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Thread: Is Luk Siu Fung's "catching weapons" trick that hard for elite fighters?

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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Default Is Luk Siu Fung's "catching weapons" trick that hard for elite fighters?

    In LUK SIU FUNG, the title character's signature move of catching swords (and other weapons) between his index and middle fingers was regarded as a unique and much admired ability. Even sword gods such as Sai Mun Chui Sheut and Yip Goo Sing openly admired the skill.

    For elite level fighters, however, is such a move really that difficult to pull off? In various adaptations, both Gu Long and Jin Yong characters (including the Greats of the CONDOR HEROES TRILOGY) are observed pulling off similar moves at various times. Is "Ling Sai 1 Finger" really all that unique a skill?

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    Moderator Ren Wo Xing's Avatar
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    Ah, but here's the thing: They never were able to pull such things off against fighters of equal or greater caliber. Lu Xiaofeng, on the other hand, caught Ye Gucheng's "Outer Heaven Flying Angel" with it! So I think that is a testament to the power of those two fingers.
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    Senior Member mawguy's Avatar
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    i think most top fighters are conditioned to retaliate when attacked, and even if they were to only block instead of returning a strike, there's a tendency to use a weapon or palms to "push" the strike out of the way. so, yes, i think luk siu fung's method of fending off a strike and rendering his opponent immobile is unique. fighters of equal or superior caliber could probably acquire the skill, but they'd definitely need to learn it specifically because the skill wouldn't be a natural reflex for them.
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    It requires an immeasurable amount of inner strength to just "nonchalatantly" (in appearance) stick up two fingers and catch whatever comes his way. Can't recall anyone from the JY universe doing that.
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    Senior Member Radken's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ren Wo Xing View Post
    Ah, but here's the thing: They never were able to pull such things off against fighters of equal or greater caliber. Lu Xiaofeng, on the other hand, caught Ye Gucheng's "Outer Heaven Flying Angel" with it! So I think that is a testament to the power of those two fingers.
    He's also cunning so that could lend to the notorious reputation of the skill.

    Quote Originally Posted by mawguy View Post
    so, yes, i think luk siu fung's method of fending off a strike and rendering his opponent immobile is unique.
    How does it render the opponent immobile? Does the technique causes a person to go paralyze? Luk Siu Fung can catch a person's sword but his opponent can still move his other body parts, right? Is there something stopping him from punching and kicking his way out? Sorry, I don't know much about Gu Long's characters.

    I heard Fa Mun Lau knows this technique too but only not as well.

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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Radken View Post

    How does it render the opponent immobile? Does the technique causes a person to go paralyze? Luk Siu Fung can catch a person's sword but his opponent can still move his other body parts, right?
    Yes. Ling Sai 1 Finger immobilizes the weapon, not the person, so the enemy can conceivably let go of the weapon and attempt to continue his/her assault on Luk Siu Fung using his/her bare hands and legs, but if one can't beat Luk Siu Fung when using a weapon, the chances of beating him without using weapons is even less.

    The weapon itself, however, isn't going anywhere. It might as well be lodged in diamond. Yip Goo Sing, however, was capable of the extraordinary feat of pulling his sword free of Luk's grip effortlessly. Presumably, Sai Mun Chui Sheut can do the same.

    I heard Fa Mun Lau knows this technique too but only not as well.
    Yes. Fa Mun Lau is also capable of this skill, although indeed not quite at Luk Siu Fung's level.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Cheng View Post
    The weapon itself, however, isn't going anywhere. It might as well be lodged in diamond. Yip Goo Sing, however, was capable of the extraordinary feat of pulling his sword free of Luk's grip effortlessly. Presumably, Sai Mun Chui Sheut can do the same.
    I love how LSF won't be in danger even if those elie swordsmen can pull out their swords because it's already too much of an insult for their swords to be trapped by LSF. Only in GL's world!

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    Senior Member AnhHung's Avatar
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    What do you think about Fa Mun Lau's feat? I mean the guy was blind and still able to pull this off. What if he wasnt blind, could he rival LXF?
    Last edited by AnhHung; 10-08-07 at 06:19 AM.
    You do know that it is just fiction, dont you?

