|
|
The Northern Eagle Claw
Yingzhaoquan - Eagle-Talon Shadow Boxing
Eagle, within the Chi-Lin system is very important. Eagle involves attacks against areas of the neck, soft tissues under the arm, muscular areas of the body. The Eagle Claw itself is developed through dynamic tension exercises. For example, squeezing a wad of clay within the three fingers of the Eagle Claw. Another method of training involves using a chain link fence to strike and grab the fence with accuracy and power. Eagle techniques include bent wing, and long arm eagle techniques.
History
The history of the Eagle Claw system is 850 years old. The Northern Eagle Claw System was founded in the Sung Dynasty (circa.1150) by General Yui Feh. Yui Feh was well versed in several styles of kung fu and developed the eagle claw system after observing an eagle in battle.
He noticed that the eagle knew when to attack and when to retreat. He was fascinated with the efficiency with which the eagle used its claws against its enemy. Yui Feh had the mind of a warrior. He knew that on the battlefield every soldier must have the skills to survive, even if he did not have his weapon. He insisted that his soldiers be trained in hand to hand fighting skills. Taking the movements of the eagle, Yui Feh developed kung fu fighting techniques that incorporated the attack and retreat movements of the eagle. Thus the Eagle Claw system was born
He
combined the famous "108 Fighting Techniques" with simple
blocks, punches, intricate grabs, locks, and pressure point strikes. The
system that Yui Feh developed consisted of 50 basic hand combinations,10 short
set fighting combinations and the 108 two man hand technique set. He also
developed grabbing and joint locking techniques that were based on the eagles
claws.
At this time, China, under the rule of the King Go Chung, was being invaded by Mongolian "Golden Soldiers". Ngok Fei was the Sung General in charge of resistance to the "Golden Soldiers". Training his soldiers in fighting techniques he had learned from a Sil Lum monk named Jow Tong, Ngok Fei continuously defeated the Mongolian invaders and, on several occasions, almost succeeded in capturing their general. As a result, Ngok Fei and his fighting techniques acquired quite a reputation throughout China.
Originally the Eagle Claw system, whose complete history is told in Sifu Shum's book Eagle Claw Kung Fu: Classical Northern Chinese Fist
Ngok
Fei, said to be the most brilliant general of the Southern Song dynasty
(1127-1279 AD), taught to his soldiers. The Song court had fled south of the
Huai river, a tributary of the Yang Tse River, before the Jürched (a Siberian
people who were the ancestors of the Manchus, the last rulers of China before
the country became a Republic), who had conquered North China. The Song court
set up its capital in Hang Chow. General Ngok Fei defeated the Jürched every
time he fought them. Just hearing Ngok Fei's name filled the Jürched with
terror. Ngok Fei was able to win victory after victory because he was a clever
tactician, and above all because of the kung fu system he taught to his troops.
Ngok
Fei was a junior officer who rose from the ranks of recruits. He was not only an
excellent strategist, but also a scholar and always showed moral integrity and
loyalty to the Emperor. He inspired discipline among his troops, won the
people's support, succeeded in suppressing bandits who were roaming the land,
and defeated the Jürched cavalry with infantry tactics.
Unfortunately
for Ngok Fei, at that time Prime Minister Ch'in Kwei was working out a peace
settlement with the Jürched. Ngok Fei's integrity and popularity were not only
jeopardizing the peace accord, but also threatening a shaky regime, the Emperor
being a lackluster ruler. Ch'in Kwei falsely accused Ngok Fei of insubordination
and convinced the Emperor to order him back to the capital. Ngok Fei, who knew
very well what was waiting for him, refused to obey. Three times he disregarded
the imperial command. Finally the Emperor sent him a "gold edict"—an
order that could not be ignored under penalty of death. Ngok Fei had no choice:
he headed back to the capital. Once there, he was immediately thrown into prison
where he was murdered. He was thirty-nine.
It is widely believed that Ch'in Kwei engineered Ngok Fei's murder.
Ngok Fei's soldiers, enraged at the grossly unfair punishment he had suffered, disbanded and continued training on their own. A monk named Lai Chin, who was already the master of his own system called Faan Tzi, happened to see Ngok Fei's former soldiers training during his travels. He recognized the value of their techniques and decided to incorporate them into his own system. Faan Tzi Eagle Claw was born: today it is known as the Northern Eagle Claw system.
Li Ch'uen combined General Yui Feh 's system with the leg techniques of the Fan Tzi system to create what is known today as Ying Jow Pai or Eagle Claw Gung Fu. For several generations it was passed only from monk to monk. The monk Li Chan combined Eagle Claw with a Chinese form of gymnastics called fan-tzu.Li Chan passed this new form of kung-fu to Do Chao, a monk at a monastery in Hopei province. Northern Shaolin long range fighting skills and Shaolin weapons were later added. This combination of Eagle Claw, fan-tzu and Shaolin weapon techniques created the modern system of Eagle Claw that we have today. During the Ching Dynasty,the Eagle Claw system was passed down to Lau Si Chun and to the direct descendants of Lau Fat Mang. The chart of Eagle Claw lineage shown below is the true path of the Eagle Claw system.