CLF Siu Kao Da.

See I told you I am still staying on course – keeping to Southern styles …. except here its more Northern and Southern mixed………

“Choy Lee Fut is a southern Chinese martial art. Choy Lee Fut features Five Animal techniques based on the tiger, dragon, crane, leopard, and snake, but is distinguished from other southern styles by long, swinging, circular movements and twisting body motions more indicative of northern styles. For more, click here.”

And from my collection, this is a CLF beginner’s form, Siu Kao Da :-

I see red.

Nope, I am not reverting to Northern styles – I managed to find another book on “Shanxi Hong Quan” or “Red Fist” and seeing how this is one of the forerunners of TCKF, I just want to share a bit more.

Also “sifuwu”  got some really nice Hongquan clips over on youtube that will give you good impressions of this significant historical styles that went on to spawn many later systems ….

Hongquan: Earliest records are from the Song Dynasty, it was called Xijia Quan (West Family Boxing) and later in the Wei period was renamed as Hongquan. In the olden days it was said (Dong Qiang Xi Gun) – [East Spear and West Staff], it was also said (Dong Cha, Zhi Chuo, Xi Hong) – [ East (Shandong) practices Cha (quan), Zhi (Hebei) practices Chuo (Jiao) and the West practices Hong (Quan) ] ….. more click here.

Killing you softly.

Let take a look at another Crane – something that is passed down via Canton and according to their followers, through Fong Sai Yuk, a historical character portrayed in many Hong Kong movies and the latest ones starring Jet Li.

Fong is how you read “Fang” in Cantonese and what a coincidence that the creator of White Crane should be recorded as “Fang Chi Niang” or her father “Fang Zhong”.

So are we looking at the same elephant?

Whatever the case, “Southern Shaolin” is the common denominator and again, I think it’s unwise to dismiss “Fukien Shaolin” so flippantly….

But whatever the stories, the essence of “Crane” fighting is never too divergent.

Not returning aggressive force with aggressive force is the cornerstone, regardless of whether it’s Fukien, Zhejian, Emei or Cantonese Cranes.

Evasions, nerve-points or soft spots strikes and basically winning with “smartness’ are attributes that all TCMA Cranes share.

I find “hard” crane hard to swallow…….