Recommeded VCDs are accompanied with an "X". BaJi Shaolin Style. Dragon Boxing. GuanDong Boxing. Long Fist Boxing. Soft Boxing. ZhaoYang Quan. Pu Dao- Pu Knife. Old Style Shaolin Saber. Basic Exercises Shaolin Style. Basics - Ji Ben Gong. Demonstration of Shaolin. Long Road Secret Fist Survey. Shaolin Demonstration. Arhat Boxing Small. The following listings contain a brief description of the animals, their inner essence or spirit, physical characteristics of the movements , corresponding Kung Fu techniques, typical Kung Fu sets and styles, appropriate weapons, common sounds, and finally the specialty of the respective animal style.
As with many categorizations in Kung Fu, these are not absolute. We should not fall into stereotyped thinking and remember that Kung Fu is alive. In particular, the weapons are not always unambiguous. The listed weapons and weapon sets are therefore nearby recommendations.
Hungry Tiger Snatches Goat. Although the dragon is not regarded as a "real" animal in the West, it is firmly established in Chinese philosophy and mythology and is valued as a fortune-teller everywhere. It is found not only in art, as a zodiac sign in astrology, in Feng Shui, in temples and fashion, but also in Chinese martial arts, where it is often regarded as the highest of the animal forms.
The dragon symbolizes " Shen ," meaning the spirit and its presence. The training of dragon techniques develops a clear, powerful mind and sharpens the mental focus. Dragon techniques are characterized by swaying, curving, majestic, soft and smooth movements. Frequently, the feet remain in the same place, while Shen-Fa body movement is used to evade and immediately counter again. Defense and attack are often united in a single pattern. As hand forms the "dragon palm" is used for striking, the "dragon hand form" and "One Finger Zen" for Dim-Mak and sometimes the "dragon claw".
The mind power strengthened by the dragon spirit is, of course, also of great use at work, decision-making and spiritual development.
By its manoeuvrability, its soft and round movements, it resembles the behaviour of harmonic chi. The serpent is often referred to as earth dragon, because of certain similarities and because of the close connection between energy and the spirit.
The characteristic feature of the snake in Kung Fu is " Chi ". Snake techniques are therefore particularly suitable for training energy flow, strengthening it and promoting endurance. In addition, Chi is the basic substance for internal force. The movements of snake techniques are, on the one hand, soft and flowing, but also very targeted and direct.
The "Snake-Hand" is the hand form most commonly used to thrust or slice. Improved energy flow promotes health, endurance and luck. The training of snake form and snake spirit is particularly helpful in these areas. While the lion is considered the undisputed king of the animals, the tiger is often regarded as the king of the jungle. Many Kung Fu styles have derived their 'identities' from the emulation of movements particular animals' movements. Among these, the Northern Praying Mantis -with roots that can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, and the martial artist Wang Lang- certainly holds a special place, due to the its distinctive moves.
A representative move is for instance the 'praying mantis hook', a technique in which a person joins between one and three fingers together in a movement which resembles the fast and powerful blow of a whip. This hook can be instrumental in blocking and diverting the opponent's strength or during an attack on the latter's vulnerable areas, which may be in turn particularly painful.
The Northern Praying Mantis is praised for the way in which its moves play out swiftly and in sequential continuity. Aside of the arms and the wrists, elbow and knee punches and strikes, its composite footwork, which is in great part inspired from the Monkey style, provides a wholesome unique aesthetic that welds the style with potency and effectiveness.
Also known as the Eight Trigram Palm, the style has been brought to life by Dong Haichuan in the first half of the 19th century. Like Tai Chi, Baguazhang is heavily influenced by Taoist philosophy and its notion of reality. The style is also characterized by slow, fluid movements, even though its techniques do differ to a great degree.
Circular footwork -or walking in circles- forms the basis of the Baguazhang Kung Fu style; everything starts from there. This footwork is especially important for evasion movements, and its mastery allows the practitioners to confront simultaneously several opponents. Baguazhang has, moreover, has developed an astonishing repertoire of techniques, which typically use the fist, elbows, palms, leg kicks, locks and throws, as well as a wide array of weapons.
The deer horn knives or crescent moon knives are most closely linked with the style. Last but not the least in the triumvirate of the internal styles which includes Tai Chi and Baguazhang is the Xingyiquan style, the oldest among the three.
At first glance, the Xingyiquan style is peculiar in that it defies the conventional characteristics of internal styles and yet is classified as such. It is important to realize this first point, otherwise you may spend many years practicing Shaolin Kungfu, and may even attain a high level in it, yet derive little benefits from your practice. This is because you may attain a high level of a low level art, which is quite common among many kungfu practitioners today. The second important point is to appreciate the difference between learning and practicing.
Learning involves knowing more and more material, often in theory.
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