Which kung fu is right for me

It is not the first Personality Model. There are many, but possibly none more wide spread and as famous than the Shaolin 5 Animal Model. Probably also, none other is as misunderstood and misrepresented as the 5 Animal System. The choice of the two great cats suggests how similar these two character styles are, yet it also shows how very much difference there is, when the detail is understood.

Then the addition of the Crane and the Snake to this system is pure genius! These almost totally opposing animals a bird and a reptile, appear to be very different from the two great cats. But again, the devil is in the detail. There are numerous hidden similarities. Most do not understand these clever and subtle, differences and similarities. Instead many teachers often seek to; replace, add, remove and even ignore this very clever and wise message from the ancients. What made this 5 Animal model so much more than all the others, is the realization of the 'intangible influence' on human beings through the usage of the Dragon as the 5th metaphor, this representing the ideal and the meta-physical or spiritual component of human beings.

Thus the 5 Animal Model, based on human beings having; 5 senses, 5 attachments to the body, 5 fingers, 5 elements, etc. And that is why it has survived so long and so well until now. In the time of the 5 Dynasty's, anti Buddhist actions saw the Shaolin Temple destroyed.

But this was not the first time such an event occurred and not the first time that Shaolin was destroyed. About AD the Shaolin Temple was destroyed for the first time, for similar reasons, and needed 30 years before it was reoccupied and rebuilt. That is when the Shaolin Monks way of exercise, breathing, stretching and meditations added kung fu training.

So too after CE, the temple was destroyed and the Shaolin Monks sought refuge in other temples, including Wudang Mountain Temple, Fujian and others.

When the Monks returned to rebuild Shaolin, they brought with them the kung fu skills they had acquired when residing in other temples. The founders of the Song Dynasty built an effective centralized bureaucracy. Some writings even suggest that the founder of the Song Dynasty was a Shaolin Graduate or Layman and was very pro martial arts, as a form of health giving exercise, as once used in the Shaolin Temple.

This became a period where Kung Fu Animal styles began to flourish. With the Song Dynasty support for martial arts, many more kung Fu styles came into existence; styles such as Rooster, Toad and Dog were not uncommon and some are still about currently. But there were also other Shaolin always welcomed traveling Healers, Minstrels, Historians, Philosophers This was very unique in an art where secrets were paramount.

They also shared and welcomed their ways with martial art masters and retired generals. They even housed many retired generals on their grounds. Through this many of these styles found their way into Shaolin. About CE, many Archery and Martial Art schools were recorded in China, indicating the popularity of martial arts during this period.

Martial Arts styles were so popular that show Martial Artists would earn their way by providing shows and this exhibitions in fighting, wrestling, archery and strength demonstrations, traveling about or at festivals.

The 'Grand Classic of Martial Arts', which included many aspects of military strategy, case histories and fighting styles was also published in this period. This became one of the first Golden Eras of Chinese martial arts. Shaolin too was caught up in this diversity of martial arts, possibly having more then styles being practiced by Shaolin Monks. As Shaolin did have its temple doors open to sharing, a martial art expert is said to have joined Shaolin to study kung fu.

Eventually though, with all the abundant styles present in the temple, he took it upon himself to systemize this mess, of styles that were then in use, within the Shaolin Temple. In company of several Shaolin Monks, he traveled to the many monasteries about in search of other martial art styles to learn and evaluate. All, or most Shaolin Monks could read and write. All their learned was recorded. The fact that all Shaolin Monks could read and write was important unlike most other Chinese at the time , to the survival of this revolutionary many-one-style 5 Animal Kung Fu.

Many other martial art styles lost much and changed beyond recognition due to word-of-mouth teaching. No records were ever made, or rarely. The Shaolin did record the 5 Animal Style in word and picture, and in great detail.

Through this way of recording their style, Shaolin did not loose as much kung fu and style information over time as the word-of-mouth styles did. Also, the Shaolin 5 Animal Style did not have just 'one master' on which to rely but a whole monastery of teachers, masters and students. These maintained the art through records and even symbolic wall painting and statues. Just follow the links below. This page is dedicated to the Personality Types aspect of the Animal Styles including problem solving.

