 |  Shaolin Kung Fu
- Monks at Shaolin Temple have been trained to pray without the blink of an eye and kill with a flash of the hand. They are the masters of Shaolin in Kung Fu. A combination of shadow boxing, sword play and body control techniques that has gained a wide following in China.Praying Mantis - This is also known as Tong Long, the style was invented by a chinese boxer named Wong Long. One day while meditating, he noticed a grasshopper and praying mantis locked in battle and observed the mantis was fighting in a definate pattern. The mantis would make lightning strikes from it's crawl like front limbs, then beat a hasty retreat out of harms way when the grasshopper retaliated. He examined every move of the mantis and formulated a system of fighting derived from the mantis. Bok Hok Pai - This style is known as the White Crane. It was invented by the Tibetan Lamas and was originally reserved for the use of elite corps of bodyguards that protected the emperor of China. It came into being after Lama saw a fight between a white crane and an ape. He noticed the ape rushed into the attack, the crane would defend by evading and then retailiate with it's wings. The Lama put together eight techniques from the crane's natural movements and incorporated them with the ape's footwork and grabbing maneuvers. Hung Gar - This is an adaptation of the Sholin Tiger System, but it also has aspects of the White Crane in it. It is characterized by low wide stances that produce strong solid legs. This low stance is called a horse stance, or mapu. It is a hard kung fu style, containing a powerful thrust punch which always results in a knockout. Hung was taught the style by a Sholin monk named Gee Seen and the art stresses close quarter fighting methods. Choy Lay Fut - This style was originated by Chan Heung. It began as a secret combat training method for forming the chinese rebels into a fighting force during the opium wars of the 19th century. The power source is this style is the waist, both high and low kicks in the execution of it's techniques. This long range system of booxing involves many deceptive and elusive foot maneuvers. The hand techniques incorporate hooks and uppercuts, backfists and roundhouse punches, all deliverd iwth devastating force. Shukokai - One of Mabuni's senior students, Chojiro Tani, split from the organization to develop his own theories on karate for competition, which at the time was gaining great momentum. Tani named this new style, Shukokai, which means Way of All. Through constant research Tani developed faster kicks and higher stances. The higher stances gave pratitioners greater mobility and speedier delivery of techniques. Tani also developed foam punching pads as training aids. Because this style teaches relaxation before the impact of a punch, it increases acceleration, thus creating a greater force. Tai Chi Chuan - This is an internal style of Kung Fu founded by the Taiost mystic, Chang San-Feng. Legend relates that while he was living in the mountains he brewed a hipnotic drink, and after drinking he fell into a deep sleep and dreamed strange dreams. The dreams contained a series of fighting manieuvers, all of them based on a complete yielding to attack. Upon awakening two days later, he put into practice everything that he had dreamt. The practice consisted of a slow motion excercise that never stopped. Each movement slipped into the next in an ever continuing circle. Within two years Chang began to look youthful and was full of vitality. This he attributed to the solid exercise. Some years later he took a disciple named Chen Chia Kou and taught him everything he knew. Later Chen taught the exercise to his own family. The Chen family kept the secret of the form for more than 400 years. A descendant elaborated the exercise and the style eventually split into two branches. The other branch became the Yang style that is popular in the west today. Pa-Kua - This is another internal system of Kung Fu, and means Eight Tri-Grams, which are the fundamental symbols of the I-Ching or book of changes. The style is basesd on the premise that if you defend yourself at the 8 compass points covered by the trigrams you will be fully protected from attack. The art has many open palm strikes and the footwork is based on the circle. There is one central pattern, called the Da Mu Hsing or Great Mother form, which is the foundation of Pa-Kua. Emphasis is placed upon developing Chi energy. At advanced stages of learning the student mounts his attacks in twisting, spiralling movements. The twist is done form the waist and generates tremendous power. Hsing-1 - This is the last of the three internal styles, invented by a general named Yueh Fei. It is sometimes known as Chinese Mind Boxing. Although the movements are very graceful, the art stresses the Yin-Yang principle of complementary oppisites, hard and soft. The basic movements are derived from the fie chinese elements of metal, water, wood, fire and earth, each of which