The Lau Family Forms
Every Hung Gar familly have there distintive way of doing the Hung Gar form And the Lau family are no different We still work on teh three pillars of Hung Gar but over the years we have added certain forms to compliment the style and
HUNG GAR THE FORMS
Wong Fei Hung used a combination of techniques that he had learned from his father and other Masters to create the four main pillars of Hung Gar as it is practiced today: Taming the Tiger Fist, Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist, Five Animal Fist and Iron Wire Fist.
Taming the Tiger Fist
(Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen)
Taming the Tiger is a long routine that trains the student in the basic techniques of Hung Gar while building endurance. It is said to go back at least as far as Jee Sin, who is said to have taught Taming the Tiger (or at least an early version of it) to both Hung Hei Gun and Luk Ah Choi.
Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist
(Fu Hok Seung Ying Keun)
Tiger Crane builds on Taming the Tiger, adding additional moves and vocabulary to the Hung Gar practitioner's repertoire. Wong Fei Hung originated the Tiger Crane routine that has been passed down through the lineages descending from his teaching (other variations of the Tiger Crane Paired Form are still used elsewhere). It is likely that Wong Fei Hung expanded his version of Tiger Crane with bridge hand techniques and rooting techniques taken from the Master Tit Kiu Saam along with long arm techniques that have been attributed to (variously) the Fat Ga, Lo Hon and Lama styles.
Five Animal Fist
(Later known as the Five Animal Five Element Fist or The Ten Form Fist) (Ng Ying Ng Haang Keun)
The Hung Gar Five Animal Fist was choreographed by Wong Fei Hung and later expanded into the Five Animal Five Element Fist (or Ten Form Fist) by his gifted student Lam Sai Wing. The Five Animal Five Element Fist acts as a bridge between the external force of Tiger Crane and the internal focus of Iron Wire. The five animals referred to are the five creatures whose characteristics are adopted in Southern Chinese Martial Arts: Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard and Crane. The five classical Chinese elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood. In the Lam Sai Wing branch of Hung Gar, the Five Animal Five Element Fist has in most cases replaced the Five Animal Fist.
Iron Wire Fist
(Tit Sin Kuen)
Iron Wire builds internal power and is attributed to the martial arts master Leung Kwan (1815–1887), who is better known as Tit Sin Saam. Tit Sin Saam was one of the famous Ten Tigers of Canton along with Wong Fei Hung's father, Wong Kei Ying. As a teenager, Wong Fei Hung learned Iron Wire from Lam Fuk Sing, who was himself a student of Tit Sin Saam. The Iron Wire form is essentially a combination of Hei Gung (meditative breathing) and isometric exercises. Dynamic tension is a key feature of these exercises, although weights were also used in traditional practice, for example, iron rings worn on the wrists. If practiced properly, Iron Wire can dramatically increase strength and promote a stable root. However the form must be practiced regularly or the benefits are quickly lost.
Wong Fei Hung used a combination of techniques that he had learned from his father and other Masters to create the four main pillars of Hung Gar as it is practiced today: Taming the Tiger Fist, Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist, Five Animal Fist and Iron Wire Fist.
Taming the Tiger Fist(Gung Ji Fuk Fu Kuen)
Taming the Tiger is a long routine that trains the student in the basic techniques of Hung Gar while building endurance. It is said to go back at least as far as Jee Sin, who is said to have taught Taming the Tiger (or at least an early version of it) to both Hung Hei Gun and Luk Ah Choi.
Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist(Fu Hok Seung Ying Keun)
Tiger Crane builds on Taming the Tiger, adding additional moves and vocabulary to the Hung Gar practitioner's repertoire. Wong Fei Hung originated the Tiger Crane routine that has been passed down through the lineages descending from his teaching (other variations of the Tiger Crane Paired Form are still used elsewhere). It is likely that Wong Fei Hung expanded his version of Tiger Crane with bridge hand techniques and rooting techniques taken from the Master Tit Kiu Saam along with long arm techniques that have been attributed to (variously) the Fat Ga, Lo Hon and Lama styles.
Five Animal Fist(Later known as the Five Animal Five Element Fist or The Ten Form Fist) (Ng Ying Ng Haang Keun)
The Hung Gar Five Animal Fist was choreographed by Wong Fei Hung and later expanded into the Five Animal Five Element Fist (or Ten Form Fist) by his gifted student Lam Sai Wing. The Five Animal Five Element Fist acts as a bridge between the external force of Tiger Crane and the internal focus of Iron Wire. The five animals referred to are the five creatures whose characteristics are adopted in Southern Chinese Martial Arts: Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard and Crane. The five classical Chinese elements are Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood. In the Lam Sai Wing branch of Hung Gar, the Five Animal Five Element Fist has in most cases replaced the Five Animal Fist.
Iron Wire Fist(Tit Sin Kuen)
Iron Wire builds internal power and is attributed to the martial arts master Leung Kwan (1815–1887), who is better known as Tit Sin Saam. Tit Sin Saam was one of the famous Ten Tigers of Canton along with Wong Fei Hung's father, Wong Kei Ying. As a teenager, Wong Fei Hung learned Iron Wire from Lam Fuk Sing, who was himself a student of Tit Sin Saam. The Iron Wire form is essentially a combination of Hei Gung (meditative breathing) and isometric exercises. Dynamic tension is a key feature of these exercises, although weights were also used in traditional practice, for example, iron rings worn on the wrists. If practiced properly, Iron Wire can dramatically increase strength and promote a stable root. However the form must be practiced regularly or the benefits are quickly lost.