Mountain Gate Academy

In the world of Kung fu the tiger is considered to be the ‘king of animals’.
Tiger Style Gong Fu (Hu Xing Quan) originated in Southern China and was assimilated into the Wu Xing Quan of Bai Yu Feng at Shaolin Temple.

Later Shaolin developed its own variation known as Hei Hu Quan, Black Tiger Fist.
Tiger fist is very popular in Southern China and has been a major influence on many of the Southern Boxing (Nan Quan) systems. Most notably is the Qing Dynasty rebel system Hong Jia Quan (Hung Gar Kune).

Physically and functionally

Tiger Boxing is generally recognisable by its use of strong clawing strikes, solid footwork and power through the back.

There are, however, ‘Bare Board’ systems of Tiger.  A Bare Board system contains the essence of a style but not the physical imitation.

In Bare Board Tiger Boxing there are closed fist and palm strikes instead of the common clawing actions. Some styles of Tiger Boxing are soft, internal systems with a much more relaxed physical expression.
In most forms of Tiger Boxing, including Shan Men Shaolin Quan, the functionality comes from the strong, grounded footwork and powerful clawing actions driven from a strong back and waist.
In Tiger Boxing you use this combination of strength and forcefulness to overwhelm an opponent. The Shaolin variation of Black Tiger Fist (Hei Hu Quan) also adds a certain deceptive quality to the style through its rapidly shifting body angles and rapid striking combinations.
Through its physical expression, Tiger Boxing develops strong muscles, ligaments and tendons and is well known form developing the bone density of its practitioners. The constant tensing and relaxing flexes the bones which stimulates them to strengthen. In addition, ongoing practice develops a fierce glare which can unsettle an opponent and convince them to leave in preference to trying their luck with a physical attack.

Special conditioning

In addition to the practice of Tiger forms and drills there are a number of exercises that are commonly used to condition the body for Tiger training.

Tiger boxers often practice various press ups and chin ups to develop the arms and back to deliver the strikes the style is famous for. Many of these exercises are performed on the fingertips to develop the tendons of the hands and wrists.
In addition there are a range of exercises to develop the claw, such as gripping heavy weights and claw variations on the Iron Palm method.

Essence

The Tiger teaches us to confront all of those self imposed barriers that prevent us from expanding our life experience. This ability comes from the tenacity of the style.
Tenacity is the ability to hold fast - to be undeterred and to not submit. By holding the view that you can overcome no matter what is thrown at you can develop the ability to do so in reality. To accomplish anything of value, in life and in martial arts, we must be prepared to keep going until we reach our target. In our culture we are bombarded with messages of insufficiency and scarcity - that we are not enough and cannot be enough so we need either consumption or distraction to make us feel better.

The Tiger reminds us that in martial arts there is no secret ingredient. There is only you, where you are now, and that is enough to accomplish any task you set yourself and to fulfil any purpose that you have in life. 

This is the gift of Tiger Boxing.

In the world of martial arts there are few styles that capture the imagination in the way that the animal styles do.  Even though these systems are famous, and often commonly practiced in Gong Fu, they are commonly misunderstood and misrepresented.  In addition to our other articles I will be offering a series of articles on the animal styles themselves and their relevance to modern training.

Common myths about the animal styles

In martial arts today there are a lot of misconceptions about the animal styles, some of which we should address before we move on.

Common myth one:  Animal styles are just for show and have no real function.

When you look at the vast majority of animal stylists around today it isn’t hard to believe this one.  Animal styles were developed to emphasise groups of similar concepts and so the imitative actions of the styles seek to bring out the functionality.  Unfortunately, many practitioners get so caught up in trying to be an animal that they forget why they were there in the first place.

Common myth two:  Animal styles are about hand positions.

Often the depth of many practitioners stops at the formation of the hand position.  I have heard instructors tell students that the tiger style is the tiger claw and that the Crane Style is all about using the beak hand.  If you believe that then I suppose it becomes true, but in my experience this is not the case.  There are many animal styles that don’t contain any signature hand techniques at all.  There are complete systems of Tiger Boxing that don’t use the claw at all, and crane styles that almost never use a beak are quite common but often go unnoticed because they don’t look the part.

