Video Clip Series: Fierce Tiger and Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros

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Shaolin Wahnam Video Series

Review of the UK Summer Camp Weapon Course July 2007 Part 2

FIERCE TIGER AND MOON-GAZING RHINOCEROS

The significance of waist movement is revealled at the beginning of this pattern, "Rhinoceros Looks at Moon"

As in unarmed sets, various patterns in weapon sets are linked in some meaningful ways into sequences. This video series shows the first two sequences of the Butterfly Knives set, “Human-Character Double Southern Knives”.

These two sequences, which are named after their two crucial patterns “Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain” and “Rhinoceros Looks at Moon”, incorporate some important techniques of the Butterfly Knives. A combat application is explained here. More combat applications are explained in the next series.

Please note that you can download the video clips onto your own computer and view them at your leisure. Place your computer pointer at the picture or one of the links, and right click. Choose “Save Target As”. Select the directory or sub-directory where you wish to keep the video clip. Click “Save”.

A picture-series of the set can be found here

Benefits of Practicing a Weapon Set
Grandmaster Wong leads the class in going over the patterns he has just taught. Practicing a weapon set, like an unarmed set, has many benefits. Do you know what these benefits are.
The size of the video clip is 1.64 mb.
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Changing from Yin-Blade to Yang-Blade
“Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain” is repeated many times in different directions, followed by “Jade Girl Combs Hair” and “Jade Belt Circulates Waist”. Notice that the left blade changes from a yin-position in its sweeping movement to a yang-position at the end of the sweep. Do you know why is there this change?
The size of the video clip is 1.20 mb.
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The Formidable Technique of Reverse Slash
One of the most formidable knife techniques is the reverse slash, as shown here in the pattern called “Rhinoceros Looks at Moon”. Take note of the body-movement as well as waist rotation of this pattern.
The size of the video clip is 1.59 mb.
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Rhinoceros Looks at Moon
“Rhinoceros Looks at Moon” is followed by “Phoenix Flaps Wings”, “Breeze Spreads Lotus Leaves” and “Butterflies Flying Separate”. Kungfu pattern names are very poetic. There is also a change from yin-blade to yang-blade in “Breeze Spreads Lotus Leaves”. Can you guess why Grandmaster Wong changes his left blade from a yin-position to a yang-position?
The size of the video clip is 1.30 mb.
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An Application of Swaying Lotus
Grandmaster Wong shows one of the combat functions of “Breeze Spreads Lotus Leaves”, which also illustrates why the left blade is changed from a yin-position to a yang-position so as to cover the opponent’s weapon. In other situations like in “Jade Girl Combs Hair” and “Jade Belt Circulates Waist” where you use the blade to cut at your opponent, you change its yin-blade to a yang-blade so that you don’t cut yourself.
The size of the video clip is 1.37 mb.
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Butterflies Flying Separately
After the three patterns, “Rhinoceros Looks at Moon”, “Phoenix Flaps Wings” and “Breeze Sways Lotus Leaves”, is a useful poise pattern “Butterflies Fly Separately”. This poise , of course, also has effective combat functions. Can you figure out what these combat functions are? Then the three patterns ae repeated.
The size of the video clip is 0.77 mb.
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Patterns Practiced Separately from Set
Grandmaster Wong explains that patterns in a set can, and should, be taken out of the set to be practiced separately. He uses the three patterns, “Breeze Sways Lotus Leaves”, “Phoenix Spreads Wings” and “Rhinoceros Looks at Moon”, as examples.
The size of the video clip is 1.13 mb.
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