GOLDEN BELL AND WEAPON ATTACKS
Grandmaster Wong demonstrating Golden Bell
Question
Is the methodology to acquire Golden Bell for withstanding weapons attack (cutting, slicing, piercing, dotting, etc) similar against unarmed attacks (strikes, kicks, qinna, dim mak etc) but takes a longer time to achieve? And presumably there are also Bell-breaking skills-techniques using weapons as in unarmed combat.
Dr Damian Kissey
Answer
Yes, the general methodology to acquire Golden Bell for withstanding weapon attack, like cutting, slicing or piercing, is the same as that for withstanding unarmed attack, like strikes, chin-na and dim mak. However, different specific techniques may be used by Golden Bell specialists to withstand particular form of attack, like a specific technique is trained to withstand the cut of a sabre, and another specific technique is trained to withstand chin-na.
The general methodology of Golden Bell is to develop a core of energy from inside a practitioner’s body and let it radiate out like a bell to act like a buffer so that any attack, weapon or unarmed, will be bounced away. When an opponent cuts with a sabre or applies a chin-na technique, for example, the attack is only on the energy of the practitioner, and not on his body, and it is bounced away by the energy.
An experienced Golden Bell master would not just depend on his Golden Bell to withstand the attack. The split-second protection of his Golden Bell would give him sufficient time to physically ward off the attack, or to counter-strike. In fact, he would not let his opponent know that he has Golden Bell.
Yes, there are Bell-breaking skills and techniques. Dim mak, chin-na and palm strikes are the well known skills and techniques to break Golden Bell. The form of dim mak, chin-na and palm strike constitutes the techniques, how these forms are used constitutes the skills.
How do you know that your opponent has Golden Bell? He is unlikely to tell you. It is quite simple. If your punches do not hurt him, you can reasonably suspect that he has Golden Bell. You can then use Bell-breaking skills and techniques to defeat him.
Your phoenix-eye fist striking the zhu-san-li point of Kevin at the recent Dragon Strength course in Penang, causing him to black out immediately, for example, was an excellent Bell-breaking skill and technique.
The kungfu genius, Pak Mei, was famous for his high-level Golden Bell. But he was defeated by the combined effort of Hoong Man Ting and Chow Yein Kit. Chow Yein Kit’s chin-na techniques with Tiger-Claw skills could not break Pak Mei’s Golden Bell, but Hoong Man Ting’s Single Legged Flying Crane broke it.
Many of the masters in our school, including you, have Golden Bell, though they may not realize it. For us in Shaolin Wahnam, the best benefits of our Golden Bell are not to withstand weapon and unarmed attacks, but it gives us good health, vitality, longevity, peak performance and spiritual joys.
Sifu Wong Chun Nga taking strikes from a chopper without being hurt
This answer is taken from Special Weapon Course: 10 Questions to Grandmaster Wong of the Shaolin Wahnam Institute Discussion Forum.
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