Sun Dengke - A Tianjin Shuaijiao Master’s Story
Sun Dengke is a name I haven’t heard before. I stumbled upon this documentary about him and thought I would share it with you all. Tianjin is famous for it’s Shuaijiao. It has been for a long time. Even today, Tianjin Sports Insitute has an outstanding Shuaijiao program and team with athletes who frequently place in the top three in Chinese national events
Mr. Sun mentions that in Shuaijiao “Strength is basic, Technique is core, and handwork is the essence”. I thought that was an interesting way of putting it. He goes on to add that: “to use that strength, technique and handwork on your opponent is one of the most difficult things to do and requires 5 or 6 years of hard training before you can achieve it”. The video does show several shots of people training with Shuaijiao training equipment like the Zhizi, Tuizi, Dabangzi, Pitiao, and lots of others. He mentions that the Dabangzi was a training tool used by the Qing Dynasty’s elite Shanpuying forces and that many of these training methods are rarely seen today, which is so true. It’s also another reason why Master Li and Mr. Sun really are living treasures of Chinese heritage.
On the whole, this little video is well worth watching if you are interested in seeing Shuaijiao as practiced among the people of Tianjin and the rest of China.
Go for gold!
Michael
[note: Master Li told me that Mr. Sun Dengke has already passed away]
