"Ride the Wind" Dragon Kung Fu

The Dragon has been a very important creature to the Chinese culture. The Dragon is a creature conjured of the Chinese alligator, monitor lizard, and python to create the water spirit, which purifies the land with rain. The Dragon also symbolized wisdom. Its elemental representation consisted of Earth and Water. Taoist found the Dragon to play the role of both Yin and Yang as it revealed itself, only to later vanish. Some of the elderly men were thought of as Dragons because of their skills in Kung fu, herbal medicine, and agriculture. Within the early civilization of China, these three elements were vital to life and were held in high thought.

The contortion and reaching maneuvers of the Dragon style hold relativity to the exercises of Bodhidharma during the period in which he was developing the Shaolin temple of Honan, in 570 A.D., but this is not exact as far as the originators believe. The two theories of which the style developed are based upon the Shaolin nun, Wu Mui, performing very illusive moves and blending with the foe, as the other is a monk, Mui Fa San Ying, actualizing the style through the daydreaming of counter-attacks, deep thought of his own style, and the fluid, but deceptive moves of the Dragon. From Mui Fa San Ying's point of view, the style was named Yow Kueng Moon and was promoted by Yang's elected superior, Tit Yang Sum Si. From that point, the Dragon was divided into two different styles, considering the Northern (1680) and Southern (1565) adaptations.

The Dragon Style seeks emphasis on preparing the internal system through chi manipulation. The training is fierce and assertive. The movements require that the disciple block and strike hard as they stomp when forming back into position to complete the technique. With continuous use of the skills, the body will adapt to the moves and be able to perform then with a constant flow. With perfection, the fluid transitions allow the user to continue an assault with spontaneity.

Breath control is also an extremely important aspect as it determines the flow of chi. The inhaling of the user is silent, but the exhaling is careful, slow, tense, and at a constant rate. The purpose of inhaling is to alleviate the body for mid-air techniques as exhaling produces the strength behind techniques. Offense embodies the punches of the Tiger form, Snake-like stance transitions and attacks similar to the Leopard to damage the opponent and remain unscathed. The sweeps that many other Kung fu styles employ are also of use on a fatigued enemy. The defense of the style subsists through parries and counter-attacks, blocking is disallowed. With this, amateurs and elite disciples show great difference with their mastery. Elite disciples are allowed to fatigue themselves as they can rely on evasion as self-defense. When evasion is engaged in, the stance remains the same and the upper body is used with swaying and rotation.

Each rank of form is separated into either basic, intermediate or advanced categories. The forms are ranked based on their depth and intricacy in the following:

• Plum Flower Punch
• Seven Ways of Plum Flower Punch"¹

  The quotation of "Ride the Wind," means to follow that of the opponent rather than lead you, allowing the foe to make the first move and follow-up as so.

  ¹from http://shaolin.com/s_dragon_martialarts.aspx

  
  

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  "Riding the Wind: Dragon Style Kung Fu." Shaolin Gung Fu Institute. Shaolin Gung Fu Institute. 24 Jul 2007 <http://shaolin.com/s_dragon_martialarts.aspx>.