Hung Gar 101

[Wood Dragon]

Having been referred here (from the general forum), my question is:

Hung Gar: What's it like (from a tactics, training and strategy point of view)?

How to the 5 Animals factor in? The Five Elements?


For Kyokushin practitioners, like myself, Hung Gar has often been pointed out as the Chinese Kyokushin ("Hardest Karate" => "Hardest Kung Fu").

Secondly, as I'm interested in learning:

If you had to pick 5 Hung Gar instructors in the United States (to include Hawaii) to learn from, who would you pick (and where are they based)?

Keep in mind that I am next to clueless on TMCA in general.

[BruceSteveRoy]

i think its incorrect to call hung gar the hardest style. i have always been told (and i welcome any correction) hung gar starts off hard but works toward the "soft" or subtle side. all tcma have a hard and a soft side otherwise they wouldn't be balanced. but as for hung ga instructors in the u.s. i would pick in no particular order:

1. sifu sharif bey- Brooklyn (i think), NY (Yee's Hung ga)
2. sifu pedro yee- clifton, NJ (Yee's Hung Ga)
3. sifu wing lam- somewhere in ca i think

[sanjuro_ronin]

Having been referred here (from the general forum), my question is:

Hung Gar: What's it like (from a tactics, training and strategy point of view)?

How to the 5 Animals factor in? The Five Elements?


For Kyokushin practitioners, like myself, Hung Gar has often been pointed out as the Chinese Kyokushin ("Hardest Karate" => "Hardest Kung Fu").

Secondly, as I'm interested in learning:

If you had to pick 5 Hung Gar instructors in the United States (to include Hawaii) to learn from, who would you pick (and where are they based)?

Keep in mind that I am next to clueless on TMCA in general.

My Hung kuen training has complimented my kyokushin very nicely.
Both are systems that focus on core and basics, can never go wrong that way.
There are advanced principles in Hung Gar that are "missing" in Kyokushin, so there is that advantage too, though taiji may be a better "finisher" for kyokushin.

Probably be better to give some indication where you live rather than ask for 5 teachers all over the states.

[TenTigers]

not all Hung-Ga teachers are the same, and don't interpet Hung-Ga the same. Whereas some are very aggressive, attack oriented, many seem to have regressed into the block, block, block then strike tactic-which IMHO is not the way Hung-Ga was intended to be played. Too many schools have gotten away from why Hung-Ga was developed and now lean towards collecting forms, point tournaments, and pontificating on the concepts.

Like with any martial arts teacher-check out the school first. Many well-known teachers have reps built on magazine articles, tournament trophies, and great press, and actually have no substance. The only way to really know is to find out yourself. Make sure that they are not teaching kickboxing and calling it Hung-Ga. Even though a kick is a kick and a punch is a punch, there should be certain techniques and methodologies that are consistant with the style. Otherwise you can just keep doing what youre doing and buy some dvd's, right?

The above mentioned are all quality teachers. I would also add YC WOng in SF, Bill Fong in Statan Island,Franciso Rivera in New Mexico, Cheung Shu-Pui in Philly, if you are on or near Long Island, feel free to check us out as well. If you have any questions about the Five Animals, Five Elements, or theories,tactics, etc, you can e-mail or PM me.

[4 Dragons]

Don't forget Grandmaster John S.S. Leong in Seattle!

[TenTigers]

most definately! Still a big inspiration to me. I bought his book when it first came out, and now I order them from him directly for my students.

[sanjuro_ronin]

most definately! Still a big inspiration to me. I bought his book when it first came out, and now I order them from him directly for my students.

Books?
I do believe that my collection is lacking in the decent Hung ga/r/kuen books.
*hint, hint*

[banditshaw]

I'm not sure Wing Lam Sifu is teaching still, might be wrong though.

On the West coast(where I am located) the Sifu's I would recommend are.

Buck Sam Kong- LA

Y.C. Wong- SF

John Leong- Seattle

On the East Coast I've heard good things about the Yee's branches. Especially Sharif Bey's school.

Also I would check out Sifu Rik Kellerman's kwoon out as well.

I would have to agree with Ten's assesment of the Hung style.
Each Sifu I have seen has different teaching styles and different flavors.

