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Hasayfu
Hasayfu (下四虎) is the Cantonese term that translates to "Lower Four Counties" and has been applied to refer to a type of Hung Kuen kung fu style. This term is derived from the original term Ha Say Fu(下四府) pronounced similarly, but in the past referred to the four lower districts/Prefectures in Guangdong Province. The lower districts or Xia Si Fu (in Mandarin)referred to Gaozhou (高州府), Leizhou (雷州府), Qinzhou (钦州府) and Qiongzhou (琼州府). Gaozhou and Leizho refer to the modern areas of Zhanjiang (湛江) and Maoming (茂名) in Guangdong Province. This style of Hung Kuen is practiced widely in China and across South East Asia but was rarely known in the west, with the exception in the United States, where Grandmaster Kwong Wing Lam is considered a practitioner of this style of kung fu. Name of the System The style may have been known as Zhanjiang Hung Kuen in China, but it has been given the name of Hasayfu (Lower Four Districts) by Grandmaster Win ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kwong Wing Lam
Kuang () is a Chinese surname originated from central China. Although Kuang is not amongst the 100 most common Chinese surnames, it is common amongst the Chinese diaspora in Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Fiji, Thailand, Peru, Cuba, Burma, Indonesia and Reunion Island. Origin Since the Han Dynasty, the Kuang family had a prominent role in the Han aristocracy. Several high generals and commissioners were from the Kuang clan, the last recorded Kuang aristocracy was of the Ming Dynasty. Since the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the start of an era of political unrest, during the Three Kingdoms period in 220 CE, several members of the Kuang clan migrated south in pursuit of a brighter future for their descendants in more fertile and peaceful lands. Variations Variations of the surname Kwong are also common. These include different spellings of the English term, and versions from other countries and cu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sifu Sifu
Shifu () in Mandarin, or sifu in Cantonese, or sai hu in Hokkien, is a title for, and the role of, a skillful person or a master. The character 師/师 means "skilled person" or "teacher," while 傅 means "tutor" and 父 means "father." Though pronounced identically and bearing similar meanings, the two terms are distinct, and their usage is different. The former term, 師傅/师傅, bears only the meaning of "master," and is used to express the speaker's general respect for the addressee's skills and experience; it is, for instance, the term frequently used for cab drivers or other skilled laborers—thus, a customer may use this term to address an automotive mechanic. The latter term, 師父/师父, bears the dual meaning of "master" and "father," and thus connotes lineage in a teacher–student relationship. A tradesperson, for example, would address only their own teacher or master in this way; in the previous example, the mechanic's apprentice would address their master u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qigong
''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, ''qigong'' is traditionally viewed by the Chinese and throughout Asia as a practice to cultivate and balance '' qi'' (pronounced approximately as "chee"), translated as "life energy". ''Qigong'' practice typically involves moving meditation, coordinating slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm meditative state of mind. People practice ''qigong'' throughout China and worldwide for recreation, exercise, relaxation, preventive medicine, self-healing, alternative medicine, meditation, self-cultivation, and training for martial arts. Etymology ''Qigong'' (Pinyin), ''ch'i kung'' ( Wade-Giles), and ''chi gung'' (Yale) are Romanized words for two Chinese characters: ''qì'' (／ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horse Stance
The horse stance (sometimes called horse riding stance) is a common posture in Asian martial arts and takes its name from the position assumed when riding a horse. It is called ''mǎbù'' (馬步) in Chinese, in Japanese, and ''juchum seogi'' (주춤 서기) or ''annun seogi'' (lit. sitting stance) in Korean. This stance can not only be integrated into fighting but also during exercises and forms. It is most commonly used for practicing punches or to strengthen the legs and back. The modified form of horse stance, in which heels are raised, is fighting stance in International Karate Tournaments. The Chinese form of horse stance is fighting stance which changes into front stance while using hip rotation to develop punching force. Chinese martial arts ''Mabu'' is used for endurance training as well as strengthening the back and leg muscles, tendon strength, and overall feeling and understanding of "feeling grounded". It is a wide, stable stance with a low center of gravity.Feet a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Five Animals
In Chinese martial arts, there are fighting styles that are modeled after animals. In Southern styles, especially those associated with Guangdong and Fujian provinces, there are five traditional animal styles known as Ng Ying Kung Fu (Chinese: 五形功夫) )—Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Snake, and Dragon. The five animal martial arts styles supposedly originated from the Henan Shaolin Temple, which is north of the Yangtze River, even though imagery of these particular five animals ''as a distinct set'' (i.e. in the absence of other animals such as the horse or the monkey as in T'ai chi ch'uan or Xíngyìquán) is either rare in Northern Shaolin martial arts—and Northern Chinese martial arts in general—or recent (cf. wǔxíngbāfǎquán; 五形八法拳; "Five Form Eight Method Fist"). An alternate selection which is also widely used is the crane, the tiger, the monkey, the snake, and the mantis. In Mandarin, "wǔxíng" is the pronunciation not only of "five animals", but al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Butterfly Sword
