I would like to answer some questions posed here. In Southern Shaolin, BP is right in naming the 5 animals (another name commonly used for them, whether or not agreeable, is choy li fut style). However, there are other styles based on Hunan Shaolin, Wudang, etc. Preying Mantis has 12 systems under it, most commonly 7 star, tong long, six harmony, etc. Eagle claw, bak lum snake, nine birds (shaolin family style I have learned), tiger, etc. Dragon is an actual style consisting of very intensive first step Shaolin boxing, then 13 hand strikes of the dragon (usually with the index and middle fingers in forward knuckle position with the others receded), 13 kicks of the dragon (consecutive kicks resembling 13 heel kicks in a row for practice), the dragon claw slightly more open than the fu jow (tiger) claw, and usually the dragon will walk in a figure 8 pattern where if an opponent steps into either one of the double circle of the eight punishment ensues. A dragon never retreats and usually has learned iron body techniques as well.
In traditional Shaolin, there are 12 animals. Shaolin training invests many years in bodily punishment (I went through seven years of it with my Shaolin master) to develop nei gung, hard gung, body armor, etc. As BP will tell you, the stance training and banging of trees with forearms and legs, slapping each other in the stomach, front rolls length of football fields, hitting each other with full contact body blows by both kicks/punches, etc. Wushu can tell you about my Shaolin master and his training. Wushu took a seminar from him. Punch drunk has also seen him.
In all, true Shaolin training is dying out and being replaced by Shaolin monks who practice Shaolin "wushu" and do some neat parlor tricks. Animal styles are very hard to learn and after all this time I am only now beginning to understand what comes naturally to the animals in nature.  |