What does the Tumbling in Eagle Claw accomplish

[Leonidas]

Would you compare it to Olympic style tumbling or just a couple of flips, splits and jumps in between move in the forms? Sorta like grab, punch, kick, jointlock, throw, flip to next opponent then block, punch..................or are there entire forms devoted to mindless flipping?

[Xebsball]

The tumbling include splits, falls, flips and that sort of stuff.
I think the objective to it is to develop the body as well as some agility and balance.

The tumbling in the forms is not the main thing. We have acrobacies and stuff but the kings of that are the Contemporary Wushu people :D

I was watching some senior (BTW, it feels weird that a 16 year old is my senior, its funny) learning what i think its called "cottom palm something" (sorry i cant remember the correct name of the form), it had like a split, a fall and thats it, the rest were fighting techniques.

The only form i can think of (and that i know of) that is 100% or almost that just tumbling is the Drunken Form, but its considered advanced and im light years from learning that one.

[CrushingFist]

wushu guys are nothing compared to the real eagle claw. although flips aren't combat applicable, they do help develop balance, agality, and body strength that other exercises may not. But to say that wushu guys are kings of flips, does not make sense to me. Traditional eagle claw, and i mean the OLD stuff, how it SHOULD be, students are required to do 50 back handsprings in place, front flip and back flip immediately after, a pok fu (fishflop, or tiger pounce) should be around 5 feet in the air. Lei yu fan san (kick up) should bring one upright, not squatting down but very much standing up.

It's only because people do not start young enough or do not get taught / unable to preform these skills. THe tumbling in eagle claw should be compared to that of Peking opera. An eagle claw player should be able to accomplish the same thing, the only difference is that they may not put 50 backflips into a form, but they should be able to do it anyways.

In the forms, the ideal places for flips are the Dai hui sik (big opening), a flip or a few jump kicks to open the form, and then near the ending, the "dai sao sik" (big closing) the big closing normally has a few flips or pok fu and splits etc.

Wushu guys actually from what i seen can't flip all that well, Aerial and butterfly twist, thats it, i really think that round off backflips and front flips to pok fu are more difficult.
I think it's just that a lot of people learn eagle claw at older ages. (being 12 and up) Most kids don't stick with it...those that do will be great in the future tho! but it's because people learn when they are older, they never pay attention to the fan tzi part of it, or they are unable to do any really impressive stuff because physically unable or they just don't practice it enough.

anywyas, just my 2 cents

[Wong Ying Home]

Pre shaolin eagle claw did not contain any flips and acrobatics, that is the original eagle claw.
Post Shaolin, with the inclusion of the Faan Tzi system, is where all the flips came into it.

[CrushingFist]

i know, i should have rephrased that. What i really meant was to say ying jow fan tzi , eagle claw and tumbling, becuase it is what is most commonly refered to as eagle claw now-adays. Not many people only teach the "original eagle claw" , the 3 main forms. I should hav clarified.

[Xebsball]

"50 back handsprings in place, front flip and back flip immediately after, a pok fu (fishflop, or tiger pounce) should be around 5 feet in the air."

Crushing you scare me with that stuff, i cant even do a full split.

[CrushingFist]

relax, just take time. If you really wanna learn that stuff here's two hints i got from some peking opera ppl:

practice handstands and back bridges a LOT, and hold them for long periods of time. but don't forget to breathe or the blood with start oozing out from underneath your eyes and it won't go away for days - as long as u breath, ur in good shape!~!


handstands- practice both free and against a wall. and back bridge, have someone spot you at first and later you can do by urself, try to get feet as close to hands as possible

[diego]

I can't even do the split now Either, 2much muscle less tendon...:mad: :D
Good post though, eh.