I was sparring with a training partner that has a diverse background in southern shaolin, and he suggested one of the movements I performed looks similar in mechanics as White Ape. We discussed it a bit, but I was curious if anyone on this site has any familarity with it, and even better, if they know of a location with some GOOD clips.
:google: <--------failed me.
White ape is basically my specialty, my ape comes to me through 7 star mantis.
I’ve also heard a Reeder’s line instructor discussing Ape (though I can’t remember through the haze on my current headache if it was White or not). The striking tended to be pretty heavy handed, relying on a cupped palm.
I don’t cup my hands, but there are plenty of open hand (palm & back hand) strikes. There are also normal punches (horizontal and inverted), hammerfist, backfists and frontfists (?). The whole body is involved in the striking, most will notice more shoulder involvement. Such as swinging the arm from the shoulder for strikes and blocks.
If you were a woman and we were talking in a bar, I would nod my head and pretend I understand.
But honestly, I don’t know what that which you said actually means. Are you saying that you learn White Ape as part of the 7 Star Mantis style? If so, is that normally how it is taught, as an integral part of a larger system? What characteristics would use to define how you do White Ape? Finally, do you find you are able to knock people around with the movements?
Thanks in advance. PM me if necessary.
Edit: this post should have immediately followed Mr. Mantis’s first post, but my son was crying so I had to put him to nappy nap.
That pretty much jives with what I saw (and given my experience/observational powers at the time, I could be misinterpreting/conflating open hand into cupped hand). Either way there was the whole body striking and the swinging from shoulders aspect.
As far as I know Ape is more of sub system.
Thanks Mr. Mantis. Is there any descent video clips on the internet?
None that I know of.
I was told white ape was Tong Bei quan.
Try this seller of VCDS:
http://www.geocities.com/ycgf/tongbei.htm
Hope this helps a little?
I think you’re referring to the white crane. Particuarly the pak hok pai not the fujian crane. That has lots of large arm movements which someone might mistake that as ape movements when in fact it is crane. There is the northern style known as tong bei which some people translate it as white ape or yatti. Ape styles are good when there is enough space to move around. In crowded cities like like south china best stick to wing chun and other more compact styles.