Kun Tao is a deadly martial art from Malaysia and Indonesia. However, the roots of Kun Tao reach deep into Kung Fu practice in ancient China. The phrase Kun Tao is in Cantonese, a Chinese language spoken primarily in southern China. The word ‘kun’ means ‘fist’ and the word ‘tao’ means ‘way.’ Thus Kun Tao can be translated ‘The Fist Way’ or ‘The Way of the Fist.’ In Mandarin Chinese, the title of the martial art is “Chuan Fa.” There are about 350 styles of this martial art known today.

Kun Tao was developed by Chinese immigrants who moved to Malaysia and Indonesia beginning in 1200 c.e. Among them were Kung Fu martial artists. Although these martial artists had the same skills as Chinese martial artists, they found themselves in a radically different environment. In China, there had been well-organized, hierarchical social systems. However, in their new Southeast Asian homes these martial artists found that the possibility of tribal warfare was a constant threat.

Consequently, they had to adapt the way they practiced and taught their martial arts to this new reality. Kun Tao tends to use explosive, short range, blasting strikes as well as rapid grappling breaks. These methods are set out to neutralize attackers as quickly as possible. It also trains students in the techniques of their Kung Fu roots such as animal forms, jing expressions, and specialty palms. Likewise, it includes training in the internal arts of Ba Gua, Hsing-I and Tai Chi. Although these skills are recognizably Kung Fu, in Southeast Asia they were taught in radically different ways. In China, a new Kung Fu martial artist would have to spend years learning a large catalog of forms before they were ever taught ways of applying them. Because of their environment the Chinese immigrants to Malasyia and Indonesia could not wait for their students to learn such a large number of forms and possibly fail to master them and give up. Instead, they needed new martial artists to be able fight right away in order to be able to survive.

The Chinese immigrants also found themselves having to contend with local martial arts traditions as well. Because of this, Kun Tao martial artists and the practitioners of Silat, a Southeast Asian martial art, learned from one another and often ended up including each other’s skills. Although in its region, Kun Tao is practiced predominantly by the Chinese immigrant population and Silat by indigenous groups, in reality the two styles have a lot in common to the extent that certain forms of Silat contain large amounts of Kun Tao and likewise certain Kun Tao forms will also integrate many aspects of Silat.

Kun Tao became such a deadly martial art that it was banned in the islands. Because of its power, those who knew it were also unlikely to teach it to people outside of their tribe. Yet in the last century, the situation began to change. In 1954, Indonesia gained its independence from Japan and Sukarno became its first president. Because of the political turmoil a large number of non-Indonesians were forced to flee the country. They found new places to live and many of them eventually settled in the United States as well as other parts of the world and began teaching their art to non-Indonesian students. Now it can be found in many major U.S. cities.

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Category: Sports
Keywords: Kun Tao, Kuntao, maryville martial arts