SHAOLIN FIVE ANIMALS

Understanding Characteristics and Essence

Many of the extensive patterns in Shaohn Kung Fu are derived from observing the characteristics and essence of animals that surpass those of humans. The agility of the monkey and the stability of the elephant, for example, are qualities that can benefit both martial artists and ordinary people.
Of the numerous animals that have provided inspiration and valuable lessons to Shaolin Kung Fu, the following five are especially significant: dragon, snake, tiger, leopard and crane. Shaolin masters have adopted from these animals not only their outward characteristics, like the Dragon Palm and the Tiger Claw which are incorporated into Kung Fu patterns, but also their inner essence, hke the speed of the leopard and the elegance of the crane which have enriched many aspects of Kung Fu training. Each of the five Shaolin animals is noted for its special characteristic and essence.
In Chinese culture, the dragon is a majestic, divine creature which brings luck and prosperity. Its characteristic powerful, undulating and flowing movements are manifested as a graceful, sinuous body motion in Shaolin Kung Fu. If you punch or kick an exponent who specializes in the dragon style, for example, he or she would not block your attack nor move away, but gracefully swerve the body without moving the feet, so that your attack would miss, while he or she would continue the swerving momentum to strike you. The pattern Swimming Dragon Plays with Water, which we learned in the last chapter, is an example of this swerving technique.
In terms of its inner essence, the dragon form is for training shen, which means 'mind' or 'spirit'. Stabilizing Cosmos with One-Finger Zen is an example of the dragon form for developing the mind, which means, among other things, that the exponent is peaceful, tranquil and mentally fresh, ready to mobilize every part of the body in a split second. The development of shen is often reflected in the sparkle of the master's eye, and in an invisible but discernible force that he radiates.
In some ways the snake resembles a dragon, but without the latter's grandeur and power. It is sometimes called an earthly dragon. Its movement is fast and sleek, its attack vicious, and its most notable characteristic is softness. Hence, a snake form specialist would normally not block an attack directly with physical strength, but would absorb it using circular movements, coil round it, and slide along the attacking limb to strike the opponent's weak spots.
The essence of the snake form is chi or intrinsic energy. The soft, gentle movements of snake patterns are meant to facilitate Chi flow, which can give the exponent tremendous internal force. Such a person does not need external force training like hitting sandbags and striking poles, which are actually incongruous to the snake form.
The tiger is well known for its ferocity and power. It may surprise those who have not observed a tiger closely, to know that its movements are also very agile and elegant. Thus, if you perform tiger patterns like BlackTiger Steals Heart and Single Tiger Emerges from Cave clumsily or without power, you will miss the characteristics that are meant to be expressed in these patterns.
The power of the tiger form is not mechanical or brutal. In Kung Fu terminology, the essence of the tiger lies in its bones, which is a figurative way of saying that the training of the tiger form is to develop internal force. The internal force used in the tiger form training is different from that of the snake. The tiger form emphasizes jing, or 'essence', which is matter in its finest form, similar to what modern scientists call subatomic particles. The snake form emphasizes chi, or intrinsic energy. Jing and chi are nevertheless relative; ring can be converted to chi, and vice versa. It is amazing that Shaolin masters preceded modern scientists in this concept of the relativity of matter and energy by many centuries.
The characteristic of the leopard is speed; leopard patterns are there- fore fast. In Shaolin Kung Fu the leopard form is represented by the Leopard Punch, which is formed by bending the knuckles at the second finger joints, and not at the third, as in a normal fist. However, if you per- form the Black Tiger punch or the Happy Bird side kick at great speed, your pattern has the characteristic of the leopard, even though it is named after a tiger or a bird. Hence, it is often the characteristic, and not just the form, of a pattern that counts.
The essence of the leopard lies in its muscles, which means that in the leopard form, the emphasis is on external strength. Unlike internal force, which can be inflicted at the point of contact, external strength depends to a great extent on fast movement for its successful operation. If your Dragon Palm is on your opponent's chest, for example, you can cause a lot of injury if you exert internal force, without having to pull it back some distance to ram it in. But ifyou use a Leopard Punch, you have to drive it into your opponent with speed and momentum.
Why, then, is the leopard form, with its external strength, not replaced by the tiger, which emphasizes internal force? It is because, among other reasons, the leopard form has the advantage of speed, which also complements its external strength. The tiger techniques are generally not as speedy, unless they are generated by internal chi flow, which can make them very fast. Many other martial arts actually depend mainly on speed and external strength – the characteristic and essence of the leopard.
If you observe a crane, you will probably be impressed by its stability and tranquillity, and perhaps be surprised that its slender solitary-standing leg can support such an enormous weight. The bird seems to be frozen in space and time. When it suddenly takes off, despite its huge size and apparent immobility, its movements are swift and graceful, demonstrating an excellent way of both conserving and using energy. Manifested in Shaolin Kung Fu, the characteristic of the crane form is elegance, and its essence is quiescence.
While patterns involving standing on one leg as in kicking, spreading the arms like the crane's wings and using the crane beak are discernible expressions of the crane form, other patterns which demonstrate elegance or quiescence also derive their inspiration from the crane. Most patterns named after birds are included in the general category of the crane form. Oriole Drinks Water, despite its name, is an exquisite crane technique, executing a kick unobtrusively but efficaciously. On the other hand, elaborated and exposed high kicks, especially those accompanied by a lot of shouting as if warning the opponent that the kicks are coming, are not representative of the crane, because, from the Shaolin perspective, they lack elegance and quiescence, which in Kung Fu terms means that they are not only clumsy and unsighdy to watch, but also technically inferior and wasteful of energy.
These five animals, therefore, provide Shaolin Kung Fu with their respective characteristics and essence, not only making it an effective fighting art but also enabling it to become an excellent system for physicai, emotional, mental and spiritual development. The form and signifi- cance of the tiger, snake and dragon develop what are called the three treasures, namely ting, chi and shen, which are matter in its finest form (or subatomic particles), intrinsic energy, and mind or spirit. A person whosejing is full, for example, is physically fit and healthy; one whose chi is plentiful is emotionally stable and full of vitality; and one whose shen is abundant is mentally fresh and spiritually mature.
The leopard form and significance produce speed and agility, while those of the crane produce elegance and tranquillity. How and why Shaolin Kung Fu leads to emotional growth, mind expansion and spiri- tual development will be explained in later chapters.

