Hung Gar Shoulin: what's it like

[Gekido03]

I plan to study Hung Gar kung fu, but right now I'm working on Tae Kwon Do. Anyone know what Hung Gar is like?

[Sub zero]

Have a look here http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6816


Or............................... here http://www.wle.com/school/hungGar.html


Hope that helps a bit.

:D

[God]

my school teaches elephant forms.

we're learning "elephant falls on top of mouse".

the idea is to extend your qi outward into your skin to make you heavy and then fall on your opponent, using the iron shirt to protect you from the maelstrom of strikes, chokes, locks, and stabs you're sure to receive.

[PantherFist]

Try this site, its one of the best sites on the net for Hung Gar/Kuen.

http://hungkuen.net/

[Indestructible]

Originally posted by God
my school teaches elephant forms.

we're learning "elephant falls on top of mouse".

the idea is to extend your qi outward into your skin to make you heavy and then fall on your opponent, using the iron shirt to protect you from the maelstrom of strikes, chokes, locks, and stabs you're sure to receive.

Wouldn't it be easier to just hit your opponent?

[God]

as my instructor, yin yu lu-chai-yan li mei says:

"ask not anything, for no one has the answer"

[Indestructible]

Originally posted by God
as my instructor, yin yu lu-chai-yan li mei says:

"ask not anything, for no one has the answer"

Sorry if I came off sarcastic. In my own style the blackbelts learn the "heaviness" application of chi/qi. What is the iron shirt? Is this a technique or armor?

[Sub zero]

It's a chi kung tehcnique intenede to make the body impervious to harm.

[flyingkickz]

God, I'm praying that your joking

[bcullen]

"plan to study Hung Gar kung fu, but right now I'm working on Tae Kwon Do. Anyone know what Hung Gar is like?"

A world of difference from what you are used to. Very little kicking lots of hand strikes, take downs, joint locks. The strangest thing to adjust to is refelcting the spirit of the associated animal, the power and ferocity of the tiger,the mysterious serpinine actions of the dragon, the graceful evasiveness of the crane etc...

"God, I'm praying that your joking"
That would seem to be the case. Although the "heaviness" application Indestructible mentioned is real (I'm guessing this is similar to rising/falling chi used in many internal arts). The Elephant form is also real and part of Hung Gar: The original five Leopard, Snake, Tiger, Crane and Dragon plus five more Lion, Elephant, Horse, Monkey and Bear. I've seen Lion performed, but not the others. You generally won't be taught Lion until you have a solid understanding of the first five (1st Degree) So it goes without saying that you wouldn't learn Elephant until close to your 2nd degree. At my school this would take about six years to accomplish, if you work real hard (i.e. six years of trainning to get to a level appropriate to learn the Elephant form).

[SoKKlab]

Chong Ging (Heavy Hands, or Heaviness in general), a way of making the limbs feel heavy in order to cause maximum damage and provide maximum force.

Is that you are talking about when you are mentioning Rising/ Falling 'Chi'?

[Sub zero]

I was partly joking. It was reated with the belief that enough pracctcie could make your body impervious to cutting etc.

In realityIMO it doesn't do this. But certain typesof chi kung do build up abnormal muscle structres which help people take hits and survive crashes in cars etc.Apparently.

It generally makes teh bdy very tough tho through conditionng (ie bching bits of ur body off of hard things)

[bcullen]

Originally posted by SoKKlab
Chong Ging (Heavy Hands, or Heaviness in general), a way of making the limbs feel heavy in order to cause maximum damage and provide maximum force.

Is that you are talking about when you are mentioning Rising/ Falling 'Chi'?

Yes, but it's used for a variety things in the internal arts.
My first encounter with the concept was from my Bagua instructor who had me take a jab at him, he caught my wrist and sank down (rapidly, just let gravity do it's thing) Next thing I know I'm looking at the ground with his knee in position to crush my fist against the ground. A very enlightning re-direction of force.

[SoKKlab]

I don't know whether this is the same thing, but my first encounter with it was in Ng Chor Kun (Five Ancestors), when banging arms and legs with the teacher. This is what I mean by Chong Ging (Heaviness).

They have a way of making their limbs feel 'Heavy' to the touch, so when they are Bridging (Lay on Arm Block), the Limb feels like it weighs a Ton and appears to vibrate.

I didn't really understand why at the time (Years ago). I've had it explained and shown to me many times since.

I know that it is in many Chinese arts, but the Hokkien (Fujian) arts seem to specialise in it.