Kung Fu fighting
has had a long history of
being depicted in martial arts movies and not always very accurately at
that.
Many of the traditional Kung Fu
fighting techniques have become
so embedded in the collective public consciousness that they have
passed over into the realm of the trivial and even the ridiculous.
So
much so that the discipline has been the subject of many
humorous–and not so humorous–depictions over the
years.
In the action-comedy genre in particular,
there seems to be no
shortage of satirical treatments of what are actually time-honored and
effective martial arts techniques.
Looking at it as a serious hand-to-hand
fighting style however, there is nothing remotely funny about Kung Fu
at all. In fact, it is one of the most efficient and effective ways to
bring down an opponent, and when practiced by an expert with many long
years of experience, it can be quite brutal and potentially lethal.
Many of the most effective Kung Fu fighting
techniques are based on shaolin five animal kung-fu, which demands both
internal and external discipline from the practitioner.
Not only is it
an effective fighting style that can help even smaller fighters get the
better of much larger and stronger opponents, shaolin five animal
kung-fu helps improve coordination, strength and over all physical well
being. Even if you don’t practice kung-fu competitively, you
will still reap considerable benefits from learning the various
techniques involved.
The five animals that make up the shaolin
five animal kung-fu style are the dragon, tiger, snake, crane and
leopard. All of these animals have distinctive characteristics that are
the foundation for the particular styles that they represent.
The
dragon form for example may involve a quick punch to the throat while
simultaneously grabbing the opponent’s arm to avoid
retaliation. The tiger form may open with a combination of punches with
parrying techniques that mimic a tiger’s swiping motion with
its paws.
The snake form relies on elements of subtle
calm with quick
and deadly striking power. Crane Kung Fu fighting techniques combine
graceful and flowing motions that may suddenly give way to sudden
attacks. Finally, the leopard from focuses on quick and powerful
strikes.