User:Mhkfs1/Lin Su Kung Fu

Lin Su Kung Fu is a martial art created from several styles to incorpate teachings of Chinese Kempo, Five Animal Kung Fu, and various other arts studied by the founders. The style was not taught under the one name until Sifu John Carpter put a specfic program together. The style is currently headquatered in leland, NC.

History
Lin Su is of Chinese origin and can be traced back to the 1300s to the Shaolin Temple in the Hunan Province. At that time the system was called "Pa Ming Ch'uan," which means eight rams head fist. Then in 1679, a man by the name of Yong Ho Chin left the temple and started teaching. Yong Ho Chin then passed the system on to his son, Lee Ho Chin. Lee Ho Chin then moved to the Chekiang Province in 1751 where he started teaching a Korean student by the name of Lee Chi Kooh. Lee Chi Kooh then took the system back home to Ingei, Korea. At some point the system was passed to Kin Chi Kooh. The system was then called "Shoalin-Szu Tang-Su-Dao Pa Ming Ch'uan." Kin Chi Kooh moved to Yong Dong Po, Korea where he met and trained a westerner by the name of Dr. Albert Church, Jr. 1

After several years, Dr. Church moved to Mishima-Shi, Japan, then moved again to Shizuoka-ken, Japan. Dr. Church took up the study of Chinese Kempo and obtained the Scroll of Succession. The style's name was then changed to: "Kounishin-Ryu," which means godly heart style. 2

Dr. Church then moved back to the United States and started teaching. One of his students was a military man by the name of Jerry Hobbs. Jerry was eventually transferred and stationed in California where he continued his training in a local park. That is when Jerry met Poy and Pie, two brothers from China, who he watched practice at the park every day. One day Jerry went over to inquire about their style and they turned him away because he was not worthy to learn their style of "Hung Cheng." With that, Jerry left them and continued to practice what he had learned from Dr. Church. Day after day, Jerry went to the park to practice and each day Poy and Pie was there. After some time had passed, Poy and Pie came to Jerry and told him they had been watching him. They explained to him that the dedication and passion he displayed for martial arts made him worthy to learn Hung Cheng. From that day on he started learning Hung Cheng while continuing to practice Dr. Church's style.

When Jerry returned to his hometown in Wilmington, North Carolina he began teaching Hung Cheng and continued his lessons from Dr. Church. Two of Jerry's students who were learning Hung Cheng Kung Fu at that time were Mike Holmes and John Stover. As Mike and John began achieving higher ranks in Hung Cheng, Dr. Church told Jerry that he had to choose either one style or the other because he could not do two styles at the same time. Dr. Church said it was too confusing to keep two different systems in your head at the same time. After that, Jerry recorded Hung Cheng on 8mm film and didn't teach it from then on. Mike and John then began to learn what Jerry had learned from Dr. Church.

One day Mike walked into class and there he witnessed a disagreement between John Stover and Jerry Hobbs. After that, Stover left and began learning other styles of kung fu from other martial artists. Several years went by and Stover then opened his own school in Wilmington, where he taught Kenpo Karate. A few years later, in 1980, a young man by the name of Kim Crisp started learning from Stover. Kim learned fast and achieved his black belt in a little over two years. Kim arrived to class early one day and saw Stover practicing Kung Fu, which sparked Kim's interest so much that he asked if he would teach him. Stover told him that he couldn't because he had forgotten a lot of it. However, Kim was persistant and convinced a reluctant Stover to teach him what he did remember. With Kim's help and Stover's knowledge of kung fu, together they came up with Su Lum Fa.

John Carpenter started with Kim Crisp at age 12. John started with his brother Randy who was in charge of taking care of him. After a while Kim had to close the doors to his school. John and Randy continued to practice on their own. Their skills were evaulated by several other masters always seeking to perfect their style. Randy later moved away with his family and John began to orginize all he was taught. John renamed the style Lin Su Kung Fu from the Shaolin influence. John continues to teach in Leland.

Style Specifics
This is a soft style that uses energy along with powerful body movements to overcome an adversary. The foundation of the style is based on the Five Animals of Kung Fu:

Leopard (noted for: penetration and agility),

Tiger (noted for: short powerful strikes, building of massive forearms),

Crane (noted for: gracefulness and building of strong legs),

Dragon (twisting, turning motions, and mysticism),

Snake (short quick strikes to soft areas of the body).

Once a practitioner is proficient in all Five Animals, only then will they achieve the right to learn Mantis.