Here is an article I found about Sifu Boni Lim. Notice in the website, how the pah kat is perfrom.
ezine.kungfumagazine.com/print.php?article=456Ngo Cho Kune's Double Duty Forms
Sei Mun Pak Kat
by Belida Han Uckun
If an experienced martial artist were to start training under Master Bonifacio Lim in the obscure (in the US) style of Ngo Cho Kune (Five Ancestor Fist), he would be most amazed by the way the forms curriculum is taught. There are the Chien or tension forms that build power and strength through dynamic-tension chi kung exercises. These are taught in conjunction with sets of fighting forms that are performed at a faster tempo and which contain the syllabus of techniques making up the core of the art.
These forms are unique, resembling little else in the Chinese empty-hand combat arts. The forms are short and bear some similarity to karate, as well as other Fukienese styles like Bak Mei, Southern Mantis, Southern Dragon and White Crane, particularly in the use of the Chien Be (war horse - the pigeon-toed stance) and emphasis on dynamic tension, forearm conditioning and practicality. Ngo Cho Kune is the forerunner of karate styles like Goju Ryu, Uechi ryu and modern derivatives. If it wasn't for the inclusion of jumping techniques from Monkey and Northern Longfist, as well as the more intricate hand techniques that pop up in some of the forms, the uninitiated would likely think he was watching a combination of karate and kung fu.
Each combat form in Ngo Cho Kune doubles as a two-man form, with one partner doing the empty-hand form and the other assuming the role of attacker. This is known as feeding the form, because the attacker does a series of attacks and defenses that give each and every move in the form an application. Unlike the majority of styles, Ngo Cho doesn't need separate self-defense or two-man applications or partner forms to teach the application of the form techniques. This extremely economical way of teaching fighting skills arises from the fact that sparring was not commonly practiced in ancient China - for fear students would injure themselves (given that non-contact rules, safety equipment and emergency medical care didn't exist).
This greatly accelerates the learning curve, allowing each and every technique to be practiced at full speed and power, with little or no deviation from the way the form is practiced. Aside from reflexive acquisition of EVERY technique in the syllabus, the constant blocking and punching develop the forearm bones to an iron-hard consistency. Even today, this is good way to build students up to sparring, and the only way to adequately practice techniques that can't be used in sparring such as eye jabs, vital point strikes, joint breaking techniques and dangerous takedowns.
Here we will focus on the form Sei Mun Pak Kat (Hitting The Four Corners). This form contains the essential elements of Ngo Cho Kune's fight strategy. The form begins with linear attacks and defenses on the centerline of the body. The omnipresent White Crane influence is seen in the use of the outward wing blocks, the simple spear-hand thrust and the use of the angled palm strike that thrusts out vertically, hitting with the knife-edge of the hand.
This form also has defenses against kicks using the monkey style, one of the five main styles that comprise the system (the others being Lohan, White Crane, Tai Chun, and Tai Jo Kune). The feeder strikes out with a front-kick/thrust-punch combination that the partner avoids with a monkey-style jump into kneeling position. He then springs back and catches the punch with a White Crane wing block. The characteristic of the form is that linear attacks are deflected by hard blocks or sidestepped entirely. The feeder constantly tries to gain advantage by stepping to the partner's outside or back; the partner for his part uses the form's indigenous footwork to maintain his centerline. This allows a stylist to practice the skill of recovering and neutralizing an attack delivered by an opponent who has already sidestepped you and is attacking from your blind side. No other style of kung fu drills this skill as repetitively and at the speed and power that Ngo Cho can achieve in its two-man forms, which number in the scores.
Years of training in these double-purpose fighting forms results in a stylist who has iron-hard forearms, quick reflexes (especially in shifting from defense to attack), is difficult to outflank, and who can riposte even after outmaneuvered. This reflexive and powerful type of movement ability directly relates to multiple-attacker situations where someone attacks from the side or rear while you are dealing with a frontal attack (often just a distraction to set you up for the real attack).
The consistent practice of the Sei Mun Pak Kat Form as an individual empty-hand form teaches these essential skills to an intermediate student. Learning the complimentary side and practicing both sides with the aid of a partner gives the student a safer alternative to sparring, while also promoting a more complete understanding of the form and style. Additionally, once a student has learned both parts, the form and it's applications are ingrained into his consciousness from two vantage points and is indelibly imprinted into memory. This is certainly a unique teaching method and maximizes both the gains and the time spent on training.
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About Belida Han Uckun:
A Certified Black Sash in Ngo Cho Kune under Master Bonifacio Lim, Sifu Belida Han Uckun is also a Sifu in Golden Diamond Kung Fu Systems with Sijo Willie Bell, and a 4th Dan in American Karate Under Shihan Ed Yuncza. He divides most of his current training with Master Bonifacio Lim and Master Xian Gao. "I'm having the experience of a lifetime training with the two most dynamic, unselfish and knowledgeable teachers I've EVER had the honor of meeting. It's a dream come true!" Contact me at deejin25@yahoo.com
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About the Master:
Bonifacio Lim is the prime authority on Ngo Cho Kune in the US. He trained under Master Tan Ka Hong at the Beng Kiam Kung Fu academy in the Philippines before immigrating to the US. He is one of the "Ten Tigers of Ngo Cho" - direct disciples under Master Tan Ka Hong and one of the few still actively teaching. He resides in Plainsboro NJ with his wife and continues to propagate this rare and fascinating style to his American students. His students appreciate the fact that he is one of the rare instructors who teach the style without withholding any information, regardless of ethnicity or creed. Contact him at: 79-05 Tamarron Drive Plainsboro, NJ 08536 1-(609) 716-9620