Some Preliminary Information

Figures show the patterns of the set called the Shaolin Five- Animal set, and the description in the next section explains the main points. I composed this set specially for this book, drawing inspiration and material from some of the best classical Shaolin Kung Fu patterns.
As I said, it is difficult to learn Kung Fu movements from a book, so you should ideally seek an instructor. But if this is not feasible, try to follow the pictures and description as best as you can, without worrying unduly about details. If you are still not clear about the various Shaolin hand forms and stances, you should read Chapter 6 again, because they will be mentioned extensively.
Practise the patterns slowly and leisurely at first, paying careful attention to performing the form correctly. Then practise each pattern with force, gradually developing your force pattern by pattern, but remember that your force must be flowing, not locked in your chest, shoulders or elbows. If your force, or more likely your brute strength, is locked, you will feel crammed or painful after sustained practice. If your force is flowing, you will feel fresh and energized.
When you can perform the whole set with accurate form and flowing force, progress to practising with speed. An important factor in speed training is not just performing each pattern faster, but flowing from one pattern to another smoothly. You should be performing continuous sequences of numerous patterns, and not each pattern individually. This development of accurate form, force and speed should be progressive and gradual, so you may not feel much difference between two consecutive days in your training. But there will be a tremendous difference between the first and the last days of the period you set for this training course, which should be about six months. Remember to work out your personal and course objectives, and evaluate them at the end of the course.
The most important aspect is that you must express the characteristics and essence of the five Shaolin animals as you perform their respective patterns. When you are performing a dragon pattern, for example, you should develop mind control to channel internal force to wherever it is wanted; when you are performing a tiger pattern, you should feel the courage and power ora tiger, and not perform it as ifyou were a cat. You will have a better understanding of mind control and internal force after you have read some of the later chapters.

The Five-Animal Set
1 Dragon and Tiger Appear.
Start from the ready position; move to Dragon and Tiger Appear and pose for a few seconds, with your chi gently focused at the abdomen; then return to the ready
position. Dragon and Tiger Appear is a Shaolin greeting pattern, usually performed at the start and end of a Kung Fu set. It is also frequently used to greet a partner in a training session, or an opponent before a real combat; Shaolin disciples should not be impolite even in a fight. When it is used as a greeting to a partner or an opponent, it is often performed while standing upright, and not in the False-Leg Stance.

