The Five Animal Shaolin Kung Fu

[Kajukenbopr]

oh, by the way.

The movements are BASED on animal movements, we are not doing animal movements per se. So, if anyone repeats the comment: it is not unnatural to do 5 animal kung fu(or karate) because its based on animals but focused on human potential.

Boxing, although it does teach good fighting principles, forgets about the legs, looking for some better stability and better footwork. When it was created, they left out the legs to make it a more interesting sport.

Also, can anyone say what full human potential really is? boxing is one way to see it, animal forms are another. but that is not all. gymnasts keep reminding us that we are capable of so much more and we stay content with our "average"(which is actually far below are capabilities), and not try to gain from what nature gave us.

[JimmyNewton]

what are the 5 animals?

[JimmyNewton]

and can i get a brief description of each?

[JimmyNewton]

i was under the impression..and based on what i've searched.

the 5 are

tiger

panther

snake

dragon

and crane

however..i've heard mention of monkey?

are panther and tiger closely related?

[Traditional-Fist]

i was under the impression..and based on what i've searched.

the 5 are

tiger

panther

snake

dragon

and crane

however..i've heard mention of monkey?

are panther and tiger closely related?

In Shaolin Five animales the panther and leopord are one and the same.

The rest of the animales that you have listed combine with the panther/leopord to make up the five animale system. This system balances the strenghs, internals/externals within the essence of these animales to make up a potent fighting system.

Other prominent animales in the shaolin system include the monkey, the eagle and the praying mantis. But these are not part of the five animales system.

[h2whoa]

Animal style was developed during the Ming Dynasty. This is considered to be the finest of all version of Shaolin Kung Fu, just after the 1000 styles and just before the full outlawing of Shaolin and Kung Fu training in China. Ancient kung fu masters often developed their fighting techniques by observing the world around them. Animals, birds, and insects.

in the 16th century, when a wealthy young man named Kwok Yuen entered the monastery to study their methods of boxing. A skilled swordsman, Kwok Yuen not only mastered the Shaolin art, but expanded its fighting patterns into 72 exercises. Still yearning for greater knowledge, he left the Temple and traveled throughout China in search of other boxing masters. Eventually, he met two other experts: Pak Yook Fong and an old man named Li. The three retired to a monastery, where the 72 movements of Kwok Yuen were increased to 170. These techniques were then classified into five different animal forms: the dragon, tiger, leopard, crane, and snake. Thus was born Shaolin Kung Fu's "Five Form Fist."

Now I must agree that it does conform each style to a persons body type and ability, but I think that before you commit yourself go watch one or two claasses, join one or two, and see if its right for you!

[shogeri]

Regardless of which style or how many styles a person practices, there are key components that follow them wherever they might go.

That is, the complete fighter is this:

A person who can instinctively and consistently move from one position to the next, gaining the advantage.

A person who constantly strives to do nothing but win.

A person who can effectively deliver any combination of strikes regardless of their body position.

A person who is in fantastic physical shape.

A person who is in fantastic mental shape.

A person who understands their limitations, but then finds ways around them.

A person who understands what it takes to win, and works toward that goal everyday, all the time.

Those are just to name a few.

The true heart of a champion lies not only in sacrifice, but also in commitment to themselves, their family, and their passions in life.

That's my own quote...

Good luck in finding the answers you seek.

[harmoniouswarrior]

what are the 5 animals?

The five animals are generally characterized as/for:

Tiger: strength and courage

Dragon: flexibility and deceptiveness

Snake: internal stregth (no limbs, so strength is from the inside out)

Leopard: speed

Crane: balance and grace.

The problem with choosing 'the one' that best fits us is we miss out on stretching ourselves to learn/do more than we thought possible, and so becoming better, more complete martial artists. For example, when I began five animal kempo, thought very little of the crane. But over time, doing crane forms helped strenghten my old, beat up knees so I went from severe knee braces, to moderate, to none in a couple of years (and it built strength and flexibility in other joints as well).

But if your system only teaches one, maybe that can be a launching point, and you can add from there.

I once studied under one grandmaster who said in effect, I don't mind you learning other systems, just wait till you get to green belt before branching out. Pretty solid advice.

[ovine king]

i'm going to give a nice and general way of looking at things.

the five animals are different ways to look at how your body can work and move.

the five animals form i know is based on tiger, snake, crane, dragon, panther/leopard principles.

using animal traits helps you to further understand the hows and whys of the thing you are doing.

it also allowed the poetic people to give the movement fancy names back in the day when martial arts were a high class thing.

[KF Dude]

I have been looking into taking some animal kung fu. Now Shorin Ryu uses some White Crane cause it is base of Shaolin kung fu. But i want to learn something with strength behind it, what should i do?

Our animals are so intertwined with other core basic principles & philosophies of Hung-Ga, I don't know if they could be of any value as a separate system. I'd look further into how Shorin Ryu has intergrated the crane into the style.