Different Specializations

[Ray]

Wonderful post,

Thank you Molly

[Maxime]

Some Tiger and Crane thoughts...

Hello

Regarding the Tiger and Crane set I have been reluctant to add more, for the essential reason that I have only started the journey. Hence my understanding is really limited.

With this warning in mind, I will follow my Brother Jonny and Sister Molly' wishes, and share what comes now to my mind.

• Short Set but Depth and Great Range of Techniques - To be honest I have just started to get into the process of analysing the set. But what amazes me is that such a short set covers so many areas:
  - The Four Directions of Attack (High, Middle, Low, Side)
  - The Four Categories of Attack (Striking, Kicking, Felling and Chinna)
  - Leg Sweeps evasion
  - Multiple Attackers
  - Intricate Footwork
  - Dim Mak
  - No Shadow Kicks
  - Tiger Claw
  - Hard and Soft Force
  - Double and Triple Attacks

• Gratefulness and Respect for Our Ancestors - The begining salutation, which is also Sigung Uncle Righteousness' signature, makes me enter in a deeper level of meditation, wrapped into a profound feeling of respect for our past masters. It is sometimes quite strange to feel.

• Spirit of the Tiger and Crane - When performing the set, I feel strong, light (even during the Tiger techniques), powerful, determined and courageous. The Tiger techniques are also excellent to work on pressing and continuous attacks. The Crane techniques are excellent to balance power with harmony and calmness, as well as redirecting incoming power. Both are not exactly working on the same areas, but they are complementing each other; hard and soft, pressing and evasion, clawing and kicking, courage and calmness, intricate footwork and balance... Yin and Yang.

• In the Battlefield - A traditionnal kungfu set is not a dance, nor a tasteless gathering of liveless techniques. When practicing the Tiger and Crane with appropriate spirit (at my current level of understanding), I can find myself in the middle of a battlefield, where applying correct internal force and maintaining proprer spirit (Shen always calm and focussed) is essential to be safe. Using the set with real combat in mind, I can understand better the importance of stances and footwork - which are both essential to avoid death and apply internal force with efficiency-.

I stop here. In a few years, please remind me to come back to this thread to share more expert thoughts.

I hope that the above has been of enough interest.

Kind regards,

[Jonny Say]

Thanks Maxime, fantastic reading! Good luck with your continued Tiger Crane development.

All the best bro

[Maxime]

Thank you my kind brother for your words. See you more advanced.

Shaolin Salute,