Crab Kung Fu

[newtothe dark]

Great post LanJie!!!!!:headbangin:

 

[LanJie]

Thank you very much. Hopefully we will eventually find a reasonable answer to the crab kung fu question.
Regards,
Steve

 

[Zeno]

Thank you very much for the information, Steve. That's exactly the kind of thing this thread was aiming for. I'll do a bit of hunting around to see what I can find. Apparently there's a number of rare animal kung fu styles, most of which I've never heard of. Could some of it possibly be BS? Sure. But I'm leaning towards crab having existed in one way or another.

 

[LanJie]

Zeno,
I am glad I could help. I looked at my information on Ngo Cho Kun (Five Ancestor Fist) and Choy Li Fut but they both have no crab forms or techniques.

I believe the problem with a lot of this type of research is that is difficult to even find out about the forms of a system some times. The southern systems which have animal forms in them are not as common in the states as they are in Asia.

With the exception of Hung Gar and Choy li Fut one rarely can find Mok Gar Kuen, Choy Gar Kuen, Lau Gar Kuen (The are a lot of schools in the U.K), and do not recall ever finding Li Gar.

Sifu Tai Yim has a great Hung Fut organization but the information on the forms of the system is scarce.

Regards,
Steve

 

[Topeng]

Crab can be defeated with a special shampoo. Ask your doctor.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Crab can be defeated with a special shampoo. Ask your doctor.

Do you mean this? Must be very effective, haven't seen an Crab schools.

 

[aleksander]

Crab style kung fu is far from being dead - this is misleading! It is a very rare system (the same as goose, chicken, toad, terrapin (turtle), locust/grasshopper, and even southern Snake fist (as depicted in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow). And there are many more, for instance, Taiwanese butterfly and black crane systems, drunken praying mantis, elephant style ...). Crab system is non-commercial (traditional) style and is still practised in China. It consists of only 2 empty hand forms.

 

[LanJie]

Crab style kung fu is far from being dead - this is misleading! It is a very rare system (the same as goose, chicken, toad, terrapin (turtle), locust/grasshopper, and even southern Snake fist (as depicted in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow). And there are many more, for instance, Taiwanese butterfly and black crane systems, drunken praying mantis, elephant style ...). Crab system is non-commercial (traditional) style and is still practised in China. It consists of only 2 empty hand forms.

Hello Aleksander:

I was wondering if you could provide any more information on this systems i.e. masters that teach them, history and lineage, or the names and locations the schools.

I have read some vague references to existence of Black Crane.

I have been told about a southern snake style master that was killed by Ng Mui (Wu Mei) and that is why his snake system died out.

The only time I have heard of drunken praying mantis was that it was a contemporary Wushu form, that was used in the CCK Tai Chi Praying mantis tournament several years ago. It was used in the open hand form category I believe. I have heard of a number of drunken forms in northern mantis systems. Is this system northern or southern?

I have heard of elephant kung fu but to my knowledge this was a Choy Li Fut form in the linage of Sifu Doc Fai Wong's School.

Hallander, Jane. “Choy Li Fut's Elephant Form.”
Inside Kung-Fu. (December 1997): 42-47.

Any references would be most helpful.

Regards,

Steve

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Crab style kung fu is far from being dead - this is misleading! It is a very rare system (the same as goose, chicken, toad, terrapin (turtle), locust/grasshopper, and even southern Snake fist (as depicted in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow). And there are many more, for instance, Taiwanese butterfly and black crane systems, drunken praying mantis, elephant style ...). Crab system is non-commercial (traditional) style and is still practised in China. It consists of only 2 empty hand forms.

Says who? Where do you get this information from? What are the sources?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Crab system is non-commercial (traditional) style and is still practised in China.

That's an awfully big area, care to tell me where in China: province, city, etc?

 

[Zeno]

Kinda hoping he comes back to provide some reasoning towards his post. I want to see some more substance.

 

[Chitmunk]

I apologize, but there is really no need to be getting rude about another persons thirst for knowledge. Most video games these days (especially the one-on-one fighters) are trying to get a little more realistic with their movements so it is very possible that an art seen in a style could have roots in reality. The poster has obviously done some research before posting here to find out that the art is already dead, and was simply seeking knowledge to educate. Most animal styles were based on how one animal faces another, and certain crabs can sever fingers as well as the odd quick sideways movement and hard shell, taking those things into accout it is very possible that someone could have made a system emphasizing those points into an effective fighting style. Whether or not there is such a style I have no knowledge myself, but it is very rude to insult someone who is simply trying to gather information and real martial artists should never be rude. If you don't think the style exsists there is no problem with saying so, but to sarcastically critisize someone who had a simple question is below the honor of a warrior and one who does so should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[Chitmunk]

most of the posts on here that claim the style doesn't exsist back their claims by attacking the poster, and the poster's sources. Where are the facts? Attacking Zeno like that is like sucker punching an opponent showing his respects for a friendly challenge, it is bad form and utterly shameful... most of you owe Zeno an apology. What makes this worse is that compared to many of you I am just a young pup at 25 years of age and I am having to call all of you out for this lack of respect. Those of you who really tried to see if there was info out there for Zeno, this rant does not apply to you and you have earned my respect, reguardless of how much or how little you may value it. Keep up the search Zeno, I am very interested in what you may, or may not find out.

