"The Eagle Claw was devised by Yue Fei in the Ming Period. It has 108 patterns. These were developed from 50 basic attacks. This fighting style focuses on the bones, sinews, and more fragile joints. All of the techniques power, lies in the finger tips. The touch must be at once gentle, but like an iron vice... The Eagle Claw is the deadliest of all techniques."
Challenges of Training
Sitting in my concrete room.
Bags, tea, and dirty laundry scattered about.
My sore foot inflamed from an unknown but reoccurring injury.
Music softly plays from my headphones as the endless hum of the fan goes on.
My mind drifts to a single question; am I letting such a "small" injury get in the way of my training?
This single thought leads me to thinking about all of the challenges the students of Er Zu Temple have faced during training. Most recently, I've been struggling to learn my very first *Imitation Fist Form.... The Eagle Claw.
Eagle Claw Qualities
Zhang Shifu, of Kung Fu Xing Lin, began teaching me the Eagle Claw. The form is all about speed and grappling moves. The most important aspect, is having a strong Eagle Claw throughout the entire form. My "claw" is far from perfect, and will require a lot more stretching in order to look right. The thumb, pointer and middle finger should be pulled back, with the finger tips facing outwards towards your opponent. This claw is said to be used for grabbing, crushing, and even striking. There are other hand shapes used throughout the form, like fist and palm. Just not as often as the claw.
Am I letting such a "small" injury get in the way of my training?
Although the Eagle Claw is about speed, Zhang Shifu talked to me about the idea of "Shen Fa" (身法). Which, put simply, is how your entire body moves during techniques. He stressed that I focus on getting that correct before adding speed. As movements with correct Shen Fa can be applied more correctly than if you just have speed. They also look better for performance.
Other Challenges
Speed and Shen Fa are quite important, but there is also a "tempo" with the form. As Zhang Shifu has explained to me, the tempo goes with the idea behind the movements. Some movements are like an Eagle taking flight. An Eagle swooping down or an Eagle gently landing. Not only do I need to be fast, but I also need to know when to slow down or stop. Tempo is apart of a lot of forms. For Imitation Fist, it seems more prominent and important.
The final challenge I've been facing with the Eagle form is how different it is compared to what I've learned in the past. The basic forms like Wu Bu Quan, Tong Bei Quan, and Da Hong Quan are all very simple, linear. The moves in the Eagle Form are large, circular, swooping movements that change height. The stances are slightly different as well. There is never a standard Horse Stance or Bow stance, something is always tweaked with it.
I'm hoping that as I continue to practice, my overall Kung Fu will improve. Not just the Eagle Form.
📿Johnny
*象形拳, Xiang Xing Quan or "Imitation Fist" is often translated as "Animal Style/Animal Fist"
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