Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
The discussion on the Big Cat thread made me realize there might be a need for a separate discussion on just what it is that makes something an "Animal Style". I think there's a lot of confusion on this topic and most people don't really understand what it means. So I'm gonna try to lay it out there and shed some light on the case. Obviously I'm writing from my specific experiences with the system in which I've trained, Tibetan White Crane. I have not trained in any other animal styles and cannot speak for them, but I suspect there may be certain parallels and commonalities. I also welcome anyone with experience in other animal systems to speak up and add to the discussion and make comparisons/contrasts to what they train and the experiences they've had.
I think that most people think of physical technique when they consider an animal style. Crane style would use a lot of crane beak strikes, tiger style would use a lot of clawing techniques, eagle claw style would also use clawing techniques, preying mantis would use hooking and grasping techniques, etc. On a superficial level this is true, but in my experience this is not really what makes for an "animal style". These kinds of hand techniques are found in many different martial arts, and yet those systems are not animal styles, and often cannot even claim to be influenced by an animal style. Clawing and grasping techniques are very common among Asian martial arts, even naming the techniqes "Tiger Claw", yet the style is NOT a Tiger style, for example. I suspect most systems can claim the use of these techniques on some level or other.
An animal style does take inspiration from a particular animal. It does harbor a body of techniques that can relate to particular observable animal movements or animal fighting or hunting habits. But this is superficial and again is not what really defines the system. Instead, there should be an underlying principle or set of principles, and a methodology that is an expression of those principles, that defines the style. And ultimately, this translates into an approach to how one trains, more than dictates the type of technique one would use. For example, if one would observe a skilled Tibetan White Crane stylist in an actual fight, it would probably look very much like any fight. What I mean is, you would not observe any special "crane techniques" in the fight. You would not observe a plethora of crane-beak strikes, or anything else that would look "crane-y" to the observer. Instead, you would see punches and strikes that look very similar to what anybody from any other system might do. The difference is not visible to the eye, but is apparent to the one being struck: a skilled white crane punch is tremendously powerful, and the training method used in white crane develops the ability to deliver strikes that are extremely destructive.
I'm going to explain the deepest secret of Tibetan White Crane, right here, for everyone to know: Rooting and Rotation/Pivot. That's it. That's the secrect of White Crane and that is taught to a beginning student on the first day of training. If you understand that, there is nothing else to know. There are no secret techniques, no magical "crane hand" strikes or anything like that. In fact, the stereotypical "crane beak" strike that most people think of is something that we make very little use of. Sure we have it, but it's not very common in our system. Instead, we punch, we use palm strikes, we grab, claw, tear, twist, kick, etc. Pretty much we use all the standard strikes that one would find in any other strike-centric system.
So, how is Rooting and Rotation the secret of white crane? That is our approach to training our strikes. That is what the bird, the crane itself, inspired in the founder of our system, if we can believe the oral history that tells us back in the 1400s a Tibetal Lama witnessed a fight between a crane and a monkey, and from that encounter he recognized a method to develop a very powerful strike, which he originally called Lion's Roar. We have a very specific method that we use to learn to root our feet on the ground, and then use that root and the power of our legs to drive a full-body rotation which we use to deliver our strikes. That's it, in a nut shell. Now, we do have numerous types of punches that we use, some of which would seem unusual to people from other systems. These "crane technique" punches are useful and can sort of define and identify the system on a superficial level, but again, these specific techniques are not what makes it White Crane. Rather, these techniques are an expression of our fundamental method: rooting and rotation. These techniques are practiced as a method of reinforcing those fundamental principles of rooting and rotation, they are a way of training that skill into the body. Once that skill is developed, then we can use it to drive any movement, any technique, even if it is not one of our standard "crane punches". Because those punches are not the true goal. The true goal is to develop that ability to root and use body rotation to make any movement at all into a potentially powerful technique.
That is what makes our system White Crane.
Now I recognize that White Crane is not the only system that uses rooting and rotation to power its techniques. I expect these concepts and principles are found in many systems in some form or other. What makes it White Crane is our specific methodology for training and developing this skill. I believe that our specific training methodology is unique, no other system besides the family of Tibetan methods that came from the original Lion's Roar, uses a similar method. Other systems develop a similar skill, but they do not go about it the same way that we do.