Common myth three:  Animal styles were created by Bodhidharma at Shaolin Temple.

This is complete rubbish and unfortunately it is Shaolin Temple that seems to be spreading it around.  If you see any of the travelling monk shows or watch any of the Shaolin documentaries that have been produced in the last couple of years, you will see this myth being pushed very strongly.  The modern animal styles that are coming out of temple are not classical styles.  They are full of acrobatics and generally running around and pretending to be an animal, but with very little real functionality (except marketing).  

Martial arts evolve, and the current commonly practiced Shaolin animal styles are valid in context, but to pretend that all of the martial arts that we see in Shaolin today were developed by Da Mo is ridiculous.  If nothing else, Da Mo (Bodhidharma) lived more than a thousand years before the first Shaolin Animal form was built.  This myth discredits the countless Masters who made outstanding contributions to Shaolin Gong Fu over the 1,500+ years of Shaolin’s history.

So what are the animal styles?

The animal styles are more correctly known as the Imitative Styles (Xing Quan) and are a unique feature of Classical Chinese martial arts.  Masters developed these styles as a way of exploring the nature of human consciousness by exploring the different ‘minds’ that the animals represent.  The animal is an archetype that the practitioner can explore to understand the changeability of the human mind.

The purpose of imitating is to free ourselves from our everyday identity and thereby explore ways of thinking that we wouldn’t have normally considered.  This creates a paradigm shift and expands our understanding and our barriers accordingly.  The first imitative system was not martial at all but was developed for health prevention.

The Wu Xing Xi (Five Animal Frolics) were developed by Hua Tuo, and by using the imitative actions of the Tiger, Bear, Deer, Ape and Bird, the natural health systems of the body can be regulated and balanced.  These exercises were popular for health but did not directly inspire the development of animal imitation systems.

In the 1600’s a Shaolin Master, Bai Yu Feng, set out to revitalise the Shaolin system.  He travelled around China for three years meeting with masters and learning a variety of styles.  After the three years he returned to Shaolin and constructed a new style by combining five systems he had encountered in his travels. This ‘new’ style was the Shaolin Five Animal Fist – Shaolin Wu Xing Quan.

Shaolin Five Animals

Shaolin Wu Xing Quan contains five distinct imitations – Tiger, Crane, Snake, Leopard and Dragon.  Each of these styles had existed before this form, but it was Bai Yu Feng who combined them into a single style in which each animal complimented the other.  There had been records of animal boxing for centuries before Bai Yu Feng ,but it was scattered examples and none had captured the imagination as this style had.
Each of these animals will be explored in detail in later articles but I wanted to mention another version of Bai Yu Feng’s boxing – Wu Xing Ba Fa Quan.

Wu Xing Ba Fa Quan means the Eight Laws of Five Animals Boxing and is a summary form of Bai Yu Feng’s original style.  In Wu Xing Ba Fa Quan the varying aspects of the system help to develop the practitioner so as to improve all of their Gong Fu.  In this form the exercises of the Tiger develop muscular strength and help increase bone density.  The Crane develops Jing (manifested Qi), while the Snake develops the smooth control of Qi itself.  The Leopard develops speed and power, and the Dragon develops the ability to hold still.  All this is possible because of the proper application of the Ba Fa or Eight Laws.

The Eight Laws are:

1. Correct use of the internal skills
2. Correct use of external skills
3. Correct application of mind
4. Development of the Six Harmonies through the hands
5. Development of the Six Harmonies through the legs and footwork
6. Correct application of the three zones of the body
7. Correct application of Chin Na functionality
8. Correct development of Qi Gong.

Although some historians believe that Bai Yu Feng’s style was originally called Wu Xing Ba Fa Quan, the versions that are most commonly practiced in Shaolin today are only variations on the summary form.

