Iron Palm Part 2

Continued from Iron Palm Q&A With Sigung Richard Clear Part 1

Tyrone also began teaching me the Iron Palm methods that Lee referred to as the Indirect Method and the All round method and more advanced instruction and other Internal methods not taught in the book but most of which obviously came from Lee because it was a natural extension of what Lee offered in his book. I also found out that parts of the book are intentionally misleading or only taught in part to stop people from fraudulently capitalizing on Lee’s work. We were also taught simple ways to make our own training equipment from readily available items such as Phone books and duct tape. I trained external methods at first but my preferred methods are the internal ones in part because the more advanced Dim Mak, Dian-hsuhe and Chi Manipulation including healing methods can only be gained and mastered with the internal methods and Tyrone demonstrated these skills from the first day I began studying with him. I was particularly impressed with his ability to affect people from a distance and healing without touching methods.

Q. What are the similarities with other iron palm styles?

A. The main types of Iron Palm that the general martial arts public seems to be familiar with involve training with materials and liniments. From the practitioners I have spoken with and articles I have read the external methods we were taught are very similar to what I understand most other practitioners are doing with minor differences. As for the internal methods without materials I have not met many people in North America who are familiar with this method at all let alone training in it.

Q. How long have you been training in it and what attracted you to it?

A. I met Tyrone in a park in 1981. At the time I was training in some other martial arts and although I already had some limited training in Tibetan energy methods I was really intrigued. About this time my dad recommended that I look for a Kung Fu teacher to continue my training and I would have gone back to Tyrone but I did not know how to find him and he only taught small groups, privately and at his home.

To be continued in “Iron Palm Part 2”