12 bridges of hung kuen - International Chinese Martial Arts

THE LAM CHUN FAI
HUNG GAR KUNG FU ASSOCIATION
PRESENTS
INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR HUNG GAR KUNG FU
CHIEF MASTER MASSIMO IANNACCONE – ITALY
剛 柔 逼 直 分 定 寸 提 留 運 制 訂
12 BRIDGES OF HUNG KUEN
Each Kung Fu style has the ancient
practice of the bridge hands. In Hung
Gar Kuen it is called the GOLDEN
BRIDGES
and
it
is
of
great
importance in the traditional training.
The philosophy hidden behind the
physical training raises the fighters'
spirit to a new level: the twelve
bridges technique controls the enemy
and at the same time creates an energy
exchange between the two fighters (as
the picture shows).
This old training was born in Southern China, where it is still called the IRON
PRACTICE. The art of the golden bridges is used by the students and masters to
strengthen the wrists, considered crucial to fight because they form the connections
between the hands and the forearms, giving power to the whole arm.
In the ancient China, where practicers and masters
have lived farming fields and breeding farm
animals, this practice was performed using farmers'
tools like hoes and pitchforks.
This hard job in the fields was also used to further
help students in the understanding of the Five
Elements Theory, touching wood, fire, earth, water
and metal.
In our style this practice was passed on by
the monk Hung Hei Gong who studied
the movements of the Tiger and the
Crane. Observing how these animals
fought each other, he realized that the
technique of the Golden Bridges could
well be represented by the complexity of
their attack and defense.
From Hung Hei Gong's traditional
teaching, today the twelve bridges are
part of the Hung Kuen practice.
The daily training helps the students to
gain awareness of time and space both for
the contact and combat.
The proposed seminars will study the ancient training of the Golden Bridges. They
will be divided in two parts:
The first part will consist in the study of traditional excercises and techniques to
strengthen the bridges and to use them in fightings. The second part will teach the
most explosive traditional Hung Gar form called Fu Hok Sheung Yin since it well
represents the Tiger and Crane movements using the Golden Bridges.