I recieved the following from the British Institute for Chinese Martial Arts and I thought it would be nice to share.

Dear Nicole,

Thank you for your e-mail. It is nice to see Ray has so many adoring fans!

Ray has been very busy since making Star Wars last year and no longer teaches or trains with us. I can give you a little bit of information as we are very interested in seeing the right image of Chinese Martial Arts, specifically wushu, being promoted, as there are a lot of poor definitions and charlatans out there!

Ray's Grand Master is Mr Teng Wie Yoo who lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In 1973 Master Teng was a San Shou (Chinese kick boxing) gold medallist at the Asia Games in Kuala Lumpur. In 1979 he was elected as the Master of Selangor Chin Woo. Master Teng practises the Chin Woo Shaolin Kung fu system from the open hand and weapon routines through to preying mantis and monkey boxing. He also teaches Qi qong, 42 Step Tai Chi along with Ung Tai Chi sword and spear. Most notably in 1991 the Malaysian Wushu Association asked Master Teng to be in charge of all 10 schools in Selangor state. Master Teng is qualified to teach Chin Woo, Tai Chi, Northern Lion Dance and international Wushu routines. He is also qualified in Acu-pressure and reflexology.

What is Wushu?

Wushu, the Mandarin word for martial art, is the national sport of China, and is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. Originally a fighting system involving elaborate weapons, it was evolved, hundreds of years ago, by Buddhist Monks of the Shaolin Temple in the Songshan region in order to defend their temples from marauding robbers. These days it can be used as a form of self defence and mental discipline, but its main function is as a competitive sport, spectacular in content, involving high kicks, gymnastics and explosive martial techniques. Standardised competition sets in Wushu are used as qualifying routines for entry into the South East Asia Games.

Techniques Used in Lightsabre Fight Choreography

Traditional Chinese Cudgel routines involve circling, chopping, poking, uppercutting and figure-8 techniques. Both ends of the weapon can be used in attack and defence. Many of these techniques were utilised in the choreography of the lightsabre fight scenes. Examples of these techniques include:-

Windmills (Fengche in Chinese):- These are twirling movements using the wrist in front, side, above the head and round the body.

Figure of 8 (Wu Hua - Five Flowers):- These are twisting movements that go round the body from side to side.

Some of the acrobatic moves and kicks are butterfly kick, butterfly twist, neck spring, full and double twisting somersaults.

I hope this info helps with your site.

Once again, thanks for the link, and I hope your site keeps on doing well!

--

Glen Stanway MNASC
Company Secretary

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