In 1970 I was fifteen years of age and living in the not so sunny climes of Rochdale, Lancashire, when I met a man who would change my life forever. His name was Sifu (Teacher / Father) John Rostron.
For many years he had studied several Martial Arts including Shotokan Karate, White Cloud Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan, Feng Sao (Hand of Wind) Kung Fu, Fu Jow Pai (Tiger Claw System) Kung Fu and Ju Jitsu. He decided to incorporate the various aspects of these arts into his own system, which he named Fa Tsu Mao (Method of the Cat), which later became Hut Pao Tsut (Black Leopard System) Kung Fu.
He preferred to teach only private students or classes of up to four. He was a total disciplinarian and approached all aspects of training with a stern, unforgiving attitude. As an example, I have scars on my chin and on my tongue where I nearly bit through it, after asking what use a wrist fist was.
Stance work was the main syllabus in the early training sessions along with constant drilling of various blocks, parries, punches, strikes and kicks. Rolls and break falls were introduced along with throws, locks and chokes much later (mats never were).
Body conditioning was essential if you were to survive the often-brutal sessions. Hand and foot blows were landed hard enough to knock you off your feet. If you were unlucky enough to walk into one of his techniques (and I was on many an occasion) and the air was knocked out of you, you would be made to continue. If you could not, when you recovered you were made to perform sit-ups in time to his incoming punches to your stomach, often in sets of fifty repetitions. Being knocked senseless was a continual occurrence.
Flexibility training was no less severe. Training aids to help you consisted of your open legs dragged apart whilst performing the front or side splits and having your chest pushed to the floor; withe your feet touching, standing on the inside of your knees in order to make them touch the floor; or, while stood against a wall, having your foot pushed to touch the wall next to your head and holding it there for several minutes.
