" Information on Black Tiger Style "

[hakfudisciple]

Here is a little insight on my style and my Sigung.I thought i would take this time and thread to explain some things about Black Tiger Style.

There are many schools of Black Tiger both of Chinese and Non-Chinese origin.The style of Black Tiger i study is not " Fu Jow Pai " or " Shangtung " but is a CMA. I'm going to post a thread from another forum written by my Sihing in Texas that should explain alot.


The original founder of this particular style (there is more than one Black Tiger style) was Wong Cheung, aka Kut Shuin, from Pun Yu county, Kwangtung province, China. At age 8, he was learning "Sam Chin", the Iron Wire Form, from his grandfather. (This form is intended to harden the body making it more resistant to nerve and pressure strikes, as well as all kinds of other punishment. At the age of 10, Wong contracted small pox and was sent to Dr. Leung Shu Cha. After he recovered, he stayed with Dr. Cha for some time and learned the "108 plum-blossom dummy" and the "9-armed grinder dummy." (The latter form is still extant and contains 72 techniques and 108 movements.) At the age of 14, Wong went to Canton where he secretly watched Dr. Fu Man (brother of Fu Cheng Sung of Iron Palm) practice Dragon Pa Kwa. After being found out, Fu agreed to teach Wong this style. At the age of 19, Wong arrived in Hong Kong. A co-worker saw Wong practicing with his staff and, borrowing it and imitating Wong's technique, broke it in 2. It turned out that this co-worker, Fung Wing-Pai, was a monk who had returned to "worldly life." Fung had studied under a disciple of the founder of Black Tiger Kung Fu, and he taught this style to Wong for 3 years. Wong also studied under Kwong Ken Chen, a disciple of Wong Fei Hung. He studied Chi Kung under Cheung Loy and Lee Kow. He studied weapons under Pun Fei San, learning to use the 18 standard weapons and a number of others. In 1928, he set up a school in Hong Kong and, after the war, moved across the harbor to Kowloon. Sifu Wong died a few years ago at the age of 95. So Black Tiger is really a family of different styles. Black Tiger itself doesn't put a high priority on "clawing techniques," like some of the other Tiger styles. Rather, Black Tiger is more of a philosophy. In Chinese mythology, the black tiger is cunning and treacherous, as opposed to the white tiger, which is honest and forthright. Wong was less than 5' tall, so he emphasized sneaky techniques and body hardening to a high degree. Most of the kicks are low and gouging, clawing, and raking to vulnerable areas are preferred to hitting in a real fight. Among the many forms are elements of most animal and family styles, as well as chin na and drunken boxing, neither of which is actually a style in itself.

As with the original traditional Chinese arts, there were no belts. Seniority was established by when a person enters into the system. So even a person who is no longer active is considered "senior" to someone who started later. Seniority has nothing to do with who is a better fighter. This is established in the frequent sparring and everybody recognizes where they stand with respect to everyone else. It promotes "brotherliness" and eliminates a lot of the pettiness and nonsense of arbitrary belt awards based on a particular "standard" or "fighting ability." (Not that the standards of all arts are always substandard, mind you. It just seems that belts are often awarded nowadays as an incentive to continue paying dues, rather than true mastery of technique or philosophy. Another thing I personally dislike is putting famous "masters" on the board or awarding them honorary "belts" just so they can appear on a club's directory. Both the club and the "master" are guilty of self-promotion, if you ask me). In the Wong Cheung Gymnasium, there was only 1 sifu, whom we would also call a grandmaster, and that was Wong Cheung. In the old days, a sifu was an older person, probably past his prime physically, who was a fountain of knowledge and yet still very competent. Thirty and 40 year old "sifu's" were unknown. Fat or obviously incompetent sifus were also rare. You can cloud the whole thing over with semantics all you want, but young sifus were virtually non-existent. Simply the fact of being a skilled fighter, perhaps capable of beating every opponent, was not grounds for the title, "sifu." My own teacher, although extremely gifted and intelligent, always insisted on being called "teacher" and nothing more.