2 Single Dragon Emerges from Sea (right).
Move to the Horseriding Stance. Hold your right hand in the dragon form; move out and bring back the dragon form three times. Breathe in gently through your nose as you draw your dragon form in, and breathe out gently through your mouth with a 'Shsss...' sound as you move it out, using your mind power to direct vital energy from your abdomen to your fingertips. After moving your dragon form out and drawing it in three times, 'shoot' it out with a 'her-it' sound. Then bring your right hand in a fist back to your waist.

3 Single Dragon Emerges from Sea (left).
Repeat pattern 2 above, substituting right for left. As it is a dragon pattern, its aim is to train shen or mind. Correct training enables you to use your mind to channel internal power to your fingers. Apart from your hand or fingers, which are charged with energy, you should be totally relaxed.

4 Swimming Dragon Plays with Water (right).
Imagine that you have performed patterns 1, 2 and 3 facing north. Now move your right leg to north-east, by first transferring your body weight onto your left leg, swerving in an anticlockwise circular movement to your back and then to your front, and then transferring your weight evenly over both legs. Your body should lean slightly forward after the circular swerving movement, but without affecting your balance. Simultaneously thread (see Chapter 7, p.79) your right palm forward, with your left palm near your right elbow.

5 Swimming Dragon Plays with Water (left).
Repeat pattern 4, substituting right for left, and moving towards the north-west. The significant feature of these two patterns is the flowing circular body movement, and the threading technique. Train your mind to direct your vital energy to flow with your movement.

6 Green Dragon Shoots out Pearl.
Circle your left palm in an anti- clockwise direction in front, and simultaneously strike out your right palm. Let your internal force shoot out from your palm.

7 Poisonous Snake Basks in Mist.
Bring back your left leg to form a left False-Leg Stance facing north, and simultaneously bring both hands in snake forms in a circular movement to your chest level, with your left palm in front. Breathe in into your abdomen.

8 Poisonous Snake Shoots Venom (left).
Immediately move forward towards north to a left Bow-Arrow Stance and shoot out your left snake form at your opponent's throat, with your right snake form near your left elbow. Direct chi to your fingertips with a 'shssk' sound.

9 Poisonous Snake Shoots Venom (right).
Immediately shoot out your right snake form, and place your left snake form near your right elbow. Direct chi to your fingertips with a 'shssk' sound.

10 Single Tiger Emerges from Cave. Bring your left leg back into a left False-Leg Stance, and move your left Tiger Claw in an arc to your front, with a 'yaa...' sound vibrating from your lungs. You’re your eyes wide, and focus your internal power at your Tiger Claw. Feel the courage and power of a tiger.

11 Black Tiger Steals Heart.
Move forward into a left Bow-Arrow Stance, and strike out your level right fist with a 'her-it' sound coming from your abdomen. Imagine your punch is so powerful that it fells a wall.

12 Hungry Tiger Catches Goat.
Move your right back leg a big step forward to form a right Bow-Arrow Stance, circle your right Tiger Claw in a small anti-clockwise movement, move your left Tiger Claw forward, and lean your body slightly in front, making a 'yaa...' sound. Open your eyes wide and feel the ferocity of a hungry tiger.

13 Angry Leopard Charges at Rock.
Swiftly retreat to a right False- Leg Stance, and jab your right Leopard Punch diagonally downwards.

14 Golden Leopard Speeds Through Jungle (left). Move your right leg forward to a right Bow-Arrow Stance, and strike out your left Leopard Punch, placing your right Leopard Punch near your left elbow. The essence here is speed.

15 Golden Leopard Speeds Through Jungle (right).
Instantaneously strike out your right Leopard Punch, pulling back your left Leopard Punch at your right elbow. The two Leopard Punches are to be performed as if they are one pattern. Patterns 7-15 are performed facing north.

16 Reincarnated Crane (left).
Move your left leg diagonally forward so that it is in line with your right leg, and form a right False Leg Stance with your body slanting slightly backwards. Simutaneously use your right Crane Beak to hook your opponent's arm, and use your left Crane Beak to strike his or her temple. Your stance points east, but your crane strike is towards the north-east. You should perform this pattern elegantly.

17 Reincarnated Crane (right).
Shift your weight to your right leg, make a left about turn, and repeat pattern 16, reversing left and right. Now your stance points towards west, but your strike is towards north-west. These two crane patterns must be performed elegantly.

