We take animals for granted and this the greatest of all cat, the Tiger is close to extinction except in zoo's! There were once 8 different Tigers in existence;
The Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)
The South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
The Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
The Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
The Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)
The Javan Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica)*
The Caspian Tiger (Panthera tigris virgata)*
The Bali Tiger (Panthera tigris balica)*
Three of the Tiger Family's are now extinct and there are only some 10,000 tigers left in the world, both in the wild and in zoo's. It seems that the three main reason for killing tigers are;
For Trophies
For Fashion, clothing and decorations
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Make your own thoughts about that next time you buy an 'interesting' animal product.
The only known photograph of a Bali tiger from www.uwec.edu/jolhm/eh3/group10/Tiger.htm
Introduction
There are many 'cat' species and we do not wish to go into all the various classifications. For the purpose of the Shaolin 5 Animal Style system we need to understand that there are the Large Great Cats; the ones listed above as becoming extinct and the Small great Cats to which Lion, Panther, Cheetah, Puma, Lynx, etc. are a member.
Larger Great Cats which can be over 600 kg are the metaphor for Shaolin Tiger (no speciality but pure and raw power). Small Great Cats which can be to 250kg, have some type of speciality such as; Panthers are Black, Lions can not be attacked at the Neck (the neck is the Tigers main aim for hunting), Cheetas are very quick, Pumas, Cougars, Mountain Lions, & Lynx adapted to the territory,, etc.
The Tiger
The Tiger is the lord of the land/realm. It is the King of the Animals (Chinese did not know of Lions until about 10 centuries ago and used the Tiger as the King of Animals), king of the mountain. The Tigers natural, easy fluidity hides it's ferocious power and dominance. Armed with deadly claws, sharp and strong jaws, the Tiger style is one of Simplicity, Directness and Power. Very simple, honest and direct strategies valuing truth, honor and justice above all.
Dominating, controlling, powerful, frontal, larger than life, Tigers rely upon their size and the explosive force delivered by their short, thick muscles, clarity of mind, rightness and purity of spirit to achieve their needs and wants.
Tiger Kung Fu Strategy
The Tiger does not need to defend, it is the ultimate predator. It has no evasion techniques, no blocking or defence. In any confrontation it leaps into attack going for the quick and direct resolution of the conflict. It does not have the stamina, inclination or need for enduring and prolonged activities.
The Tiger uses any simple and direct approach. It's techniques and methods are easily understood with not a lot of strategic thinking or planning; and absolutely no preparation. The Tiger is purely reactive. Either the world is OK or the Tiger will do something immediate and sudden.
Tiger Kung Fu Techniques
Yang - Round sudden punches and direct kicks; round downward clawing techniques first impacting with the base of the palm and then clawing their way downward, including the famous Tiger Claw (hu zhua) technique (from which whole styles have developed). The techniques are in fairly large, wide and circular motions, much like a big cat swiping. The back legs of a Tiger are powerful and lend themselves to straight kicks and knees.
Yin - Digging the claws into the meat and separating tendons, muscles from bones with pulls, twist, tears, or strikes. Straight inward claws, again using the base of the palm to strike and in this case bunch up the flesh. Then clamping down with the sharp claws,digging deeply into the flesh, tearing, ripping and twisting (sounds gory; but tiger style is not a gentle art!)
Tigers avoid fighting tigers. An old Chinese saying goes;
"when two tigers fight, one is killed and the other is severely hurt".
The nature of a tiger is also not to know when to quit. There is no retreat/surrender. There are no opponents; there are only victims and play things.
The Tiger has also a playful side that may seem to be wanton but serves to prepare it's young for real life. Non-adult tigers will 'play fight' with each other. This establishes an order of hierarchy for the future. And this is necessary to avoid major conflict between tigers when they are adults. This still happens in our school system. Students will naturally seek to clarify this amongst themselves! This leads to Bullying and other such mischief. Although wrong, this behavior is normal and establishes a person hierarchy in the pack, pride or tribe.
Shaolin Kung Fu Tiger Forms and Exercises
Forms are an important aspect of any style. In centuries gone by, a form would be the style; contain all the techniques, strategies and movements. Shaolin Kung Fu with it's 1000 years of development has outgrown the one form one principle simplicity. To accommodate different types of people and their need for self exploration, Shaolin Academy has a number of forms. Four of which the Black Sash student may choose to learn for their grading and one they need to develop themselves. Their choices are;
Hunting Tiger
The War Tiger (Sparring Form)
Tiger and Crane (from Hung Gar)
Resting Tiger (Isometric, Strengthening Form)
Striking Eagle (for tigers with a smaller frame)
Two Tigers (2 Person form)
Tigers Claw (Hand & Arm Strengthening)
Gray Tiger (Tai Chi style form)
The Tigers Eye (Multiple Attacker form)
The Tiger as a Person
First we need to understand that a person's character and habits are determined by both upbringing and genetics (Nurture & nature) and are tempered, brought out, qualified by experiences, environment and possibilities. Even if you are a person with a strong tendency towards a certain style you may not have had time to explore and develop it. As you grow older and wiser, one of two things will happen. You become more broad based and your speciality character will not be as dominant or you become more and more that character. It may also happen, in cases of traumatic or enlightening experiences that you change your preferred style/paradigm. So when looking at the following, look at the core and try and sperate the external influences to understand the internal preferences!
You are a Tiger if you prefer;
immediate action
clear solutions and paths.
If you find that;
people talk too much and there is not enough action
you tend to get restless when there is nothing to do
when you are more nervous leading up to an even but not when you are in the event
when you like to play hard and work hard
when you believe that you are better at things than others
In a group or team situation you would prefer to lead and define the direction without a lot of ado. Your main tools for this would be action tempered with good dose of instinct and intuition (gut feel), charisma and past success. You may have problems appreciating slower less direct actions by other people. You will have great problems if there is another Tiger in the Group.
You are best in emergencies where action is needed now, when a quick, effective solution is best and a long drawn out plan or discussion is not possible. When immediate self, family or friends safety are threatened. You are also best when you go with your instinct!
The Tigers Strength, bravado and attitude actually protects a softer, gentler and even vulnerable person inside. Tigers will be easily hurt by words, lies and innuendos; and will often not have a way of dealing with this unless they resort to action.
The Ideal Tiger Kung Fu Practitioner
As a Kung Fu practitioner, to be a full tiger you need to be big and strong, above average EQ, confident and with a good dose of attitude. You will be a natural leader with at least a small following of friends where you will be the dominant (Alpha) most the time. Your partner will most likely be a Crane Character, soft and gentle on the outside but with an iron core.
Echoes of the Tiger Kung Fu Personality
Not everyone who is big and strong and powerful is a Tiger or has predominate Tiger tendencies. Alternately, we can also find small, petite people who are Tiger predominated. It is of very little use to try the Tiger's simplicity and directness if you are half the size of your opponent or half the attitude or half the ability. For this reason there are Shadows of the tiger including Dog, Eagle and bear.
Remembering that this is not just to emulate animal movements but as a metaphor for a whole world of strategies, attitudes, problem solving, etc. Some examples are;
Eagle for smaller lighter person, particularly smaller stronger females; hit and run style.
Bear for very large and strong persons) who are more inclined to grapple and like a simple direct approach.
Lion for people with a Strong Charisma and personality but not nessascerely the force of will behind it.
Elephant for those who have a unique winning way of staying on top of the pack
Note - Shaolin Academy has had three Tiger Kung Fu graduates so far;
