Can some one help explain?

Question

im taking chinese kempo karate and i want to know about what animals are involved and what the represent.(like the dragon,tiger,crane and eagle ect.)

Answer 1

tiger=strenth

dragon=imortality

crane=balence

snake=flexibility

Answer 2

Hi.

The five animals in Chinese Kenpo Karate are the dragon, tiger, leopard (or panther), snake and crane.

This is more of a Kung Fu thing then Kenpo Karate so answers on what exactly they stand for may vary due to the interpretations of each style.

The dragon represents internal energy.

The tiger represents raw, heavy power.

The leopard represents quick power.

The snake represents quick, soft and flexible motions.

The crane is much like the snake and represents quick, soft, evasive motions.

(Side note: Don't confuse "soft" with weak; it is more of a deflective concept.)

The main difference between the snake and crane is how you strike.  The snake generally uses the finger tips to strike where as in crane techniques the 'cranes beak' (the thumb and first two finger tips brought together or all the finger tips brought together) and the 'cranes head' (or "eagles beak" or middle knuckle strike) are used to strike.  In addition, blocks using the open palm in crane techniques symbolize the cranes wings.

However the five animals will not seem to come into play in Chinese Kenpo Karate, certainly they are present but are rather abstract.  You will learn techniques using the various strikes and concepts of the five animals probably without realizing it and in combination with each other.

Also Chinese Kenpo Karate is a direct and straight forward style dealing primarily with practical application of self defense techniques.  More abstract concepts like the five animals are very subtle and come into play mostly in forms like 'Bookset' and 'Tiger and Crane'.

I hope this helps :)

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*Edit*

Yes, "Chinese" Kenpo Karate is a bit of an oxymoron.  The "Chinese" part refers to a connection that the style originally had with Chinese martial arts when the original concepts were brought to Japan via daoist monks many centuries ago.  However the style is as every bit Japanese as just about any other style of Japanese martial arts, this was only Ed Parker trying to distinguish his style from all the other Kenpo styles springing up at the time.

The style was originaly called Kenpo Jui-Jitsu (though the spelling would later be changed) as taught by the 21st Great Grand Master, James Mitose.  Mitose taught the style to William (professor) Chow who later called it Kenpo Karate.  Chow taught the style to Ed Parker who later called it Chinese Kenpo Karate for the reasons stated above.

Also, it is true that there are more than just five animals, however the "five animals" are the ones that are relavent in Chinese Kenpo Karate and most prominent in many styles of Kung Fu.  Again, animal concepts are more of a Kung Fu thing and are not of any strong emphasis in Chinese Kenpo Karate.  Any animal concepts found in Kung Fu beyond the "five animals" play no part at all in Chinese Kenpo Karate unless added in later by an individual.

I just though that needed a little clearing up :)

Answer 3

I only know what the shaolin animals are but they may help

Tiger=strength, uses strikes and short throws to disable the opponent as quickly as possible.

Crane=agility and evasiveness, for those who like to wear the opponent out and evade not block

Leopard=deceptiveness, more a combo of tiger and some crane, uses feints and dodges a lot. Definately my favorite

Snake=pressure points and a lot of jointlocks

Mantis= pure speed and striking. Some joint locks and pressure points, my second favorite.

Monkey= a lot of ground work and fighting, also very agile lots of flips.

Dragon= onve you master every animal and incorparate them into a fight its known as dragon

10,000 bees= pressure points

Tiger crane= combines tigers power with cranes agility, my 3rd favorite

Good luck fighting

Answer 4

chinese kempo is an oxymoron to me...kempo and karate are japanese words...and the art is not strictly chinese....infact some historians think there was very little direct chinese influence.

ask your instructor. different styles teach different things. even with the same animals...they may represent something different between styles. and there are alot more than 5 animals. they have everything from taod style to dog style...to elephant style and horse style. not just the "5 animals" dragon, tiger, leopard/panther, snake and crane.

sometimes it isnt the physicaly characteristics...but the method of the animal...a cran is weak so it evades and strikes vulnerable targets from an angle...it also represents longevity.

a snake is fast, but harmless until it touches you and injects venom, so it is fast, and also attacks vital points. its body is flexible and it has no claws.

a tiger is all about power and controlling the opponent. a real tiger doesnt claww all that much...it will bite the neck of its prey and dig its claws in to control the prey. the tiger never retreats. its usually low and compact and you body has alot of strength. in china the tiger is the king of beasts (land animals anyway) .....nothing attacks a tiger. and with all animals...you have to project that feeling on your opponent....the 5 animals for example are linked to a element...fire, water, gold/metal, wood, earth. the tiger is linked to fire...and you have to project the feeling on your opponent that if he attacks you he will get burnt. similar to the tiger, fire doesnt retreat but always takes new ground regardless of whats in front of it.

unlike the tiger, a leopard doesnt want to control but knock its prey to the ground and releases all its energy at once...not preserving it (most kempo systems are most like this from what ive studied) ....so its an all or nothing thing...it gives its all...then has to regroup.

the dragon is like a snake, but also has fangs and claws like a tiger...it is the ultimate because it posesses qualities from all other animals. plus it can fly...it can also live and breath under water.

you are not just trying to imitate the movements of the animals...but the essence of the animal. some are better for certain body types as well.

but other than tracy kempo or a variant...i dont think most kempo systems use much in the way of animals. if it does...likely it is a new..made up system with elements of kung fu added...and this is ok im not knocking it.

agian, you want the essence...and spirit of the animals as well as the movements and theory. a crane will block and evade in a certain way...a tiger will attack in a certain way...etc