18 Crane Stands Among Cockerels. Turn to face north, stand in a left Single-Leg Stance, spread out both hands, and kick out your right leg with the instep as the striking point. This is a very elegant pattern. Remain at the tranquil poise for a few seconds.

19 Dragon's Chi Spreads Across the River (left).
Lower your right leg and place it behind to form a left Front-Arrow Stance, still facing north. Spread out both arms, with your back right palm facing upwards above your head and your front left palm facing downwards near your left knee. Focus your chi at your abdomen, then channel it to flow to your two arms.

20 Dragon's Chi Spreads Across the River (right).
Shift your body weight to your left front leg and turn around to form a right Front-Arrow Stance, facing south. Spread both arms. Focus at your abdomen and channel chi to both arms. These two dragon patterns, patterns 19 and 20, which are similar but reversed, are to be performed slowly (except when you are using them in comba0, so that you can concentrate your shen and chi.You should be mentally fresh,and experience energy flow inside your body.

21 Fierce Dragon Speeds Across Stream.
First bring your right leg back near to your left in a momentary Cat Step (which is like a False-Leg Stance but with the feet closer together), place your left palm in front and your right palm behind near your right breast, then instantly shoot out your right leg into a right Bow-Arrow Stance and strike out your right palm, with the edge of your palm as striking point. Feel yourself like a stream of energy shooting forwards, but take care that your weight is evenly distributed between both legs, although your body may lean forward slightly.

22 Black Tiger Speeds Across Valley.
Bring you back left leg near to your front right leg, and immediately shoot out your front leg into a right Bow-Arrow Stance, simultaneously striking out your level right fist. While this pattern is named after the tiger to emphasize the use of internal force rather than brute strength, its speed is characteristic of the leopard.

23 Fierce Tiger Crouches on Ground.
In patterns 20-22, you faced south. Now turn your body 180 degrees to the left, so that it points north, but you look towards the east. Crouch with your right knee on the ground, place your left Tiger Claw near your shoulder and your right Tiger Claw a short distance in front near the ground. Focus internal force on your right Tiger Claw.

24 Spiritual Dragon Rises Towards Sky.
Focus your chi at your abdomen, change your Tiger Claws into Dragon Palms and rise up, bringing your left leg diagonally backward into a left sideways Bow- Arrow Stance, simultaneously pushing both palms with some force towards the sky. As you rise, let your chi rise through your body to your arms and palms, while still maintaining a firm stance. In this pattern, if you draw a line from your right leg to your left leg, it will point towards the south-west, but you should looking towards the north-west

.25 Double Dragons Play with Pearl.
Without moving your feet, turn left towards the south-west, shift your body backwards to your back right leg, bending your right knee more than your left, and simultaneously lower your hands as if you are holding a ball close to the left side of your body but with both fists clenched. Your left elbow should be close to your waist while your right arm should be at shoulder level. Instantaneously move forward to a left Bow-Arrow Stance, still facing south-west, and strike out both fists, the left lower fist at your opponent's solar plexus, and the right upper fist at the face. Your fists should be held facing each other, ie ifthe palms were open the left palm would face upward and the right palm downwards.

26 White Tiger Presents Claw.
Make a right about turn and stand in a right False-Leg Stance, but with the body leaning slightly back wards. Swing your left Tiger Claw from below upwards and forwards. Focus internal force at your left Tiger Claw. Your stance should point north-east, but your Tiger Claw strike should be towards the north where your imaginary opponent is.

27 Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain.
Move your right leg forwards to a right Bow-Arrow Stance, with your body leaning forwards but without upsetting your balance, and strike out your right Tiger Claw in a forward and slightly downward movement, with your left Tiger Claw following near the right elbow. Focus internal force at both Tiger Claws. This pattern points towards the north-east.

28 Golden Leopard Watches Fire.
Without moving from your position, make a 270 degree left-about turn to face south-east, sit on the ground in a Seven-Star Stance, and strike your left Leopard Punch upwards and backwards. The emphasis is on speed.

29 Crane Drinks Beside Stream.
Immediately move your left leg diagonally forwards into a left sideways Bow-Arrow Stance in a south-easterly direction, with your body leaning forwards, and strike out your right Phoenix-Eye Punch forwards and downwards towards the south-west. Attempt to make the change from patterns 27-28 to this pattern so fast that onlookers do not realize what has happened.

30 Black Tiger Presents Claw.
Without moving from your leg position, change to a right sideways Bow-Arrow Stance pointing northwest, and strike out your left Tiger Claw towards the west, with your right Tiger Claw a short distance in front of your body.

