The wince-inducing art of 'iron crotch' kung fu

Wang Liutai is no ordinary kung fu master.

The 65-year-old practices a unique and excruciating-looking type of martial arts known as "iron crotch" kung fu.

Its most famous technique involves swinging a steel-plate-capped two-meter-long log through the air to smash into a man's crotch.

“When you practise iron crotch kung fu, as long as you push yourself, you will feel great afterwards.”

Wang is the head of the Juntun Martial Arts Academy, and has been practising the technique for about half a century.

He has two children, and insists that with the correct technique and plenty of practice, it doesn't hurt the practitioner or harm fertility.

“Please don’t worry about this. We have done a lot of training. Now we have over a 1400 people in our village. If practising this damaged this part of the body permanently, then over time no one would do it. With this, the more you practise, the stronger you become. Without such practice, who would dare practice iron crotch kung fu? It takes practice. The method we use is; internally we practise breathing, externally we practise muscles and bones.”

Swinging an 88-pound tree trunk into the crotch is just one aspect of the practice.

It's part of a kung fu branch called Tongbeiquan, which is mastered by taking hits to the body's weakest points while using qigong breathing techniques to inure oneself to pain.

The idea being that once you can take a whack to the crotch, you can pretty much take anything.

It also encompasses attack techniques and resisting pressure.

This is fellow master Tang Xiaocheng:

“For example, our eyes, nose, throat, back of the head, chest, crotch, everywhere of our body needs to be hit and patted. This is very helpful for improving one’s physical condition. Iron crotch is only one element of what we practice. We also have iron throat, iron head, iron chest, and iron back as well. After completing all the necessary training and study, you can reap the physical rewards. So what we practice is not just “iron crotch”.”

Tongbeiquan kung fu has been practised for 300 years in the village of Juntun.

The style was historically kept a fiercely guarded secret.

But some are worried that fewer and fewer people are taking it up -- and it might not survive.

Tang says there were once about 200 regular Tongbeiquan practitioners, now there are just over 20.

For iron crotch itself -- numbers have dropped from 80 to just five people who can still do it.

Wang and his fellow masters have started actively promoting their style -- adopting the swinging log for demonstrations, where previously villagers relied on kicks, punches, bricks and sticks.

[WANG, SAYING:] “I am 65 years old, and my dream is that this form of kungfu will not be lost in our generation, so I will voluntarily and sincerely try to pass it down. If there are more students carry it forward and spread it to the whole country and the world, if they can carry this form of kungfu forward (to the next generation) then my dream will come true.”

They've now gained several new students of iron crotch kung fu across the country, learning using videos and social media.