After Bai Yu Feng

After Bai Yu Feng, imitative styles became very popular and many different imitations started to appear. Apart from the original five animals of Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Dragon and Snake there are many others including the Mantis, Eagle, Monkey, Drunkard, White Ape, Dog, Phoenix, Elephant, Lion, Swallow, Hawk, Rooster, Duck, Fish, Turtle, Toad, Scorpion and many more.  Some animals became so popular that they developed into unique systems while many others survive as just a few techniques such as the Vulture. 

As the concept of imitative practice spread, whole systems of exercise as well as weapon styles, such as Monkey Pole and Drunken Sword, started to appear.  Through cinema they remain popular to this day.
Imitative styles are popular in Shan Men Shaolin Quan and there are many imitative routines in the curriculum.  Students start to learn Wu Xing Ba Fa Quan at Level 6 (Purple Sash).

Over 1500 years ago, a Buddhist monk, named Bodhidharma (Pu Ti Da Mo in Chinese, or most commonly Da Mo), travelled to China to spread Buddhist teachings. After an unsuccessful meeting with the local royalty Da Mo travelled to a newly established monastery on Song Mountain called Song Mountain Young Forest Monastery – Song Shan Shaolin Si (Shaolin Temple).
At Shaolin Da Mo also met with resistance to his methods and so he moved to out of the monastery proper and into a cave near Shaolin. Da Mo lived in this cave for nine years perfecting his message and deepening his understanding of his own practice and of the requirements of the monks of Shaolin.
Before he left Shaolin, Da Mo passed on to the monks the principles of Cha’n (Zen) Buddhism, Sinew/muscle changing exercises, marrow washing meditation, and self defence principles contained in the form Eighteen Hands of Lohan. Most importantly, through the use of the form and the concepts contained within, Da Mo had laid a foundation for combat training as a form of personal and spiritual development system instead of just for war. For this last reason most Asian martial arts systems honour Da Mo as the founder of martial arts.
Before becoming a monk Da Mo had been a member of the Indian warrior caste – Ksatreya. As Ksatreya, Da Mo would have been fully schooled in the skills and strategies of war and as a monk he was able to see his prior training as a means of developing spiritual clarity.
By combining the two principles into a routine Da Mo had a vehicle for his teachings that survive to this day.
In Shan Men Shaolin Quan the form of Eighteen Lohan Hands (Shi Ba Shou Lohan Quan) introduces a wide range of key principles to the practitioner. Each one of the Eighteen ‘hands’ can be applied as a simple self defence technique but each is also a concept that can be expanded out into a huge variety of techniques. 

Eighteen Hands of Lohan contains efficient defences against punches, kicks, grabs and holds, as well as counters to weapon attacks. In its expanded form it contains complete formula for the dissolving of grips, reversing of locks and holds, construction of locks and the principles of throwing and takedowns. It also contains key concepts on evasive footwork, short range striking and the generation of wave power. Most importantly the 18 Hands of Lohan shows the very roots of Shaolin Gong Fu and gives us the ability to see the bigger picture of Shaolin Quan.

In Shan Men Shaolin Quan the Eighteen Hands of Lohan is taught at Level Four so that the practitioner already has a foundation in Shaolin Gong Fu. This form is also the prerequisite for the more mainstream Shaolin work such as Xiao Hong, Da Hong, Pao Quan, Wu Xing Ba Fa and so on.

How to work with forms so that they are of value to your practice.
It may seem shocking to some but a form is of no real value if we don’t know how to unlock its secrets. Many martial artists waste years of their training lives simply running forms on the premise that they are some sort of magic pill that will bestow “the secrets” if we just practice hard enough. This approach leads to wasted energy, time and effort and is like reading a book written in a language that you don’t understand and hoping that if you just keep reading it will start to make sense.
The actual value of forms training is determined by what kind of forms we are practicing and how we work with the form itself. So how do we maximise the value forms training can give us?
Firstly, know whether it is a Tao Lu, Ji Ben Tao Lu, Kata or Pattern and then work with it accordingly.