The butterfly sword is a short dao, or single-edged sword, originally from southern China, though it has also seen use in the north. It is thought that butterfly swords date from the early 19th century. Several English language accounts from the 1840s describe local militia in Guangdong being trained in the "double swords", short swords with a hook extending from the guard, and fitting into a single scabbard. The blade of a butterfly sword is roughly as long as a human forearm, which allows easy concealment inside loose sleeves or boots, and allows greater maneuverability when spinning and rotating during close-quarters fighting. Butterfly swords are usually wielded in pairs. A pair of swords will often be carried side by side within the same scabbard, so as to give the appearance of a single weapon. The butterfly sword has a small crossguard to protect the hands of the wielder, similar to that of a ''sai'', which can also be used to block or hook an opponent's weapon. In some ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broadsword
The basket-hilted sword is a sword type of the early modern era characterised by a basket-shaped guard that protects the hand. The basket hilt is a development of the quillons added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages. In modern times, this variety of sword is also sometimes referred to as the broadsword. The basket-hilted sword was generally in use as a military sword, in contrast with the rapier, the slim duelling sword worn with civilian dress during the same period, although each did find some use in both military and civilian contexts. A further distinction applied by arms historians and collectors is that a true broadsword possesses a double-edged blade, while similar wide-bladed swords with a single sharpened edge and a thickened back are called backswords. Various forms of basket-hilt were mounted on both broadsword and backsword blades. One of the weapon types in the modern German dueling sport of ("academic fencing") is the basket-hilted . Morphol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monk's Spade
A monk's spade (; also, ), also called a Shaolin Spade, is a Chinese pole weapon consisting of a long pole with a flat spade-like blade on one end and a smaller crescent shaped blade on the other. Neither blade was designed to be sharpened. In old China, Buddhist monks often carried spades (shovels) with them when travelling. This served two purposes: if they came upon a corpse on the road, they could properly bury it with Buddhist rites, and the large implement could serve as a weapon for defence against bandits. The crescent was designed as defense against small to medium-sized predators such as wild dogs and leopards. The way it is used is to hold the animal at bay by positioning the crescent at the animal's neck and pushing it away if needed. Over time, they were stylised into the ''monk's spade'' weapon. See also * Khakkhara * Sasumata References * Holmes Welch, ''The Practice of Chinese Buddhism 1900—1950'', Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sparring
Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate is sometimes called sparring. Differences between styles The physical nature of sparring naturally varies with the nature of the skills it is intended to develop; sparring in a striking art such as Chun Kuk Do will normally begin with the players at opposite sides of the ring and will be given a point for striking the appropriate area and will be given a foul for striking an inappropriate area or stepping out of the ring. Sparring in a grappling art such as judo might begin with the partners holding one another and end if they separate. The organization of sparring matches also varies; if the participants know each other well and are friendly, it may be sufficient for them to simply play, without rules, referee, or timer. If the sparring ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iron Palm
Iron Palm or Iron Hand (Chinese: wikt:鐵, 鐵wikt:掌, 掌wikt:功, 功) is a body of training techniques in various Chinese martial arts. It is originally one of the 72 arts of the Shaolin temple. These conditioning techniques are typically meant to condition the hands to allow a practitioner to deliver very powerful blows without injury to their hands. Overview Iron Palm is the vernacular for the results of serious training centered mainly on the Hand#Areas, palm of the hand, although other parts of the hand may also be targeted, and covers many different conditioning methods. Most Iron Palm systems are considered Neigong, internal, utilizing qigong exercises to train other aspects of development in addition to the external conditioning which ultimately alters the internal structures of the hand, such as the Bone, bones and sinews. However, martial artists who practice Iron Palm are not unified in their training and techniques. Some teachers treat their Iron Palm methodology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
