[1] No reliable records of the style's origin prior to that exist, though there is much speculation regarding the subject. . Iron Ox Boxing is named after Wang Zong Yue, who created this style by combining Hsing-I with Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis boxing. Tiger Mantis Kung Fu is an authentic kung fu style based on the integration of the Southern Tiger (Wah family), and Southern Praying Mantis (Chou family), styles of Kung Fu merged together by Sifu Alastair Bourne. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 10, 2021. Nevertheless, all styles of kung fu require dedication and hard work to master, and any one of them can be deadly in the hands of a skilled practitioner. However, once mastered, it can be a formidable weapon in any martial artists arsenal. 'Five Forms') Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Snake, and Dragon. Drunken Master: Cinema star Jackie Chan starred in this extremely popular kung fu movie from 1978. Black Tiger Kung Fu is referred to as being a Northern style of Kung Fu, having been developed from the Sanding Province, but still related to the Shaolin Temple. The defining characteristic of the Southern Snake Kung fu style is its circular motions and maneuvers, which are part of its attack and defense. Continue with Recommended Cookies. The Hung Family Fist is one of the most famous and popular of the Southern forms. Tiger Kung Fu (Hu Chuan) Master of Evasion; Allow the Attacker to Defeat themselves. There are other legends about the naming of the style. Jimmy Lees Poison Hand, and some Clean Staff Techniques from China, Taijiquan, Martial Power and Andrew Townsends Fine Books. Tiger Style kung fu is one of the more unusual styles, and it has been the subject of much debate among martial arts experts. Southern Shaolin Kung Fu is considered to be one of the most difficult martial arts to learn. The Southern Praying Mantis is a style of self-defense by the Hakka people. The Southern Tiger Kung Fu School will continue as it always has as an independent school teaching Kung Fu as the art of Kung Fu from its past to its future belongs to the world and must be shared. The lungs are said to be "spoilt" being the last organ to start working just after birth and are therefore fragile and sensitive to change, explaining why gentle exercise is preferred. We believe this martial art could be effective for self-defense only if the practitioner is an expert and well-trained. Currently Shandong Black Tiger is actively taught in the Netherlands and Indonesia. Like most southern style kung fu, it has initially limited kicks and jumps (they are common in the advanced levels) and consisted mainly of fist, palm and clawing techniques. Other tiger-style weapons include the tiger fork, which is used to jab and trap an opponent, and the tiger sword, which is used for slashing and thrusting. Dragon Kung Fu is known for its extremely mobile and flexible techniques. Tiger-style kung fu is a martial arts system that emphasizes close-range techniques and grappling. The Wing Chun style, on the other hand, is known for its precision and efficiency, allowing practitioners to defeat larger and stronger opponents. Mantis Boxing is known for its unique fighting style, which mimics the actions of a mantis with arms and legs flailing and powerful hand techniques. The Dragon played an influential and beneficial role in Chinese culture. This will help you to master the techniques of the tiger style and develop your own unique fighting style. The Shaolin found that the tiger should be studied because of its aspects of combat. The liver's emotion is anger and has many important functions including storing blood (Xue), ensuring the smooth movement of qi in the body, and housing the ethereal soul (hun). The term Southern styles typically applies to the five family styles of Southern China: Choy Gar (), Hung Ga (), Lau Gar (), Ng Ying Kungfu (Chinese: ), Li (Lee) Family () and Mok Gar (). On the other hand, the Southern Chinese have smaller bodies, which meant they developed close-combat techniques. IMPERIAL TIGER STYLES Your email address will not be published. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Learn how your comment data is processed. The style has also gained popularity in the West, particularly in the United States. Category Dragon Style . The techniques used in the 12 animal forms complement those used in the 5 element forms and add more striking, kicking and stepping techniques. Power generated from the waist using soft hard jin (see neijin and waijin). The second part of the exercise regulates the ascending (liver xue) and descending (lungs qi) function of qi in the Lungs. In this comprehensive guide, we will teach you everything you need to know about this kung fu style. This also allows one to use floating, spitting, swallowing and sinking movements which are very important in generating power and stability, making your body calm and relaxed. Southern Shaolin Kung Fu is known for its hard and soft styles, as well as its use of weaponless forms. At this point, novice and advanced student show very little in common. Southern Dragon style has roots in a combination of the local styles of the Hakka heartland in inland eastern Guangdong with the style that the monk Ji Sin Sim Si taught in Guangdong and the neighboring province of Fujian in the 18th century. Southern Shaolin Kung Fu is considered to be one of the most difficult martial arts to learn. The Path of Drunken Boxing Pocketbook Edition (Drunken Boxing Kung Fu - Zhang, Jing Fa), Authentic Shaolin Heritage: Training Methods Of 72 Arts Of Shaolin. The circular motions within the style symbolize the evolution to one of the higher-ranked styles. Dongjiang Dragon Style (Dongjiang Lungxing). Certain very old men were called dragons, these being well versed in the life-supporting skills of herbal medicine, agriculture, and kung fu. In reality, there are Northern styles that highlight hand strikes as its main method, and there are Southern styles that feature high and flying kicks. The 5 Kung Fu Animal Styles of the Chinese Martial Arts. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings features Northern Shaolin Kung Fu used by the title character. Originally Hung looked a lot more like the other Southern Styles such as Wing Chun and White Eyebrow. Monkey Style is one of the most commonly used styles in old school kung fu movies from the 1970s. The kidneys are the foundation of yin and yang in the body and therefore every other organ and govern birth, growth, reproduction and development. Shaolin Kung Fu, one of the major styles in kung fu, is mostly associated with Buddhist monks of the Shaolin Monastery in China, who are renowned for their fighting skills. The hard techniques include punches, kicks, and strikes, while the soft techniques include joint locks and throws. Leopard. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), From Basics to Mastery: Jibengongs and the Bear Palm Gong in Bagua. An amalgam of several creatures, including monitor lizards, pythons and the Chinese alligator, the polymorphic dragon was a water spirit, responsible for bringing the rains and thus ensuring the survival of crops. The southern dragon stylist relies on a variety of fighting techniques that can be employed for a wide range of needs. This might be suitable as a priority first, to save time and ensure that you are really interested in learning this martial art. [6]:129 The activation of the microcosmic orbit is again featured by firstly working the spine in a concave fashion. Monkey Kung Fu imitates the movements of a monkey. It was created by a man by the name of Mot. 10 of the Most Badass Kung Fu Stars in Chinese Cinema! However, the step is not taken directly forward but basically follows the angle the front foot is turned at (about 33 degrees). The first is that while Southern Kung Fu styles probably counted for about 90% of the Kung Fu exported to the rest of the world for quite a time; in reality the historical balanced is actually reversed and Southern Kung Fu probably accounts for more like 10% of the styles originating in China. If you watch a fight between someone trained in a northern style of kung fu versus someone trained in a southern style the difference would be apparent. [5], The first animal is Tiger. The Lin Win Kuen system of Kung Fu is a culmination of what was felt was the best of Shaolin Temple Kung Fu and Wing Chun Kung Fu to combine and a form a distinctively formidable defensive and offensive style that is completely effective for modern day self defence. There is no doubt that this style contributed to the growth and expansion of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts in South Africa and as such Sifu Brett will always have a deep and great respect for the teachers and style of this Kung Fu System. Leung then combined his own techniques with those of Ng Mui to form Wing Chun Kung Fu. It was a . It was created by Chu Fook-To, whose students were responsible for many future developments in this style. The latter was developed by legendary martial artist Wong Yan-Lam (who also developed Baat Cham Do). Just to give a hint it may be sufficient to discuss the waves of invasions that occurred before