Black Dragon Kung Fu can be described with three concepts: Iron Hand, Poison Hand, and Dragon Tail. Yes, these may sound wankerishly esoteric, but this is how they are referenced. Iron Hand is the study and application of hard, external techniques. This means sharp punches, heavy kicks, gruesome elbows and knees. Iron Hand is trained with push-ups, punching the bag, breaking rocks, kicking poles; it is the hard, brawny side of martial arts.
Poison Hand is a little more cerebral. It utilizes "softer" techniques like joint manipulation, evasive footwork, and pressure point fighting. Poison Hand is trained with meditation, Sticky hands/Chi Sau, and Chi Gung. Poison Hand is viewed by many who see martial arts as hard and aggressive as an ineffective, wussy approach to the art. I understand this belief, but know first hand how effectively debilitating a well placed joint lock or Dim Mak strike can be. I am the first to admit that Poison Hand is far less effective at quickly creating an effective fighter, but that is not the point of it; Poison Hand allows a martial artist to have the greatest effect with the least effort, it just takes much longer to master than punching someone in the face.
Dragon Tail is a fanciful, old Chinese way of saying "Leg Techniques." But this does not simply mean kicking. The beginning of all martial arts, and I could say any physical activity, is in the stance, or the way you stand. "Stance is the engine that drives the waist, the waist is the engine that drives the hands." Dragon Tail training builds strength, balance, and suppleness in the legs/stance. All martial arts have the concept of the stance, whether it's the strictly defined catalog of kung fu stances, or the loose, dynamic dance of western boxing. Beyond stance work, Dragon Tail also defines kicks, the variety of techniques and ideas of which is staggering.
These three ideas, Iron and Poison Hand and Dragon Tail, is the lens through which I view the martial arts. They make up what is Black Dragon Kung Fu. The Black Dragon Society has a long and complicated history. I will concentrate it by saying simply that it saw its beginning in the early eighties in the mind of Charles Wilk under the tutelage of Isidro "Iron Hand" Archibeque. Charles taught hundreds of people throughout Washington and Oregon, finally settling in Portland. My dad began training with him in the late eighties/early nineties when the school was more focused on Japanese martial arts. Throughout the years the school saw its home in various locations, from garages, to the after hours of acupuncture clinic waiting rooms. I believe the school found residence in the former autobody garage on 21st and Division sometime around 1997. This space became the White Tiger Training Hall and carried the school through it's heyday; it is where I first attended class in 1999.
Charles retired the school to my dad and Sean sometime in the early 2000's and went his separate way. A few years later we all had a very convoluted falling out with Charles. This is regrettable, for Charles is an amazing teacher, healer, and friend, but one can't deny the recognizable pattern of him pushing away those who are near to him throughout his life. I cherish my time spent with him, but do not shed any tears over his repellent behavior. Our lives, and the school, have moved on without him just fine.
In the Summer of 2007, the building that housed the White Tiger Training hall was sold out from underneath us for millions of dollars. This was rather traumatic and distressing at the time, but the school found a new home in the garage and backyard of Tracy and Sean's house. This may seem like a downgrade to the outside observer, but in practice it is a healthy evolution of the school. The black Dragon Society has never been a public, profit driven school. Instead we are an underground, word of mouth institution. Standing outside our doors, an observer would be unlikely to finger us as a martial arts training hall. Our school, in a lot of ways, has a lot more in common with a club house than the Cobra Kai Dojo. We are a group of friends, brought together by the inexplicable urge to beat the crap out of each other on Sunday mornings.
And this is what is so appealing to me about my martial practice. The Black Dragon Society has expanded my number of family members by several hundred percent. Over the years the martial arts have turned casual friends into best friends (hello Katelyn, Robert, and Jesse!) and deepened my respect and understanding of people that are unlike me. I would not be, even remotely, the person I am today without the Martial Arts.
Song of the Day: Hip Hop Barrio, Up, Bustle and Out
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