Eagle Claw Master

[Damian Kissey]

Eagle Claw Chin Na

... At the Chin Na course last year many techniques were eagle claw and thus from my experience there was compassion in all the techinques, hence the chin na nature of being high level.

..Mark

Thank you for reminding of that course , Sifu Mark Hartnet : at that course Grandmaster Wong mentioned that Chin Na is high level kungfu which can be applied (1) predominantly physically ( tear muscle-tendon , dislocate joints , break bones ) or (2) energetically ( firm gripping of vital points blocking chi flow) or (3) mentally with relatively gentle grip almost like dim mak ( affecting chi flow in meridians or organs using mind ) .....we have seen aspects of (2) and (3) being applied by Sifu on some participants at the Sabah Chin Na course in 2008. Maybe Sifu Adam Kryder would like to share his experience.

Shaolin salute to all ( including Sifu Jeff )

[Mark CH]

Maybe Sifu Adam Kryder would like to share his experience.

Shaolin salute to all ( including Sifu Jeff )

Oh yes I do remember Adam's face when this happened. It spoke a thousand words.

[Erica]

A little taste of Eagle Claw Kung Fu

Greetings, everyone!

After the Taijiquan course in Kawasaki, Sigung was very generous to offer us a little taste of a few Eagle Claw sequences. The moves and the counters were new and fascinating to me, and I was grateful for the homework that Sigung gave us.

Our homework was to take one sequence and think of the combat applications for the patterns. As we are normally taught combat applications for a particular sequence right away, it was the first time I had to discover them on my own. It was exciting to spar with Sisook Craig to try to find combat applications that would be effective, and at the same time not compromise safety. And it was amazing to see the various applications that Sigung kindly showed us afterwards!

Thank you, Sigung, for the wonderful learning opportunity.

With gratitude,
Erica

[Marcus]

Dear all,

I am delighted to see this thread is still active and generating much interesting conversation.

I just wanted to let you know that the public webpages for the 50 Eagle Claw Combat Sequences has now been completed by Sifu.

Sequences 31-40 can be found here

And

Sequences 41-50 can be found here.

Enjoy and remember that Sifu will be teaching all of these and more at this years UK Summer Camp. Early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.

Have a great Easter

With respect

Marcus

[Emiko H]

Dear Shaolin family and friends,

While here in Japan, as Erica has already mentioned, Sifu/Sigung kindly took time outside of the classes to teach a handful of us some of the sequences from Eagle Claw. He then gave them to us for homework to try and see if we could come up with legitimate combat applications using the Eagle Claw series.

One person would use Eagle Claw, while the other would use moves from the Shaolin Kungfu that we had already learnt.

An interesting, but logical development was that we were all able to make 3 confirmations:
a) that there were innumerable Eagle Claw counters to the Shaolin Kungfu moves.
b) that there were also Shaolin Kungfu innumerable counters to the Eagle Claw moves.
c) that in the end, the exponent with the greater skill could use either Shaolin Kungfu or Eagle Claw to beat the opponent using Eagle Claw or Shaolin Kungfu respectively. In this case, of course, it was Sifu/Sigung versus... the rest of us.

What I've personally noticed is that there are at least 3 classifications for the use of Eagle Claw:
Lowest level use: gripping and tearing tendons etc - destructive
Medium level use: energetic immobilisation - very compassionate
Highest level use: immobilisation of the opponent's mind - most compassionate

For any of you thinking of going to the UK Summer Camp Eagle Claw course, I would like to share from my direct experience that after only 2 sessions of Eagle Claw with Sifu/Sigung, and these two sessions have already transformed the way I perceive and practice my own Shaolin Kungfu.

Marcus Siheng, I wish you and everyone else at the Eagle Claw course much fun and fruitful training!

Best wishes,

Emiko

[Adam Kryder]

Maybe Sifu Adam Kryder would like to share his experience.

Dear All,

My experiences at the Chin-Na course in Sabah, were all wonderful. Yet, since called upon, I can most certainly relate what Sigong shared, and my experience.

Simply put, when Sigong applied Chin-na at my wrist, I experienced what Sifu taught to me as the "First Stage of Knockout" (ie. Unconsicous yet walking). Then Sigong leaned forward and slapped me in the shoulder, and the "knockout" feeling was removed.

I did not know what happened, and then, Sigong asked me:

"What did you feel?"

I was taken back by the question, my mind was blank, I said:

"Nothing."

then Sigong said:

"Do you feel you can still fight?"

I said:

"Sure"

and then I began to think about doing a Black Tiger Steals heart, But my arm didnt feel right, my mind was blocked, and I was impaired. Then I said:

"Ohh, now I feel something!"

Then my consciousness caught up. When Sigong pressed my wrist, that was all that was on my mind, but there was no pain.

When I caught up and realized what happened, I felt the residue of the application, my arm was heavy, it didnt move properly. I was both mentally and physically impaired. But a good Chi flow was all it took to wash all of that away.
---

I have taken intensive Chin-Na courses with other Grandmasters, but this application, its new depth of skill, and its transmission was incredible and broadened my practice exponentialy.

The Eagle claw sequences that I learned at this course were incredible, so were all of the others, I practice them with care, sincerity, and gratitude.

Anyone lucky enough to be accepted to the Eagle Claw Courses at the UK Summer camp is in for a Treat!!!!


Best Wishes,

Adam

[Damian Kissey]

Thank you Sifu Adam Kryder for sharing his experience at the receiving end of medium and highest level chin na : Grandmaster Wong applied only about 20% intensity during that particular chin na application teaching session.

