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It was supposedly created by
Jue Yuan 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 instead relies on speed and outsmarting its
opponent. The power from the aggressive speed. The leopard practitioner will
focus on elbows, knees, low kicks, and leopard punches. |
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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 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.
The primary weapon is the leopard fist, 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 hand. Strikes include the phoenix eye, which is a punch
to pressure points including the eye and temple. It is formed by lifting
only the index finger's knuckle while the rest are kept in a usual fist
form. The leopard claw can also be modified for grabbing and tearing by
slightly lifting the fingers to form a hook.
The leopard style is thought to be a midway point between the Tiger and
Crane styles, the strength and height.
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's ability to provide the
necessary speed diminishes as he/she ages, reducing his or her efficiency in
combat. |