Zhou Dynasty. In Mandarin, "wxng" is the pronunciation not only of "five animals", but also of "five elements", the core techniques of Xing Yi Quan martial arts, which also features animal mimicry, but often with ten or twelve animals rather than five, and with its high narrow Sntsh () stance, these look nothing like a Fujianese Southern style found in the North. Most Northern styles can be characterise by their low deep stances and big arm movements. WATCH: Man who kung-fu kicked woman in Spain fined 60,000, The Cultural Significance and Symbolism of Martial Arts Traditions and Rituals, The Role of Mental and Physical Training in Martial Arts. In this method the front foot moves forward and the rear foot drags up to get back to the basic position. One of the primary purposes of this footwork is to keep the Lung Ying practitioner "on top of" their opponent and in attacking range. Jee Sim Sius mastery of the southern Shaolin style helped him to defeat the renowned general Wu Sangui (1612-1678) in single combat, and his victory is said to have been instrumental in the fall of the Ming dynasty. Fu Jian Boxing covers many styles as does the term Southern Shaolin. Pound for pound, the Tiger (up to 660 lb, 300 kg) out-weighs and out sizes the Lion by almost 25% (500 lb, 230 kg). In other words it hand short stances and tight hand actions and perfected the testicle retraction stance which, some say, later evolved into Wing Chun goat-riding stance. The spiritual founder of this style is Sun Wukong, the Monkey King from the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West. 10 of the Best Kung Fu Movies of All Time! The Tiger Style is effective against punches and kicks, and it can also be used to deliver powerful strikes of its own. Sifu Brett would then study the system Of Zhou Jia Kung Fu (Zhou Jia / Jow Ga /Chau Kai Family Style Kung Fu) which also has its origins and traditions deeply rooted in North Shaolin Kung Fu. The Shaolin 5 animals style of kung fu is a southern style of Chinese martial arts, its techniques are briefly: Dragon: . The invaluable qualities of the tiger are "ferocity, wisdom, and tenacity,"1 so it was concluded that based on those qualities, a style for the animal would be defined. Iron Ox Boxing is known for its solid stances, low center of gravity, and powerful techniques. The Guang Dong area of Ling Nam is particularly blessed with martial styles including such famous fists as Lau Family, Mok Family, Hung Family, Choy Family and Fut Gar (Shaolin/Buddha style). A better way to more accurately classify a style is to take not just its area of origin, but its family, philosophy, and techniques. The dragon represented two of the ancient elements, Earth and Water, endowing the creature with powers of illusion and strength. The five animal martial arts styles supposedly originated from the Henan Shaolin Temple, which is north of the Yangtze River, even though imagery of these particular five animals as a distinct set (i.e. The Dragon style is an imitative-style that was developed based on the imagined characteristics of the mythical Chinese dragon. Treat others with honesty, treat your friends with loyalty. According to TCM theory of Wu Xing (Five Elements), each animal has two exercises corresponding to the yin and yang internal organs (Zang/Fu). Along with the tiger style are the attributes from the other styles within its family. Snake. Fei Long Boxing is known for its fast, powerful techniques and also for devastatingly effective training methods, which puts extra stress on the students body to toughen them up. Northern Shaolin was the inspiration for the mid-1970's television show, Kung Fu, and starred (David Carradine.) It was developed by the monk Wong Fei Hung (1847-1924), who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of Southern Shaolin Kung Fu. Teaching Yourself MMA! Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2017. Read more about the kung fu crane technique. [5], The 12 animal forms of Xingyiquan are quite different from the 5 animal forms of Southern Shaolin, like Hung Ka and Choy Li Fut. The Tiger Style Kung Fu . In its approach to iron body training, its reliance on the sam chien stance, and its special emphasis on hard and soft techniques, this Fukien style of kung-fu is believed to be the root . Physically, the tiger is naturally powerful and strong. Other animal styles of various types are sometimes used. Since then, southern Shaolin Kung Fu has been passed down from generation to generation, and it is now one of the most popular styles of Kung Fu in the world. 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