Dwai Gun Do

Dwai Gun Do is a phonetic approximation of this form’s name; the actual name, and its translation were never completely passed down, as this was always referred to as “the Shaolin Kung-Fu Kata,” or as “Shaolin One” in the the Goshin-Jutsu schools which teach multiple kung-fu forms. This form was introduced to Goshin-Jutsu by Bill Burns, a Chinese Kempō instructor who was a friend and collaborator to Grandmaster Durant. This kata is reserved for advanced students because of its difficulty -- this form is the ultimate expression of fluidity, which must be performed as a single, continuous motion without any stops or pauses at any point.

[video of Dwai Gun Do, performed fast and slow, viewed from cameras at #1, 3, 7, 5. Be sure that you take up the whole frame. A lot of our old kata videos are from too far away, and it hides some detail. ]

1. Step your right foot to #1, entering a left extended cat stance, and perform a kung-fu bow:
   • Extend both of your arms; your right hand resembles an inside hammerfist to the palm of your open left hand.
   • Arc your hands back towards you, then arc them out again, so that they resemble a right punch with your thumb-side touching the palm of your open left hand.
   • Pull up into a left walking crane stance while opening, overlapping and twisting your hands in front of your face, much like the Goshin-Jutsu bow.
   • Set your left foot down into an attention stance with your knees slightly-bent, and pull your fists to your hips.
2. Left nami-ashi, sliding your left foot out to #3, entering a horse stance facing #1 with a simultaneous (Kūsankū) left outside shutō block and a right hook punch.
3. Perform a left grasping block, and pull your right hand to your right hip.
4. Perform a right grasping block, with an emphasis on the reciprocal action of pulling your left hand to your left hip.
5. Step your right foot to #8, entering a right front stance facing #1 with a right naifu-kinniku.
6. Step your left foot to #2, entering a left front stance facing #1. Reach behind the opponent’s head and perform a left scooping block into your left knee for a satisfying clap. Simulate grabbing the opponent’s hair with your left hand, and pull your hand up to chest level for a right Elbow_strikes#Inside_elbow_strike, for another satisfying clap.
7. Twist into a left cat stance facing #7, with a simultaneous (Kūsankū) rising shutō block with your palm facing #1, and a right ridgehand strike, with your palm facing up. Right front kick to #7.
8. Upon re-chambering, slide your left foot out to #5, entering a right hook stance facing #8, with a right backfist strike to #7.
9. Step your right foot to #6, entering a right front stance facing #7, with a left tate-shutō to #7.
10. Quickly look to #5. Slide your left foot up to #6, entering a right hook stance facing #7. Cross your open hands overhead, with your left palm on your right wrist.
11. Slide your right foot out to #5, entering a left full-side-facing to #7, with a right scooping block to #5.
12. Grab the opponent’s testicles, and then shift into a right one-line front stance facing #7 with a simultaneous (Kūsankū) left pressing block and a right uraken uchi.
13. Quickly look to #1. Slide your left foot to #2, and twist up into a transitional left front stance facing #1, as you immediately pull up into a left walking crane stance facing #1, with simultaneous chicken-head (eagle-beak) strikes to both #3 and #7, and left side kick to #7.
14. Upon re-chambering, step your right foot to #2, entering a right front stance facing #3 with a right palmheel strike to the groin. Your left hand rests atop your right bicep.
15. Right nami ashi, and step-slide forward with a right uraken uchi.
16. Right nami ashi, and step-slide to #2 with a supported right ridgehand block.
17. Quickly look to #5. Side your right foot out to #2, entering a right hook stance facing #5 with a left rising shutō block.
18. Execute a left side kick to #5. Upon re-chambering, step your left foot to #6, entering a left front stance facing #5, with a right tate-shutō.
19. Slide your right foot over to #5, entering a left full-side-facing to #7 with a tate tsuki to #5, covering your face with your left hand.
20. Quickly look to #7. Left nami ashi, and slide your left foot out to #7, enter a horse stance facing #5 with a shutō-guard to #7.
21. Twist clockwise, and execute a simultaneous right downward hammerfist strike and right rear kick, both to #7.
22. Upon re-chambering, step your right foot to #7, entering a right full-side-facing to #1 with a left downward pressing block. Immediately perform a left kakutō uchi to #1, and then shift into a left full-side-facing to #1 with a groin-level reverse punch to #1.
23. With ibuki breathing, curl your right forearm clockwise up into a chūdan uke.
24. Kung-fu bow (see Movement 1).