has the power to overcome the other. Fire is overcome by water, which in it's turn is overcome by earth, earth by wood, wood by metal and metal by fire. In Hsing-1 these elements are represented by five basic movements, splitting, crushing, pounding, drilling and crossing. Within the framework are the primary movements to cover every angle and direction of attack and defense. The main aim of the prationer is to unite his mind with body. The variations on the basic motions number in their thousands and they are all executed at a very high speed. Shotokai - Shotokai Karate is similar to Shotokan in that the stances are low. Followers of the Shotokai style broke away from the parent group because they believed that it was deviating from the tradional teachings laid down by Funakoshi. The split was led by many of the older instructors. Karate - Means Empty Hands, began on the japanese island of Okinawa and was greatly influenced by chinese combat methods and systems. Three main schools of fighting came into being; Naha-Te, Tomari-Te and Shuri-Te, named after the towns on Okinawa that nurtured them. Okinawan-Te, as Karate was first known, was introduced in Japan by a mild mannered Okinawan schoolmaster named Gichin Funakoshi, an expert in the punching and kicking arts of his island homeland, where his teacher was a great master named Azato. Funakoshi put a diplay of the art for the emperor of Japan, who was so impressed that he asked him to stay in Japan and teach. Funakoshi soon became the idol of japanese martial arts circle. He opened his first school, also known as a Dojo, in Tokyo. It was known as Shotokan or Shoto's Club, kan meaning club, and shoto came from a pen name when he wrote poetry. At the time the art was still known as Okinawan-Te, but later changed to Karate-Do, Way of the Empty Hand. Within years the opening of the first school, several other styles were introduced to the country by other Okinawan masters. Funakoshi's son, Yoshitaka, became a driving force behind his father's club, and it is him that famous Mawashi Geri or Roundhouse Kick, is accredited. In April, 1957, Gichin Funakoshi, whom many have termed The Father of Karate, died at the age of 88. Modern Karate is based upon strikes using punches and kicks combined with many different foot manuevers and hip gyrations. Traditonalists, especially from the Okinawan schools, will not take part in modern Karate Tournaments and Competitions, believing that Karate was developed for self defense, not sport. It is generally accepted that the style with the most followers worldwide is Shotokan. At world level, two organizations exist for the governing of Karate, WUKO, The World Union of Karate Organizations, and Fajko, The Federation of All Japan Karate Organizations. Like Kung Fu, Karate is broken up into many styles. Much of the Karate that is practiced in the world today is the original Shotokan style. As Funakoshi's students became adept at the techinques, many broke away from the original Shotokan school and formulated systems of their own. Shito-Ryu - Kenwa Mabuni, who had studied under the same master as Funakoshi, but who also had two other teachers, named Itosu and Higaonna. It was after these two teachers that Mabuni named his style, Shito, which came from the characters used to write his teachers names. Mabuni loved Kata and as a result there are more then 60 in this style. The key feature in Shito is the avoidence of unecessary movements which waste time and energy. Sankukai - Years after Tani established his style, his senior student, Yoshino Nanbu, left him to found his own school, developed from Shukokai, called Sankukai. Nanbu gained a certain amount of success on the Japenese Karate Tournament scene, winning the all Japan student's Championchips three times. For no known reason, he dropped out of the Shukokai world. The methods of Sankukai bear resemblence to some chinese kung fu schools. After establishing Sankukai schools in many parts of the world, Nanbu left his organization and formed a system he named after himself, Nanbudo which places great stress on a training exercise, called Nanbu Taiso, which has soft fluid movements. Wado-Ryu - This style of Karate means, Way of Peace, was founded by Hidenori Otsuka, a senior student of Funakoshi. He spent much of his youth studying Jiu Jitsu, from which he forumulated Wado-Ryu. The style is thought by many to be the fastest of all Karate shchools. Wado employs very light and fast techniques, perferring evasion to meeting brute force head on. Goju-Ryu - This style, whose name means Hard-Soft Style, was developed by an Okinawan named Chojun Miyagi from the orginal style of Naha-Te. Miyagi's instructor was the great Kanryo Higonna, who spent much of his youth on mainland china and studied chinese boxing methods. After Funakoshi left Okinawa for Japan, Miyago followed. His intention was to open a Karate school, but bouts of severe home sickness led him to return to Okinawa. Miyagi devoted his life to futher