Focus Striking Creator Wang Zhenyuan | Country of origin China | |
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Also known as Black Tiger Fist, Black Tiger Spring Famous practitioners Wang ZijiuWang ZhixiaoSu Fuyuan / Souw Hok Gwan Parenthood Northern Shaolin Kung Fu | ||
Black Tiger Fist (Chinese: 黑虎拳 Heihuquan) is a northern Chinese martial art originating in Shandong Province. There is also another Black Tiger Fist style originating from Gansu, China near the borders of Mongolia.
Contents
Origins
The traditional lineage of the system begins with master Wang Zhenyuan in the late nineteenth-century; but the style was originally formed at the Shaolin Henan Temple before being transferred to Wang. The style was then passed from Wang Zhenyuan to Wang Zijiu (1862-1948), then to Wang Zhixiao, and finally to Su Fuyuan (Cantonese: Souw Hok Gwan).
Techniques
The Black Tiger style is characterised by its extensive footwork, acrobatic kicks, low, wide stances, and unique fist position (where the thumb is curled in the same manner as the other fingers, rather than wrapped around them). According to the Shaolin grandmasters, the style is the single most external style in the Shaolin canon; the longer the stylist practices, however, the more she or he comes to rely solely on internal power. In this respect it is similar to Northern Praying Mantis.