Here is the Tall Moneky style by me, Kevin Wikse. I have been an avid practitioner, researcher, and martial arts promoter for over 30 years. I am honored to share my thoughts and experiences with you all.
I must present some context and a disclaimer to frame this fascinating topic correctly. I first learned the Tall Monkey style (including the Stone Monkey and Lost Monkey styles) of Tai Shing Pek War from a student of Sifu Paulie Zink, my Sifu James Zimmerman, or as I affectionately called him, Mr. Z, in 1993 or 1994. I referred to it as Monkey Kung Fu or Shaolin Monkey Kung Fu, but later I learned that Tai Shing Pek War was its own system, a relatively recent creation, utilizing monkey-themed boxing.
Recently a Sifu has begun online instruction in Tai Shing Pek War. I subscribed to his main course. I immediately recognized his high-level skill and power in the applications he demonstrated. After 30 years of practicing what I was most attracted to in the Tall Monkey style (Stone and Lost Mokeys, too), I wanted to see what I had possibly forgotten. So far, I am incredibly pleased. Certain vital elements of the Monkey styles I had previously learned exist that I was never taught or were lost to memory. Gaps have been bridged and connections (re) established.
Initially, and in particular, the Tall Monkey’s fighting strategies I was introduced to in the 1990s set my martial arts trajectory. Tall Monkey favors what is called “long bridge” techniques. The long bridge techniques resemble swinging the arms like a baseball bat. Heavy focus on “Hammer fists” thrown from odd and unexpected angles. Think of your hands in iron balls, and your arms are the chains (flails). Tai Shing (Great Sage or the Monkey King-Sun Wu Kong) is directly influenced by Pek War, or Ax Fist, which employs a vast array of “long bridge” methods.
Tall Monkey style’s “long bridge” and “hammer fists” expanded my repertoire rooted in Southern Dragon. Southern Dragon is an extraordinarily heavy-handed and aggressive system that favors the bridge destruction ideology found in both Tall Monkey and Stone Monkey, primarily Stone Monkey. Bridge destruction is attacking the offensive or defense limbs of your adversary with explosive chops, grabs, rips, and hammer fasts to render the limb useless and open the adversary’s guard to attacks, delivering the same aforementioned strikes to the head, neck, and chest cavity.
I also began adding Tall Monkey techniques to my Baguazhang, which complements the Tall Monkey body shape, its “long bridge” strikes, and deflections. Tall Monkey played an essential role in understanding the 5 Elemental boxing styles of Hung Gar, which led me to spend years practicing Lama Pai (Lion’s Roar) and Hop Gar (Tibetan White Crane), old Tibetian martial arts, which I believe Pek War received its long bridge methods from, and both the direct offspring of Vajramushti, the vajra or thunderbolt wielding gladiatorial fighting style of India.
I have, since 2019, been in direct contact with a Vajramushti fighter in India, learning and training “online.” This Vajramushti resembles Lord Indra fighting atop or mounted on his five-trunked War-Elephant, Arivata (white cloud), using the vajra—more on this in a future post. I have not decided if I will ever share more than just snippets of this system with anyone but my spiritual community. EVERYTHING I have done, except for Baguazhang, Xingyiquan, and Taijiquan (these are unquestionably Daoist in Origin), feeds back into Vajramushti. Vajramushti liberates and allows them all to blend seemly without losing the sense of each other.
My instant love for Chu Gar or Southern Mantis of the Hakkanese people came from the emphasis on Gow Choy or Hammer’s fists, its long arm strikes called Jik Sao, and the Chu Gar’s “mantis body” rounded back posture, all reminiscent of Tall Monkey. At the time of my discovery of Chu Gar, I believed it was my only option to further explore more of what I loved about Tall Monkey. Sifu Paulie Zink was no longer teaching, and as for Mr. Z, I am still determining where he is and what happened to him.
Thankfully I later found the Sifu teaching Tai Shing Pek War online, but I feel extremely blessed to have discovered Chu Gar. Chu Gar is ruthless and efficient on its own level, parallel to Southern Dragon. Using a more petite frame, the same bazooka power shots, but with strikes of machine gun rapidity. Then, of course, Chu Gar’s skin-ripping techniques, which I’ll devote a whole post to.
