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Five Animals
Five animals style is a popular form of martial arts commonly found in Southern China. The style includes elements of tiger, crane, leopard, snake and dragon kung fu strikes, kicks and throws and each of these animals is representative of certain mental characteristic, along side mastery of the physical techniques ,practitioners are encouraged to absorb in spirit the essence of; the tiger, simple, strong, straightforward and powerful; the crane, defensive, non aggressive and elegant; the leopardis complex and cunning, whereas the snake represents precision, speed & knowledge. The mythological dragon represents a combination of all the former qualities and mastery of the separate styles merging into one.
The key to understanding this fascinating and intricate style is really to look at Chinese thought in relation to the animals. To the Chinese the dragon bears no resemblance whatsoever to what some might think of as the western equivalent, the dinosaur. In Chinese thought the dragon is thought of as a metaphysical creature that is only visible to those it wishes to be visible to. It is believed that it can change its size; it can expand and contract. It is further believed that it exists either in the sea or in the clouds. It is a regal creature and legend has it that it appears in the visions of the enlightened. As a martial arts style, it can be categorised by use of palm, fist and claw techniques and a effective way from which generation of power is created in the waist, whipped into the hand violently and then issued into opponents Qigong breathing exercises are also commonly found in this style.
The tiger is a proud animal famed for its courage, strength and ferocity, an external style, practitioners use strong, low stances and form their fingers into strong claws, often capable of taking the bark off trees in a single strike. Typically the style can be characterised by its grabbing, jabbing and clawing motions to the opponents face, groin and arms, although it does use palm strikes and certain kicking methods. Its ferocity and directness are famed among Chinese martial artists.
standing on a beach in the morning with Mr Miagi in the distance, holding one leg high. Although this works very well in the movie, in real life crane practitioners would rarely adopt such a pose or engage in such a combat movement as it is ineffective.
In Chinese thought the leopard is only second, in terms of power, to the tiger. Instead of brute power the leopard relies on cunning and speed. It has quick footwork and employs explosive-like power when issuing force. The leopard style has a unique fist formation which by bending back the fingers and bringing in the thumb tightly to the palm, the hand can adopt a paw like posture with a sharp edge on the protruding knuckles. This is typically employed to strike vulnerable spots and one might expect to see a practitioner in combat first adopting a low stance and then the paw like fists turning in circular like motions before striking out in a quick succession of powerful blasts towards an intended target.
The leopard style primarily focuses on speed and consistency in its method of attacks in order to be successful. Although not commonly mentioned in five animal literature, I know from my own experience that when learning the five animal arts, my teacher certainly encouraged me to try to not just copy the typical movements of the animals but to actually try to understand and feel the essence of the animals by separating emotion from consciousness. practitioners are usually expected to try to cultivate a deep affinity with the animal and it said that from that core understanding the movements of the style will be imbued with spirit taking on a life of their own. It is then believed that after absorbing the spiritual essence of the four animals and their movements, mastery of the mythological dragon will naturally manifest within the practitioner.
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Five Animals - Chris Crudelli Martial IQ Forums
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