Tao Lu
When practicing Tao Lu you will find it most beneficial to perceive the underlying mindset of the form itself. Tiger forms come alive when the practitioner can bring out the tenacity, courage and purposefulness that the tiger symbolises. There is no timidity in Tiger Boxing (Hu Quan), only a radiating sense of strength and control. In a Shaolin Temple Lohan Quan form the form expresses the keys to higher spiritual practice but these can only be accessed by a practitioner who has a developed spiritual awareness.
When you have identified the mindset behind a Tao Lu then the form must be explored and not merely drilled so as to bring out its knowledge.

Ji Ben Tao Lu
Ji Ben Tao Lu should be run at a moderate pace and in high repetition so as to bring out the underlying principles that the form contains. You don’t need to explore these forms in the same way that you do in Tao Lu. Ji Ben Tao Lu reveal their lessons in the doing. Be prepared to keep revisiting Ji Ben Tao Lu because as you grow in your understanding you will start to see more and more in the forms. Shaolin Wu Bu Quan is a great example of this as it only has five steps but every time you run it there is a difference. Perfection is a moment and once perfected there is more beyond, again and again.

Kata
Kata are like medicine. If a student has a particular weakness in their understanding of the system then they should emphasise the appropriate Kata until the problem has been resolved. Each Kata will bring out a different aspect of the overall system and like a balance diet Kata practice should be adjusted to best develop the practitioner. This is where an insightful teacher can get results for you where other teachers have failed.

Patterns
Patterns allow you to develop your skill set. Patterns should be drilled in repetition and are great for making you work all the structures that you would usually forget about. Although Patterns lack the spiritual keys that are present in Tao Lu, there are definite personal development benefits through the discipline of work. Patterns should be run at varying tempos, with different blends of hardness and softness and with different blends of speed and power to bring out the subtlety of the work.
Forms offer us a great system of training in martial arts. They offer us resistance, through the parameters of the form itself, and it is in overcoming resistance that we grow and develop. A training partner with which we have rapport also offers us resistance and the two, partner work and forms work, balance each other.

 In the last few decades there has been a lot of debate about the usefulness of forms training in martial arts. Those for and against throw their opinions back and forward with no clear decider. So instead of throwing more fuel on that pointless fire I thought we might look at what forms are, the different kinds of forms and how best to approach them so that they are of value to your practice.
What are forms?
Forms are routines of movements that contain the key principles or techniques of a martial system. Forms can be as small as a single movement or run into hundreds of movements. Depending on the sophistication of the system within which they belong, forms can fulfil a variety of purposes. Most systems use forms to preserve the concepts or techniques from one generation to the next. Although there are references to forms being practiced over 3000 years ago, as combat dances, the first important and surviving form is the Shi Ba Shou Lohan – 18 Hands of Lohan.
It is this ability for forms to contain the principles of a system from one generation to the next that can make them valuable as a training tool.
Different kinds of forms
There are many different kinds of forms but we will look at four main types that are seen today. These are Tao Lu, Ji Ben Tao Lu, Kata and patterns.
Tao Lu
Tao Lu means a ‘Path of the Way’ and is a complete martial arts unit. By this I mean that the form is a complete style. In earlier times many famous masters often only knew one Tao Lu and these single forms evolved into whole systems. At Shaolin Temple, before the fire in 1928 that destroyed the library, there were documented over 1070 forms in manuscripts or active practice. All of them evolved out of the Eighteen Hands of Lohan developed by Da Mo (Bodhidharma).
What makes a Tao Lu form different from the others is that it has its own character, complete set of principles, strategies, concepts and techniques that are specific to it. A Tao Lu is a style of martial arts and not a subset of a martial arts style. A good example of this is Ying Jiao Nan Quan (Eagle Claw Southern Fist) from Shan Men Shaolin Quan. This Tao Lu contains all the key principles, concepts, strategies and functions of the Eagle Kung Fu style. Although there are many different Eagle style forms in Shan Men Shaolin Quan they all interpret the character of the Eagle a little differently and as such all stand alone.
Ji Ben Tao Lu
Ji Ben Tao Lu are summary forms. Meaning ‘Fundamental Principles Path of the Way’ ,Ji Ben Tao Lu are support tools for the practitioner to focus on and develop the key principles of a particular Tao Lu or group of Tao Lu. Although Ji Ben Tao Lu are often complete structures they are meant to be studied to add depth of understanding and not as a complete style unto itself. A good example of Ji Ben Tao Lu is Shaolin Wu Bu Quan (Shaolin Five Step Fist). Shaolin Wu Bu Quan contains all the major principles and structures in Shaolin Quan and if understood makes learning more complex forms much easier.
Kata
Kata are reflections upon a particular style of martial art, for example Karate. A Kata has its own personality and nuances but is always a reflection of the parent system. What makes Kata interesting is the theme. A Kata will always have a unique theme that makes it different from other Kata even though it is always part of a style. A good example of a Kata is Pinan Nidan (Peaceful Mind Series Second Level). Pinan Nidan teaches the practitioner how to effectively take ground and develops courage. It is a great training tool for those who are easily intimidated in partner work.
Patterns
Patterns are, as the name suggests, combinations of techniques (from a style) run together in a set order and footwork pattern. Patterns are forms at the most shallow level and for this reason the most common. A pattern does not have any real character, other than that of the style or practitioner and are often in a system to provide a grading syllabus. As patterns lack the depth of the other forms they are useful as movement and conditioning drills.
In the second part of Form, Function and Formality we will look at the advantages of forms training and how to maximise that value in martial arts and personal development.  

