shu shi wa's nephew???

[maxwell ainley]

Hi Wedgeman,
Thank you very much , and there is a more Tiger after this one.
cont,
As I understand it then, Southern Tiger was in some respects,on a parallel with goju-ryu by way of the following associations ;
1]Durability-evidant from the practice of the Sanchin form although distinct from from the Sanchin Kata of Goju-Ryu;
ii]Limb-conditioning-which also trains the mind;
iii]Close-range Defensive skills-should the necessity arise.
In addition to this the following types of posture are also prevalent within Southern Tiger;
i]a low stance similar to Goju-Ryu's 'Shiko-dachi',which some call the Tiger posture;
ii]a short crouching stance identical to Goju-Ryu's 'neko-ashi dachi'[cat foot stance];
iii a very low[legs well bent] imitation of Goju-Ryu's 'heiko-sanchin' stance];
iv a lengthy stance similar to Goju-Ryu' zenkutsu dachi, which is a powerful lunging technique useful for over powering an adversary.
The biggest surprise, however,came when I realized just how close Hu Xing Quan appeared not only in practice to Goju-Ryu but also in concept.
The pratical proximity between these two systems I have already discussed, whilst on a conceptual level...
...at the time of Uechi Kanbun's training of Southern Tiger was also known as, 'Pan Gai Noon' which litrally means 'half hard soft'.
In Okinawa, Master Miyagi Chojun's system existed primarily as a nameless art; it was not until Master Miyagi's top student, Mr.Shinzato Jin'an, demonstrated this unnamed art to an audience and was consequently asked the name of the system that such a question was, for the first time ,seriously considered stumped for a answer, Shinzato Jin'an soon came up with 'hanko-ryu' which translates as 'half hard style'.
As Sensei Miyagi had not been present at this demonstration he learned of this incident upon later audience with his student,whose impromtu naming met with the Master's satisfaction.However at a later date Miygi Chojun Sensei decided that 'goju-ryu '[hard soft style ]would become this systems's offical title.
And so we see that both of these systems acknowledge the two opposing forces of nature,and how their blending together and their correctly timed usage can turn an unfavorable situation into one of advantage .
Indeed, this was evidant throughout the three Tiger forms I learnt, even as far back as the opening moves of the 'Sanchin form.

max ainley




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max ainley

[maxwell ainley]

cont,
In Conclusion
Hu Xing Quan appears to be a very arduous and practical system, full of character and sharing much in common with goju-ryu.
As a maens of self-defence against a whole host of dangers ranging from thugs to illnesses,Tiger Boxing had captured my imagination,appealing to me from both physical and mental veiwpoints.

Occasionally,questions I would ask my teacher met with unsatisfactory answers which initially left me with the impression that this style contained too many gaps for my peice of mind. But then,on reflection I began to consider the possibility that as a first-timer to China perhaps certain aspects were deliberately being with-held from me.
Rightfully or wrongfully I was not being given the kind of answers I would have liked and as a result I would work them out for myself whilst drawing my own conclusions as to this somewhat suspect attitude.
Weighing up a number of previous experiences were I had fallen victim to the imperceptible ways of Chinese bureaucracy,I could not help but harbour a slightly bitter-sweet taste in my mouth.
Initially I had assumed that 'Tiger' training would be extraneous to my practice of goju-ryu but then having said that it was obviuos to me that there would be certain degree of overlap. What was not so certain was the actual degree of overlap and now,having trained even for such a short period as a month,I realised that there was far more correlation between these two arts than I could have ever have antisipated.
Consequently,I promised both myself and the FWA that I shall return to Fuzhou in the not to distant future so that I may resume my practice and further my knowledge of this captivating combat system.

Bill Glenn,all
there are also some notes to accompany this article , would you like me to finish with them ?thank you all for interest shown .

max ainley

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max ainley

[Glenn]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by maxwell ainley:
Bill Glenn,all
there are also some notes to accompany this article , would you like me to finish with them ?thank you all for interest shown .

max ainley
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for all the typing Max! If it's not too much trouble, I'd be interested in the notes.

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Glenn

[Bill Glasheen]

Yes, and me too!

- Bill

[maxwell ainley]

NOTES;

Wu Shu [Chinese Martial Arts ].In Fuzhou dialect Wu Shu is pronounced Woo Soo .
This term [Wu Shu] is used in preference to 'Kung Fu '.Throughout my entire five week stay in Fuzhou not once did I hear the term 'kung Fu'used to describe any form of Boxing .
Kung Fu simply means skills well learnt'or well-practiced skills'. It can refer to any activity , from high-board competition diving to croquet,an early morning past-time amongst the older generation.
2.Hu Xing Quan. pronounced Hoo Sing Chun in Fuzhou dialect''Hu' means tiger;'Xing' means shadow;and Quan means boxing .Astute readers may make the connection between 'Quan' and 'Chuan'the old spelling for boxing which also may be interpreted as fist[s]'.

