Leopard Kung Fu

[Kung Fu Wang]

Leg lifts and crescent kicks increase front kick flexibility.

- Most people do front leg lift. Not everybody does back leg lift.
- Most people do inside crescent kick and outside crescent kick. Not everyone does hook kick (similar to outside crescent kick with horizontal foot).

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

if they know they can’t fight, why do it?

IMO, if a Kung Fu guy hasn't gone through serious sparring training, he has no right to represent the Kung Fu system to fight MMA guys.

Kung Fu guy: How many guys have you ever knocked down before.
MMA guy: I have knocked down 6 guys. How about you?
Kung Fu guy: I have knocked down 20 guys.
MMA guy: We don't need to fight. You win.

 

[marvin8]

Perfect dude. Just spot on. These MMA demos are perfect illustrations.

I met Matthew Blazon Yee once. Probably in Chinatown during New Year. He is my si suk, I think.

Are you involved in this lineage in some way? Or did you just come across this stuff before?

I only came across them while searching for the aforementioned concepts applied in sparring or fighting.

 

[Oily Dragon]

I hesitate to call them masters if they go down in one shot without even moving. Seen that about a dozen times already, I always wonder what they were thinking. if they know they can’t fight, why do it?

Honor.

The only thing worse than claiming to be a badass, fighting, and losing, is claiming to be a badass and never fighting, to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt.

From that point of view, all those kung fu fasters who got beat by Xu Xiadong were actually winners, in the Wimp Lo sense.

This is the Way.

 

[Oily Dragon]

"“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”"

 

[JowGaWolf]

I hesitate to call them masters if they go down in one shot without even moving. Seen that about a dozen times already, I always wonder what they were thinking. if they know they can’t fight, why do it?

I divide martial artist into 2 categories. scholars and warriors. The scholars have a lot of knowledge but they often don't have the fighting ability. The warriors are the opposite. They have good fighting knowledge but may lack the knowledge depth. A warrior would be happy to learn one form and to know how to apply all the techniques within that one form. A scholar wants to learn all the forms and to be knowledge able in all all the history and forms, but may choose not to spend much time trying to actually use the application.

It is rare to find people who are both warrior and scholar.

 

[CMyers0323]

I divide martial artist into 2 categories. scholars and warriors. The scholars have a lot of knowledge but they often don't have the fighting ability. The warriors are the opposite. They have good fighting knowledge but may lack the knowledge depth. A warrior would be happy to learn one form and to know how to apply all the techniques within that one form. A scholar wants to learn all the forms and to be knowledge able in all all the history and forms, but may choose not to spend much time trying to actually use the application.

It is rare to find people who are both warrior and scholar.

Makes alot of sense I remember hearing something similar years ago. I personally would love to be both but honestly it's not easy. Well to be both and be good at both is a whole different thing

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I divide martial artist into 2 categories. scholars and warriors. The scholars have a lot of knowledge but they often don't have the fighting ability. The warriors are the opposite. They have good fighting knowledge but may lack the knowledge depth. A warrior would be happy to learn one form and to know how to apply all the techniques within that one form. A scholar wants to learn all the forms and to be knowledge able in all all the history and forms, but may choose not to spend much time trying to actually use the application.

It is rare to find people who are both warrior and scholar.

Funny, my school at one point had shirts that said scholastic warrior on them…

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Honor.

The only thing worse than claiming to be a badass, fighting, and losing, is claiming to be a badass and never fighting, to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt.

From that point of view, all those kung fu fasters who got beat by Xu Xiadong were actually winners, in the Wimp Lo sense.

This is the Way.

My Sigung Woo is actually in that movie.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Honor.

The only thing worse than claiming to be a badass, fighting, and losing, is claiming to be a badass and never fighting, to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt.

From that point of view, all those kung fu fasters who got beat by Xu Xiadong were actually winners, in the Wimp Lo sense.

This is the Way.

Being a huckster or a charlatan and then getting beaten for some false sense of honor is NOT the way. Walking the path IS the way, pretending to have walked the path is NOT the way. There can be no mercy for the liar who sells and profits from a lie. From my point of view, Xu Xiadong is not all that skilled, and in most of those cases I think he is kind of a jerk for beating up old men with no skills at all. On the other hand, play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Part of walking the path is having the courage to be weak so that one can become strong. Having the ability to move in virtuous harmony is another. Knowing the resolution of conflict in oneself before moving it outside is yet another. These are the guard rails of the Way.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

- Most people do front leg lift. Not everybody does back leg lift.
- Most people do inside crescent kick and outside crescent kick. Not everyone does hook kick (similar to outside crescent kick with horizontal foot).

Some people do inside or outside crescent kick, but not very many practice inside crescent TO an outside crescent without putting the foot down. I make mine do it both ways. Similarly, 10 kicks without putting foot down in each of 6 directions. Kicks with opposite side punch while moving. These are basic training at my school.

