Jade Dragon School of Kung Fu and Qigong in Reading, Berkshire

The 8 Animal Styles

When a student has learned the basic principles of the system and has shown that he/she understands how to apply them through a hand form and weapons form then that individual will have passed level 1 and will be ready to be introduced to the animal styles.

The 8 animal styles of the Jade Dragon system are more than just different sets of fighting skills. Each helps develop body, mind, spirit and emotions in different ways thus producing a more rounded individual with fewer physical and emotional weaknesses. They teach the tactics and mindset of each animal as well as analysing its fighting abilities. and how it develops and uses its power both in combat and in health/healing.

Dragon
The dragon uses powerful coiling movements generating power through the whole body. It is physically very demanding as the strength flows continuously through every movement and through every angle of attack and defence. Every movement is circular and powerful and it has a wide range of locks, throws, strikes and so on and the coiling footwork and bodywork help the dragon to move in and out of dangerous situations and attack from many angles.
The dragon develops yang thus can heal extreme yin health conditions and helps passive people become more powerful and assertive.

Snake
The snake is paired with the dragon and also uses coiling movements of waist, legs and upper body. However, where the dragon is extreme yang, all fire and strength, the snake is extreme yin, cold and able to penetrate the strongest and most complicated defence. The snake coils itself around the attacker in many different ways then strikes with extreme speed penetrating muscle, sinew and organ at weak points of the body. At the highest level it is the most instantly lethal of all the animals.
The snake develops yin thus helping with extreme yang health conditions and helping to get around the complexities of a problem and go straight to the most critical matter.

Crane
The crane is a long range animal style especially suited to tall practitioners with long limbs. It uses sweeping movements of the arms to clear a way through attacks and lock or throw an attacker along with striking movements of the beak on vital parts of the body. This is combined with comprehensive kicking patterns as the crane is used to standing on one leg. Studying the crane is a study in angles of attack and defence. It will stand in a studied pose until the prey comes within range then hop out of the way, defend and counter attack from many unusual directions then patiently stand on one leg waiting for the prey to come within range again.
The crane teaches patience, balance and the ability to extend force in many directions.

Eagle
The eagle is paired with the crane but where the crane is a ground fighting bird, the eagle attacks while in flight. The wings are powerful but sensitive enough to detect small changes in air pressure or an attacker’s movements. The eagle’s powerful talons are used to lock or strike the opponent and the general movement of the eagle’s enormously powerful wings keep it covered from attacks from all directions, sweeping them out of the way and opening the opponent to talon and wing strikes. It has one of the best defences of any system.
Study of the eagle style develops a heightened sensitivity to your environment and the ability to rise above situations, not be crowded by them but see them from a higher vantage point thus avoid getting bogged down in the details.

Monkey
The monkey is the most agile of animals with arms as strong as its legs. It leaps and rolls then grabs and strikes with amazing rapidity. It is a playful creature that taunts its prey then comes in under an attack and uses short range strikes and throws often rolling over the opponent when he’s on the floor. It is another physically demanding style to learn but develops agility, quick thinking and the ability not to take life too seriously.

Mantis
The mantis is paired with the monkey and is a short range system that uses complicated footwork with elbows and finger strikes to hit vital pressure points. The mantis, being an insect, has no higher thoughts and is all instinct and reflex. At close range the system is devastating. The Tong-Long style which mixes mantis with monkey footwork is reputed to be one of the only systems that defeated the monks of Shaolin.
The mantis is often used by high level healers as it is used to projecting energy through the fingertips and focusing the energy on points of the body much like an acupuncturist.

Tiger
The tiger uses relatively simple moves and relies on its raw physical power. It applies that strength directly with little in the way of evasion or tactics, preferring to go through rather than around an opponent. Most suited to physically strong individuals it enables them to channel that power. However, that doesn’t mean that less powerful people can’t benefit as it develops the ability to attack directly the root of the problem without over analysing every aspect of the situation.

Leopard
The leopard is paired with the tiger but despite being another big cat has little in common with the larger tiger. Among African big game hunters the leopard is considered to be the most dangerous animal (despite the fact that the hippo kills more people). This is due to the fact that unlike a lion when faced by a group of men the leopard won’t fix its attention on one man and maul only him but will leap from one man to the next killing or severely mauling each in rapid succession. It is also said that the leopard is the only animal, apart from man, that will kill for fun.
The leopard style is one of the most useful when faced with multiple attackers due to it's sheer ferocity and speed. It rapidly moves from one man to the next delivering rapid fire strikes and kicks, often not bothering to block but directly hitting the incoming attacks with the famed leopard paw strikes. It is the most ferocious of the animal styles and so is useful in bringing out the ‘killer instinct’ in usually passive people.