Almost nothing is black and white and nothing is everything as everything is not nothing or simpler put; most everything is in shades of gray; and then there are the colors. Although we will not delve into the Dao, we will be using it's principles to explain and show the Animal Characteristics! Nature vs Nurture We will also not be delving into the principles of the Nature versus Nurture argument.

We believe that Genetics determine who you are and nurture determines how this will be expressed. If you genetics predispose you to being a lb 7 foot strong female, it will be with great difficulty and effort that you will become a National Ballet Dancer; not impossible but a little difficult.

On the other hand if your genetics predispose you to being a 5 foot, slender male you may find it difficult to become a Open Division World Wrestling Champion; not impossible but a bit difficult. So, your genetics play and important role in who you are as your upbringing will greatly influence how you are able to express this.

Just to clarify,this in reality belongs into the Nurture aspect of your being. But we think it is best to make that absolutely clear and that this will also have and input into how your being will be expressed. All things considered, there are already a lot of Shades of gray.

When we talk about these aspect we will talk about Ideal Circumstances and an Ideal World. Keeps thins clear; Black and White so to say. Through life we have developed habits, again influenced by our upbringing and by our experiences. Without going into a great depth why, your day to day life is a testament to your ability to adapt and survive.

Often, when you are in perceived danger, a lot of your 'civilized' being can fall away and show the raw being underneath. This is not always a view of your true nature! So, who you are right now all depends on what you were given at birth; IQ, Size, Health, Genetics and what was done with you since then; which opportunity you had or did not have.

You may have had the Heart of a Lion but may have been born into a strictly pacifist environment and culture ie.

This would have masked your true nature and not allowed you to develop into a full Lion. Conversely, you may be the most loving and caring person born into a war torn country where it is fight of die. You had to go against your Nature to survive and this would again have not allowed you to become the person you really are. Finally, your parents have two opposing tasks bringing you up. All you to freely develop and support your growth and stop you from killing yourself by to wild a life style.

This again will stifle your true being until you can unravel who you really are and change you up-bringing remember too, parents are not perfect just children of parents who were themselves children of parents, and so on. Congratulations for making it to here. You must really be interested in the 5 Animal Style. Well, i will try to make it as interesting as possible. Let's start with the Animal Style preferred Movement direction; graphic to the left!

In the Shaolin 5 Animal Kung Fu each of the animal styles has a preferred, even predominate way of moving. As mentioned, it is not a limitation of the Animal Styles but a predominant preference.

The Snake likes to go back, slightly less direct but just as simple and immediate. The Panther will always evade first mostly and approach at a time and direction of their choosing. Where-as the Crane will evade first and mostly always and never attack.

Crane Style personalities abhor violence, having to use it and being confronted by it. So, if you look at the graphic, red being for proactive movement and green for reactive movement, you have a visual representation of the 4 Character trait Preferences.

Please also note that both the Tiger and Snake prefer simple direct movement where as the Crane and Panther develop complex sometimes even convoluted style of moving. This has to do with the Power of the Styles. Both the Tiger and Snake have a large power. The Tiger bases their ability for direct and strong action on the Power of their Mind and Body where as the Snake bases their strong action on the Power of the Ability and Knowledge.

Panther Types prefer to take action when they are good and ready where as Cranes will only take action when they really, really need to and then it will be as a response to an external influence. So what you ask? The Tiger Style person, when confronted with a problem, will want to meet it head on! Directly frontal and immediately.

No need for dilly-dallying, get it fixed and move on. Whereas the Panther Style person will first want's to understand the issue at hand, analyse it, get a feel for it and see what may be the consequences of any solution. And then, and only then, when they are ready will they take action, preferably with the most economic of efforts if possible. The Crane Personality will evade the problem, get out of the way and see if it passes.

And if it doesn't it will evade the problem again; possibly talking to friends and family about the issue as if seeking advice but really looking for support, possibly a Tiger or Panther stylist to fix it for them. If all this doesn't work, they will, if still confronted by the issue, start to take little actions. Not with the aim of fixing the problem but of reducing it's effect on them and possibly derailing the issue so that it is no longer an issue.

Snake Personalities do not do problems. They don't evade it thy try and totally avoid it. Get out and let someone else deal with it. Be gone problem, you weren't here yesterday and i don't want you here today and not tomorrow. If the problem persists they will, when pushed into a corner, deal with it based on research of how such a problem has been fixed in the past. A total solution so that it can never occur again!