Grandmaster Wong Cheung was the 5th Grandmaster of Black Tiger Style.My Sifu Fred Woo was the Chairman of The Black Tiger Assocation in Hong Kong under Grandmaster Wong Cheung his Sifu.

If you guys have any questions ask away i'll be glad to answer any questions.I hope this clears up some of the mist about Black Tiger.

Note: This is in no way a show of Disrespect towards Fu Jow Pai or Shantung Black Tiger.This is just to explain this school of Black Tiger.

jeff

[hakfudisciple]

More Black Tiger Info.

Bridging is the idea of closing the distance between you and the opponent. There are many ways to bridge and engage the opponent. In grappling, for instance, grabbing is usually used. In Wing Chun, sticking is used, which is like grabbing without holding on. Striking, like flicking or punching, is used if you want to bridge, but don't want to stay engaged. In Black Tiger, we often use "jerking" (no, not jerking off). If you think about how a minnow escapes from a much larger, faster fish, it does it by "jerking". It jerks its body suddenly and darts at a high speed for a very short distance, just far enough to get out of the way. Butterflies and moths do the same thing. When an antelope is startled, it jumps instinctively, then decides what to do next. In Black Tiger, we use jerking in reverse as an offensive technique. Various techniques are used to jerk the opponent's obstacles out of the way of the target. In the rat hand, for instance, the pressing hands are jerked. No matter how a person tries, even a much stronger person, you will be able to jerk to create a split second opening in whick to attack a target. Jerking can also be done with the feet, in lieu of a sweep, when your opponent's feet are next to your own. The idea is simply to unbalance the other person while strengthening your own position inside. In the old days, jerking with the hand used to be practiced on the thin branch of a bush or tree. The wrist is jerked in any of the 4 directions, and the springiness of the branch offers resistance. It is also practiced in sticking hands. Jerking with the feet is practiced on the black tiger jong or a partner. There are 3 basic ways to jerk with the foot: 1) If the outside of the foot is against the opponent's foot, hook with the heel and pull sharply a short distance, keeping the foot close the ground. Often, you can throw the other guy by pulling or pushing him in the other direction with the arms as he loses his balance. 2) If the inside of the foot is against the opponent's foot, jerk sharply with the instep, rather than the heel. 3) From either position, you can press forward suddenly with your shin against the other guy's shin, lock his leg, and force him backwards. Overall, jerking is very advantageous for a smaller man against a larger man and is used with knives and sticks also from the inside.


