Monkey Kung Fu Techniques

Monkey kung fu is one of a series of imitative styles of Chinese martial arts that channel the behaviors of certain animals. Its movements aim to confuse and surprise the opponent, evoking the monkey's seemingly capricious and often mischievous behavior. The practitioner rolls on the ground, moves on all fours and even observes his surroundings in the style of a monkey. The three main variations of monkey kung fu are iron monkey, crafty monkey and drunken monkey.

  1. Iron Monkey

    • The way of the iron monkey is powerful and sudden, employing many simultaneous movements. Its techniques are incorporated into the drunken monkey and crafty monkey methods as well. The iron monkey uses long and short hand techniques, joint locks, seizing techniques and dynamic kicks in combination with ground fighting, feinting and quick evasive moves. In addition to simian cartwheels and somersaults, the iron monkey fighter claws, scratches and pokes with his hands.

    Crafty Monkey

    • The crafty monkey fighter may appear dismayed or confused while plotting his move.

      The crafty or lost monkey imitates a highly alert creature who finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings. In mood, this practitioner can be playful, sly or perpetually surprised. The movements in this style are quick and unexpected, and they require an exceptionally loose, flexible body. Seemingly meaningless rolls and spins can be followed by powerful flying attacks. At times, the crafty monkey pretends to be weak, lost and helpless to provoke overconfidence and vulnerability in an opponent.

    Drunken Monkey

    • Drunken monkey is considered the most advanced stage of monkey kung fu. Practitioners must have total control of their bodies while maintaining the illusion of the opposite. They alternate between lightning-fast kicks and lazy, drunken movements. Even cartwheels, somersaults and flying attacks are performed in a drunken manner, so that they seem accidental even though they are precisely calculated. The drunken monkey fighter also contradicts expectation with rapid, devastating attacks aimed at vital nerve points on the adversary, so the practitioner of this technique must master the Chinese art of pressure points.