Now each of these methods has it's place and then most people have a dominant problem solving style and a fall back solving style and often even another if they have a problem solving profession. But we will get to that later. The Tiger Style is very good when confronted with emergencies and disasters when immediate action is needed. In these situation of immediate and fairly simple danger, the Tiger is the Style to be and do.

Move, move, move. Panther Stylist my be inclined to over-think the situation or even procrastinate to the point of too-late. Both Crane and Snake Stylist will avoid the situation effectively but will do so reactively.

If it is a situation that requires immediate and decisive action, The Tiger personality is best suited. Let's look at another type of Danger in the future. As he has 4 thugs with him as he states this, the Tigers inclination is to counter threaten; Panther will wait and see, Crane will seek assistance and Snake will look for a way out that has worked in the past.

Just a quick reminder, these examples are archetypal and simplified. Humans are complex creatures but it is by recognizing the simplest of actions that we can understand ourselves. So, what would be the reaction of the different styles when confronted with a busted chair. The stance is also different from other martial arts, so be prepared to be sore in odd places.

And many of the forms are extremely tough on the forearms—especially the ones with the wooden dummy—so be prepared to wear a long-sleeved shirt to work for a while.

This ground-based grappling technique broke off from Judo in the early s. It really started to come to prominence when master Royce Gracie used it to dominate the early UFC tournaments. The object is to put your opponent in a submission hold that either knocks them out or inflicts so much pain that they have to submit. Think Pilates in attack mode. Also, if you have personal space issues, this is your worst nightmare. Be prepared to wear headgear, though, to avoid cauliflower ear.

It was developed by the Israeli Defense Force to be used in real-life combat situations. In addition to punches, kicks and throws, it teaches real-life scenarios like how to disarm an attacker. Rubber knives and guns will make appearances. What to expect: Most Krav Maga programs thrive on intense workouts with lots of drills. Fighting when your tired is a key skill and most Krav Maga programs are extremely adept at getting you to that point.

Kicks to the groin? Eye pokes? Throat rakes? Joint breaks? All part of the game. A big part. If you crave contact, this is for you. Try to choose a style that suits your needs and at the same time offers you a kind of challenge to go on learning. Once you find the right style, martial arts can be like many religions. When looking for the right teacher and school, you definitely want a peaceful and non-threatening atmosphere where you feel welcome and ready to empty your cup, so that new information may enter.

All the styles have value and something to offer. This system had everything that fit my physical and spiritual needs. But I continued to expand my knowledge with some Jiu Jitsu training, which is extremely effective especially if you end up on the ground in a fight. For the physical challenge and performance purposes I studied Wushu too. Once you have the foundation down, you can start to gauge whether a move or position feels rights.

At this point practicing on your own in between your lessons is a great way to get in touch with your inner-guide and you can try moves that you may feel intimidated to practice in front of others. Learning to have the discipline to practice correctly on your own really can pay off.

I have had many years of training but most of my major jumps forward and fine tuning have come from drilling over and over on my own and allowing my inner-teacher to push me forward. Traditionally the Chinese arts of Kung Fu have not had a formal ranking system or colored belt model.

In fact, ranking systems as we know it today have only been around for about years. The first modern ranking system was devised by Jigoro Kano for the sport of Judo, then later adopted by Funakoshi as Karate spread from Okinawa to Japan. Today in the West, the spread of sport Karate and Tae Kwon Do has helped imprint the concept of colored ranking belts in the minds of most martial artists, so most commercial schools have adopted them as "standard operating procedure.

Some styles don't have any belts. Some have only white and black. Some have white, brown and black. Some have a rainbow. A given color will frequently signify different ranks in different styles. Today the black belt or sash is given to martial arts students that have reached an advanced level of skill.

In it's historical sense, the black belt signifies that this student has "put in his time" to learn the art. In ancient times, a student in training would wear a plain white belt when beginning training. Over the course of months and years, the white belt would become increasingly dark and dirty.

By the time a beginner had mastered his art, his once pristine white belt was now black. When ranking systems began to be developed, the Black Belt was reserved as the mark of a long-time student in honor of this tradition.

Rather than rank or belt color, what will determine an individual's skill are how long and how intensely they have studied, the quality of instruction they have received, and to a lesser extent their "natural" ability.