Here I'm going to discuss the forms a little bit. Forms are pretty central to nearly all styles of kung fu. Originally, the form was intended as a kind of alphabet or list of phrases (techniques) which were available to a martial artist. Most of the styles were rather long intentionally in order to discourage outsiders from remembering the form and its contents. In the old days, grandmasters were people who could remember dozens of forms, often in poem form. The forms could be practiced by the sifu calling out the name of a technique (eg. dragon scoops the moon) and the student would perform the techniques as quick as he could. The same thing is still practiced in kali today, only with numbers or letters instead of names. Originally, a person had to be pretty adept at learning to be a martial artist, since the teacher might only show him how to do the technique 3 times, and he was expected to pick it up that quickly, which explains why people like Jackie Chan and Jet Li are so proficient in movements of many different styles (notice, I didn't say they were necessarily proficient in fighting). If he was lucky, his seniors would work with him on the side. Not only that, but he was expected to practice that one technique until it was perfect before he learned another one. My own teacher told me he was required to practice pivoting only from a horse to a bow stance for 6 months before he was taught anything at all. Not only did this show he was genuinely interested, but it formed a very strong foundation for future learning. Nowadays, anyone can get a video or learn a form and they are not required to perfect it in any way, so, in America at least, most of the forms competitors are vastly inferior to their Chinese counterparts. The wu shu people in China are known to practice the same form for 12 years, and the same is true of tai chi. Of course, in Wing Chun, with only 5 forms altogether, they will be practiced for a lifetime. Although lengthy forms are learned, the martial artist isn't expected to master all of the techniques in a given form. In fact, most Chinese martial artists probably only master 2 or 3, or at most 5 or 6, techniques which they depend on for actual fighting purposes. Some of these kinds of techniques are described in previous posts, and there are others as well. Also, often the technique in a form may have several different applications, some entirely different from others. Or it may simply be a specific technique which reflects an entire concept, for which many slightly different techniques can be seen in other forms. In Black Tiger, as in most Chinese styles of kung fu, martial arts are an adjunct to Chinese culture, as opposed to a "way of life." Although Sifu Wong Cheung earned his (none to sumptuous) living through martial arts, still he maintained a responsibility to the Chinese community in general. Most schools are associated with "improvement associations" of one kind or another which seek to help Chinese people who want it. Often, these are coordinated through an employer. Here in the US, you won't see this kind of thing much anymore because of the fear of lawsuits. But in China, part of a grandmaster's credentials are the number of public service organizations he belongs to. For these and other reasons, forms were not simply devices to remember martial arts. They were used at cultural events as entertainment and to build confidence and pride in the Chinese community. In this sense, Black Tiger forms, although not flashy, tended to use the more difficult version of a technique, rather than the simpler, in order to show the level of skill. But, in being true to martial intent, martial lessons were retained in the form. For instance, kicks are not thrown at the ceiling, but at the imaginary point of contact with the opponent. Attacks are at representative levels with the appropriate strikes or kicks. In other words, the form remained to true to its martial intent, instead of this acrobatic stuff common these days, which, although requiring a high degree of athleticism, often does not reflect martial intent. In addition, the purpose of the form is also to improve health. Chinese forms done at full speed often require 2 - 3 minutes to complete and are quite tiring. They may also require jumping or squatting, as well as balance and strength, and nearly every joint and muscle in the body is exercised during the course of the average form. Contrary to what many believe, forms are not typically used to develop fighting ability. Rather, they are better at teaching a person what their body is capable of and which techniques are more appropriate to their physical makeup. In other words, they teach them about theirselves and help make them well-rounded. In addition, the only way to perfect good form is by form practice. Form cannot be practiced properly during actual fighting, as the opponent is not going to cooperate in your search for perfection (Of course, bagwork, drills, etc., are other ways to develop good form.) However, if your form is good from practicing by yourself, it will be that much better when you actually face an opponent. Some forms have the added benefit of developing internal, as well as external strength, through the postures and movements. Tai chi is famous for this. Internal strength doesn't necessarily mean as applied to an oppoent, but may mean improving one's own fitness and resistance to illness and injury. In kung fu, usually hard arts are learned by young people to take advantage of their youthful strengths: speed, endurance, power, lack of experience. Whereas soft arts are learned by older people for different reasons: to maintain or improve health, to take advantage of experience. Therefore, hard arts tend to expend energy, whereas the point of soft arts is to recover and save energy which is stored in the body. Lately, forms have also taken on a sporting function with wu shu, in all probability, to be included in the next Olympics. Some of us don't like to see this, since it places too much emphasis on one aspect of martial arts, when you would like to see more balance in traditional arts. Still, some people are simply meant for certain things, and a well-done form in a national venue definitely promotes and improves the image of martial arts, as opposed to MMA, for instance, which some people find abhorrent. Almost everyone likes to see a flashy form. In conclusion, many people in recent years have bad-mouthed forms, but you should ask yourself: Where did Bruce Lee's technique come from? Before the advent of video, where were all the higher levels of technique preserved and practiced? Everything was in the forms, whether they were short sets, dance, or martial sentences in a poem. For all these reason, I think forms are still relevant today, and it's a shame we've lost so many values with the advent of technology and everyone in a hurry to know everything, without actually mastering anything. If you ask me, our reach in all things, not just martial arts, has exceeded our grasp.


jeff

[hakfudisciple]

