Snake Kung Fu Techniques

Snake kung fu is one of the five animal styles of fighting in Shaolin martial arts. Snake kung fu martial artists use quick techniques aimed at weak points on their opponents body. These attacks are designed to take an opponent by surprise. The snake kung fu style of fighting is intended to mimic the movement of actual snakes.

  1. Stance

    • Snake kung fu relies on fast attacking and dodging, so rigid and slow stances will not work well with snake techniques. Instead, snake kung fu martial artists keep their legs close together to emphasize easy movement over balance. The martial artist attempts to avoid getting hit altogether rather than using a stance that will absorb the impact of a blow.

      The snake kung fu stance encourages martial artists to continually dodge and deflect their opponents attacks while waiting for a perfect opportunity to launch a counterattack. This leads to constant quick movement of the feet and readjusting of the stance.

    Strikes

    • Martial artists practicing snake kung fu do not use any closed-hand strikes, such as fist punches. Instead, they use an open-hand technique that focuses on finger jabs mixed with occasional chops. In preparation for an attack, the martial artist intentionally moves their arms and hands into arrangements that confuse their opponent. Their limbs should be positioned so that their opponent can not be sure which direction an attack will come from.

      The finger jabs aim for weak pressure points on the opponent's body. These points allow snake kung fu martial artists to do more damage with each hit than if they had aimed for common targets such as the head and chest. The goal of the martial artist is to use their strikes to hurt one particular spot on the opponent's body enough that the opponent will be immobilized. The martial artist continues attacking the same spot until the opponent begins to defend that area, after which the martial artist tries to redirect their strikes to another weak point.

      Snake kung fu chops are used less frequently than finger jabs. Martial artists also aim them at weak pressure points, but because the side of the hand is a larger surface than the tips of the finger, less force is applied to the weak points themselves. To increase the force, snake kung fu chops involve tucking the thumb underneath the hand, rather than keeping it parallel to the fingers.