Animal Hands and Tai Chi. Any one?

[Happy]

Some times I like to blend some Animal Hand Strikes into my Yang Tai Chi. I found that the Snake Hand really blends in nicely. Has any of you tried to blend differn't strikes and blocks into your Tai Chi style? Interested in your comments.Thanks,
Happy - Sifu

[Vapour]

Originally posted by Happy
Some times I like to blend some Animal Hand Strikes into my Yang Tai Chi. I found that the Snake Hand really blends in nicely. Has any of you tried to blend differn't strikes and blocks into your Tai Chi style? Interested in your comments.Thanks,
Happy - Sifu

???? my taijiquan style (Zhen Man Qing) which is short yang form has five animals (bear, tiger, monkey, stag, bird) embodied in it. I thought it is same in Yang because ZMQ style form is shortened version of yang form.

Oh wait, you mean strikes. Hmmm, Brush knee is tiger. You could say right hand of single whip is a snake but don't know much other than dat.

[count]

Crane spread it wings
Snake spits it's tounge
Snake creeps down
Rooster stands on one leg
Isn't Tai Chi based on snake and crane kung fu?:confused:

[jon]

"Isn't Tai Chi based on snake and crane kung fu?"
* I personaly think thats an urban myth.

Many kung fu systems use animal names to discribe movements, it helps to give a visual interpretation of the movement.


I studied Hung for five years which is fairly famous for its five animal boxing. Although i still love the system and even still practice it of occasion its not something i try to mix with my Taiji.

[Happy]

jon:
I studied Hung for five years which is fairly famous for its five animal boxing. Although i still love the system and even still practice it of occasion its not something i try to mix with my Taiji.

Really? Why not? You might find that the five animal boxing techniques in the hung system to be of benift when blended with the Tai Chi that you practice. I have :)
Thnaks for all the replies.
Happy -Sifu

[HuangKaiVun]

I have a student (actually posts here) who studied Indonesian kun tao and silat with a disciple of Willem Reeders (Liu Seong's relative).

I asked him to do our school's Taijiquan set in the manner of his old Indonesian style. That style features a lot of animal techniques, power jing, and female/male stances.

Liu Seong knew what he was doing, that's for sure.

[jon]

"Really? Why not? You might find that the five animal boxing techniques in the hung system to be of benift when blended with the Tai Chi that you practice. I have"
* This is kind of tricky but ill do my best to explain, my answers only come from my perspective so dont think im saying that someone else couldnt mix arts between Shaolin and internals quite effectively. I know for example that the Hung Ga master YC Wong who was the grandmaster of my old Hung linage is also proficiant in Bagua. I have no idea however if he chooses to mix the arts together.

I simply find that for a start the five animals mostly require fairly tense forearms and the mind is also much more involved in smashing though the opponents bridge as opposed to blending with it. There are execptions within various technqiues but in general the mind in Hung is to distroy the bridge where as in Taijiquan the mind is on utalising it.

The two are both brilliant fighting arts and imho both are at the pinicle of the spectrum as far as proficiency go's. Still there also very different really.


This doesnt mean that i wont use my hung ga in sparring but it does mean i wont mix the two together.

[Happy]

jon:
I simply find that for a start the five animals mostly require fairly tense forearms and the mind is also much more involved in smashing though the opponents bridge as opposed to blending with it. There are execptions within various technqiues but in general the mind in Hung is to distroy the bridge where as in Taijiquan the mind is on utalising it.

Thanks jon, I do respect your views.
I, myself find it easy to go from internal to external and external to internal, in all aspects.
Your right that a lot of the Shaolin Animals
have tense forearms, with the exception to the snake, that uses more chi then the others.


HuangKaiVun:
I have a student (actually posts here) who studied Indonesian kun tao and silat

Thanks HuangKaiVun, for your reply.

Happy - Sifu

[dubj]

To HuangKaiVun,

I study that system here as well. Who is your student, we may have met. I was going to say something, but I am only a novice, and my understanding of how it blends together is lacking. My teacher blends the many arts he learned together quite well from what I can tell. If you are ever interested in checking out a class, we meet at cactus park all the way up in glendale every sunday. How do you think our system differs from yours?

Peace and blessings