31 Old Dragon Takes Water.
Move your left leg forwards to form a left Bow-Arrow Stance pointing west, make a small clockwise circle with your left Dragon Palm in front of your body, and then strike out your right Dragon Palm, pulling back your left palm near to your waist.

32 White Snake Crosses Valley.
Move your right leg a big step for wards and shift your left leg accordingly so that you now stand at a right Bow-Arrow Stance towards the north, with your body leaning forwards. At the same time stretch both hands in snake form so that your right hand reaches as far forwards, and your left hand as far backwards as possible. Let your chi flow to both hands. From this pattern to the end of the set, your face should be towards the north.

33 Poisonous Snake Strikes Vital Point.
Bring your right leg back and place it a small step in front of your left leg to form a Unicorn Step, and strike out your left snake form.

34 Golden Leopard Speeds Through Lotus.
Turn to the left to form a right sideways Horseriding Stance, with your body pointing west, and quickly strike out your right Leopard Punch, with both your face and your strike towards the north.

35 Stabilizing Cosmos with One-Finger Zen.
Take your right leg back a big step to form a sideways Horseriding Stance, with your body pointing east, and gradually stretch out your left hand in a One- Finger Zen form, with both your face and your finger still towards the north. Gently sink your chi to your abdominal dan tian, and focus your mind on the tip of your finger. Feel calm and alert. Remain at this tranquility for a few seconds.

36 Focus Chi at Dan Tian.
Turn to perform Dragon and Tiger Unite, which is the same as Dragon and Tiger Appear in pattern 1, gently breathing into your abdomen at the same time. Then return to a ready position, open your fists into palms, gently raise both palms to breast level, turn them to face downwards and gently lower them so that your arms drop naturally to your sides, simultaneously breathing out and visualizing your chi collecting at your abdominal dan tian, which is about 3in below your navel. It is very important that the sinking of your chi to your dan tian be done gently. With proper practice, you should not feel tired or out of breath after completing this set, even ifyou have performed it forcefully and speedily; instead, you should feel calm, fresh and energized.

The Names of the Five-Animal Patterns

The names of the 36 patterns of the Five-Animal set are listed below. In Chinese they are poetic and meaningful, although the poetry and mean- ing are often lost during translation due to the cultural and linguistic dif- ferences between Chinese and English.
1 Dragon and Tiger Appear
2 Single Dragon Emerges from Sea (right)
3 Single Dragon Emerges from Sea (left)
4 Swimming Dragon Plays with Water (right)
5 Swimming Dragon Plays with Water (left)
6 Green Dragon Shoots out Pearl
7 Poisonous Snake Basks in Mist
8 Poisonous Snake Shoots outVenom (left)
9 Poisonous Snake Shoots outVenom (right)
10 Single Tiger Emerges from Cave
11 Black Tiger Steals Heart
12 Hungry Tiger Catches Goat
13 Angry Leopard Charges at Rock
14 Golden Leopard Speeds Through Jungle (left)
15 Golden Leopard Speeds Through Jungle (right)
16 Reincarnated Crane (left)
17 Reincarnated Crane (right)
18 Crane Stands Among Cockerels
19 Dragon's Chi Spreads Across River (left)
20 Dragon's Chi Spreads Across River (right)
2l Fierce Dragon Speeds Across Stream
22 Black Tiger Speeds Across Valley
23 Fierce Tiger Crouches on Ground
24 Spiritual Dragon Rises Towards Sky
25 Double Dragons Play with Pearl
26 White Tiger Presents Claw
27 Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain
28 Golden Leopard Watches Fire
29 Crane Drinks Beside Stream
30 Black Tiger Presents Claw
31 Old Dragon Takes Water
32 White Snake Crosses Valley
33 Poisonous Snake StrikesVital Point
34 Golden Leopard Speeds Through Lotus
35 Stabilizing Cosmos with One-Finger Zen
36 Focus Chi at Dan Tian
People who are uninformed about the intricacies of Shaolin Kung Fu may think that the patterns in this Shaolin Five-Animal set are merely flowery, meant only for demonstrations. Pleasing spectators has never been a function of Shaolin Kung Fu; if Shaolin Kung Fu performances are beautiful to watch – and they are – it is an incidental bonus. Its main aim is self-defence and personal growth. How these Five-Animal patterns can be applied to combat is explained in the next chapter in the form of a combination set.