The Five Elements
WOOD
Using deep rooted stances and short, hard simultaneous strikes and blocks with the forearms, Wood gives you the resilience of a deep-rooted tree. Your arms become unyielding branches with versatile short-range power.
Wood separates Earth; Wood fuels Fire.
FIRE
Using rapidly advancing strikes and kicks, Fire gives you all consuming speed and intensity, burning through any defense.
Fire melts Metal; Fire's ashes form Earth.
EARTH
Using low stances and upward striking motions, Earth grounds your energy. The low stances and ground up motions give you stability and power.
Earth absorbs Water; Earth contains metal.
METAL
Metal penetrates Wood; Metal carries Water.
Using powerful downward strikes with the entire arm, Metal gives you splitting power and channels your internal energy, or qi.
Using long swinging movements with arms and legs, Water gives you destructive fluid power. Your movements swirl and crash like ocean waves.
WATER
Water quenches Fire; Water feeds Wood.
The Five Animals
strength & power
speed & agility
harmony & balance
accuracy & precision
internal power & energy
TIGER
Using powerful ripping, open handed strikes, combined with twisting movements, sweeps and ground kicks, Tiger will give you bone, tendon & muscle strength. The powerful tiger palm increases forearm and hand strength, and the kicks and ground work increase your leg and back strength and endurance.
LEOPARD
Using rapid fire penetrating strikes and low to mid-range kicks, Leopard will increase your striking speed and overall agility. The leopard fist penetrates muscle with piercing impact, and increases finger strength and hand dexterity. The legwork will increase your agility with crossing foot movements.
CRANE
Using both pecking and blunt strikes, as well as whipping kicks, Crane will give you harmony of movement and increased evasion as well as coordination between eyes, hands and feet. The crane beak strikes vulnerable areas while the leg movements improve your balance and dexterity.
SNAKE
Using pinpoint strikes to soft vulnerable areas, and relaxed but coiling movements, Snake will increase your accuracy and precision. The snake palm pierces into vulnerable areas with lightning speed. Your overall precision of movement is improved by coordinated hand strikes and kicks.
DRAGON
Using open claw downward strikes and mid-range whipping kicks, as well as movements from the other animals, Dragon will increase your power and ability to use your internal energy. The dragon palm slaps and tears, while the kicks whip like a dragon's tail.