Eagle Claw Kung Fu Techniques

Eagle Claw Stances

• There are eight basic stances in Eagle Claw Kung Fu.

  In horse stance, the feet are pointed forward and placed about two shoulder widths apart from one another, while the body's weight sinks down low into the stance.

  In bow stance, sometimes called arrow stance, the front leg is bent almost to a 90 degree angle with your front knee just behind the front foot. The back leg is extended straight back behind you and the fists are kept tight at the waist.

  Cat stance is created by placing the feet close together, sinking into the knees slightly and bending the front knee while shifting your weight to your back foot. The toes of the front foot are pointed downward. Cat stance is a very quick and agile stance.

  The hanging stance is created by shifting all your weight to your rear leg, raising your front leg up at a 90 degree angle and placing your front foot and your rear knee.

  Light stance is a quick, easy stance to assume. The front leg extends straight out and the weight shifts to the back leg, which bends slightly. The fists are drawn tightly to the waist. Light stance is a good stance to assume when you need to rapidly assume a defensive posture.

  Sitting stance is a low, defensive stance that is assumed by dropping to one knee and drawing the fists tightly to the waist.

  Pressing stance is a very low-to-the-ground, agile stance in which the front leg extends all the way out and you crouch back as low as possible onto your rear leg while placing one hand above your head and another in front of your face to provide defensive cover.

  Stealing stance is like a bow stance except that you turn your head to the side to look over your front shoulder. The front foot is turned slightly out to provide quickness of mobility for springing into attack.

The Eagle Claw Strike

• Eagle Claw strikes rely on a synthesis of speed and power. They should travel with lightning speed to the target and snap into claw form at the last instant in order to cause maximum damage. When done correctly, the Eagle Claw strike causes intense pain. In the Eagle Claw strike, your fingers should close on your opponent's flesh like white-hot talons of steel.

  From a basic Eagle Claw fighting stance, throw a light and fast open palm strike. At the moment of impact, immediately curl your fingers inward, digging into your opponent's flesh. This is the basic Eagle Claw hand strike. It's intention is to tear flesh and tendons, separate muscles from bone and do as much internal damage as possible. Eagle Claw strikes are generally aimed at soft targets such as joints, pressure point, eyes and throats. Love handles, upper arms, thighs or any other area of the body with loose skin are also excellent targets.

Eagle Claw Blocks

• Blocks in Eagle Claw Kung Fu use circular motion in order to deflect and control an opponent's strike. Many Eagle Claw blocks are simultaneous block/strikes.

Eagle Claw Chin Na

• Eagle Claw is famous for its system of 108 holds, joint locks and pressure point strikes, known as "Chin Na," meaning "seize and control." Eagle Claw Chin Na can has five basic objectives: Dividing muscles and tendons from bone, misplacing bones from their joints, sealing off your opponent's breath, sealing veins and arteries, and shutting down your opponent's flow of "chi" or life energy.

  To use Eagle Claw Kung Fu to maximum effectiveness, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with acupuncture pressure points as these make excellent targets for finger jabs and claw strikes.

Eagle Claw Kung Fu

• The Eagle Claw Kung Fu system contains 25 fist forms, 25 weapon forms, more than 25 partner forms and the 108 locking or Chin Na techniques. Despite its potential for inflicting viscous levels of pain to your opponent, a well-developed Eagle Claw can control an opponent without injury. This makes Eagle Claw a highly moral self-defense system in that mastery of it allows you to protect yourself without causing undue injury to your opponent.