3.Crane[Boxing]. originating from the 'White Crane'system of Yong-Chun county ,this style was taught to Miyagi Chojun Sensei by Master Wu Xian Gui upon Miyagi Chojuns arrival at Fuzhou in 1915.

max ainley



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max ainley

[maxwell ainley]

4.Quangzhou.Pronounced Chung-Jo.A sea-port on China's south-east coast,aproximately two hundred kilometres south-west of Fuzhou city.

5.Zhou Chi Hou.Pronounced Jo Ju Hor,

6.Sanseru.Another name familiar to some students of Okinawan karate ,but as with the aforementioned'seisan',there is no relation as far as visual relations are concerned.

7.Bagua [EIGHT DIAGRAMS]. This form follows the same principles as the 'Bagua Zhang'[EIGHT DIAGRAM PALM], an internal system o Wu Shu which originated from Beijing. Nowadays, with the increasing exposure of China's phonetic 'Pinyin' language,this style is no longer refered to 'pa kua Chang' its older Manderin name.
This 'Pinyin'language has would you believe,been around sice 1949.Incidentally,Beijing is the pinyin name for Pekin[g].

8.Taji Quan This his the pinyin spelling for Tai CHI Chuan.

9.The top of the fore-arm.I Tiger Boxing this is refered to as the 'Sky Bone' where as the under side of the fore-arm is called the 'Earth Bone'.

10.Sensei The Chinese word for teacher which as the same pronounciation as teh japanese word different calligraphy.

11. Heiko-Sanchin Stance. This is a 'cross' between 'heiko-dachi'[an upright feet parallel and shoulder-width attention stance] and 'sanchin-dachi',another upright posture with the foreward leg one foot's-length in front and a weight distribution ratio front to back 60:40 respectiveley.
Well that's it.

A bit more Tiger

After a year's research the Chinese team confirmed they had indeed traced Zhou Zhi He.
His birth place was ZiTin village, MinHou county , Fujian province Zhou was born in 1874 and died in 1926.
He was a Taoist and used the religious name Xun-Shan-Tao Zhe. Not only was Zhou a martial arts expert ,he was also very literary, specilising in brush calligrapy and painting.
Zhou himself trained under under two well-known southern Shaolin teachers ,He Xi Di of Fuzhou county and Li ZhaoBei of YongThai county.
It was recorded that villagers rememberd how Zhou had to crush a three-inch thick bamboo with his palm before Li Zhao Bei allowed him to leave the school .
Records also revealed that Zhou studied various other styles though his favourite was the Tiger .
After completing all other training,Zhou is thought to have spent a further eight years achieving the ultimate level in the Tiger style .His Tiger power and iron palm techniques elevated him as one of the San-He who were three famous kung fu fighters .

cont
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max ainley

[maxwell ainley]

There are hundreds of various regional and provincial styles of Tiger Kung Fu [Hu Xing]in China but by using the longest river in China [the Changjiang]as the dividing line,they can be classified into Northern and Southern schools.However they may differ, they all seek to imitate the behaviour,character and habits of that most powerful of beasts.

Northern tiger styles use a lot of kicking, leaping and rolling techniques while Southern forms concentrate more on power and hand control.Both versions are strong on the techniques of gripping and holding,or Qin-na.
Interestingly, almost all Kung Fu styles include their own Tiger workout syllabus.For example the 'Big Four'systems -Shaolin,WuDang,E-Mei and KunLun-all use the Tiger as part of their discipline.This is no doubt because this powerful of beasts is consideredby the Chinese to be the symbol of power and aggression.

The style which gave rise to goju-ryu karate is southern Hu-Xing,a tradition which seems to have been in existence for three to four hundred years .It was initially popular in Fujian province.Later tiger style spread to the provinces of ZheJiang,JianSi GuangDong,and gradually the tiger fighting methods took root in Japan/Okinawa and other Asian countries outside China.

Like many Chinese systems,Fujian Tiger preaches the importance of Liu-he which is the unity of the six factors.
The three external factors deal with Shen [the body],Ji[the fundamental five elements approach]and Ma [the stances and footwork].The three internal factors are Jing[the life force],Chi [the energy]and Shen[concentration of the mind].
Hu-Xing tiger stylists believe that you cannot master the system unless you can first control and combine the six factors.

max ainley

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max ainley