Kuntao has no true form, varying from instructor to instructor and from community to community and indeed from country to country. The term rather is generic, meaning 'Way of the Fist', and is used to describe Chinese martial arts practiced in South East Asia (primarily Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines) to distinguish them from the indigenous arts. In each locale the Chinese faced different fighting techniques and different weapons and had to adapt their own skills to combat the new threats, hence the wide variety of styles.
Traditionally martial arts were of concern only to the warrior elite, in the centuries before mass conscripting. Otherwise an art was passed down within a family, usually in great secrecy, owing to the fact that before laws were stipulated and a police force available to enforce those dictates, fighting was often grossly violent, even to the extreme of one or another of the antagonists being killed. Advertising to potential attackers your knowledge of an art was to surrender one of the greatest military advantages one could hope to enjoy: surprise. This martial art then also broadly describes all those Chinese arts that were passed down from father to son. Obviously in such circumstances there would also have been enormous stylistic variation.
Despite heavy personalization, certain elements are however witnessed to be repeated from one form to the next. First, it is a defensive style, emphasizing avoidance and circular blocking rather than a direct approach. That said, a practitioner will learn limited offensive movements. These movements keep with the Chinese approach of often simulating the postures and actions of animals, though there is no stipulation as to which animals may be used as models.
Training in Kuntao
Training involves the repetition of basic techniques until they become second nature. Stamina and strength are built up through the practice of forms and basic sparring exercises, rather than using supplementary methods to bring about development.
In combat the master seeks to defend his person first and counter strike as necessary. This is perhaps indicative of its origins as an art utilized by immigrants. Should a fight have broken out and the Chinese protagonist had emerged as the victor, local authorities may have been less likely to view this result in a positive light. By doing enough to defend himself, the practitioner could ensure he was safe both immediately and safe from future retribution. At the same time, the art ultimately has its roots in non-competitive, violent street fights and remains effective. This is underscored by the fact that the Indonesian government has banned all practice of this martial art.
