Shaolin Kung Fu Styles - Gou Quan
(Dog Boxing)
Naturally
a style known as "Dog Boxing" is going to have at least
one other name. So Dog Boxing is also called by such names as
Shaolin Di Shu Quan (Shaolin Ground Arts Boxing), Shaolin Di Long
(Shaolin Ground Dragon Fighting) and Di Shang Gong Fa Quan (The
Skill of Groundwork).
Many
people consider Dog Boxing to have originated in the Southern
Shaolin Temple. Some say its creator was the famous martial
teacher and nun, Wu Mei. From Wu Mei it was passed to Miao Jin Hua.
Miao, another woman, taught her son: Fang Shi Yu who make a hybrid
style containing Dog Boxing and Hua Quan. After the Southern
Shaolin temple was burned down, Fang did as many others and
escaped. He went to Yong Chun, then Da Tian, then to Guan Yan Shi
Temple known at the time as Zhu Yuan Shi. Fang started teaching at
this temple. Thereafter Dog Boxing became a monk's style for
generations. One of its students was the monk Hui Kai. In his
wandering Hui Kai visited FuJian and Guan Dong. He taught one
students Zheng Yi Shan who was a native of Nan Tai, Lao Ya Zhou
county. Zheng did not pass on the art to many but after an
incident force him to flee to Yong Chuan he did teach one Zhuang
Zi Shen.
A
completely different legend traces Dog Boxing to a Bai Lian Si
Temple near the Southern Shaolin Temple. Nuns at White Lotus
studied methods invented by the martial genius Qi Ji Guang and
also dog boxing. This continued into the Qing Dynasty until a nun,
by the name of 'mother Si Yue' learned the art then went to Yong
Chuan - Yong Qin - Fu Qing - and Fu Zhou. She stayed with one
family in particular in Yong Qin and she gave them the art. Once
it was in the Chen family it became a family treasure. It passed
from one grandmother to Chen Yi who killed a bandit and had to
flee to Fu Zhou. Women often did the style - not unlike today in
"self defense courses - because it was considered that women
could more easily fight from the ground - especially those who
might have bound feet and lacked normal stability.
What
are the components of Dog Boxing ? ...It contains Rolling, Ground
Flowers, Cross Scissors kicks, Push Scissors kicks, Leg Wrapping,
Stomp kicking, Diving, Dropping, Kneeling, Grappling, Pulling, Leg
Hooking and more. What
is the strategy ? ...To reach retreat to a place of familiarity
unfamiliar to the opponent where you neutralize his advantages and
emphasize yours. ..