There is an old teaching in Shaolin Martial Arts that speaks of martial prowess as powerful force, like a raging river, that can not only support and speed a boat to its destination but also keel it over. Like the forces of nature, martial arts are ambivalent. Martial arts can not only allow the individual to survive and prosper but can also bring about one’s downfall.
When I was a younger practitioner I was a devoted student of Tae Kwon Do. I trained daily and read and watched anything I could get my hands on to increase my understanding of martial arts. My efforts had paid off and I was the assistant instructor in my school and was fast developing a reputation in the organisation.
Just before my Black belt grading, my teacher and I travelled to a weekend training camp and we spoke about TKD all the way. I commented to my teacher that I was really excited about doing my grading as I really wanted to study the philosophy and deeper principles of the work. My teacher’s response was a simple “what do you mean?” I tried to explain it a number of different ways and always ended up at the same point of “what do you mean?” Eventually I said that I wanted to get to black belt so I could learn all the secret stuff that he was using to be a decent human being. I mean it had to be at black belt because we hadn’t covered any of it in the previous levels. His answer was “getting married, having kids and building a business caused me to grow up as a person but TKD is just for exercise.” This was not the answer I was looking for. It was, however, an honest answer and although I wasn’t overly happy about his response it did open my eyes to some of the fantasies that I was labouring under. It would be nice to say that this was my great moment of clarity but it was not.  For many years I pursued fantasy and attachment, through many different martial arts, until one day I walked into a grading, as a grading instructor, and everyone in the room stopped and bowed. Not only the fifty odd students but also the sixty to seventy friends and family members rose from their chairs and bowed. Looking into their faces I saw respect, fear and awe and in that moment it became clear that there was something horribly wrong with this picture. At the time my health was in ruins, I had developed chronic fatigue, chronic depression, my training injuries wouldn’t heal, I was broke from teaching martial arts as a ‘purist’ full time and I was aggressive and a generally unpleasant person to be around. Apart from going to teach and buying groceries I had become a recluse and although I hadn’t really changed my diet and was training hard for hours every day my body had packed on 40kg’s. But no one in that room could see it. All they could see was my fantasy. I had become a Yoda puppet with my bag of ancient secrets. I had been drowning in the river for years.
There are many stories of those people who develop martial prowess and then use their command of violence to become tyrants. To become bullies, or engage in criminal activities which ultimately lead to their downfall. But what about all of the others who drown in the river of martial arts and never even know. Over the years I have seen many practitioners who have injured themselves needlessly, or become cruel as teachers or who lost friendships and intimate relationships through their obsession with training. I am still amazed at how many people train in schools where they get the snot beaten out of them three nights a week, for years, for the purpose of learning self defence – the ability to stop someone beating the snot out of you.
So how does one get their boat to speed downstream without capsizing?
Martial arts teach the transcendence of violence by confronting the nature and expressions of violence. Instead of avoiding the issue, martial artists use the training as a means to understanding the root of violence directly. As we work through this process we see the innate dignity of the human spirit and our attachment to violence weakens. Although most people never experience physical violence directly we experience the subtle forms of violence on a daily basis. Violence is merely the lowest form of communication. The desire to force or obligate another, or sometimes yourself, into fulfilling the whims of the ego is the foundation of violence. We could co-create with others to get what we want and by doing so everyone involved is enriched by the experience. Unfortunately, when we are unclear in our view we seek to get what we desire from outside.
The greatest gift that we can learn from martial arts practice is that of skillful attainment – the ability to create something of value without causing harm. When we learn this process, which we use to understand martial arts, it becomes a skill that we can use for anything else that we may desire. The Chinese refer to this process as Gong Fu –meaning the skillful attainment through effort over time.

