Tiger plays a great part in Chinese history and mythology.
It is only fitting that they should choose this beast to develop a fighting style. The tigers ferocity and wisdom are legendary.
The Shaolin Tiger encompasses all aspects of armed and unarmed combat, for the most part, the tiger utilizes a hard external approach to combat that meets force with force, it relies on frontal assault, aggression and power. Its primary weapons are the closed fist and the tiger claw, while kicking techniques are usually low to middle range of power. The Tiger style is avicious method of fighting that involves ripping and tearing at open areas of the opponents body and puts emphasis on strength, dynamic tension and hard, snappy moves.Footwork is designed to provide a stable base to smash through the opponents defence, using techniques such as a palm strike to first break up the target and then the fingers clench to grab the skin.
The tigers natural fluidity hides its ferocious power and dominance, armed with deadly claws and strong jaws, the tiger form is simple, direct and powerful. As with all animal styles of Kung Fu one becomes the animal.Through studying the tiger techniques a student can develop strong bones, muscles and tendons. By nature the tiger is defensive and the style represents this by unleashing an unstoppable assault once backed into a corner. The tiger is the strongest of the seven animal styles.