Goju. This style remained pure and followed the traditional patterns which he formulated. Kyokushinkai - This style of Karate, which means The Way of Ultimate Truth, was created by Mastatsu Oyama, who was once a student of Shotokan under Gichin Funakoshi. Oyama was korean by birth and was exposed to both chinese and korean martial arts. He abandoned Shotakan and stayed isolated for two years in the mountains of japan and during that time formulated a new karate system based on actual combat effectiveness. Oyama is famous for fighting bulls with his bare hands. In the early 1970's he introduced a type of tournament competition called Knockdown, which allowed full power strikes to the body. The bout ends when a fighter is knocked to the ground. He believed this was a true test of a karateka's fighting ability. Goju-Kai - A one time student of Goju, Gogen Yamaguchi, broke away from Goju-Ryu to form his own style of Goju-Kai. Yamaguchi is known in world karate circles as the Cat, because of his remarkable agility. A great deal of emphasis is placed upon special breathing techniques. Taekwondo - The name of Taekwondo translated means Way of the Foot and Fist. Although Taekwondo is of modern development, it's roots can be traced back nearly 1500 years. A buddhist monk named Wong Kwang is said to have originated the five principles that form the basis of Taekwondo. These five principles were; Be loyal to your king; Be obedient to your parents; Be honorable to your friends; Never retreat in battle; Kill with justice. On April 11, 1955, Taekwondo became the national martial art of Korea. The first competitive championships were held the following year. In 1966, the first International Taekwondo Federation was formed, known as the ITF. Due to political pressures, General Choi then left the country and with him went his organization the ITF. The Dorean government quickly set up a rival organization to the ITF, called the World Taekwondo Federation, also known as WTF. Today, both of these groups exitst although the WTF is by far the larger of the two. Kickboxing - Kickboxing is a combination of muay tai and full contact karate in one. Associations were formed and rules were intstituded, and a kickboxing gained a high degree of popularity. Low kicks to the legs are not allowed, but apart from that and a few other rules, kickboxing is simular to the martial art ring sports. Jiu Jitsu - The Art of Flexablity. Jiu Jitsu with it's vast range of locks, holds, and strangulation techniques, that armed forces of many countries made the foundation for their unarmed combat training. Judo - Judo is a less lethal form of Jiu Jitsu and more of a sport than a fighting system. In 1964, Judo became an olympic sport, and remains in the games, because of the limited techniques that Judo offered. Aikido - The Way of Harmony, was created by Morihei Uyeshiba, and is based on avoiding conflict by neutralizing an opponen's attacks. The art has flowing, circular movements, the use of kia, vital energy that is cultivated in all it's adherents. Uyeshiba developed the techniques of Aikido from his study of the many styles of Jiu Jitsu in Japan. It is said that Aikido adept resembles the eye of a hurricane. Remains quiet, difficult to overcome, because of the circular energy that surrounds him. KendoKendo - Kendo is The Way of the Sword, it's system of sporting combat in which the participants try to score points by striking the opponent with a bamboo, imitation sword, called a Shinai. The uniform consists of a long split skirt, called a Hakawa, a special armoured breastplate, a full head mask, and thicly padded gloves. Kendo orgignated from an early battlefield art called Kenjutsu, which is not a sport but simply the art of killing an enemy as quickly as possible. Bojujtsu - Participants fight with poles measuring around six feet in length, a japanese art of staff fighting. La Savate - It is thought that the style originated somewhere in the far east. The art does not include hand strikes. In a series of elaborate hand stands, the Savate expert can flip his feet in the air and kick to the opponents head. Leaping kicks are also included inthe range of these techniques. Stick Art of Escrima - Arnis De Mano, The Harness of the Hand, which they fight with two hardwood sticks. Their expertise is incredible and on many occations they defeated spanish invaders who were armed with swords and lances. Muay Thai / Thai Boxing - In the early days, this hand and foot method of combat was extremely dangerous, even as a sport. Before the formal rules and regulations were introduced, contestants would get into a ring to fight wearing crude boxing gloves made of hemp and often these gloves were dipped in a mixture of glue and ground glass. Almost one in three fights ended in the death of one of it's competitors. The most lethal blown in Thai boxing was the elbow strike to the temple, which is now banned. | 'ONLY BY SEEKING, ONE CAN FIND' |
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