Original text by Tom Cheung (https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/p9KRmnjFWb-_F5bYDHfU-Q
Translation by Mustinar Ali

指挥刀，也称军刀，是林系虎鹤洪拳体系之中比较独特的一个器械套路。在中国传统的兵器 里头，本是没有军刀这一个器械的，它是在中国迈入近代化以后，尤其是军事近代化（清代新军改革）后才正式进入中国的。
The Commander’s Sabre set, also known as the military sabre, is one of the more unique weapon routines in the Lam Family Tiger Crane Hung Kuen system. This kind of military sabre is not one of the traditional weapons of China, and it was introduced after China’s modernisation period, especially after the military modernisation of the Qing Dynasty New Army Reforms.

1. 指挥刀的由来
The origin of the Commander’s Sabre
指挥刀并非中国的传统兵器，因此在中国武术之中十分罕见，之所以林系虎鹤洪拳的体系中
有指挥刀这一个器械套路，是因为林世荣宗师曾经在清末和民国时期有过和新式军队的军官
交流的经历，才得以接触到这个兵器，从而在林系洪拳的体系之中出现了指挥刀这一套路。

The Commander’s Sabre is not a traditional Chinese weapon, so it is very rarely seen in Chinese martial arts. The reason why the Lam Family Tiger Crane Hung Kuen system includes the Commander’s Sabre set is because Grandmaster Lam Sai Wing once had the experience of exchange with the new army of the late Qing and Republican Era of China, which brought him into contact with this weapon, resulting in this routine appearing in the
Lam Family Hung Kuen system.

而说到指挥刀，便不得不简要提及一下清末和民国时期中国军队的现代化。总所周知，在洋
务运动时期以前，中国军队的装备主要还是以传统的刀、枪、棍、弓等冷兵器为主，尽管历
史上火器的使用已经很早的出现在中国的军事实践，但它并没有广泛的装备在中国旧式军队
之中。而自从甲午中日战争以后，清廷意识到军队必须尽快进入到近代化，因此便以洋为师，
出现了“用洋枪，学西法”的军事改革运动。

When it comes to the Commander’s Sabre, it is necessary to briefly mention the modernisation of the Chinese army in the late Qing and Republican Era of China. It is well known that before the Westernisation Movement, the Chinese army’s equipment mainly consisted of traditional swords, spears, sticks, bows and other cold weapons. Although the use of firearms appeared very early in the history of Chinese military practices, they were not widely equipped in the old Chinese army. After the 1894-1895 Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government realised that the army must modernise quickly. Therefore, the “use Western firearms and learn Western methods” military reform movement was enacted.

手持西洋军刀的北洋新军
The Beiyang New Army armed with Western military sabres

由于清代新军的成立，令西方式的武器装备、练兵方法、作战方式等一并传入中国，西洋军
刀作为兼具仪仗、指挥、砍杀等功能于一体西洋兵器便自然随之传入中国。这种兵器起初只
流传在新军里头，故而仍未进入民间武术领域。

As a result of the establishment of the Qing New Army, Western weapons, equipment, military training methods, and combat methods were introduced to China. The Western military sabre, as both a ceremonial weapon for giving commands, and for actual use in combat, was naturally introduced with it. At first, this weapon was only circulated within the New Army, so it had not yet entered the realm of folk martial arts.

而到了民国时期，清代新军运动的成果得以保留，同时因为历史原因，此时的中国处于军阀
割据时代，便存在广泛的武师进军担任国术搏击教练的现象。在这一时期，各军阀的部队之
中除了有本土武师，还有外地来的武师，尤其是在闽、粤等地的军队中，不乏有北派武师，
而许多南派武术中有出现的北派拳术或兵器套路，有一部分的原因就来自于军队之中的武术
交流。

During the Republican Era of China, the achievements of the Qing Dynasty New Army Movement were preserved. At the same time, due to historical reasons, China was experiencing an era of warlord separatism, during which time a wide range of martial arts masters served as combat instructors. During this period, the armies of the warlords included not only local martial artists, but also martial artists from other places, especially in the armies of Fujian and Guangdong where there were many masters of northern styles of Chinese martial arts. Martial arts exchanges in these armies may be part of the reason for northern fist and weapon routines appearing in many southern styles.

在这样一个武术南北交流，土洋交流十分流行的时代背景之下，林世荣便得以在广州和一位
会使用军刀的武师以技易技，将指挥刀吸收到林系洪拳的体系之中。

During this time when exchanges between martial arts of different areas were popular, it was under this kind of North-South martial arts exchange that Lam Sai Wing exchanged skills with a master who could use the military sabre while in Guangzhou, and brought the Commander’s Sabre into the Lam Family Hung Kuen system.

