Snake

Shequan - Snake Shadow Boxing

 

        There is very little documentation available on any Snake styles. There are many Snake styles found in traditional Shaolin, family styles, and Pa Kua (Bagua) and T'ai Ch'i Chuan.

 

The circling and coiling combined with sharp snapping movements can be compared to the interplay of Yang and Yin. Circular/Coiling attacks can be viewed seen yin and are thus complimented by the more direct piercing attacks Yang. "Where a circle begins a line will end, where a line begins a circle will end." This saying is used by many martial Arts systems but is personified best by the methods employed by the Snake systems.

 

The Viper subsystem consisted of strikes that inflict painful strikes. The use of the Tongue Strike is aimed at arteries and veins. The Cobra subsystem employs strikes to nerves and cavity points. Its hand technique is an open hand with the thumb curled underneath in order to maintain dynamic tension. The Python subsystem uses the Leopard Fist for pinpoint strikes and includes grappling methods. The snake techniques are marked by pin-point open-hand strikes and coiling arm postures to disguise the line and method of attack. These characteristics are also found seen in Wing Chun's Bil Jee set.

 

Snake, within the chi-lin system, is an extremely important, yet hidden, part of the art. When a student comes to understand the movements within Chi-Lin, the snake is often at its core.  Master Decker would talk about a concept known as the magnum rotating center.  This is the movement of your hips on a vertical plane (to keep it simple).   Also, a centerline through your body from the crown of your head straight down would be discussed.  As these two forces coil and uncoil within the movement of combat, this is the snake in Chi-Lin.  This type of movement in Chi-Lin is internal.   It stems from Master Decker's interpretation of Pa-Kua and Hsing-I.  However, there is a more external type of snake in Chi-Lin, more like something from a Jackie Chan movie, but this was passed on to few students.  Although in this article, the animals are spoken about as complete systems within Chi-Lin, they are actually all interwined within the movement.  Chi-Lin borrow techniques and attitudes from these different animals, however it is all still Chi-Lin.

 

Most Snake postures emphasize mobility. The mobile postures allow rapid advances and evasive footwork.. As an evasive modality, the Chi Ling fighter uses fast, alternating hand jabs, drilling at an opponents nerves and accupncture points, sidestepping to their vulnerable position, then finishes with a lightening fast fatal blow.