Black Crane kung fu
"From the crane, we learn grace and self control". This, the
second of the styles of the Shaolin kung fu, traces its ancestry back to
the time of Dr. Hua T'o during the Han dynasty. This physician developed a
series of exercises for improving health by imitating animal motions,
among which was a bird.
Shaolin black crane kung fu, as it has evolved today, constitutes the
hand sets of the Shaolin crane. As such, it provides a short range style
of boxing useful to tall boxers. Its complement was to include throws and
locks but delete intricate forms so that it could be studied by the
general populace or military personnel.
Legend has it that an old man was watching a battle between an ape and
a crane one day and marveled at the bird's ability to evade the ape and
still connect with telling blows of its own. He meditated daily on this
conflict and one day, when attacked by bandits, defeated them by using the
moves of the crane. Thus was a new system born.
History tells us that the movements were a collation of the ancient
bird style, some tiger and the motion of snake. Because the exercises were
intended to teach character and spirit, the style inherited the crane
stance long before white crane kung fu itself was introduced into China.
Refined movements called ch'in na (capture holds) were taught to civil
police during the 1600s. Near the end of the Ming dynasty (A.D.
1368-1644), Ch'en Yuan-ping traveled to Japan to teach ch'in na, thus
creating a basis for jiujitsu. These movements are still practiced today
even though they have no organized forms.
In kung fu, Ch'in Na techniques are more or less learned and researched
by every style. Among the Southern Shaolin styles of kung fu, which
specialize in hand techniques and in short and middle range fighting, White
Crane has one of the more complete systems of Ch'in Na. Another
Southern style which puts heavy emphasis on Ch'in Na is Tiger.
Among the Northern Shaolin kung fu styles, which specialize in kicking and
long and middle range fighting, Eagle
places heavy emphasis on Ch'in Na.
The Shaolin modified the new ch'in na by adding techniques from white
crane (60%) and organizing their creation into 20 forms. In 1968, these
forms had been reduced to 8 and have now been condensed to a mere 4. These
are an introductory drill (the first form), a balance exercise (crane
leaving the marsh, #2) and the combined techniques of black crane (the
synthetic fist set and defending the 4 angles, forms #3 and #4).
The names of the black crane forms are as follows:
- Unnamed
- crane leaving the marsh
- synthetic fist form
- defending the 4 angles