Tame The Tiger
09-05-2004, 02:43 AM
It’s widely known that Yip Shui and Paul Whitrod have added forms to the original system. But which were the original forms of Chow Ah Nam? I’m going to set out my theory. Perhaps someone will contribute something to prove me right, or maybe wrong, but either way, I hope to learn something.
Please note I’m not making any comment about which forms are better, or that the older forms are necessarily superior to the newer. They all serve their purpose. Chow Gar is a very practical art and has nothing in it that’s not of value.
I believe the original first form was a combination of Sarm Bo Jin and Fut Sau. If you look at Jook Lum’s Sarm Bo Jin you’ll see many similarities to both of these forms combined together into the one form. The similarities to Chow Gar’s Sarm Bo Jin need no description. Those to Fut Sau are:- Frequent knee raises – The short rang spearing repetitions in Jook Lum finish with a forward double phoenix eye strike pulled backwards into another kind of flicking phoenix eye resembling kok chui in Fut Sau - The first Jook Lum turn resembles the first Fut Sau turn as both contain a forward half step with simultaneous striking with both hands with the back foot hand on top - The next part of the turn steps to the right a little differently to Fut Sau but then strikes with a top pai sau and an underhand blow just as in Fut Sau - Going on a bit, just before the next turn there’s a circling motion with the hand similar to Fut Sau's huen sau followed by a simultaneous double palm strike like Fut Sau's bow chong.
Overall, Jook Lum moves differently from Chow Gar and that makes things look different, but I believe the techniques singled out (there may be more) are the same as the Fut Sau techniques. The Jook Lum version of Sarm Bo Jin better preserves the original set. Jook Lum’s other forms may have little or no resemblance to the rest of Chow Gar. This would be expected from two arts that shared the same “seed” form, but then went on to develop differently.
Also, it’s been said in this forum previously that for some of the earliest students of Yip Shui Fut Sau was the introductory form. Sarm Bo Jin and Fut Sau share many structural similarities between themselves as well, showing a common origin. For instance, they are both performed double armed. They both contain spearing phoenix eyes, fingers and dau sau’s. They are both designed to bring out the short powers of the body etc.
I think the second form was a combination of today’s Sarm Bo Yui Kui and Sarm Gung Pai Tarn. It’s been mentioned in this forum before that these two forms are often strung together as one. Structurally, they are quite similar sharing the Ying Come Sau and Bill Sau techniques. They both teach the use of the waist and body weight to generate power. They’re both performed single handed.
I believe the third form was a combination of today’s Sarm Kung Pin Kui and Sarm Bo Ging Tan. They share the structural similarities of single handedness, commencing with a low thrusting bill sau, use of the tarn sau (pic sau). Both teach maneuvering. Incidentally, the finish for Pin Kui that derives from Master Nat Yuen’s teaching’s in Australia is different from that seen in Hong Kong today. It’s similar to the end of Yui Kui, but contains tok sau and chum sau – both techniques from Sarm Bo Ging Tan.
Lau Soei probably broke these 3 up into the shorter versions we know today. That makes six forms. He probably added another four (Bo Sim Sau and Num Ging Sau among them I think) to reach a figure of ten which was the traditional Shaolin number (?). The remaining forms we have today up to about 35 or so are variations of the originals and/or new creations of Yip Shiu, Paul Whitrod and others.
Just my thoughts………
Please note I’m not making any comment about which forms are better, or that the older forms are necessarily superior to the newer. They all serve their purpose. Chow Gar is a very practical art and has nothing in it that’s not of value.
I believe the original first form was a combination of Sarm Bo Jin and Fut Sau. If you look at Jook Lum’s Sarm Bo Jin you’ll see many similarities to both of these forms combined together into the one form. The similarities to Chow Gar’s Sarm Bo Jin need no description. Those to Fut Sau are:- Frequent knee raises – The short rang spearing repetitions in Jook Lum finish with a forward double phoenix eye strike pulled backwards into another kind of flicking phoenix eye resembling kok chui in Fut Sau - The first Jook Lum turn resembles the first Fut Sau turn as both contain a forward half step with simultaneous striking with both hands with the back foot hand on top - The next part of the turn steps to the right a little differently to Fut Sau but then strikes with a top pai sau and an underhand blow just as in Fut Sau - Going on a bit, just before the next turn there’s a circling motion with the hand similar to Fut Sau's huen sau followed by a simultaneous double palm strike like Fut Sau's bow chong.
Overall, Jook Lum moves differently from Chow Gar and that makes things look different, but I believe the techniques singled out (there may be more) are the same as the Fut Sau techniques. The Jook Lum version of Sarm Bo Jin better preserves the original set. Jook Lum’s other forms may have little or no resemblance to the rest of Chow Gar. This would be expected from two arts that shared the same “seed” form, but then went on to develop differently.
Also, it’s been said in this forum previously that for some of the earliest students of Yip Shui Fut Sau was the introductory form. Sarm Bo Jin and Fut Sau share many structural similarities between themselves as well, showing a common origin. For instance, they are both performed double armed. They both contain spearing phoenix eyes, fingers and dau sau’s. They are both designed to bring out the short powers of the body etc.
I think the second form was a combination of today’s Sarm Bo Yui Kui and Sarm Gung Pai Tarn. It’s been mentioned in this forum before that these two forms are often strung together as one. Structurally, they are quite similar sharing the Ying Come Sau and Bill Sau techniques. They both teach the use of the waist and body weight to generate power. They’re both performed single handed.
I believe the third form was a combination of today’s Sarm Kung Pin Kui and Sarm Bo Ging Tan. They share the structural similarities of single handedness, commencing with a low thrusting bill sau, use of the tarn sau (pic sau). Both teach maneuvering. Incidentally, the finish for Pin Kui that derives from Master Nat Yuen’s teaching’s in Australia is different from that seen in Hong Kong today. It’s similar to the end of Yui Kui, but contains tok sau and chum sau – both techniques from Sarm Bo Ging Tan.
Lau Soei probably broke these 3 up into the shorter versions we know today. That makes six forms. He probably added another four (Bo Sim Sau and Num Ging Sau among them I think) to reach a figure of ten which was the traditional Shaolin number (?). The remaining forms we have today up to about 35 or so are variations of the originals and/or new creations of Yip Shiu, Paul Whitrod and others.
Just my thoughts………