The Five Animals

Hung Kuen is a complete system of Chinese martial art, developing the mind, body and spirit.

​Our art traces its roots back to the ancient Shaolin Temple in China.

Techniques draw from the 5 classical elements: gold, wood, water, fire and earth, and are based on the movements of the five classical Kung Fu animals: Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, Snake and Crane.

Dragon fighting joins the external martial arts and the spirit world of internal strength and power. Dragon movements are soft and circular and terminate with hard, sudden power. The dragon's claws form an important element of its fighting style.

Tiger is an external style, which develops power, and conditions tendons and bones to strengthen the spine and neck.

Leopard style depends on lightning fast speed and footwork to produce strength and power. It uses loose, relaxed, whip-like techniques. This type of penetrating strength is an external form of conditioning for skin, tendon, bone and muscle.

The snake form develops and cultivates the internal energy called Chi. There are no fists to be seen in the snake form. The strikes are all penetrating palm and finger-tip attacks, delivered to the opponent's sensitive pressure points with lightning speed.

The Crane has a reputation for longevity and abundance of energy within the body. Training in the crane form was designed to help the practitioner to develop their Chi internally and at the same time harden bone and muscle. Crane form techniques are circular movements - always soft and relaxed but still exploding with sudden power upon contact with the target.