Elephant kungfu
Although I’m certainly no expert, I’ve learned a form for Elephant kungfu. My teacher learned it from Doc Fai-Wong, so it may be affiliated with the Choy Li Fut system and is almost certainly a southern chinese style - makes sense, as you’d expect an Elephant Form to have something to do with Indian martial arts rather than Chinese. Anyway, a quick and rough description follows.
The fist used in elephant kungfu keeps the second knuckle of the fingers tucked tight against the thumb, which in turn is held across the palm. This creates a kind of ‘pointed’ striking surface with the main knuckles (where the finger meets the back of the hand) for backhanded strikes and another at the first knuckle for forward and spinning strikes. (I’ve never learned jaguar style, but from what I’ve read the fist configuration is somewhat similar.) Footwork is in short steps, and hard to predict on account of a great deal of front and back scissor-stepping and spinning movement. There are only three kicks - a low snapping front kick aimed at the groin and low side kicks to either side aimed at the knee. The low side kicks are accompanied by a shoulder height straight side punch to clock the head if your opponent tries to block or redirect the kick with a low hand technique. Other foot attacks are sweeps accompanying hand throws. There are a lot of elbow strikes, including rising elbows that double as blocks for blows to the head, side elbows that are aimed at an opponents ribs and accompany a ‘trunk pull’ of an attacking hand with the opposite arm, and a double side elbow for opponents close in to your left and right. Fist strikes come in many directions, the most common of which in the form is a shoulder-height spinning blow with power generated from a scissor step twist and swiveling hips. There are also uppercuts, over-the-head drop punches which generate power from a bending waist and knee, downward diagonal arc punches with the thumb side of the fist, backfists, and an interesting intercepting punch aimed at the funny bone of a lunging jab.
As I said, I’m no expert, but I believe elephant kunfu is intended to be used for infighting at punching range, the bridge between punching range and the clinch, and the striking from the clinch itself. It may also have uses for dealing with two opponents at once, expecially if they are both close to you. JWT has also learned the form, and has mentioned that the unpredictable twisting motions of elephant kungfu help to obscure the practitioners centerline and allow him or her to strike from unusual angles.
There’s a bit more info at <a href="http://www.taichiherb.com</a>Tai Chi People’s website</a>, although not much is known about the origin of the style.
Hope this helps.
(edits due to spelling and grammar errors)
I am the Grand Ultimate Silk Pyjama
[This message was edited by Chang Style Novice on 11-16-01 at 07:54 AM.]
[This message was edited by Chang Style Novice on 11-16-01 at 07:56 AM.]
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