Wow, havn't been here in a while! I study Wing Chun, and find it great. However I'm thinking of trying Fujian White Crane, to expand my kung fu skill. Can someone tell me a bit about this style???
Nice style, focus on deviation and quick strikes. Strike are "quick" not because of their sheer speed, but rather because of timing and strategy. They've got a strange structure I never really got to figure out... The crane if very "stiff" while not relying on its strength, as it is a rather weak animal. I've seen 2 kind of power used, one like a whipping motion, very relaxed, and the other, like I did in hung gar, was just as fluid yet its attacks were strong and stiff, although not using the muscles. Eating crane attacks from distance, gets out of the way of incoming attacks to heavy to easily push away. Kicks are often used while dodging. Do you know which style of crane you'd be doing? I did some eating crane, and saw flying crane I believe... Eating crane uses mostly the thumb and the two first fingers together forming the beak of the crane, while flying crane I THINK uses the whole hand, fingers straight out, bending the wrist forming the wing of the crane. Energy is worked towards the tip of the fingers. I wish I could see some sleeping crane
Yes, it was flying crane you saw The wing block is very caracteristic of the flying crane, but the strikes per se use typical southern kung fu hands; phoenix eye, spear hand, knife hand, palm strikes, crane and eagle claws. On the subject of training White Crane to supplement Wing Chun... Well, personally I don't think it's that much of a good idea because the styles are very close relatives (I suspect from my research that they branched out from the same art). While your Wing Chun training would probably make you get White Crane quicker than a beginner, you would be learning some redundant things. Are the Wing Chun and White Crane taught by the same person? In the same school? Do the teachers know one another? If so, then perhaps you can ask to train in White Crane specifically to supplement Wing Chun. Personally, if I had more free time, I'd train in an art that is radically different from my current one, though.
I run the White Crane Research Institute (WCRI). The style taught at the WCRI is the Minghequan or Calling White Crane. Invented by the famous Master Xie Zhong Xiang towards the end of the 19th century in Fuzhou City, Calling Crane Wushu or Minghequan, is characterized by unique breathing techniques used to express energy. It uses rapid, intricate swirling hand movements combined with delicate jumps and the calling sounds of the White Crane. The Calling Crane Forms place emphasis on the powerful breathing that gives the style its name and coordinating breathing with hand movements, delivering powerful strikes with lightning speed. You can find out more here: http://www.whitecranefist.co.nr