 

[tshadowchaser]

Ok folks lets keep the personal stuff off this thread


Lets instead return to the question

Anyone know anything about it really?

If there are any of you looking for information on the system/style and you find anything proving the existence of it please post here.

 

[Zeno]

Here's another discussion about Crab Kung Fu. Just for anyone who may be interested.

Yes, that's right, this thread will NEVER die!

http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-30016.html

 

[bowser666]

Not sure if anyone posted this yet,

Full article.

Within our system we have a from called the Crab. There is also a gentlemen by the name of Sanchez, I believe, who practices a style called the crab but I could not give you any details on what he does. As far as what our form does it would be hard to detail it in words on the internet but just to briefly thumbnail etch out a little to you, there are techniques aimed at placing you in position to do some cross stepping techniques aimed at the opponents legs, to damaged the legs and take the person down. The fingers are used in a pincher type style to attack vulnerable areas of the body. Strong fingers are a good idea, the stronger the fingers the more effective the form and to that end finger tip pushups are practiced along with special exercises with iron palm bags and other equipment.

Hope this helps a little. It seems to be quite obscure. There are also many more living styles of Kung Fu out there. You might researching those interesting as well. Probably find more about them as well.

 

[Zeno]

This has been brought to the attention of the thread previously as a basis for the belief in Crab Kung Fu. It just seems this style is under a lot of debate and scrutiny, running as high as to question it even ever existing whatsoever. I can see it, but a lot of others can't, as you can probably tell.

 

[aleksander]

There was said much about crab style of kung fu. Some say it is ridiculous and non-existent, some admit its existence. My curiosity about this style arouse when I first saw it in numerous old kung fu movies, so I thought the Chinese could have made it up for cinematic reasons - but later I found out that this is not true for all the styles depicted and presented in those movies. To be honest, some are made of but some are true. But this can be seen from the styles moves - some moves/techniques just don't work, and there is higher probability for the style's non-existence. Well, according to my humble research, the crab style somehow survived - not just in the movies and is far from being dead. I suspect it tobe a national/cultural treasure of the Chinese kung fu community and is thus reserved for the dedicated ones, preferably Chinese.
I was so curious about it that I contacted Sifu Matheus Lao Shi from UK who is the native Chinese, a master of kung fu, and who had an opportunity to travel through China and research the 'rare' but respected styles of 'real' kung fu (not contemporary wushu). He told me that the Chinese are a very tight-closed community who rarely trust a newcomer who is not being tested before. They hide their feelings and words, and many more of 'their' things from easy-going Westerners like us. They are smart! And this way they jealously hide martial arts like crab boxing, goose boxing, turtle boxing, etc. These styles do exist - in some isolated villages, under different names - camouflaged! This is because of the communist regime which prohibited 'real and deadly' kung fu by establishing contemporarily modified wushu forms with which they feed the Westerners - this way they want to show us there is nothing worthy in kung fu and that it is all about flashy acrobatics and unreal techniques. This way they want to get rid of strangers so that they would not steal their national treasure and sell it around cheap.
Sifu Lao Shi told me that Crab fist originated from Hung Gar and that it has only 2 forms which immitate the crab by moving and fighting sideways. The style's name should be Long Zun Quan.
Well, I am still curious about if this is a village stye of kung fu - which village, who founded it and why, and why Long Zun Quan when the name for Crab kung fu should be Pang Xie Quan!?
If anybody knows these answers, I would be happy if you guys could share it with me.
Of course, crab style is enshrouded in a mystery a lot, but - be patient - the style will be disclosed sooner or later.
You can contact Sifu Mattheus Lao Shi via his website: 'Shaolin Gung fu Society'.
Keep it up!

 

[zeeberex]

I have never heard of it in any of the Chinese systems but I believe I once heard of it when someone was referring to the way some of the Ninjutsu practitioners moved. Perhaps this question should be asked of them also

Of course I could be completely incorrect on this

sorry, it's new to me.

 

[kaizasosei]

I always thought that it was crabish to walk in the bridge or on all fours with the hands dropping backwards
Basically, to explain, you are sitting on the floor leaning back and then you raise your pelvis so you are no longer on your butt, feet are planted flat on the floor or on toes and arms are holding up the upper body.. If one walks in this position, or in the bridge-which is even more difficult, it seems similar to a crab- kindof like breakdancing. or in the anime samurai champloo there is the character mugen that fights in such a way-being from okinawa the favorite food of mugen is crab. hmmm...may be a connection there.

in shaolin i saw this exercise called the 'panther walk' where one walks in the pushup position. It looks like it's really good for strength. I'm doing many pushups everyday now sometimes only 20 a day, just the other day though i did 108 and after that again 70. I'm seeing that pushups strengthen not only the arms and chest but all sorts of parts of the back and waist. I'm thinking the crab style trains flexibilty and agility. It's a fairly natural position.