I have demonstrated Tall Monkey’s thread which runs through all the martial arts I regularly practice. But let us delve into why Tall Monkey is the common thread. For me, Tall Monkey was, and still is a natural fit. I was introduced to Chi Ishi, a training tool from Okinawan Karate’s Hojo-Undo (strength training and conditioning methods), by my Judo Sensi. The Chi Ishi is a weighted club levered, rotated, and swung to develop muscle, ligament, and tendon strength and lengthening. My Chi Ishi experiences paved the way to become a globally recognized master of clubbells and maces. The circular strength development from this specific form of training lends itself directly to Tall Monkey applications.
Tall Monkey’s circular smashing, slashing, and crushing long bridge techniques, especially Tall Monkey’s signature “Tall Monkey Block” (think back to the “barrel of monkeys” pieces. The hooked arm curling upwards but just extended over the monkey’s head) that is more a circular deflection. Gow Choy/Hammer fist, Boi Gim, Que Sao, and Sow Choy. Tall Monkey attacks whip over and loop around defenses as quickly as they cut through them. Tall Monkey prefers to use its reach and control the distance. Tall Monkey uses timing and reading of rhythm (what my Sifus from the Hop Sing Tong called “beats on the war drum”) to get in, hit with the force of a 10-ton hammer, and then get out.
The Tall Monkey’s attitude is one of hesitant violence, that of a reluctant combatant. Violence is king, “Vis est rex“, and should never be off the table, but Tall Monkey would instead; that option is never chosen.
Unfortunately, this present incarnation of society has provided an optimal breeding ground for the truly asinine and stupid. Couple Tik-Tok, with “safe and effective” vaccines and a sub-basement of social retardation flings open to reveal a terrifying “new normal.” The present generation refrains from engaging in reasonable and civil discussions. Instead, they opt for rioting, looting, group intimidation tactics, domestic terrorism, and social justice, historically known as mob rule. These neo-Hilter youth corps and brown-shirt gangs, funded by offshore billionaires with openly stated Anti-American agendas and communist leanings, want violence, or at least they think they do.
Tall Monkey, however, wants peace. Tall Monkey hopes we can all smoothly circle around, file past one another, and share space civilly. With his slightly aloof tendencies, he couldn’t care less what you do, as long as it’s not causing harm to others. But predatory pedophiles, communist provocateurs, Marxist terrorists, and vaccinated social justice zombies, being who they are, inevitably feel compelled to micromanage forcefully. Civil discourse, open dialogue, and intelligent discussion mean little in a barrage of bricks, sticks, and fists. When forced to protect himself and/or what he loves, Tall Monkey presents a genuinely formidable counter-threat. Even Buddha had Vajrapani. Violence forever wears the crown, an aggravating but truthful statement.
Tall Monkey’s Boi Gim and Que Sao will quickly loosen the ideological earwax upon impact, often with a magnificent, second-thought-inspiring spray of blood and teeth. Shout-down tactics and threats of violence to quiet political opposition are impractical with a broken and wired-shut jaw. The highly espoused “ears open, mouth closed” condition is finally a distinct possibility.
Thank you, Tall Monkey.
I strongly identify with Tall Monkey’s distance control, or peace through gauged proximity. Mr. Z talked about what it was that made Tall Monkey “tall.” Tall Monkey perceives events at a macro-cosmic level, or from 30,000 ft (the antithesis of Stone Money, who gets in faces and scrutinizes in the micro-cosmic). Seeing the big picture helps Tall Monkey better calculate his actions and the potential myriad of resolvents or, better yet, avoidances to conflict, but of course, within reason. I will make certain concessions to forego trouble, but there are specific actions or avoidances that will never be tolerated or considered.
Tall Money style of Tai Shing Pek War, while 1/5th, or possibly 1/6th, of a larger martial school, with its credible and punishing military capabilities, conflict-avoidant philosophy, and functioning moral compass, could easily be a stand-alone martial art style. Thankfully it doesn’t need to be. At least one authentic Sifu is still teaching the entire art, and it remains available to benefit humanity, individually and, from the Tall Monkey’s lofty view, collectively.