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    Senior Member kyss of the sword's Avatar
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    it wasn't his ability to catch weapons alone but the level of strenght in his fingers. his two fingers were more powerful then most experts entire fists or palms. his precision and strenght in his fingers made his fingers into a deadly weapon. compare it to yideng's yiyang zhi or HYS's flicking skill.
    THE KYSS OF THE SWORD IS DEADLY BUT EXQUSITE
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    Senior Member Candide's Avatar
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    Jin Yong elites are more realistic and so perhaps they realise that if they can catch their opponent's weapon like that, they might as well forget it and go for the direct smack down. Why bother with catching the weapon?
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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    I sometimes wonder what Luk Siu Fung would do with Ling Sai 1 Finger if his enemy were using a wide, blunt weapon that doesn't fit neatly between two fingers (or even five, for that matter). Not everybody in wulin uses a sword or sabre, after all.

    Of course, Luk Siu Fung was a good enough all-around martial artist that he didn't have to rely on his signature move to win fights against most people. For example, he didn't need to resort to Ling Sai 1 Finger to defeat that White Clouds Monastery Taoist who attacked him with ten poisonous fingertip blades.

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    Senior Member MysteriouX's Avatar
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    What were his skills again?

    The Ling Sai Finger and ?

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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MysteriouX View Post
    What were his skills again?

    The Ling Sai Finger and ?
    1. Best hing gung in the world (although See Hung Jak Sing claimed to be better)

    2. photographic reflexes; could mimic any other martial art in the world (including even Yip Goo Sing's Teen Ngoi Fei Seen)

    3. could make his chest go concave to avoid close calls with swords

    That's all we know. Nobody really knows Luk Siu Fung's full catalogue of skills, other than he has an extraordinary propensity for winning fights.

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    Senior Member sarakoth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Candide View Post
    Jin Yong elites are more realistic and so perhaps they realise that if they can catch their opponent's weapon like that, they might as well forget it and go for the direct smack down. Why bother with catching the weapon?
    Lu Xiao Feng doesn't like killing people.

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    Senior Member mawguy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Cheng View Post
    1. Best hing gung in the world (although See Hung Jak Sing claimed to be better)
    best hing gung in his known sphere of existence -- chor lau heung was also supposed to be the greatest at that in his timeframe, as was sum long.

    also, pretty decent skills fighting with his bare hands -- he doesn't usually use weapons.
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    Senior Member CC's Avatar
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    I always figured that although he could catch Ye's Outer Heaven Angel Strike, if Ye had wanted to continue attacking, LXF would have been toast.

    e.g. If Ye could effortlessly pull the sword out, he could just as well have continued to push the sword in towards LXF's chest.

    Its just that LXF had already 'caught' the sword and Ye had struck at the exact spot he wanted (which was at LXF's chest before he retracted it in), so Ye was satisfied that LXF had avoided his one strike and let it be.
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    Senior Member PJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Cheng View Post
    Yes. Ling Sai 1 Finger immobilizes the weapon, not the person, so the enemy can conceivably let go of the weapon and attempt to continue his/her assault on Luk Siu Fung using his/her bare hands and legs
    One who has great internal power (which should include Lu Xiaofeng) could foreseeably cast an advanced energy which binds the opponent to the weapon, so opponent couldn't let go of weapon while it is being held captive by Lu. In Jin Yong universe we've seen such binding/gluing cast in palm-to-palm contact (such Yelu Qi's gluing of Lan Tianhe's palms).
    Last edited by PJ; 02-10-10 at 01:11 PM.
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    Moderator Ren Wo Xing's Avatar
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    The only time I've seen that is with XXDF, PJ. I think great internal energy alone isn't enough; you'd need to have some sort of actively attractive/adhesive/draining internal energy.
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    Senior Member kyss of the sword's Avatar
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    LXF is famous for his qinggong which is known as 'twin phoenix movements', his fighting skill or school is known as 'idea in heart' kungfu which maybe a formless type of kungfu. his two fingers are his unique self created skill.
    THE KYSS OF THE SWORD IS DEADLY BUT EXQUSITE
    he's the strongest in history but he's the disciple.
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    The ling sai finger is his best known skill. But its not necessarily his most powerful skill. I believe in one of the later books (which I hope one day will be translated in this forum), he displayed a skill called phoenix dancing in the ninth heaven that everyone thought to have been lost.

    Can one of the translators here translate that piece and post it here? That would be great.

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