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The traditional
Chinese martial art known as Eagle Claw (Ying Jow Pai 鷹爪派)
is one of the oldest and most complex of the surviving Northern
Shaolin kung fu systems. Along with the long strikes and kicks that
typify Northern systems, the Eagle Claw system is distinguished by its
powerful gripping techniques and intricate system of locks, takedowns,
and pressure point strikes, which represent one of the oldest forms of
the Chinese grappling known as Chin Na.
The story of Eagle
Claw is a classic tale of the development of a traditional martial
art. While the details of the history alter according to the teller,
with names and places shifting as they tend to do in any oral history,
in essence the story of Eagle Claw began in the Shaolin temple and in
Chinese military training, became a family tradition passed on from
parent to child for generations, and eventually shed its air of
secrecy with the advent of public martial arts schools.
 Eagle
Claw is said to have had its origins in 1130, at a time of warfare
between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Jurchen in the north, who
were the ancestors of the Manchus and founders of the Jin Dynasty. The
man said to be the most famous and brilliant general of the Southern
Song dynasty was named Ngok Fei (Yue Fei in Mandarin).
According to popular legend,
during his training, Ngok Fei had learned and developed a system of
hand techniques from his archery teacher, Zhou Tong. Known as the yī
bǎi ling bā qín ná (一百零八擒拿
108 Seize-Grab) techniques,
they were supposedly based on a much older system only known as
Elephant, and focused on seizing, locking, and pressure point strikes.
These 108 techniques became the staple of his new style called Ying
Kuen (鷹拳 -
"Eagle Boxing") or Ying Sao (鷹手
- "Eagle Hand"),
which he taught to his soldiers in the Yue Family Army.
In Chinese, elephant is
pronounced Xiàng (象).
However, the same character can also mean "shape, form, or
appearance". The elephant style in question is a mistranslation
of xiang, which actually refers to Xiang Xing Quan (象形拳
- "Imitation Boxing"),
a fighting technique which emphasizes the imitation of the offensive
and defensive actions of a certain animal or person.
Long after Yue Fei’s death,
which some histories describe as a political execution, his techniques
survived through military practice. Then during the Ming Dynasty, a
monk named Lai Chin (麗泉)
encountered soldiers practicing the hand techniques of Eagle Fist (although
some histories name Lai Chin as the monk who taught Ngok Fei). Lai
Chin was already master of his own Northern kung fu system, known as Fānziquán.
Realizing that his system could be strengthened by adding the hand
techniques of Eagle Fist, he decided to blend the two, creating the
core of the modern system known as yīng zhuǎ fān zi
quán (鷹爪翻子拳
Eagle Claw Tumbling Boxing)
or Northern Eagle Claw. With a few additions from the traditional
Northern Shaolin systems of kung fu, including weapons techniques, it
is the system studied and practiced today.
The system remained restricted
to monks until the 1800s, when knowledge of the Eagle Claw system
passed from the monks to a lay student of the Lau family. The Lau
family then maintained the knowledge of the system within the family
for generations. It was not until the 1910s that the Eagle Claw system
reached a wider audience, through Eagle Claw's most famous master,
Chan Tzi Ching (陳子正).
 At
the time, Chan Tzi Ching was known as a formidable fighter. The
stories surrounding him claimed that he never used more than three
techniques to defeat an opponent, and that he could get full power
from a three-inch punch. He was instrumental in spreading knowledge of
Eagle Claw and other martial arts among the public, most of all by his
role in founding, along with kung fu master Fok Yuen Gaap, the Ching
Mo Association in Shanghai.
The Association was an athletic
society, originating in Shanghai and later expanding to Hong Kong.
Teachers of varied styles, including Eagle Claw, Northern Praying
Mantis Kung Fu, and Tai Chi Chuan, gathered at its gymnasiums to train
students and spread knowledge of martial arts. But although the
government of Chiang Kai-shek encouraged the learning and
dissemination of traditional Chinese martial arts, a few decades later,
the communist government banned their practice. As part of China’s
Cultural Revolution, the government killed or expelled its martial
arts masters.
Although the martial arts all
but disappeared within China, to be replaced by a more
performance-oriented wushu, training in traditional fighting arts such
as Eagle Claw continued in Taiwan and Hong Kong, where the masters had
fled. From Hong Kong, Eagle Claw masters went on to open schools to
disseminate knowledge of the art in other countries, including the
United States, where several masters in Eagle Claw currently teach the
system in various forms.
Controversy over lineage,
authority, and authenticity are par for the course in modern martial
arts, and Eagle Claw is no exception. What is clear is that there are
(4) main branches of Eagle Claw in the United States that trace their
lineage directly to the Ching Mo Association.
Lau Fat Man (劉法孟)
branch (student of both Lau Kai man (劉啓文)
& Chan Tzi Ching) being preserved by his family (Lily, Gini and
James Lau). The Lau sisters enjoyed brief careers in the Peking Opera
and martial arts films before turning their attention to teaching,
opening schools on the West Coast of the U.S. and forming their own
organizations. James Lau is a famous fight choreographer in Hong Kong.
Gini Lau's organiziation now extends through the UK and Europe under
her top student Julian Dale.
