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Leopard
style is one of the Five Animal styles, supposedly created by Jueyuan
with help from Bai Yufeng and Li Sou. The emphasis of leopard is speed
and angular attack. The leopard does not overwhelm or rely on strength,
as does the tiger, but while it does have power it instead relies on
speed and outsmarting its opponent. It uses its speed to deliver its
power. The leopard practitioner will focus on elbows, knees, low kicks,
and leopard punches, all at close range.
The goals of Leopard style are
to:
- develop muscle speed for
external strength.
- teach patience.
- use the leopard punch for
penetration and lower body springing power.
The other four animals being
Crane (Bai He), Tiger (Fu), Snake (She), and Dragon (Lung). These five
animals originally represented the five classical Chinese elements
before developing into their own styles. Snake is water, Tiger is fire,
Crane is Wood, Dragon is earth, Leopard is metal. Since they were
derived from the Five Elements, they are kept in this pattern. At this
point many styles delve into more advanced animal training or actual
element training.
The proof behind this element/animal
system is the contention that one animal "beats" another,
and their appropriate corresponding elements also "overpower"
one another. For instance, Tiger (Fire) is killed by Snake (Water).
And Tiger (Fire) beats Leopard (Metal). Water puts out fire, whereas
fire "melts" metal. This can be further explained by the
Snake's waterlike movement (Kung Fu masters may tell their students to
"imagine a river" during movement), and the Tiger's
ferocious overwhelming of the calculating, fast Leopard with constant
linear strikes. This Shaolin system teaches one to identify an
attacker's natural or learned animal, and use its antipode to defeat
it effectively.
The leopard style was founded
on the creators' observation of the movements of the leopard in the
wild, and therefore practitioners of the style imitate these movements.
Blocking is wasted in Leopard - the style can be summed up with "Why
block when you can hit?" It does not rely on rooted stances, and
would only assume a stance while in attack in order to launch at the
opponent. This hit and run technique of the leopard, something
especially effective against larger opponents, is unique to the animal.
A prime example of these techniques can be seen in the Shaolin pattern,
"Golden Leopard Watches Fire".
The primary weapon is the
leopard's paw, which can be likened to a half opened fist. The primary
striking surface is the ridge formed by folding the fingers at the
first phalangal joint. The secondary striking surface is the palm. The
leopard claw can also be modified for grabbing and tearing.
Leopard is especially useful at
night, when the blinding hand and foot movements are invisible.
Movement is accomplished far faster than the eye can compensate for in
reduced light. Leopard is also useful on wet ground.
An interesting technique of the
leopard is the ability to simultaneously block and strike the opponent.
This is not commonly used in the harder martial arts (like the other
Shaolin styles, for example). The sheer speed of the leopard is a
defining characteristic of the style; however, as with all martial
arts of this style, the practitioner' ability to provide the necessary
speed diminishes as he ages, reducing his or her efficacy in combat.
Leopard is "The Ghost"
of the 5 animals because it is hard to see because it is so fast,
quiet, patient, waiting to strike at the right moment.
The Leopard style has many
stealth techniques that are useful in moving around undetectable at
night where one uses the eyes, speed, stealth, and cunning in supposed
imitation of the leopard (this can also be done in the daylight but
not to the same degree). The darkness is considered a useful asset in
the Leopard style. It was used often by assassins as well as warriors.
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