Fut Gar

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Fut Ga or Buddhist Style is a relatively modern Southern Shaolin style of Kung Fu devised primarily from the combination of Hung Ga 洪家 and Choi Ga 蔡家 kung fu. The style utilizes mostly punches, palm strikes and low kicks, further characterized by evasive footwork, circular blocks and using the opponent's force against him/her.

The words "Fut Ga" literally translate to "Buddha Family". The word "Ga" in Cantonese means family. This name has been synonymous with the martial arts practiced in the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian, and used as an ambiguous term for their skills.

One style that was formally founded using the name of "Fut Ga" has its origins at one of the Shaolin Temple's in Guangdong Province. Early on in its history, the monks at this Shaolin(Siu Lum in Cantonese) temple were fortunate enough to learn martial arts from fighters that had mastered the 5 most popular systems of Southern Kung Fu. These styles were Lau Ga, Lei Ga, Mok Ga, Choi Ga, and Hung Ga. The names of the styles reflect the surname of the particular style's founder.

A Shaolin monk named Leung Tin Jiu 梁天柱 realized the value of incorporating different schools or styles together and took only the best techniques of each style and discarded what he thought was useless or ineffective. Compiled mostly from Choi Ga and Hung Ga, this became Siu Lum Fut Ga 少林佛家 or "Shaolin Buddhist Style".

A branch of Fut Ga developed by Leung Tin Chiu is currently being partially taught in schools worldwide and headed by Chen Rong En, the only direct disciple of Leung Tin Jiu who is currently still involved in spreading the style. The Leung Tin Jiu style of Fut Ga is best known in China for the Flying Dragon Staff Form which is known as the King of Staff Forms within the Kung Fu community. The National Fut Ga Kung Fu Training Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the longest running school under the guidance of Grandmaster Chen. A newer school also closely monitored by Grandmaster Chen exists in China since 2004. In November 2007 an International Fut Ga Federation was formed to unite instructors of Fut Ga Kung Fu worldwide.

Fut Ga Training

Fut Ga training includes self-defense, hei (qi) gung, weapons, traditional forms, exercises for health, philosophy and meditation, inner strength, discipline, and confidence. Offensive techniques in Fut Ga are diverse and include wide, circular hook punches and hammer fists. Evasive footwork and circular blocks are some of the defensive techniques used. Benefits of Fut Ga training include: strong fighting theory; short- to medium-range attacks; maneuverability and footwork; heavy focus on hand techniques; flexibility of techniques for all body types.

The Fut Ga style traditionally had three empty-hand sets and nine weapons. The empty hand sets are:

1. Wu Dip Jeung 蝴蝶掌 (Butterfly Palm)
2. Sup Ji Kuen 十字拳 (Cross Pattern Fist)
3. Daai Ga Lou 大家路 (Great Family Set)

There are now ten empty-hand forms to practice starting with a hard, almost Karate-like form, all the way to an internal form similar to Tai Chi Chuan; they are:

Seh Ying Diu Sau (Snake Shape Hooking Hand Form)
Taai Ji Kuen (Prince's Fist)
Bak Mou Kuen (White Hair Fist)
Loh Hon Kuen (Arhat's Fist)
Daai Lin Wan Kuen (Large Continuous Fist)
Daai Gum Gong Kuen (Large Diamond Fist)
Chut Yap Bo (In and Out Step)
Mang Fu Ha Saan (Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain)
Tien Jaang (Complete Elbow).

There is also various weapon training The nine original weapons are: the staff, spear, straight sword, broadsword, butterfly swords, kwan do, tiger fork, three-sectional staff, and the monk's spade. Some of Fut Ga's weapons forms include: Hak Lung Do (Black Dragon Broadsword); Fuk Fu Gwun (Tiger Taming Staff); Ng Ma Gwai Chou (Five Horses Returning to the Feeding Post Staff); and Lung Chin Gim (Dragon Well Sword).

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