But the problem is, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish just what is fact and what is fable, particularly when working with origin stories conveyed via oral histories or unverifiable written documents. Often, determining the truth becomes an exercise in faith: faith in the oral recollections passed by prior believers and faith in the veracity of written records penned by dead, missing, or unknown chroniclers.
And faith, unfortunately, has a questionable habit of altering facts to suit ulterior motives.
I suppose it shouldn't really matter. I mean, people learning martial arts usually learn it for reasons ground in the present: self-defense, good physical and mental health, self-discipline, and principles of living. None of these really require knowledge of a particular martial art's origins; a student can fulfill their motivations for study without ever having learned about the formation of their martial art. You don't need to know an origin story to learn how to properly perform a fist strike or body throw or joint lock, you don't have to care about ancient history to learn breathng methods or chi generation, and you don't have to delve into the distant past to learn meditation or philisophical principles. To this degree, the origins of martial arts styles are largely just matters of historical curiousity.
However, I still persist over questions about the past. I think it provides context that may illuminate the present, and may contain lessons that can be applied without the potential pain of re-discovery. Understanding how things were created can help the understanding of why things are the way they are, and perhaps indicate avenues for modification, change, or improvement.
For example, it's useful to know that taizu chang chuan is a martial arts form created during the reign of Song Dynasty Emperor Taizu in the 10th century.
The legend and revered folktale is that he was the creator of the style, and hence its namesake. Truth be told, it's highly likely that he was responsible for ordering the synthesizing, recording, standardization, and organization of the various types of related kung fu collectively labeled chang chuan that had proliferated during the Song Dynasty into a haphazard legion of inter-connected styles. It is also possible taizu chang chuan was supposedly the style practiced by Emperor Taizu's guard. Because of its origins along the long river in the wide-open spaces of northern China, it is also sometimes referred to as "northern long fist."For reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changquan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Taizu_of_Song
http://www.atlantamartialarts.com/styles/longfist.htm
http://wongkk.com/answers/ans00a/mar00-1.html
http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Dunes/9413/basic_kf.htm
As a result, recognition of this history helps explain the wide number of kung fu styles classified as chang chuan, and helps to comprehend their similarities: forms involving long wide postures, attention to long-distance attacks against an opponent, and use of a variety of kicks. This would mean a style such as taizu chang chuan would reflect these concepts. In which case, a practitioner wouldn't necessarily rely exclusively on taizu chang chuan for situations calling for grappling or wrestling, and hence would want to look to fighting styles with a relatively greater emphasis on close-distance confrontations.
For these kinds of observations and insight to occur there has to be some accuracy in the material being studied. Unfortunately, however, this is often hard to come by.
Take the origin of tai chi chuan. Folktales ascribe the source of tai chi chuan to a single individual named Zhang Sanfeng. However, they also give conflicting time periods as to when he lived, with some saying he lived in the 10th century and others saying he lived in the 13th century. Still others go so far as to claim that in creating and practicing tai chi chuan Zhang Sanfeng became immortal, and that is why he appears twice in historical records.Confusing these stories is the more readily verified attribution of tai chi chuan to the Chen and Yang families in the early 19th century. Each family developed a namesake form of the style, which were subsequently modified into a range of modern differently-labeled variations.
For reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Sanfeng
http://www.chiflow.com/html/Taijiquan_origins.htm
http://www.damo-qigong.net/wudang/kungfu.htm
The historical haze creates a number of puzzles, all of which pose questions to modern practitioners. Are the various styles currently labelled tai chi chuan the same tai chi chuan developed by Zhang Sanfeng? If not, then have the principles of the original art been corrupted, eroded, or lost? If they are the same, then what changes have been made over time and why were those changes made? Were those changes a reflection of lessons learned in combat or personal whims of teachers? What limitations of tai chi chuan were discovered by past practitioners, and what capabilities were discovered? Does tai chi chuan really have the extra-martial capabilities of improving health to the extent that it can prolong life?
While it's clearly possible to become a highly skilled and proficient practitioner in the modern era without an extensive knowledge of a style's origins, the questions related to--and consequent questions generated from--the obscurity and veracity of martial arts suggests that there may be things being missed, overlooked, or worse, lost. That is: yeah sure, people can become good just knowing what is known now, but maybe they could become even better knowing what was known then?
Situations like these are unfortunately rife in martial arts, given the age of so many of the styles. Because of the passage of years, the histories have become interwoven with the fabric of culture and people, so that there is an almost seamless mixture of fairy tale and fabrication with reality and truth. Some of it sounds too good to be true...and sometimes it is. It makes me wonder just what can be believed.
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