Last week one of my original Gong Fu students, Pia, came down to train. We haven’t seen each other for about 10 years and it was a true pleasure to work with such a dedicated practitioner. Pia lives in Sydney and travelled down to St Helens for a week long intensive block of study and training. Pia is a learning machine and covered a truckload of Restorative Learning® theory and exercises. Heaps of Shaolin Gong Fu and weaponry and even got into some Pilates with Karen. Congratulations Pia and it is, as always, a pleasure to train with you.

Within the current cultural paradigm there is a strong belief that we succeed or fail.  We look at the concepts of success and failure as if they are separate entities sitting in opposition.  On one side is success - the undeniable reality of accomplishment and on the other side is failure - the experience of non-success.
 
But what if failure wasn’t what we have grown to accept.

In Restorative Learning® the concept of failure, as an absolute, does not exist. The concept of failure is completely disempowering and denies our natural abilities of understanding and overcoming challenge. It implies that our outcomes are dictated by what we are not doing and as such prevents us from clearly seeing what we are doing.
The human being is all about doing. From brain function to muscular function we only do. We are constructed as a doing mechanism and as such we are capable only of success.

As a teacher and practitioner of martial arts I often see students striving to succeed in their practice but creating outcomes that are different to their initial target.
Take for instance the basic punch. A key point to its execution is the straight wrist position. Often in beginners we see this seemingly simple action distorted into a bent wrist position. Instructors can waste years trying to correct this ‘bent’ position. Consistently telling their students to straighten their wrists, even physically placing the wrist into a straight position only to watch all of their, and the student’s, effort unravel in a few repetitions. It is not that the student or the teacher doesn’t want to get it right or that they aren’t putting in the effort. It is simply that there is a misunderstanding about what is actually happening in the process. Perhaps it is worth considering that the wrist is actually too straight. By this I mean that by trying too hard, which is a common trait of a beginner, the student is over tensing the muscles of the forearm which causes the wrist to bend. The student and the instructor are both so focused on straightening the wrist that they forgot what the point was in the first place – to strike with the knuckles, safely and with maximum effect.
In my experience, the simplest way to correct this issue is to use a small amount of pressure on the striking knuckles (touching with two fingers will do) and getting the student to push the pressure away. The instructor leads the push by moving away until the wrist is in straight alignment and then gets the student to replicate the action until they can do it by themselves. Problem fixed in only a few repetitions and now that the student has experienced the success of creating a straight wrist when punching. The student and teacher now know the difference and are much more aware of any deviation.
In Restorative Learning® failure, as an absolute, does not exist. There is only the direct success of consciously reaching our target and the unconscious success of avoiding the target. Both involve the same ‘success’ process. The first allows you to experience greater and more expansive realities and the later maintains your current level of experience.
Most practitioners and black belts tend to think about success as a place to arrive. Those who transcend black belt know that success is an ongoing reality. Be clear about your outcomes and the process will take care of itself.
After all failure is not an option.