Eagle Claw Course

[Emiko H]

Dear Mark,

Is it Wing Choon?

Best wishes,

Emiko

[MaxP]

Mark Si Pak,

Maybe Tai Ji Quan?

Best,

Max

Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Amitabha Buddha

[Robin]

Fantastic!

Hi all,

I just have to repeat what Mark and Paul have said...

what an awesome course!

I was blown away by many of the applications Sifu showed us for some of the more 'exotic' Eagle Claw patterns.

But what struck me most was the incredible efficiancy of the art. No messing around, just grip, strike, control, fell and then pin. Just absolutley beautiful!

The battelfield usage of Eagle Claw was a common theme all through the course, and in Kung-Fu terms it seemed like a comparatively quick art to learn and apply. Although many of the course participants had a firm Kung-Fu background already, which offcourse speeded up their progress.

Thank you Sifu

Robin

[Mark A]

Sounds Great

Hey Folks,
Sounds like it was a great course. Wish I could have been there

Mark

[Jeffrey Segal]

Hi Everybody,

Sounds like another amazing course Many thanks for sharing your experiences.

As with every Kungfu course I have ever taken with Sifu, at lunch after the morning session I found myself reflecting that it would have been worth paying the money just for that one session alone!

So true, Paul, so very true!!!

[Mark Blohm]

Dear Max and Emiko Sijie,

Yes! and Yes!

As I learned from Sifu during the past days, Taijiquan, Wing Choon, Baguazhang and Dragon Style Kung Fu have Eagle Claw as their Hak Sing. I believe the Monkey is also succeptible to Eagle Claw.

Sifu said that this is why their are so many counters in Wing Choon against Chin Na. Sifu briefly demonstrated some of these counters to some of us. It was amazing how effective they were against grips. My grip was completely neutralized, but Sifu's skill was so soft! This demonstration further highlighted to me that although gripping styles are generally advantageous against "soft" styles, the most important factor when two Masters meet is their skill.

I believe that Nick already mentioned about the secret of "The Tiger's Mouth". Another secret revealed to course participants was "Hiding Flowers In The Leaves", not to be confused with "Hiding Flowers in Sleeves". This is a secret not for outsiders, but it will also be revealed to participants at the upcoming Wing Choon course in Toronto which Emiko Sijie has discussed in depth.

[Mark Blohm]

Eagle Claw Force Training and Application

Please have a look at the videos that Sifu has posted on Shaolin.org

There is Eagle Claw Force Training as well as some application.

I have incorporated this force training into my daily practice and I can feel my Eagle Claws develop more force by the day. When we learned the first pattern in the force training, I felt internal force run to my fingertips. I attribute the immediate feeling of this force to Sifu's special skills of transmission. The internal force felt different than Tiger Claw, but still internal force.

Please note Sifu's commentary on the videos:

An interesting feature of the 50 Sequences of Eagle Claw Kungfu is that someone watching a performance of the 50 sequences may not see any Eagle Claws shown in the sequences! One would expect to see a lot of Tiger patterns in Black Tiger Kungfu, or Crane patterns in White Crane Kungfu, but where are the Eagle Claws in Eagle Claw Kungfu, one may ask. There are there, though hidden in the open. Can you, for example, identify the Eagle Claws in the first five sequences shown in this series? The combat applications of Sequence 1 may give you some clues.

Force training in Eagle Claw Kungfu is generally external, like gripping branches and pulling poles from the ground. There is, however, a set of Eagle Claw internal force training. This internal force training is taught to selected disciples only. Even if other students see the external forms, they may not know how the forms can develop internal force. But because internal force is an integral part of our training, we have no difficulty in understanding and appreciating it. With internal force, performance of the Eagle Claw sequences will be much enhanced.

[Mark Blohm]

Training On Hard Floor

Training at the course was reconfirmed for me the benefits of training on a hard floor! I first noticed this at the Warrior Project course at The Blue Mountain in March. We were doing a lot of felling onto the beautiful wood training surface. I noticed during chi flow that the chi protection around my body was growing significantly stronger, especially after the session where I really got thrown down. The floor surface in Brighton was perhaps even harder and I noticed the same benefits. Getting slammed onto a hard surface now is no problem. Just relax, let go!

[Darryl]

Excellent observation

[Guest]

Hello everyone,

A bit late, but I was also very lucky to attend this marvelous course.
It was very very intensive, but fantastic! Thank you dear Sifu.

I just wanted to comment on the Eagle Claw Force Training Set. The last few days, after Kung Fu practise, I feel this new force forming in my hands. They feel really heavy after practise, up to a point where it's hard to make a sandwich or do simple things like folding a piece of paper! After about a big half hour my hands are normal again. The gripping and pulling also come very natural.

Thank you classmates and my Older Brother's who I was able to meet at the course, for your advice and inspiration!

Off to a nice practise session,

Tim