and the champion of Mr Sarawak Bodybuilding Championship (master category) in 2011.
He also collected many regional titles in sanshou, boxing, taekwondo and wushu and is widely acclaimed as the best ever sanshou fighter in the state.
After a successful stint in taekwondo, Neng Lung began setting his sights on sanshou and pledged to promote it aggressively.
“Sanshou is a dying sport here and something must be done to revive it. I will do what I can to ensure its continuity and hopefully, turn Sarawak into a sanshou powerhouse one day,” he told thesundaypost.
Bare-handed combat
Sanshou is a form of Chinese hand-to-hand self-defence as well as a combat sport. It means ‘free hand’ in Mandarin and has its roots in traditional kungfu said to be 1,000 years old.
Sanshou was originally developed by the Chinese military based on studies and practices of traditional kung fu and modern fighting techniques. It combines all the elements of full-contact kickboxing – kicks, punches, wrestling, take-downs, throws and sweeps and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes. However, elbow and knee strikes and head knocks are prohibited nowadays.
Historically, sanshou involved bare-handed fighting where there were no rules. Two contestants faced each other on a platform called lei-toi and fought to the death.
However, over the years, it was redeveloped as a sport with restrictions imposed for safety reasons and to promote it as a non-violent sport. In the modern version, no blows are allowed to the back of the head, spine or groin, and the fight discontinues when one of the fighters is floored.
Sanshou combats are generally staged within a boxing ring or on mats. Rules such as the use of the gloves and limited ‘extreme’ strikes to the eyes, spine and back of the head are in place.
Softer image
The Chinese Wushu Federation is credited with helping to create a “civilian amateur” image for sanshou after refinement of the more brutal techniques.
Today, it is widely staged together with wushu competitions. In fact, sanshou is also one of the three disciplines recognised by the International Wushu Federation. The other two are wushu taolu and taichi push hand.
Neng Lung is working hard to promote sanshou. He wants to restore it to its former glory but knows it’s a tall order since sanshou is now a virtual dead sport in Sarawak.
Ask any parents whether they have heard about sanshou and most will just shake their heads. Even if they did it, they would not allow their children to take it up because to them, sanshou is a “dangerous and deadly” sport.
The odds are staked heavily against Neng Lung’s efforts to revive sanshou but he believes with passion and determination, it can be done.
A quick check revealed hardly any local sports bodies offered sanshou lessons. The reason is obvious – sanshou involves a lot of body contact and parents are reluctant to let their children take it up for fear that they will be seriously hurt during practice or competition.
The punishing training regime could be another put-off. According to Neng Lung, a good sanshou fighter has to go through a rigorous conditioning programme.
“Sanshou exponents must endure hard training under their sifu. They may have to spend years practising on a wooden rack to hone their fighting skills and reflexes for tournaments. Constant practice is necessary to develop blend striking and wrestling techniques for a highly effective fighting style,” he explained.
Neng Lun said as there was no short cut to success, exponents must show total commitment if they wanted to become good fighters and win tournaments.
“Training is tough and practice sessions generally involve sparring with protective gear as opposed to the more traditional kung fu classes which spend a great deal of time on stamina and movement called kata. But like professional boxers, sanshou students also have to train extensively to improve their endurance.”
The only one
Now, the Sibu Gymnastic (Wushu) Association (SGA), which is affiliated to Wushu, Lion & Dragon Dance Federation of Sarawak, is the only one running sanshou classes at its martial arts studio at Lane 1, Lanang Road.
About 10 students are practising at the SGA academy on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, starting at 7.30pm. The lessons include sparring, kicking, defensive skills, breathing techniques and endurance training. Neng Lung is guiding the students.
Reviving this once popular martial art is an uphill task and Neng Lung knows it, especially when he is reputedly to be the only sanshou instructor in Sarawak without anyone to assist him.
But he remains optimistic that given the necessary help, he will realise his dream one day.
“I always believe if you fight hard enough for what you want, you will get it. Throughout my career, I have fought to become what I am today. I may not be able to revive sanshou yet but I am a fighter and I will fight to fulfil my dream.”
According to Neng Lung, sanshou was quite popular in Sibu in the 1980’s and towards the latter part of the 1990’s. Each year, tournaments were staged with dozens of fighters taking part and a big crowd in attendance.
He remembered there was no shortage of good fighters back then and the winners would usually go on to represent Sarawak in the national sanshou tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
However, by the early 2000’s, sanshou started to lose its appeal as most of the local youths switched to wushu and other sports. As a result, sanshou slipped into oblivion with many people now expressing reservations about its revival.
Nowadays, whenever Neng Lung talks about past state sanshou champions, names like Lau Buong King, the Sibu Open sanshou champion in 1995, Kuan Chen Fook, the champion in 1996 and Li Tie still ring a bell.
“They were some of the elite fighters in the state. Many of them went on to represent Sarawak in the Malaysia Sanshou Wushu tournament,” he recalled.
Meanwhile, SGA president Wong Meng Ngie said the government could help by incorporating sanshou into Sukma.
“If this is done, young martial exponents are likely to take up the sport and this will be good for its future.”
Presently, sanshou tournaments are still staged in Kuala Lumpur every year, attracting overwhelming response.
According to Wong, a tournament will be held in Ipoh this year.
“Many exponents have already registered. The winners will represent Malaysia in the SEA Games,” he said.