One of the neatest things in all of TV history was when David Carradine in the old Kung Fu TV series walked on the rice paper. Rice paper is extremely thin, and the bare moisture on the bottom of the foot, along with the weight of a persons body, is enough to tear the stuff. The legend of the matter, of course, is that there is this thing called Light Kung Fu, where one could actually make the body lighter, maybe even levitate it.
Now, myself and all the budding kung fu students in the neighborhood would watch David Carradine, Kwai Chang Caine as he was known on the tube, and wish we had a kung fu master to teach us how to do the light kung fu walk on rice paper. Why, there was no end to the power we would have if we only knew this thing called Light Kung Fu! The neighborhood bullies would shiver in their knickers if we had that awesome power!
So, a little thought about what Kawi Chang Caine was doing on the TV show, a little yankee ingenuity, and we came up with a plan. Rolll a roll of toilet paper out on a linoleum surface. Now, with an eyedropper, put a small drop of water exactly in the middle of each square of toilet tissue. Now, meditate and summon the chi, it was time to walk the walk.
Rice paper is like wet toilet paper, you see. So we walked, and...the thin stuff was ripped apart. Hmmm.
Try it again, placing the foot and not turning it at all. Squoosh, squoosh! Darn stuff just tore apart.
So we tried putting a long row of chairs next to the unrolled toilet tissue, and tried supporting ourselves with our arms as we walked the walk. Squish, rip, and darn! This rice paper stuff was tougher than we thought.
Now, in the end, we never did manage to walk the light kung fu walk, and not tear the filmy tissue into shreds. And, to be truthful, I don't think it is possible to do, toilet paper is supposed to dissolve in water, and rice paper, well, who knows what the heck rice paper is for, or even looks like. But something amazing happened because of our interest in being able to do what the old masters did, even if they were only actors on the tube.
In trying to walk on rice paper we ended up working out long hours. While waiting for the floor to dry we practicing kicking and blocking, we did our forms again and again and again. In the end, though we never did manage to walk the light kung fu walk, we became masters by another means, through dedication and long hard work and by being inspired by our dreams! - 31491
Now, myself and all the budding kung fu students in the neighborhood would watch David Carradine, Kwai Chang Caine as he was known on the tube, and wish we had a kung fu master to teach us how to do the light kung fu walk on rice paper. Why, there was no end to the power we would have if we only knew this thing called Light Kung Fu! The neighborhood bullies would shiver in their knickers if we had that awesome power!
So, a little thought about what Kawi Chang Caine was doing on the TV show, a little yankee ingenuity, and we came up with a plan. Rolll a roll of toilet paper out on a linoleum surface. Now, with an eyedropper, put a small drop of water exactly in the middle of each square of toilet tissue. Now, meditate and summon the chi, it was time to walk the walk.
Rice paper is like wet toilet paper, you see. So we walked, and...the thin stuff was ripped apart. Hmmm.
Try it again, placing the foot and not turning it at all. Squoosh, squoosh! Darn stuff just tore apart.
So we tried putting a long row of chairs next to the unrolled toilet tissue, and tried supporting ourselves with our arms as we walked the walk. Squish, rip, and darn! This rice paper stuff was tougher than we thought.
Now, in the end, we never did manage to walk the light kung fu walk, and not tear the filmy tissue into shreds. And, to be truthful, I don't think it is possible to do, toilet paper is supposed to dissolve in water, and rice paper, well, who knows what the heck rice paper is for, or even looks like. But something amazing happened because of our interest in being able to do what the old masters did, even if they were only actors on the tube.
In trying to walk on rice paper we ended up working out long hours. While waiting for the floor to dry we practicing kicking and blocking, we did our forms again and again and again. In the end, though we never did manage to walk the light kung fu walk, we became masters by another means, through dedication and long hard work and by being inspired by our dreams! - 31491
About the Author:
Al Case has analyzed martial arts for 4O years. A writer for the magazines since'81, he is the founder of matrixing technology and neutronics. You can walk on rice paper with him, or, least get a free ebook, at Monster Martial Arts.
