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The Animals of Kung Fu
The Dragon - Spirit
The dragon was symbolic guardian to the gods, and was the source of true wisdom. The Chinese dragon, different than the western concept of a dragon, was a long, slender creature, revered as being wise, and was capable of great feats of elusion and power. A dragon could appear and disappear at will and make itself any size it willed.
As a symbol of Yang, the Taoists saw the dragon as a personification of the Way itself. "The Dragon reveals himself only to vanish." Shaolin Buddhists saw him as a vision of enlightened truth, to be felt, but never to be held.
At times the old masters were referred to as dragons, being well versed in the both the healing arts, and kung fu. During the warring periods of China, proficiency in these skills was matter of life or death, and those who had mastered them were held in high esteem.In Shaolin Kung Fu, the movements based on the dragon incorporate stretching and twisting movements. Dragon movements often begin with soft circular movements, and end with a hard, sudden explosion of power. Also, the waist is used to generate power in these movements, which imitates the whipping action of a dragon's tail.
These movements, besides their fighting applications, are used to build the spirit when used in conjunction with proper breathing. The movements should be executed with relaxed, low breathing until the culmination of the strike, at which point, a sudden exhale will aid in the transmission of power. The spirit is further developed through staying relaxed and using proper breathing during the hard stance training.
The Tiger - Bone
The tiger is an aggressive and powerful animal, therefore, when hunting its prey, the tiger does not hesitate in any way. Its strong attacks do not just scratch his victim, but instead the power of a tiger's strike will usually mame or kill in a single blow. If the victim is lucky enough to escape with his life from a tiger, chances are it will be scarred and injured for life from the tearing of the tiger's powerful claws.
The explosive movements of the tiger are usually straight and involve deep, rooted stances from which the power is generated. The footwork involved with a tiger movement is strong and aggressive. The most common weapon of the tiger movements is the tiger's claw. This claw starts with the hand completely open to deliver the initial, explosive blow, and then follows with a hard closing of the fingertips which then rakes across the target.
The movements of the tiger are used to develop the strength of the bone, ligaments, and tendons. One common training method for tiger techniques, besides training the movements, is fingertip pushups, which build the strength of the fingers, torso, neck and spine.
The Crane - Balance
The crane is the most graceful and patient of the animals. It is often seen standing on one leg. In some of the old writings, the crane is said to be deep in thought when in this position. When in a confrontation, the crane does not attack straight on, but instead uses its long legs and wings to angle away from its adversary, only to strike when an opening occurs. The crane will fight with both its beak and its wings. Although a frail animal, the crane is a ferocious opponent. It is very mobile animal, which allows it to move to a spot from which it cannot be attacked, but can attack easily. The crane's beak is pointed, allowing it to apply its strike to a smaller area, thus giving a more concentrated blow.
The movements of the crane are soft and flowing, and when used to attack, posses a sudden burst of power. The weapon used for a crane technique is usually the crane's beak. Because this hand technique uses the fingertips, usually vital areas of the body are targeted. This can also be used as a blocking technique when used with a long, circular motion of the arms.
The movements of the crane are used to train inner balance, grace and centering. One common way to do this is by training in unbalanced stances, thus requiring the body to adjust to the position, thus balancing itself. One example of this is the crane stance, where one stands with one leg firmly rooted into the ground and the opposite knee is lifted vertically, such that one could balance a tea cup on the knee.
The Snake - Chi
The snake is a animal known for its cunning and soft nature as well as flexibility and coiled power. It has neither legs nor arms, requiring it to move using a circular motion of its body. When threatened however, the snake is a vicious opponent. The snake strikes with deadly speed and accuracy, usually to a vital area of its target. The power of a snake's strike comes not from its body size, but from the speed and momentum of its coiled body.
To maximize effectiveness, the movements of the snake are executed in long stretched stances, enabling more leverage for each strike. The fingertips are used as the main weapon of the snake and usually are used to penetrate vital areas of the opponent. Also, because of their nature, any snake strike can instantly become a block, and any block may instantly strike.
Because of their soft and flowing nature, the movements of the snake are used to develop Chi. These soft, flowing movements should also bring the practitioner to a relaxed and peaceful state, allowing them to strike more effectively when needed.
The Leopard - Muscle
The leopard, although a powerful animal, does not have the size or mass of say, a tiger. Therefore, it cannot just use brute strength to kill its prey. Instead, the leopard relies on its speed and efficiency of its muscle and movements. When the leopard pounces on its victim, instead of a single, crushing blow, it will apply a series of fast and unrelenting techniques. A leopard shows no concern of being hit, as it knows its speed and multiple strikes will render its opponent immobile before it can even land a blow.
The fast, vicious strikes of the leopard are executed using quick footwork and speedy hands. Speed is power. Because of their quick nature, the movements of the leopard do not emphasize blocking, because this would slow down the attack. Instead of blocking an incoming technique, the leopard movements would use a slight shift out of the way followed immediately by a series of fast attacks. The most common leopard attack is also a claw, but unlike the tiger which is both crushing and tearing, the leopard just rakes the target.
The movements of the leopard are used to develop muscle strength and quickness. The strength developed by the leopard movements is developed through muscle efficiency, not the build up of muscle. This allows the development of both power and speed.
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