[Wood Dragon]

i think its incorrect to call hung gar the hardest style. i have always been told (and i welcome any correction) hung gar starts off hard but works toward the "soft" or subtle side. all tcma have a hard and a soft side otherwise they wouldn't be balanced. but as for hung ga instructors in the u.s. i would pick in no particular order:

1. sifu sharif bey- Brooklyn (i think), NY (Yee's Hung ga)
2. sifu pedro yee- clifton, NJ (Yee's Hung Ga)
3. sifu wing lam- somewhere in ca i think

Note: by "hardest", I meant "toughest", not a reflection of the mechanical aspects. This is, of course, subjective. It's just how Hung Gar is often described in the Karate community.

[mok]

Note: by "hardest", I meant "toughest", not a reflection of the mechanical aspects. This is, of course, subjective. It's just how Hung Gar is often described in the Karate community.

Hardest in terms of training, but not necessarily in terms of contact, where I think very few CMA's measure up to Kyokushin's exacting standards...

Other than that - I second and third everything else that TT and banditshaw said.

[BruceSteveRoy]

i don't know either whether sifu wing lam still teaches i have just heard that he runs a good school. i can't believe i forgot to put yc wong on that short list. i have heard that is a really good school as well.

[B-Rad]

I'll add Tony Brown here in Columbus, Ohio to the instructor list

[lkfmdc]

YC Wong has to be the top of the list here....

[sanjuro_ronin]

YC Wong has to be the top of the list here....

No doubt, if there was one, it would be him.

[Jim Anestasi]

Hung Gar as taught to me buy Grandmaster Ark Y.Wong was my favorite style. I learned several sets from him. Being a young big strong guy,he said it would be best that I learn it first. I enjoyed his method of teaching.

Jim Anestasi:)

[hasayfu]

Sifu Wing Lam is still teaching but does not have a public school.
He accepts private students and continues to teach his senior students.

I carry on his Hung Gar teaching at a Shaolin school in Cupertino.

[Tid Sin]

In Massachusetts, the Lam Jo lineage is represented via the following Sifu (in no particular order):

1) Winchell Woo - Boston;

2) Calvin Chin - Newton Highlands;

3) Yon Lee - Quincy @ Harvard University.

All of the mo kwoon are within about 20 - 30 minutes of each other.

[Tid Sin]

On the West Coast, Kong Buck Sam Sifu's students are also representing the Lam Gar Hung Kuen (in no particular order):

-Vernon Rieta, Sifu (CA);

-Donald Hamby, Sifu (CA);

-Eddie Lane, Sifu (WA);

-Fred Lee, Sifu (CA);

-Don Morrison, Sifu (OK);

-Seng Jeorng Au, Sifu (HI).

[htowndragon]

i heard good things about chiu chi ling

[Wood Dragon]

Thanks for the info, guys. I appreciate it.

[Wood Dragon]

It's from a movie, but is this clip a good representation of the Hung Gar katas?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcNclS-ad0Y

[banditshaw]

Yeah I would have to say that they are fine examples. Plus the way they were shot on the soundstage adds some ooomph as well.

[omarthefish]

Just came in here to lurk. Don't post much any more these days but this thread gave me a little lump in my throat. Makes me feel pretty good to see so many people put YC Wong, my Sifu, on their short list. I spent 8 years with him. I may have moved on to Baji and Taiji but I have learned recently that when the **** hits the fan, I still tend to fall back on my Hung Gar. Just really **** solid basic fighting. It gets pretty subtle after a while but doesn't everything?

And also, yes, this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcNclS-ad0Y ...is pretty **** good. That's what's so cool about the Shaw Brother's stuff from that era. They used to showcase some real ****. The first section of that video contains the longest and most accurate film portrayal of a Hung Gar form I have ever seen. He's doing gong ji, one of the 4 "pillars" of Hung Gar. Gong Ji, Fu Hok, Sup Yin and Tid Sien.

Also, as long as everyone agrees that YC Wong has to be on your short list, check out his site to answer your original question. He lays down a pretty good breakdown of the sets here: http://www.tigercrane.com/hghf.html Look especially at the description of Sup Ying Kuen (Ten Form Fist) for your question regarding how the animals and the elements work into things.

[DMK]

Don' t forget Sifu Mike Marshall