Southern Tiger

The Tiger developed it's own from through its might portrayed through the Chinese culture. The invaluable qualities of the tiger are "ferocity, wisdom, and tenacity,"1 so it was concluded that based on those qualities, a style for the animal would be defined. The Shaolin found that the tiger should be studied because of its aspects of combat.

The Tiger style consists of physically strengthened, hard attacks that seek to harm or kill a foe with the attacks' nature. Fist strikes are the most visibly notable as they're the base of strikes and kicking techniques, connecting at short and mid-ranges to strike with great force. "One studies tiger to develop bones, muscles and tendons. The emphasis, as befits the beast, is on strength and dynamic tension, culminated in short, hard, snappy moves. As in all styles of Kung fu, one becomes the animal."2

Along with the tiger style are the attributes from the other styles within its family. The other family members and styles of the Tiger are the Crab, Eagle, Pa Kua, Leopard, Monkey, Hung Gar, Hong Tiger, S'hu Tiger, White Tiger, Snow Tiger, Imperial Tiger, Drunken Kung fu, White Dragon, Black Dragon and White Eyebrow. Even though the Tiger style utilizes 85% of the family's execution, it uses a small percentage of the Pa Kua, Eagle, Leopard, Monkey, White Tiger, Dragon, and White Eyebrow skills. The weapons used with the art are daggers, spears and tiger forks.

1 & 2from http://shaolin.com/s_tiger_martialarts.aspx




"Southern Tiger kung fu." Shaolin Gung Fu Institute. Shaolin Gung Fu Institute. 23 Jul 2007 <http://shaolin.com/s_tiger_martialarts.aspx>.