Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu
Class Schedule:
Monday 7pm. Wednesday 7pm. Saturday 12pm. (Seniors Tuesday 7pm).
Children classes Monday 5pm & Saturday 11am.
Prices:
£12 per class or £180 for 3 months (twice a week).
Paul Whitrod sifu has been studying this unique fighting art for more than 30 years starting in 1975 under Yip Chee Keung Sifu. Then studying this art in Hong Kong living at the home of His Grandmaster Yip Shui in Kowloon city Hong Kong. In those days there were not many westerners training in Hong Kong in any art for that matter. Paul Whitrod was one of those few and at the age of 20 ventured to Hong Kong by an invitation from the Yip family. Over the years Paul travelled back and forth to train and completed the art after 20 years training. This includes dim yuet skills and dit dar medicine, one has to take a vow to Grandmaster Yip Shui and alter to be revealed this knowledge!
This system is a deadly art and if practised properly can unleash the immense power from training the hidden powers of the body.
Paul explains: "Actually is it a quite a simple system, with low line kicks fast close-in rapid hand skills, I can guarantee that anyone who comes to my school wanting to learn this art I can get them fighting fit with a basic understanding of how they can defend themselves in a very short period of time".
So whats in the system? here is a small sample of the skills, forms etc
In the Southern Chow Gar Praying Mantis kung fu system there are many different types of hand and leg techniques as well as forms, drills, sensitivity skills, weapons etc. There are 8 forms and 1 more for development of the body namely sarm bo jin the others famous forms are
Sarm Bo Jin (3 step arrow) (power building)
Gau Si Mun sau (9 seeking hands) (sneaky skills)
Mo Ying Sau Chor Kui (no shadow hand crack the bridge) (limb breaking)
Bo Sim Sau (searching insect hand) (dim yuet hitting)
Gen Tung Gen Sau Lin Wa say (shock power hand) (explosive skills)
Poon loong keok (flying dragon leg) (floor skills)
Yau Loong Sau (swiming dragon hands) (soft application)
Say Mun Sau (four gates hand) (covering and defending the lines)
Bic Saan (lifting mountain) (finger seizing)
There are many two person training drills to develop the sensitivity. Forms are just forms if you do not know their application. That's why Paul Whitrod sifu uses one of the motto's "Understanding through application."
Shaolin 5 Animals
Class Schedule:
Monday 6pm. Saturday 11am.
children Monday 5pm
Prices:
£12 per class or £180 for 3 months (twice a week).
Shaolin 5 Animals are one of the original forms of Shaolin Kung fu. According to Paul Whitrod's teacher Ji Jian Cheng. The system was combined some 400 years ago by the Shaolin monk name Bai Yun Fun. Originally they were 5 separate forms.
These were Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Leopard and Crane.
According to the system each animal represented a certain part of the body and its energies.
Tiger = Bones
Dragon = Spirit
Snake = flexibility
Leopard = power
Crane = Ching Lo
Bai Yu Fun combined the 5 animals to create two forms about 400 years ago. These were passed down through the age and taught to Jia Jian Cheng Grandfather who lived in the Shaolin temple, it was he who taught Ji Jian Cheng. His Grandfather passed away in 1994 at 92. He was one of the last few monks to learn this art form. This is the traditional art of Shaolin unlike some modern Shaolin counterparts taught to day. Ji was asked by the Chinese government back in 1984 to reintroduce this art form at Shaolin monastery. Paul Whitrod studied this art from Ji since 1994 and now teaches this traditional art form at his full time school
Swimming Dragons Ba Gua
Class Schedule:
Monday 8.30pm. Thursday 7pm.
Prices:
£12 per class or £180 for 3 months (twice a week).
The history of Ba Gua Chang as an internal form of martial arts is unclear. The most acceptable theory suggests that Dong (Tung) Hai-ch'uan (1798-1879) learned Bagua from a Daoist named Dong Menglin of Jinhua Mountain in Anhui Province. After rising in fame in Bejing (Peking) Dong (Tung) was challenged by Kuo Yen-Shen of Hsing-i chuan both were equally matched and stalemate resulted
The Swimming Dragons Ba Gua is from Sun Lu Tang linage. Being both fast and sharp. The Essence of this system is speed and agility and to escape from locks being applied.
This particular form has many Shui Jia Skills (wrestling).Flow locking manoeuvres that resemble the dragon being able to twist and turn making it harder for the opponent to seize hold.
Paul Whitrod learnt this unique art from Master Ji Jian Cheng. Compared to many Ba Gua systems, Su Lu Tangs swimming dragons is a shorter system, unlike say yin fu Ba Gau that incorporated the shaolin system making it very long. Paul Whitrod emphasises a great deal of application from the system plus fighting forms and wrestling skills which suit this form of Ba Gua. Hence his Association is called Combative Ba Gua.
The motto of the school is Understanding through application. As sometime we can see there is much theory regarding its practise along with the I Ching etc. But Paul Whitrod emphasis that only through application and wrestling plus sparring that results will be revealed.
Hsing Yi 12 Animals
Class Schedule:
Monday 8.30pm. Thursday 7pm.
Prices:
£12 per class or £180 for 3 months (twice a week).
"We have now opened a new school in Bury St Edmunds call Phil on 07708 905 1291"
Hsing Yi Chuan roughly translated means mind and body form. In practice, the student trains the mind (Xing) to control the body (Yi). This connects the inner, internal power (Nei Gong) with the outer, external shape (Wai Xing). the form or "shape" of the movements is the outward, physical manifestation of the "shape" of one's intent.
In application, the practitioner strives to be aggressive and to develop an active and explosive offence. The direction of the movement forms is direct and linear. According to the principles of this style, attacking with clear intent serves as the best defence, and attack and defence occur simultaneously. Action and movement are tight and compact, limiting any openings for counterattack.
Grandmaster Sun Lu Tang 1861 - 1933
The style that is taught here is again from the Su Lu Tang system known has the 5 element and 12 animal forms. There are three primary styles of Hsing Yi Chuan are practiced in different regions of China. The styles (or families) are the Shanxi, the Hebei, and the Henan. Each style of Hsing Yi Chuan is distinctly different in essence and in appearance. The Shanxi and Hebei methods are based upon the five elements and the twelve animal styles, although the names of the animals sometimes vary a bit from family to family. The Henan style does not emphasize the five elements and only ten animals.
Just like the Ba Gua Paul Whitrod places great emphasis on application of all the techniques through out the system leaving no room for guessing what a technique is for. The motto is Understanding through application.
Animals of Hsing YI
Snake (Sair) / Chicken (Gai)
Bear (Hoon)
Eagle (Ying)
Tiger (fu)
Horse (Ma)
Swallow (yan)
Monkey (hou)
Mythical Bird (Tai)
Sparrowhawk (yao)
Turtle or fish or Crocodile (Yue or gao)
Dragon (loong)
Each of these animal forms have their particular skills for self defence, These forms are not just to mimick the animal in a copycat fashion but to truly understand the inner most feeling of becoming of its characteristics, some of these forms are very short. So in Hsing Yi is the will or intent that is the crucialstep of applying the animal in combat. More info will be added on this subject later.
Full Time School: 27 Romford Rd. Stratford. London E15 4LJ
Paul Whitrod
