Topic: Kung Fu
One of the things which really differentiates kung fu from other martial arts is the large number of hand forms which are used in addition to the ordinary fist. This varied and innovative use of the hand can dramaticaly increase your options, as well as making certain techniques more effective. Here are 5 of the main kung fu handforms with a brief description of the way that they are used:
- The Phoenix-eye fist - This is like an ordinary fist but with the forefinger held out slightly from the others. The thumb should be pressed against the nail of the forefinger with the middle knuckle immediately behind the top knuckle of the forefinger to hold it in place. You strike with the middle knuckle of the forefinger. This hand form is famously used to strike to the eyes, but it can also bve used to strike to the temple for avery effective knock out punch.
- Leopard fist - To get the Leopard fist simply form an ordinary fist and then straighten the bottom knuck at the base of the fingers so that the middle knuckles (used as the point of contact for strikes) are held out from the rest of the hand. This is very effective for fast combination strikes, but it is also used to focus the force of a strike to break the nose or ribs.
- Tiger Claw - To form the Tiger Claw begin with the hand open and flat, with the fingers slightly spread. Now bend the top knuckle as far as possible whilst only bending the middle knuckle halfway or less. In many techniques it looks as if this hand form is being used to scratch or literally claw at a person's face, but this is not really the case. Rather than a scratch this is actually a kind of brief grab which is used to yank the head to the side and to pull the opponent down. Strikes with the heel of the hand are also commonly used with the Tiger Claw, and often such strikes can lead into a grabbing / clawing technique without the arm being withdrawn. Holding the hand in a Tiger Claw form also makes it easier to grab hold of your opponents arms to use grappling and Chin Na techniques to counter punches.
- Eagle Claw - This is basically halfway between a tiger claw and a leopard fist, and is used in a similar way to the tiger claw only with more emphasis on hooking and grabbing limbs rather than clawing the face.
- Crane Beak - with the wrist bent forwards, the tips of the fingers are held against the tip of the thumb. This is used for hooking striking limbs and to attack with the tips of the fingers in 'pecking' techniques against the soft, vital areas of the body.
Posted by esotericmartialarts
at 4:59 PM BST
