Leopard Kung Fu

[CMyers0323]

Not sure if this is the right place and I know there's some other threads on it but I figured I'd make this one so for anyone who's interested we can collect any relevant info on this style. I read it's pretty hard to find good reliable information and it's not exactly a style any more so why not bring all whats out there together to maybe help keep it alive

 

[CMyers0323]

Not much but some general info given by my instructor.

 

[clfsean]

There's not a stand alone Leopard style extant or maybe even ever. It's one of the 5 Upper animals and it's more of an attribute than style. Plenty of techniques with names, some sets with the name, but not really a stand alone style.

 

[CMyers0323]

There's not a stand alone Leopard style extant or maybe even ever. It's one of the 5 Upper animals and it's more of an attribute than style. Plenty of techniques with names, some sets with the name, but not really a stand alone style.

I've heard that as well. I'm open to both that and it being a lost style. I guess now the only thing we can do if others also wish is to pull together all said info so rather than be scattered it can be used together if someone wishes. It's odd that it isn't a style or a complete one like the other animal systems are atleast to some degree. Then again i also very much enjoy the concept if it being an attribute more so than a rigid style so I'm open to both concepts I guess haha

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I'm surprised there's no subset of a style that focuses primarily on leopard, like fu jow pai does with tiger. I've heard of similar for the crane and dragon, though don't know their names off the top of my head.

 

[CMyers0323]

I'm surprised there's no subset of a style that focuses primarily on leopard, like fu jow pai does with tiger. I've heard of similar for the crane and dragon, though don't know their names off the top of my head.

I agree! I've always considered it odd since it's one of the main 5 animal styles yet seems to be one of the hardest to find anything on. I get the idea of it being more of a attribute but considering there is techniques and forms I would assume it would still have some sort of base style. I'm not sure if it's that or if it's more of a lost Art. Either way it would be great if we can all collect what we can find to pull together some sort of subset. I personally haven't seen much of the other animal styles but then again they could just be considered more "hidden" than not existing. Monkey Kung Fu seems to have a pretty extensive history from the YouTube videos and my own experience as well

 

[Oily Dragon]

I have a lot of material I can share on (southern) Leopard. It's a little more complicated than just leopard paw strikes, there are Wu Xing Metal element techniques as well that fall into that category (e.g. Gold Fists Splitting Wood) Same techniques, different categories etc depending on the system you're looking into (and in some, they combine both like in the 10 Pattern Fist).

Hung Ga, Choy Li Fut, etc have a lot of written philosophy on Leopard, particular with regards to strength. Leopard is the animal motif for pure physical strength, compared to Tiger style training the bones (gwot). Technique wise yeah there are not many, and they are kind of scattered around different fist sets. But you can usually recognize Leopard, it's fast and powerful motion with the fists compared to Tiger claws, Snake hands, and even Dragon.

 

[Oily Dragon]

Not much but some general info given by my instructor.
View attachment 29003

I don't know how accurate this is. Leopards are extremely strong cats. They don't have to rely on their agility speed etc and more than other big cats but leopards are strong enough to pull prey up into trees.

The part about "deceptive range" is definitely right though. A lot of Leopard strikes are maximum range, even stretching-type strikes.

Have to double check my notes but this is a Leopard strike (can't see the hand but it's leopard paw).

 

[CMyers0323]

I have a lot of material I can share on (southern) Leopard. It's a little more complicated than just leopard paw strikes, there are Wu Xing Metal element techniques as well that fall into that category (e.g. Gold Fists Splitting Wood) Same techniques, different categories etc depending on the system you're looking into (and in some, they combine both like in the 10 Pattern Fist).

Hung Ga, Choy Li Fut, etc have a lot of written philosophy on Leopard, particular with regards to strength. Leopard is the animal motif for pure physical strength, compared to Tiger style training the bones (gwot). Technique wise yeah there are not many, and they are kind of scattered around different fist sets. But you can usually recognize Leopard, it's fast and powerful motion with the fists compared to Tiger claws, Snake hands, and even Dragon.

That would be great! Wow thats crazy you mentioned Including metal from Xing Yi as that's exactly what my Xing Yi (same instructor mentioned) teaches as well. I'll have to look more into it because I love Xing Yi and always want to learn more. I haven't heard of the 10 pattern fist form you mention but it sounds really interesting.

Ive heard those styles have Info on Leopard but the books I have bought are a bit limited on the subject. That makes sense in the leopard/ Metal training I have done it's always been about training the bones basically Iron body. I see I kind of figured but wasn't sure honestly the only style it's easy to find techniques on is Wing Chun haha. There are some techniques i recognized as leopard but my training in the animal styles is pretty basic so i would love to learn more.



I'm not to sure where he got it from but I know it was from a manual from around 2000 so it could be outdated but it also might just be from the lineage he took which I haven't had the chance to ask. (He's my Wing Chun/ Xing Yi teacher but happens to know some of the animal styles). That's cool thay Leopards can do that. I see my tiny house cat trying to do similar things haha. That's interest it on the deceptive range because I always considered the stretching techniques more Crane since what I've learned it was a long range version of the style

 

[CMyers0323]

I'm not sure but based of the position of the technique (depending on how it's executed )if it's like a backfist it would look more similar to a Crossing Fist you know the Xing Yi Earth fist more to me than anything but I'm not sure how it's used base off this picture

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

I have a lot of material I can share on (southern) Leopard. It's a little more complicated than just leopard paw strikes, there are Wu Xing Metal element techniques as well that fall into that category (e.g. Gold Fists Splitting Wood) Same techniques, different categories etc depending on the system you're looking into (and in some, they combine both like in the 10 Pattern Fist).