手持骑兵刀的新军
New army soldier armed with a military sabre

2. 指挥刀在林系虎鹤洪拳中的地位
The position of the Commander’s Sabre in Lam Family Tiger Crane Hung Kuen

在林系虎鹤洪拳的体系中，带刃的短兵器有如下几个套路：大行月双刀、指挥刀、梅花双龙
刀、劈挂单刀、昆仑剑、生门剑、蝴蝶双刀等。其中，劈挂单刀、梅花双龙刀使用的是中国
传统的柳叶刀或者牛尾刀，属于（明清）腰刀范畴；生门剑和昆仑剑自然使用的是剑了；大
行月双刀和蝴蝶双刀则使用的是蝴蝶双刀，一种南派武术特有的双短刀。前面所列之器械都
属于中国传统器械，其打法毋庸置疑是中国传统武术的打法，而指挥刀则比较特殊，其特殊
之处就在于，指挥刀则使用的是西洋军刀，但其打法却又不是西洋剑术或西洋刀术的打法，
而是中国传统南派器械的打法。

In the Lam Family Tiger Crane Hung Kuen system, there are several sets for short bladed weapons: Great Circling Moon Double Knives (Daai Hang Yuet Seung Do), Commander’s Sabre (Ji Fai Do), Plum Blossom Double Dragon Sabres (Mui Fa Seung Loong Do), Chopping Hanging Single Sabre (Pek Kwar Dan Do), Kunlun Sword (Kwan Lun Gim), Life Gate Sword (Sang Mun Gim), Butterfly Double Knives (Wu Dip Seung Do), etc. Among them, the Chopping-Hanging Single Sabre (Pek Kwar Dan Do) and the Plum Blossom Double Dragon Sabres (Mui Fa Seung Loong Do) use traditional Chinese willow leaf or oxtail sabres, which are types of “waist sabres” (Ming and Qing  eras).The Life Gate Sword (Sang Mun Gim) and the Kunlun Sword (Kwan Lun Gim) naturally use swords (gim). The Great Circling Moon Double Knives (Daai Hang Yuet Seung Do) and the Butterfly Double Knives (Wu Dip Seung Do) use butterfly double knives, a type of paired short knives unique to southern styles of Chinese martial arts. The weapons listed above are all traditional Chinese weapons. The method of using these weapons is undoubtedly of the style of traditional Chinese martial arts. However the Commander’s Sabre is comparatively special. The special feature is that the Commander’s Sabre uses a Western military sabre, but the method of use is neither Western-style swordsmanship nor from Western-style sabre fencing, but from the weapon methods of southern styles of traditional Chinese martial arts.

林世荣曾在中国国民革命军第一集团军总司令部担任国术教练
Lam Sai Wing served as a martial arts instructor at the General Headquarters of the First Army of the
Chinese National Revolutionary Army

指挥刀由于是单刃单持的短兵器，同时其用法上比较符合南派武术的风格，相较于劈挂单刀、
昆仑剑、生门剑这三个源自北派的套路而言，它会更加地贴合南派武术习练者的功夫逻辑，
因此指挥刀在林系虎鹤洪拳中占有比较重要的地位。
可以说，指挥刀这一套路的创编和承传至今，是武术领域土洋结合的一次十分成功的尝试。

The Commander’s Sabre is a short weapon with a single blade and wielded in a single hand, and its usage is more in line with the style of southern Chinese martial arts when compared to Chopping-Hanging Single Sabre (Pek Kwar Dan Do), Kunlun Sword (Kwan Lun Gim), and Life Gate Sword (Sang Mun Gim), the source of these three sets being northern styles of Chinese martial arts. As it is more in line with the logic of southern style Chinese martial arts practice, the Commander’s Sabre occupies a relatively important position in the Lam Family Tiger Crane Hung Kuen system. It can be said that the creation and inheritance of the Commander’s Sabre set is a very successful attempt at combining local and foreign in the martial arts field.

3. 指挥刀主要的技术特点
The main technical characteristics of the Commander’s Sabre

首先需要明确的是，指挥刀这一套路尽管其使用器械属于西洋兵器，但是究其刀法、身形步
法等各方面来看，我们完全可以十分自信地说，这是属于中国的刀法，并且是属于中国南派
武术的刀法。由于指挥刀在形制上兼具刀的单刃和剑的狭长的特点，令这套刀法可以同时发
挥出中国传统武术中刀惯用的缠头裹脑和剑的缠点封崩等技术，这也就是指挥刀能够区别于
一般刀剑的地方，令它对于中国武术而言，绝非仅仅只是换个兵器打个套路一样简单，想要
更好地发挥出这一个套路设计上的一些优势和特点，建议采用西洋式的军刀进行练习和使用。