Notes

Again, unlike other kata, this form must be performed as a single, continuous motion without any stops or pauses at any point.

To perform the supported ridgehand block from Movement 15, push on your right forearm with your left hand to reinforce the block.

Bunkai

This kata has a complex and grandiose opening (Movement 1), which serves as a sanity check. If a student is unable to perform this series with perfect fluidity, then they need to focus on training their fluidity before they can continue; anything else will only lead to tears of frustration, for both the student and the teacher.

An opponent attacks from #1, with a right pursuit punch or haymaker. You block this simultaneously and deliver a painful hook punch to their ulnar nerve, on the inside of their upper arm, in the grove between in their bicep and triceps (Movement 2). Grabbing their wrist (Movement 3), you pull on their arm to off-balance them as you deliver a hook punch to their temple or the side of their jaw (Movement 4). Perform a right naifu-kinniku (Movement 5), simply because you should not perform more than three offensive moves in a row without evaluating your defense and stancework; people tend to get carried away while attacking, and this inadvertently creates the openings which lead to their downfall. Once you are certain that you are solid, reach your left hand behind your dazed opponent’s head, and pull them down and to the left, to get them out of the way, and smashing their temple into your knee for good measure (Movement 6).

A new opponent attacks from #7, with a right haymaker. You simultaneously throw your left arm up to jam their technique and shield their head, while striking the right side of their neck with a variation of a ridgehand strike as an atemi to setup a front kick to their groin (Movement 7). As the opponent reflexively leans forward in pain, you capitalize on their momentum to augment a backfist strike to the bridge of their nose (Movement 8), stunning them long enough to break their neck with a tate-shutō (Movement 9).

Another opponent rushes in from #5, and grabs your right wrist, preventing your coup-de-grâce. You move towards the new opponent to gain leverage, and raise your hands overhead (Movement 10), before performing a scooping block to #5, as your right hand will exploit the reciprocal action of your block to sheer their hand off of yours, for an unconventional wrist release (Movement 11). Seizing opportunity, grab the opponent’s testicles. The opponent tries to lash out with a left punch, which you deflect and counter with a simultaneous left pressing block and a right uraken uchi (Movement 12).

Another attacker rushes in from #3. Making things worse, the attacker from #7 recuperates and rushes in, leaving you in the middle of their pincer. However, you stun both attackers by crushing one of their eyes, and incapacitate the opponent at #7 with a side kick to their solar plexus, abdomen, or groin (Movement 13). You turn to face the opponent at #3, and strike them in the groin with a downward palmheel strike (Movement 14), which causes them to bend forward, into an uraken uchi to the philtrum (Movement 15). To keep the unconscious opponent from collapsing on top of you, you shrug them off to the side with a ridgehand block (Movement 16).

The opponent at #5 recuperates, and attacks with a right pursuit punch or haymaker, which you deflect with a rising shutō block (Movement 17) and counter with a side kick to their solar plexus, abdomen, or groin, before finishing them off with a tate-shutō to the side of their neck (Movement 18). To keep the unconscious opponent from collapsing on top of you, you drive in knock them back with a tate tsuki to the solar plexus (Movement 19).

Another attacker approaches from #7 (or maybe the previous one has recuperated), and you assume a side-facing posture with a shutō guard, in anticipation (Movement 20). However, another opponent has appeared/recuperated and, is rushing in from #1. Quickly, you turn clockwise, with a rear kick to the abdomen or groin of the opponent at #7, ideally crushing the bridge of their nose with a simultaneous downward hammerfist strike as the kick folds them in half like a pocketknife (Movement 21). Quickly assuming a stance, you deflect the incoming punch from #1 with a downward pressing block, and immediately stunning the opponent at #1 with a kakutō uchi to the chin, buying the time you need to crumple them with a reverse punch to their groin (Movement 22). To keep the unconscious opponent from collapsing on top of you, you shrug them off to the side with a chūdan uke (Movement 23).

Having defeated all the opponents, the form ends (Movement 24).

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