Thank you also to Sifu Emiko for describing more accurately ( then my earlier post 494) the various levels of chin na applications as quoted below

".... there are at least 3 classifications for the use of Eagle Claw:
Lowest level use: gripping and tearing tendons etc - destructive
Medium level use: energetic immobilisation - very compassionate
Highest level use: immobilisation of the opponent's mind - most compassionate.."

Best regards to all

[Andrea]

Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family,

Many thanks to Sigung for the full series of videos and to all for this thread and your sharing of experiences. It makes the notion of Chin Na as a compassionate art so much more concrete. It is also very inspiring to read about discovering applications from sequences. I had some fun with it when we were discussing the first ones here. And it has encouraged me to try the same on some Taijiquan patterns. Not that I am very successful, but it is good fun and hopefully it will get better.

The Summer Camp course will certainly be a unique opportunity. I wish I could sneak in and watch *smile... Much success and fun with the course to all who will be attending!

Andrea

[Mark CH]

Thank you Adam for sharing this again.

I can remember what you said word by word. Great to hear it again.

Best wishes
Mark

[Emiko H]

Dear Shaolin family and friends,

While in Japan, I asked Sifu/Sigung when he would next hold an Eagle Claw course after the one in the UK Summer Camp, and his answer was, "Not in the foreseeable future".

So, with that said, if any of you are interested in improving your chin-na skills, among other key aspects such as becoming comfortable using Eagle Claw freely while sparring with an opponent, regardless of what moves (or styles) he/she uses against you, this is a course not to miss.

The reason why Sifu will not be repeating Eagle Claw in the "foreseeable future" is because the demand for him to teach other courses is too high.

For example, I am very grateful to Sifu/Sigung for finally agreeing to teach Wing Chun kungfu some time next year (stay tuned for more). The Wing Chun he teaches will cover everything from how to execute and deal with strikes, kicks, fells, and chin-na, not to speak of how to do "internal" chi sau, and moreover how to train Wing Chun as an internal art. It sounds like a lot, doesn't it? Well, yes. Sifu/Sigung's approach is always comprehensive. He offers his students the best of the best, with no holds barred!

So it goes without saying that anyone who attends the Eagle Claw course this summer will walk away with the complete tools and knowledge on how to train effectively so that he/she will become able to use Eagle Claw effortlessly in any sparring situation. That is a strong statement. But I am confident about this because Sifu/Sigung always delivers.

If one of your dreams is to fight better than in the kungfu movies, or if you've always wanted to know how to happily "get out of nasty situations" (where you're locked up "without escape"), this is the course to take!

Best wishes,

Emiko

[drunken boxer]

I am very grateful to Sifu/Sigung for finally agreeing to teach Wing Chun kungfu some time next year

Really!!?? YES!!! I am very grateful too! As I said at the start of this thread:
"ever since I first started watching Kungfu films, I have always been most fascinated by two styles - Wing Chun and Eagle Claw Kung Fu".

Now I might be lucky enough to learn both!

[Ray]

For example, I am very grateful to Sifu/Sigung for finally agreeing to teach Wing Chun kungfu some time next year (stay tuned for more). The Wing Chun he teaches will cover everything from how to execute and deal with strikes, kicks, fells, and chin-na, not to speak of how to do "internal" chi sau, and moreover how to train Wing Chun as an internal art.

Sifu teaching Wing Chun is a very good cause to celebrarte.

[Andrea]

All I can say is WOW - lucky us .

Andrea

[Marcus]

Hello again everyone,

I just wanted to let those of you who have already signed up for the Eagle Claw course know that Sifu has just sent me the private page URL's for Combat Sequences 21-30 and 31-40. I will be sending you these private 'members only' links shortly.

If you are planning to attend but have not yet registered yet, please do so as soon as possible so that you too can get the private members only links. As there are 50 sequences to learn, it is only wise to get these URLs early!

See you all soon

Kindest regards

Marcus

[drunken boxer]

Ok, seems the course time is coming around soon which means not so much time left to discuss this and to learn the sequences!
But it also means - the course is coming soon, yay!

I have some questions which I planned to ask Sifu either on email or at the course, but then thought I'd put on here for other peoples to ponder and answer, maybe if I get the answers on the course I can post them later.

1. Will it be possible to specialise in for example eagle claw the wya people do with monkey etc?

2. I practice Shaolin Kungfu from Sifu. I also practice Taijiquan and Xingyiquan from my other school, with Sifu's blessing and encouragement.
Taijiquan and Xingyiquan are closely linked. I believe Eagle Claw and Shaolin are closely linked.
Eagle Claw and Xingyiquan are definitely linked.
Would then Eagle Claw be an ideal art to train skills that would benefit both my Shaolin and my Taijiquan/Xingyiquan training?

3. Did the Eagle Claw practitioners of old have specific methods of developing force? If so would we learn/use these or would we simply use our Golden Bridge and One Finger Shooting Zen,

4. Soon the amount of 'other' arts that Sifu has taught will include:
Taijiquan, Tan Tui, Eagle Claw, Wing Chun.
Does sifu have plans to teach any other arts for example Baguazhang or Praying Mantis?

5. I believe, based on my own direct experience, that it can be beneficial for a Wahnam student to attend other kungfu schools some times, particularly if they do no live near a Wahnam school, or a any Wahnam brethren to train with. When I was in this position I went to a couple of schools, only the ones who had combat efficiency and who used kungfu in their combat (not kickboxing). In these classes I found the partner work useful but I also felt the chi coursing through me as I did the patterns, because they were genuine kungfu patterns. Even though I suspect the other members in class did not feel this, or if so to a much lesser degree after a long time practising. I believe it is not only safe/ok but beneficial for some of us to attend such classes, am I correct?