Branch 4 and 1 : Life "Style" (Part 1)

Rely on the teaching, not on the person;

Rely on the meaning, not on the
words.
             -The Buddha
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In my Way of the Warrior, I have three pillars:  Warrior, Poet, and Lover.

This post focuses on the Poet and Warrior, in the thought of identity and style.  When I was first coming into my own as a poet, I had to choose from many things:  Master poets I wanted to follow,  Forms of poetry I found meaningful, connection to, and a feeling of authentic personal expression of self in, and needing a place/community to continually practice with. The practice of sharing and feedback would refine skills, shed undesired stalk, and  compare strength  and depth of self with other practitioners.

In my last year of Wing Chun, back in California, my master there began to lead us down paths of self discovery.  As with many styles of martial arts, there are earth elements and animal symbols.

Depending of the region and style, the matching of the element and animal differs slightly.  My Sifu was a Vietnamese Man.  And given my memory, and what I can find, these two images resemble the closest to what he taught us.  After two years of teaching, working with, and developing a relationship with me, he identified me as a Leopard style fighter, which in his study was connected to the wood element.

Leopard Kung Fu Style

-emphasis is speed and angular attack. 

-does not overwhelm or rely on strength (as does the tiger) 

-relies on speed and outsmarting its opponent. 

-The power of the style derives from its aggressive speed. The leopard practitioner will focus on elbows, knees, low kicks, and leopard punches. Leopard kung fu is a hit, damage and run style designed to overcome superior forces with inferior resources. Counter attacks are sudden, indirect and short, with the aim of landing a debilitating technique.

The goals of Leopard style are to:

-develop muscle speed for external strength.

-build patience

-use the leopard punch for penetration and lower body springing power.
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In Part 2, I am going to begin connecting these ideas to
-my current practice of Shaolin Do
-how it connects  to my thoughts on self identity as a poet
-how these two relate.