The first thing that needs to be clear is that although the weapon used in the Commander’s Sabre set is a Western weapon, we can confidently say that it belongs to the Chinese method of swordsmanship from the perspective of its sword techniques, body shape and footwork, and it particularly belongs to the swordsmanship of the southern style of Chinese martial arts. Since the Commander’s Sabre has both a single-edged blade and the narrow and long characteristics of a sword (gim), this sabre can simultaneously make use of traditional Chinese sabre practices such as head-wrapping (cin tau), and sword skills such as coiling (cin), pointing (dim), binding (fung) and flicking (bang). This is enough to differentiate the Commander’s Sabre from the common sabre or sword. For Chinese martial arts, it is not just as simple as changing a weapon to practice a set. If you want to better make use of some of the advantages and characteristics of this set’s design, it is recommended to practice with and use a Western-style military sabre.

指挥刀既然作为洪拳的一个器械套路，其自然也就具备洪拳的一个特点：对称性较强，注重
走位，且攻守的方位比较多，尤其注重打角位。在指挥刀这一套路中，十分重视身形步法，
同时重复的动作比较多，尤其是在前半段，同样的一组动作会针对几个方向重复地打一遍。
总体上来看，在前半段，主要是打“十字位”，即前、后、左、右会各打一组动作；在后半
段，主要是打“八卦位”，即主要是四个正位和四个角位。值得一提的是，在这一套刀法之
中，一种被称之为“车身”的身法技巧被广泛地运用在这套刀法的运动之中，“车身”一词
源自粤剧中的术语，要点在于通过重心的控制实现在贴地的情况下快速的横移，林系洪拳十
分重视车身，这种身法技巧不但在指挥刀中出现，在林系洪拳所有的套路之中都有这样的身
法技巧。

Since the Commander’s Sabre is a Hung Kuen weapon set, it naturally has the characteristics of Hung Kuen: strong symmetry, focus on movement, and attacking and defending in multiple directions, particularly focusing on the corners. In the Commander’s Sabre set, much attention is paid to body shape and footwork. There are many repeated movements, especially in the first half, with the same sets of movements being repeated in several directions. Generally speaking, in the first half, the set mainly follows the directions of a cross, that is, a set of movements is done to the front, back, left, and right. In the second half, the set covers the 8 directions, that is, the four cardinal directions and the four corners. It is worth mentioning, in this sabre set, a kind of body method known as “driving body” (cheh san) is widely used for the movement. The term “driving body” is a Cantonese opera term. The main point is to control the centre of gravity, keeping it close to the ground to achieve very fast lateral movement. Lam Family Hung Kuen attaches great importance to this “driving body” technique. This kind of body method doesn’t only appear in the Commander’s Sabre, but in all the sets of Lam Family Hung Kuen.

在刀法上，指挥刀同时兼具刀的缠头裹脑和剑的缠封点崩。主要出现了以下几个技术动作：
The sabre techniques of this set contain both the head-wrapping (cin tau) technique of the Chinese sabre, and the coiling (cin), pointing (dim), binding (fung) and flicking (bang) of the Chinese sword (gim). Following are some of the main techniques that appear in this set:

1.兜刀：由下往上进行撩击
1. Circling sabre (dau do): execute a strike from the bottom to the top (upwards cut)

2.挡刀及割刀组合：在立意上是针对自上而下的进攻进行防御并反击
2. Combination of blocking and cutting (dong do and got do): the intention is to defend and
counter-attack against a top-down attack

3.斩刀/劈刀：侧身猛击对方的中段，斩刀为身体内侧砍击，而劈刀则与斩刀的方向相反
3. Cutting/Chopping sabre (zaam do/pek do): turn sideways and slam the opponent’s
midsection, the cut is to the inside of the body, and the chop is in the opposite direction of
the preceding cut

4.圈刀：类似于五郎八卦棍的圈棍，可以缠封对方的兵器，以及进攻对方的前手，在这里可
以看到其具备一定的剑术的特点
4. Circling sabre (hyun do): Similar to the circling pole technique of the Fifth Brother 8
Trigram Pole set, this circles around the opponent’s weapon and attacks their front hand.
Here you can see that it has certain characteristics of the sword (gim)

这套刀法总体上相对简单，学习起来并不困难，并且贴近实际运用，林祖宗师曾强调弟子们
在练习指挥刀这个套路时，尽量使用比较重的刀去练习，最好是遵循史实重量和形制的军刀，
以掌握指挥刀的刀感及发力，而不要使用轻薄的器械去练习这个套路。

This sabre set is relatively simple, not difficult to learn, and close to the movements of practical use. Grandmaster Lam Jo once emphasised that when practising this set, disciples should try to use heavier sabres. It is best to follow the historical weight and
shape of military sabres as this can be used to master the feeling and power of the Commander’s Sabre, instead of using light and flimsy weapons to practice this set.