Hung Gar's 12 Bridges

[BearBear]

Hi.

I am curious about the 12 bridges postures in hung gar - Sup Yee Gee Kiu Sao.

Are they Single Static Postures which are held in position - like a static qi gong pose perhaps. do u hold the positions tense (dynamic/isometric tension like) for x minutes relax repeat.. are the enrty and exits intop the positions. or are they techniques or ??

I'm interested in hung gar though i dont practice it as there are no teachers here. I have seen pictures on the net of these postures and with few details.. ie. are they static held poses to train structures (bridges) or are they a short movement (technique) ending in the posture (photo)...

all information greatly appreciated. perhaps a description of the full technique of each bridge.. why are they trained etc... if any one is bored and up to writing such a lot

thanks

BearBear

[cha kuen]

The 12 bridges are in Iron Wire.

Here is an article from YC Wong's page.



Tid Sin Kuen (Iron Thread Form)



This form was created by Tid Ku Sarm, one of the best martial artists in the history of China. He was one of the famous Ten Tigers of Kwangtung. Through the years he passed his knowledge of the set down to one of his students, Wang Fei Hung. This form is the highest set taught in the Hung Gar system. It takes the practitioner into the realm of internal Kung Fu training, which is the ultimate goal in Chinese martial arts. Tid Sin's limited footwork is based solely upon the movements and spirit of the Dragon coupled with vibrating sounds and various intonations of breath control with twisting movements which stimulate the internal organs. Each emotion (Happiness, Anger, Sadness, Sorrow and Fear) is said to be translated into a breathing tone producing different vibrations, which affect different organs. From the breathing sounds comes a strong type of power, which is emitted from within the practitioner. There are twelve types of training methods contained in this form. They are Hard, Soft, Lineal, Isometric Contractions, Linking, Dividing, Supporting, Stationary, Circular Transition, Determination, Exactness and Immobilization. These twelve types of training are designed to control and improve the internal functions of the organs. It is a dynamic tension exercise used to increase the flow of Chi throughout the body. It is an efficient means of body building and stamina development.

The combined pugilism of the Tiger and Crane styles, otherwise known as Hung Gar Kung Fu, is a southern Shaolin system designed to strengthen the physical constitution (the bones of the body) as well as the sinews (breathing and spirit). It is a most respected system whose training concepts are steeped in morality, rigidly traditional and uncompromising in preserving the original standards of Shaolin Kung Fu.








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[tparkerkfo]

Hi Bear bear,

I have only been doing hung gar for a while and I cannot comply answer your question. But what I want to say is that postures are not held. Postures can be looked at as the pinnical or the climax of a technique, not as a pose. I martial arts movies, it is often common to see the hero execute a technique then hold that position while the guy goes flying back. LOL. This is not how it is done.

Hung Gar uses dynamic tension in some forms. This is commonly seen in the opening sequences of Gung Gee and Fu Hok(Tiger and crane). This is done to develop certain attributes. But generally static posses are not held. One exception would be the horse training, just because one needs to stay in it for a while.

The 12 bridges are trained in Iorn Wire, but I think the concepts may be throughout all of hung gar. I am not very expereinced in these hands so I can not really comment much. But I think they are more concepts than actual techniques.

Tom
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[HuangKaiVun]

Good discussion, bearbear.

Think of the 12 Bridges not in terms of hitting the right pose for the camera, but in terms of being able to fend off an enemy with the proper technique.

For example, a guy coming at you with "Hard" (e.g. a football tackle) might need a "Hard" to go right at it so that you don't get swept off your feet. Or maybe you want to use "Immobilize" to stop him in his tracks.

In terms of fighting, this set doesn't teach exact "Do A when attacked by B" techniques. But that strong side bridge arm can be applied in various techniques, all the way from striking to blocking to qin na. The exterior appearance of the move will change based on what technique one is using to counter an enemy, but the intent remains the same.

This is why the Iron Wire set is considered the highest in Hung Ga.

[hasayfu]

The 12 bridges are considered the core of Hung Gar. They are concepts not postures. The are present in all the pillar sets.

The postures you see on most sites are just mental reminders of the concepts.

I look at bridging as the act of connecting with your opponent and using the bridge as an interface to tell you the best way to defeat you opponent while minimizing your risks. The 12 then become energies you can use across this interface.

A famous hung gar phrase is "make a bridge and walk over it"

[brothernumber9]

Sifu Y C Wong is an amazing Sifu, I have respect for him like an uncle even though I've only met him several times.

[BearBear]

thanks guys...

can anyone give me a description of one of the 12 bridges, how it is done from start to finish in practice.

so a application of the bridges is to train different energy? like when u can crash through and hit (opponent weak structure), when u mayy have to divert and recieve (opponent very strong or big) etc?


thanks

earbear

[WanderingMonk]

Hi,

Since you guys are talking about iron wire, can someone answer this question for me.

In LSW's book (iron wire), the chinese characters which he used to represent the vibrating sound, do they represents the Cantonese pronounciation of those characters?

Wandering Monk

[LawClansman]

The sounds are pronounced in Cantonese. The 12 Bridges represent the 12 "keyword" formula in the Hung Gar system.

They are aslo found on the couplets on many altars in Hung Gar schools. Although the bridges can be translated into an action, this is only the begining of understanding them. They also are combined into a dual character meaning such as Gong Yau, Bik Jik, Fun Ding and so forth. Meaning (gong/yau) Hard and soft, do you know how to use them. (bik / jik) when crowded I have no choice but to go straight. etc.

The wire set is the most widely known form connected to the bridges, but it is simply where the information is taught. The bridges are throughout the system. Although it is percieved that a "bridge" is your arm or relating how the arm is used in relation to the opponent, the concept of bridging principles are less widely known. My article (1987) in Inside Kung Fu on the Wire set explains much of this.
Sifu Carl Albright
http://www.7starmantis.com

[WanderingMonk]

Okay, one more question.

In many buddhist and taoist meditiation, they teach the practioner to relax and use breathing techniques and mind to guide the flow of qi throw the meridians.

Yet, iron wire set involves dynamic tension movements. Contracting and relaxing the muscles. Does the muscle and skeletal movements helps to guide the qi into bones and is this the reason behind the strength develop thru iron wire training?

Wandering Monk

[LawClansman]

WM,
The internal aspects of any system are built around enhancing the system as a whole. Therefore there is a direct relationship between the internal sets and the external sets in most styles. The Hung Gar system is based on a high standard of stability (ding) so the wire set is based on this.

The set is performed slowly as in most internal sets, however, there are small burst of action both internally and externally. This set is concerned with the manipulation of the internal organs through sound and movement than the normal meridians. The postures and sounds are directly related to the internal organs thus actually making it less esoteric.

Additionally, once the bridges/ principles are taught, they immediately become the standard for the whole system. This includes the ability of using tension in action. Although there is some relatonship in all internal sets, its best not to compare them too much as they are dependent of the style they come from and not each other.
Sifu Carl

[WanderingMonk]

LawClansman,

Thank you very much.

Wandering Monk

[omarthefish]

Having trained in Hung Gar for over 8 years with the afore mentioned Y.C. Wong, I would like to comment on this subject but my girlfriend is being cuter than I can handle right now. Every time I try to type she keeps jumping on the keyboard. . 4i4y903 <aya! leng jing yi xia! hao bu hao? >