Black Tiger breaking and entering

This technique is called by other names, also. It follows Wong Cheung's theory, "Where there is no opening, create an opening." Here is the basic movement:
From a basic boxer's stance (and for the sake of illustration, I will exagerrate a bit), pull the lead left hand back to the right ear. Strike diagonally downwards with the left fist, hitting whatever is in the path, eg. opponent's lead arm, usually, but it could just as well be his head if he fails to block or move). Crash through with the left hand and follow through with the right hand. The left hand and forearm function as a club to open a path, then the right hand follows into the opening. There are many ways this technique is applied. For instance, both arms can be used in diagonal clubbing motions, or both arms could take the shape of a knife hand or claw or hammerfist. Or the lead hand can clear, and the rear hand follows in on a straight path or in an overhand punching motion. The lead hand can grab and the rear hand can punch. Both hands can break, and then, following a horizontal Figure 8 pattern, both hands can strike on a diagonal path on the opposite side. If the person steps or leans back to avoid after being "broken into", you can step forward and hit with the rear hand. If he leans in after the "break", you can shorten the rear hand to an elbow. You can also lead with a kick to lower the guard, then break and enter. Breaking and entering is practiced first without weight siimply by breaking in the bow stance, and stepping forwards and entering with the rear hand. The motion continues in a horizonal figure 8 motion, so that the rear hand is now the lead hand. It breaks, you then step forward and enter with the rear hand. Once a flowing motion is achieved, some weight is used. I have never used more than 20 pounds and you have to use good form or you will hurt yourself. That means you must follow clean diagonal lines throughout the motion of both arms. Because you are stepping, the whole body motion is used, although breaking and entering can also be done with the feet reversed. In addition, breaking and entering can be done in an upwards motion, in which case the lead hand opens the body or jams the opponent's arms, allowing the upwards rear hand to follow. These techniques are basically banned in boxing, but you can break the form down. For instance, if a person throws a right, you can weave to your own right, then shift your weight and use your leverage to swing the left arm up and into them as a counter. If you look at films of Marciano and Tyson, you will see they do this a lot. They use breaking and entering adapted to boxing, battering their opponent's arms and body, keeping them covered and on the defensive, until they get a good enough opening to finish them off. Ken Norton used to use a type of breaking and entering, constantly swiping at his opponent's lead hand, as opposed to jabbing, trying to pull it down, and then following with the right. The difference between breaking and parrying is that breaking is an offensive weapon in itself directed at anything in the way. The reason the "breaking" part follows a diagonal line is it is very hard to stop when properly developed and used in the usual conjunction with the element of surprise, hardness, and power. Striking directly downwards on an opponent is easily blocked with one hand. If you stand in a bow stance, extend both arms up and straight outwards over your head, then clasp your hands or put your palms together, this is a posture called "Altar Boy Prays to the Cherry Goddess". It is a double technique. It is simply a "roof block" if done with one hand so the overhand strike will slide off to the side. Again if you try to break horizontally, an opponent can easily turn both arms into the force in a "double X" block and stop the force. However, diagonal is hard to stop. The same is true of kicking, eg. kicking low diagonally upwards or downwards is hard to block. When it is blocked, it is a question of who is "harder". This is why we train the arms and legs on poles. Breaking and entering differs from Wing Chun theory, which is more to create a bridge with the lead hand. If the lead hand fails to hit the target, it presses and the rear hand strikes, etc. There is a progression.

[sonwukong]

do you have any video's? I've been interested in the style for a while now.

[Antonius]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg2aKZnaC00

[Grimlock]

Interesting video. Thanks, Sifu.

[Mahmood]

Hi Jeff,
Very interesting indeed.
I like the breaking techniques, specially the diagonal one.
Although it is a 'hard' technique, requiring weight transfer to the leading leg, but it seems very effective.

I believe the diagonal strike , when aimed at the hands as a breaking technique instead of the usual target at the head or body, is somehow tricky.
You think of intercepting it , and you get hurt, because usually you would end up intercepting it at its extremity; rather than the arm or the upper arm.
You think of shifting your weight back to escape from it-- thinking it is directed to the body or head , and suddenly it hits your hands; paving the way for more strikes.
So if one has appropriate jing, his 'club' hand would be a formidable technique.

' The one with the strongest bridge, has already won 1/3 of the battle'

It would be appreciated if you could show some applications in videos.

Thank you
Mahmood

[hakfudisciple]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg2aKZnaC00

here's an updated version of that form.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkrE2uCxNpA

[hakfudisciple]

do you have any video's? I've been interested in the style for a while now.

Here's a link for anyone interested in some of our forms/vids.


http://www.youtube.com/user/harkfumun