 

[CMyers0323]

Yes, the Water punches in the Five Element Fist are rising backfists (like waves, hence the name) that target the underside of the jaw.


The canonical order, at least in the Wong Fei Hung system, is always in this order:

Dragon (Earth), Snake (Water), Tiger (Fire), Leopard (Metal), Wood (Crane).

Each of these has its own aspect in Cantonese (Mandarin in parenthesis). These are sometimes called the Ng Jing (5 essences). The ones bolded are the "internal" animals because they draw on the Neijia school methods (Tai Chi, Xing Yi, Bagua, etc). Many people who are only familiar with the northern, or narrower southern arts are unaware that the modern Hung Ga lineage incorporated all of that internal stuff long ago (but good luck getting a Tai Chi teacher to understand this).

Dragon is sun (shen), spirit. The driving force
Snake is hei (qi), energy. Internal energy flow
Tiger is gwot (gu), bone. Structural frame
Leopard is lek (li), strength. Horsepower
Crane is jing (jin), essence. Your inner battery

This is (right to left), Water, Water, Earth, Wood. The two on the right are rising backfists, the 3rd (from the right) strike flows into a falling hammer fist (Earth), and the last is Wood (squeezing) fist or Metal (Separating) depending on how it's done.

View attachment 30185
Fire:

View attachment 30191

Wood:

View attachment 30187

View attachment 30186

What form was this from? I've been trying to find a full version but can't seem to find one online

 

[Oily Dragon]

My Sigung Woo is actually in that movie.

Kung Pow, or Tiger and Crane Fists???

Sure hope it's the latter.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Being a huckster or a charlatan and then getting beaten for some false sense of honor is NOT the way.

Well I don't agree that the people he's beaten up are charlatans in the literal sense.

Charlatans sell fake arts. The Tai Chi and Wing Chun guys Xiaodong defeated were just poorly trained and didn't realize it.

The arts are legit, but there are people in all MA who think they are master killers but would crumple upon assault.

 

[CMyers0323]

I think this was mentioned earlier but I can't seem to find the post on it but here's a 50 minute video on the 10 pattern fist "Sup Ying Kuen'

 

[Oily Dragon]

What form was this from? I've been trying to find a full version but can't seem to find one online

It's from several.

Taming the Tiger in Pattern I contains splitting Gold, Water fists, Wood Shaped fists.

These are all also in the Tiger and Crane Paired Fist, which is where the first image is from.

I'll post the full posters when I get home, but generally the first two fist sets in Hung Ga these two. Then Five Animal (Five Animal/Five Element or 10 Pattern Fist in Lam family) flesh out the animal and elements, then Iron Wire brings them all full circle (but is almost entirely Dragon, Wood, and Metal).

 

[CMyers0323]

It's from several.

Taming the Tiger in Pattern I contains splitting Gold, Water fists, Wood Shaped fists.

These are all also in the Tiger and Crane Paired Fist, which is where the first image is from.

I'll post the full posters when I get home, but generally the first two fist sets in Hung Ga these two. Then Five Animal (Five Animal/Five Element or 10 Pattern Fist in Lam family) flesh out the animal and elements, then Iron Wire brings them all full circle (but is almost entirely Dragon, Wood, and Metal).

Makes sense I it does seem like those water, metal and wood moves aren't posted online from the search I did. Although most results don't seem to match.

Makes sense that's cool. It seems that poster atleast is fairly hard to find there's no clear image online.

Sounds good! I'll look forward to seeing it. It's cool to see them go from Element to element. I still haven't seen any books about it where they mention the aspects of the elements like we've talked here. It seems these things are either secret/ hidden or just not popular. I'm sure it's fleshed out so it's just about finding more about it.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

My Sigung Woo is actually in that movie.

He was in a lot of movies, but he never did any martial arts in them per se.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Kung Pow, or Tiger and Crane Fists???

Sure hope it's the latter.

Kung pow. He is sitting on a bench with bunch of other old guys. He was in a lot of movies and shows. I think his last big one was lethal weapon 4 where he played the grandfather of the jet li character. He got into stunt man work after living in Hollywood and meeting stars. My Sifu lived with him and also became a stuntman in the 70s and 80s.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Well I don't agree that the people he's beaten up are charlatans in the literal sense.

Charlatans sell fake arts. The Tai Chi and Wing Chun guys Xiaodong defeated were just poorly trained and didn't realize it.

The arts are legit, but there are people in all MA who think they are master killers but would crumple upon assault.

Ok I get what you mean, but how can you train for real and get to the point of teaching and not know if you can do it? That’s just unfathomable to me. My teachers taught me to turn myself inside out to find and know my weaknesses and be certain of what is and what is not in my potential. I have had to adjust this over the years to account for age and injury. While I know I have no business trying out for UFC. I can still do well with most people. The teachers that got beat never even moved in those videos and some of them seemed barely able to stand up. There were a couple that were seemingly delusional about what was about to occur. It seems to me that a legitimate career in martial arts would lend some sense of reality if you take my meaning.