Julian Dale has conducted a
number of research trips to the birthplace of Eagle Claw Kung Fu in
Hebei in China, to find the system very much alive and flourishing
 Ng
Wai Nung branch (he was a student of both Chan Tzi Ching and Lau Fat
man): being preserved in the US by his godson Shum Leung and his Sons
Ng Quan Pok & Ng Quan Bik in Hong Kong. Shum Leung founded the
first Eagle Claw school in New York City in 1974, now headquarters of
the Ying Jow Pai Association. Some of his more famous students are the
forms champion Benson Lee, now teaching in California, and martial
arts film stars Cynthia Rothrock, Steven Tartalia (Once Upon a Time in
China), and Kenneth Edwards (Mortal Kombat). Leung Shum’s Eagle Claw
schools also teach the Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan that Ng Wai Nung learned
at the Ching Mo Association.
Zhang Zhan Ming (under Zhang
Zhan Wen/Chian Jin man) branch is represented by Sing Chui in Denver.
Another claim to Eagle Claw
lineage comes from the Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw system, headed by Leung
Fu. Born in Malaysia where he trained at a relocated Shaolin temple,
he became a British subject, trained in Hong Kong, and opened schools
in the UK. His organization now includes schools in seventeen
different countries and is known in America for its success in sport
competition fighting.
A "Martial Arts Hero Class
Athlete" and national wushu champion of the Peoples Republic of
China, Sifu Luo Li was bestowed the title "King of Eagle Claw."
No one else can claim this title. He immigrated to the United States
and teaches modern and traditional martial arts (O-mei) in Florida.
In Greece, an Eagle Claw
teacher by the name of Guo Cheng Yao (郭成堯)
also traces lineage from Chan Tzi Ching, through his student and son
Guo Xian He (郭憲和).
According to Grandmaster Leung
Shum, when China began in the 1980s to reintroduce the practice of its
traditional martial arts, it invited masters from around the world to
return and teach. During his trip to China, along with other masters,
he attempted to find whether any Eagle Claw practitioners still
existed in China. According to Leung Shum, the only Eagle Claw
practitioner the group managed to find had not practiced in over 30
years. While there is a modern wushu Eagle form, it bears very little
resemblance to the techniques of the traditional Eagle Claw system.
Training
The Eagle Claw system is taught
differently by different teachers and different branches. Because
Eagle Claw was primarily taught through the Ching Mo Association,
training generally includes a number of standard northern kung fu
forms and techniques taught to all practitioners at the Association,
alongside the elements specific to the Eagle Claw system.
The system includes fist forms,
weapon forms, partner sets, and the 108 locking hand techniques. The
range of traditional Chinese weapons are covered, including the long
staff, spear, double pointed spear, kwan do (or halberd), saber, sword,
hooked swords, three-section staff, daggers, fan, short stick, and
chain or whip.
 Ranking
and class structure
As in most traditional Chinese
martial arts, because Eagle Claw was passed among monks and within one
family, there was originally no need for structured classes and
rankings. Teachers simply taught students the part of the system that
seemed right for that student at that time, and students warmed up and
practiced on their own. The system was taught very slowly, in
comparison to today’s quick pace. Rigorous training generally began
with drilling the fundamentals. A student could spend months
practicing a single stance.
Today, students learn a set
curriculum of fundamentals, techniques, and forms at a much faster
pace. In a nod to modern popular practices for martial arts schools in
the West, students now also test for colored sashes representing their
rank. The specific spectrum of sashes and the requirements vary by
teacher, since the practice of testing and ranking is relatively new
to the system.
Perhaps in emulation of the
renowned traditional way of earning respect and rank by demonstrating
skill in fighting, students must show skill in sparring with students
of higher rank to earn their sashes.
Training begins with exercises
to build strength and flexibility as well as the Eagle Claw foundation:
- stances
- proper punching and blocking
- basic kicking and footwork
- clawing techniques
- controlling the breath
Structured classes begin with
group stretching and exercises, then move to forms practice. Eagle
Claw practitioners also need basic practice in gymnastics to be able
to perform the rolls, flips, and jumping kicks of the system. Sparring
is also an essential part of both the training and the testing process.
Because the dramatic acrobatics
and precise footwork of Eagle Claw depend highly upon the flexibility
of the student, it is said that the ideal age to begin training is in
childhood or adolescence. Starting early also gives the student a
greater chance of learning the system in its entirety, since the range
of techniques it encompasses is vast.
Many people today study martial
arts primarily as sport or exercise, for fun or health. Even so, Eagle
Claw’s main historical emphasis has been on fighting. In particular,
its seizing and locking techniques have genuine value for self-defense
in close encounters. However, the antiquated weaponry of ancient China
has little to no value for modern military practice and is unlikely to
come in handy in a self-defense situation. Instead, weapons training
has become more performance-oriented and a way to build strength and
coordination. That said, with a proper understanding of handling
weaponry it is perfectly possible to translate the weapon practices of
a system such as this to almost any everyday object with great
effectiveness.
While many Eagle Claw
practitioners do participate in martial arts competitions, the range
of techniques they can use in actual sport sparring are limited. Most
of the techniques that characterize Eagle Claw, such as grabs for the
throat and joints, are banned in sport sparring. Forms practice,
however, is one place where Eagle Claw practitioners can excel, since
its acrobatic flips and jumping kicks give the performer plenty of
opportunity to display his or her skill.
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