This is the kind of thing that I believe makes for an animal system. Not the specific body of techniques, but rather the underlying method of training, that is what was inspired by the animal itself.
I think that most people think of physical technique when they consider an animal style. Crane style would use a lot of crane beak strikes, tiger style would use a lot of clawing techniques, eagle claw style would also use clawing techniques, preying mantis would use hooking and grasping techniques, etc. On a superficial level this is true, but in my experience this is not really what makes for an "animal style". These kinds of hand techniques are found in many different martial arts, and yet those systems are not animal styles, and often cannot even claim to be influenced by an animal style. Clawing and grasping techniques are very common among Asian martial arts, even naming the techniqes "Tiger Claw", yet the style is NOT a Tiger style, for example. I suspect most systems can claim the use of these techniques on some level or other.
An animal style does take inspiration from a particular animal. It does harbor a body of techniques that can relate to particular observable animal movements or animal fighting or hunting habits. But this is superficial and again is not what really defines the system. Instead, there should be an underlying principle or set of principles, and a methodology that is an expression of those principles, that defines the style. And ultimately, this translates into an approach to how one trains, more than dictates the type of technique one would use. For example, if one would observe a skilled Tibetan White Crane stylist in an actual fight, it would probably look very much like any fight. What I mean is, you would not observe any special "crane techniques" in the fight. You would not observe a plethora of crane-beak strikes, or anything else that would look "crane-y" to the observer. Instead, you would see punches and strikes that look very similar to what anybody from any other system might do. The difference is not visible to the eye, but is apparent to the one being struck: a skilled white crane punch is tremendously powerful, and the training method used in white crane develops the ability to deliver strikes that are extremely destructive.
I'm going to explain the deepest secret of Tibetan White Crane, right here, for everyone to know: Rooting and Rotation/Pivot. That's it. That's the secrect of White Crane and that is taught to a beginning student on the first day of training. If you understand that, there is nothing else to know. There are no secret techniques, no magical "crane hand" strikes or anything like that. In fact, the stereotypical "crane beak" strike that most people think of is something that we make very little use of. Sure we have it, but it's not very common in our system. Instead, we punch, we use palm strikes, we grab, claw, tear, twist, kick, etc. Pretty much we use all the standard strikes that one would find in any other strike-centric system.
So, how is Rooting and Rotation the secret of white crane? That is our approach to training our strikes. That is what the bird, the crane itself, inspired in the founder of our system, if we can believe the oral history that tells us back in the 1400s a Tibetal Lama witnessed a fight between a crane and a monkey, and from that encounter he recognized a method to develop a very powerful strike, which he originally called Lion's Roar. We have a very specific method that we use to learn to root our feet on the ground, and then use that root and the power of our legs to drive a full-body rotation which we use to deliver our strikes. That's it, in a nut shell. Now, we do have numerous types of punches that we use, some of which would seem unusual to people from other systems. These "crane technique" punches are useful and can sort of define and identify the system on a superficial level, but again, these specific techniques are not what makes it White Crane. Rather, these techniques are an expression of our fundamental method: rooting and rotation. These techniques are practiced as a method of reinforcing those fundamental principles of rooting and rotation, they are a way of training that skill into the body. Once that skill is developed, then we can use it to drive any movement, any technique, even if it is not one of our standard "crane punches". Because those punches are not the true goal. The true goal is to develop that ability to root and use body rotation to make any movement at all into a potentially powerful technique.
That is what makes our system White Crane.
Now I recognize that White Crane is not the only system that uses rooting and rotation to power its techniques. I expect these concepts and principles are found in many systems in some form or other. What makes it White Crane is our specific methodology for training and developing this skill. I believe that our specific training methodology is unique, no other system besides the family of Tibetan methods that came from the original Lion's Roar, uses a similar method. Other systems develop a similar skill, but they do not go about it the same way that we do.
This is the kind of thing that I believe makes for an animal system. Not the specific body of techniques, but rather the underlying method of training, that is what was inspired by the animal itself.
