Hung Fut
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Hung Fut is a Southern Chinese style of Kung Fu that has a rich martial arts history and tradition. The style remains a dynamic and diverse system of fighting, which is still practiced today. It has a combination of power, speed, beauty and practicality that stands out among most other styles.
[edit] Overview
Hung Fut kung fu is considered to be a hybrid system. Its philosophies have been mixed between two traditional martial art systems: Hung Gar and Fut Gar.
This mixed system is based on meditation, breath control and various fighting forms that develop body co-ordination. Hung Fut is a combat method that uses economy of movement in order to achieve efficiency. Strategies try to throw the opponent into an awkward position that makes defence difficult and counter attack unlikely. There is no need to keep contact with an opponent, as the system is equipped with many interchangeable and flexible movements. Many of its combinations can and have been considered by many observers and practioners to be among the highest levels of power, when compared with other martial arts styles.
The system also includes techniques from buddhas palm and ten animal styles (snake, tiger, leopard, lion, eagle, crane, monkey, elephant, horse and dragon) as well as 8 drunken immortal forms(based on the personality traits of the 8 heavenly dieties of chinese traditional religion), 4 cripple forms (a deceptive mimicry of one who is crippled) and a left handed form ( based on the legend of a famous general fighting while holding the infant son of a chinese emperor). One of the main strengths of the Hung Fut kung fu system, when compared to other systems is that it combines and changes between these style combinations for better results in varying situations.
There are somewhat different lineages and succession stories listed on by various Hung Fut schools around the world. The stories of the masters vary also from account to account. As the style has moved around the planet the content of the system--number and names of forms, types of power used, stances, techniques, theory, and training methods have also changed leading to a large variation from school to school.
[edit] Unique features
The unique feature of Hung Fut kung fu is its left-sided principle similar to modern day boxing, where the fighter's master-hand is the punching hand, as opposed to the jab. This gives the fighter greater strength for the knockout-punch and allows the jab hand to develop fast-twitch muscle and therefore speed. All Hung Fut forms start with the left side of the body. Originally this caused surprise and confusion to the opponent, as other styles fought leading with the other side--southpaw--and therefore they were not used to sparring someone in a stance opposite to their own. Traditionally single-handed weapons are also learned using the left side.
The Hung fut system includes more than twenty weapons, the most famous of which is the left handed staff style. There are traditionally ten different staff forms taught; each succesive one increases in difficulty and intensity. The staff is the first weapon taught in the system and also the last. The final staff form is the most famous and mysterious. Most commonly known as the mad devil staff it is passed down only to the grand master and is taught and practiced in secret with the promise that it can only be passed down to his successor. This form was made famous by the sixth generation grand master Hung Ju Sing also known as the "White Haired Devil".
