Five Pattern Hung Kuen is based on the fighting styles of the Dragon, Crane, Tiger, Leopard and Snake. Whereby the characteristics of each animal have been honed into their own set. Each animal set can be considered as a fighting system in its own right, however, each will be lacking in one aspect or another. Consequently, only after studying the whole system of all 5 animals can a student consider that they have a complete martial art.
As stated above, Five Pattern Hung Kuen was developed by Ng Mui and Miu Hin, the knowledge of the system was then passed down through various masters until during the earlier part of the last century, Yeung Shut Fu taught it to Yuen Yik Kai, who was to become one of the most respected Kung Fu Grandmasters in Hong Kong. Sadly, Yuen Yik Kai passed away in 1984 but not before teaching the extremely rigorous training to Master Vic Gnash at Yuen Yik Kai’s school in Kowloon.
Following many years of study under the Grandmaster, Vic returned to London where he opened a school and in 1971, Mike Jolliff started learning the system from Master Gnash. Mike attained the level of Master himself in 1982 having travelled to China to meet and train with Yuen Yik Kai. Mike had the privilege of meeting the Grandmaster several times after the visit to China and now remains the only Master of Five-Pattern Hung Kuen outside Hong Kong following Vic’s untimely death in 1996.
Stance work is practiced to provide the framework of the foundation for all techniques. Developed stances will be strong, powerful, light and flowing. Stance changes will be fluent and smooth, without losing power and stability.
The sequence of learning has been structured in such a way so that as students are developing their stance-work, they are also taught techniques that enable the student to understand the working and mechanisms of the human body. This allows the student to build a toolbox of strikes and techniques that can be applied with the knowledge of the effect that the strike will have. That is, where vital points are on the body and what reaction can be expected from the force, angle and type of a particular strike.
Students practice techniques on each other. Attacks and application are real, this has the benefit of ensuring that students learn techniques as they will be used in the street and will not develop a false sense of security. Additionally, from this, students learn what it is to receive a strike. They quickly realise that they have developed an ability to withstand heavy blows and are not shocked by a limp slap in the face.
Patterns based on the 5 animals are practiced and used not only to develop the fighting characteristics of the animal but the chi energy as used by each animal in their specific ways.
Dragon | Crane | Tiger |
| Powerful and penetrating. Using the tail, horns and claws in sweeping movements following the spiritual side of the animal. Included in the Dragon techniques are locks, the applications of which are designed to break bones and destroy joints. | Deceptive, elegant and graceful. Wings (hands and elbows), beak and kicks used to strike in flowing circular motions that appear to the onlooker as being flowery and faint. However, the Crane techniques to the recipient are fast, heavy and devastating. | Powerful, destructive, unyielding. Tearing, ripping and driving through opponents, Tiger techniques aim to hit with such ferocity, second assailants will question their intentions on seeing the results on the Tigers first victim. |
Leopard | Snake | |
| Cunning, lightning speed, ripping, deceptively powerful. Striking with paws, claws and elbows. Often taking its prey to the ground, strikes are mostly focused on soft vulnerable target areas. Leopard has the ability to draw the opponent into thinking that success is imminent, only to be met with a flurry of fast deep penetrating strikes. | Twisting, evasive and penetrating. Snake techniques include the bite, tail and locks. Strikes are fast finding vital points with pinpoint accuracy, looking to disrupt and poison the assailant's energy. |