Hung Ga, Choy Li Fut, etc have a lot of written philosophy on Leopard, particular with regards to strength. Leopard is the animal motif for pure physical strength, compared to Tiger style training the bones (gwot). Technique wise yeah there are not many, and they are kind of scattered around different fist sets. But you can usually recognize Leopard, it's fast and powerful motion with the fists compared to Tiger claws, Snake hands, and even Dragon.

You can see leopard fist in some tong long Pai forms like Saam bo Jin.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

That would be great! Wow thats crazy you mentioned Including metal from Xing Yi as that's exactly what my Xing Yi (same instructor mentioned) teaches as well. I'll have to look more into it because I love Xing Yi and always want to learn more. I haven't heard of the 10 pattern fist form you mention but it sounds really interesting.

Ive heard those styles have Info on Leopard but the books I have bought are a bit limited on the subject. That makes sense in the leopard/ Metal training I have done it's always been about training the bones basically Iron body. I see I kind of figured but wasn't sure honestly the only style it's easy to find techniques on is Wing Chun haha. There are some techniques i recognized as leopard but my training in the animal styles is pretty basic so i would love to learn more.



I'm not to sure where he got it from but I know it was from a manual from around 2000 so it could be outdated but it also might just be from the lineage he took which I haven't had the chance to ask. (He's my Wing Chun/ Xing Yi teacher but happens to know some of the animal styles). That's cool thay Leopards can do that. I see my tiny house cat trying to do similar things haha. That's interest it on the deceptive range because I always considered the stretching techniques more Crane since what I've learned it was a long range version of the style

We have 10 pattern fist in our style as well.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

There is a big difference in Asian leopard versus African leopard versus Snow leopard. A clouded leopard isn’t even related to leopards( it’s the sole living relative of the saber tooth and is more closely related to tigers), and there is no such thing as a black panther in the cat world( its either a black leopard or a black Jaguar). Just a zookeeper FYI.

 

[CMyers0323]

You can see leopard fist in some tong long Pai forms like Saam bo Jin.

Thats cool my knowledge is limited on the style but I'm trying to learn more as I go. I haven't had enough experience with the form to notice that just yet

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Thats cool my knowledge is limited on the style but I'm trying to learn more as I go. I haven't had enough experience with the form to notice that just yet

Sam bo Jin is A southern mantis form. Leopard fist is in it. Although there are many variations of that form. Some good, some not. I personally do not use that rounded hunch back posture. The form works great with straight back and very low kneeling stance. Thigh burner!

 

[CMyers0323]

Sam bo Jin is A southern mantis form. Leopard fist is in it. Although there are many variations of that form. Some good, some not. I personally do not use that rounded hunch back posture. The form works great with straight back and very low kneeling stance. Thigh burner!

That's cool! I did find it odd with the posture but I figured it had a reason I have seen some ways of generating power by using the spine flexing and extending. I can see how that would make sense! It looked like a very good workout from the videos I've seen

 

[CMyers0323]

Pretty good video and explanation of the basic techniques. Their videos are some of my favorites

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

That's cool! I did find it odd with the posture but I figured it had a reason I have seen some ways of generating power by using the spine flexing and extending. I can see how that would make sense! It looked like a very good workout from the videos I've seen

@Oily Dragon may correct me here, but to my mind the hunchback in tong long Pai is likely because one of the progenitors of the style had a spine abnormality. Similar to the lisp that certain Spanish speakers have that is because a certain Spanish royal from a long time ago had a lisp. People just adopted the lisp because the king had one. My Sigung said, “ it is possible to train any handicap to proficiency”. In essence, it isn’t necessary to adopt that spine posture in order to generate force.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Pretty good video and explanation of the basic techniques. Their videos are some of my favorites

Ok but he is not on his legs. No foot no punch. That type of patty cake strike won’t get very far outside of a forms competition. This is my biggest issue with CMA videos, it’s usually just flowery hands and no basics foundations. Yes it’s a leopard fist, but used like that, it’s just as useful to cut the hand off and throw it at the opponent. He talks about the circling motion, but the circle is from the humerus bone not the wrist. No shade on you, just saying that the bulk of YouTube videos on CMA are crap.

 

[CMyers0323]

@Oily Dragon may correct me here, but to my mind the hunchback in tong long Pai is likely because one of the progenitors of the style had a spine abnormality. Similar to the lisp that certain Spanish speakers have that is because a certain Spanish royal from a long time ago had a lisp. People just adopted the lisp because the king had one. My Sigung said, “ it is possible to train any handicap to proficiency”. In essence, it isn’t necessary to adopt that spine posture in order to generate force.

Wow thats very interesting! Yeah I see what your saying. If it isn't required then other than for practice I wouldn't say to use it. Especially as long as it wouldn't cause the average person any issues. I do agree especially when people try to learn they will copy it exactly and pick up on those things and we'll that's how we get what some people may just think is part of a style but it's cool to see a possible background to why it's done. On the topic of power generation I've seen and read of some very cool ones but that would have been my guess without knowing this