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Glossary of Martial Arts Related Terms

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4 blades of Shuai Jiao The 4 blades of Shuai Jiao are the Axe, Razor, Pick and the Sickle. These refer to different ways of using one's legs to sweep an opponent.

7 Basic Blocks The name of the 7 basic blocks in the order that they are performed are Pan Sau, Pit Sau, Tiu Sau, Dong Sau, Pit Sau, Tzin Tzi Sau, and Ung Mui Hassan Jong

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Aikido "Way of Harmonious Energy" Aikido is a Japanese martial art invented by a man named Morihei Ueshiba. Ueshiba is also known as o-sensei to aikido practitioners. Aikido emphasizes the use of blending with an opponents energy. It is more of a grappling style then a striking style.

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Ba duan jin The eight brocades of silk chi gung. The ba duan jin is a set of eight exercises that coordinate one's breathing patterns with specialized movements. These types of breathing exercises are collectively known as Chi Gung. This is one of the most popular sets of Chi gung exercises practiced throughout the world. There are many variations and different versions of these exercise in existence.

Baihui The Baihui point is an specific point located at top of the head. more accurately near the crown or the swirl of the hair. In acupuncture it is the meeting point of six yang meridians. A practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan will elevate the bai hui point during the practice of forms.

Bil Kuen The Bil Kuen is a downward and foward angled punch. Many time it is used with the middle knuckle protruding from the fist.

Bodhidharma Bodhidharma was a legendary Indian monk, who traveled to China to spread Buddhism. Upon arriving at the Shaolin temple he found that the monks who lived there were often time to weak to carry out the long hours of meditation. He devised a set of exercises to strengthen the bodies of the monks. These exercises are reputed to be the foundations of ancient Shaolin kung fu.

Bok Hok Diu Yee White crane plucking fish from the river. It is applied as an eye jab. The fingers are stiffened and thumb is under hand

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Chan si jing "Silk-Reeling Practice" This is a set of exercises that are practiced in the Chen style of Taiji Chuan. It is named after the practice of slowly harvesting silk from the silk worm. It may also be known as spiraling power.

Chang Tung Sheng Chang Tung Sheng was a famous grandmaster of the art of Shaui Jiao, which is Chinese fast wrestling. He was born in 1908 and died and in 1986. He has many students that carry on his legacy both in the United States and in Taiwan.

Chi Sau Wing Chun kung fu sticky hands training. It is a 2 person drill meant to develop tactile sensitivity. The goal of practicing would be to control an opponents arms and strike at him without having to plan out what to do but rather rely on one's own reflexes to automatically react and respond from habit.

Chin Na Chin Na translate to "seize and control". It is one of the 4 pillars of kung fu. The 4 pillars being striking, kicking, locking and throwing. Chin na is a category of movements found within kung fu that involve the twisting of joints to manipulate an opponent or to cause them pain. It also involves cavity strikes, pressure points, and the grabbing of muscles and tendons.

Chin Sum Kuen Heart Piercing Punch, this punch originates from the hip and travels toward the center line.

Chopping Chopping is a term used in Shuai Jiao class to describe the action of using one's leg to sweep out the opponents leg. Chopping hits harder than the traditional judo sweep. Shuai Jiao kicks the leg out from under the opponent rather than sweep.

Choy Gar The Choy gar family system of kung fu was founded by Choy Gau Lee also known as (Choy Tsing Hung. It is one of the five fgreat family systems of Suthern China developed during the Ching Dynasty. It is characterized by quick low stances known as "rat steps" Hand striking comes from movements that resemble snake style.

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Daap Sau Daap Sau is really a chop. Just change the angle of the chop from hitting outward sideways to the downward, then align the chop with the height of your own shoulder and that is the Daap Sau. It is used to swat down a punch in mid air.

Dao Dao - sword or large knife commonly used to refer to the broadsword

Dim Mak Dim Mak is teh science of striking to the vital points of the human body. In application one would touch certain points that run along meridians of chi in order to disrupt the natural flow of energy in the human body. Disrupting this flow can cause ill health effects and death.

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Eskrima Eskrima is a complete martial from the Philipines. It starts off with stick training but then move to knife then eventually empty hands. It may also be called ARnis or Kali depending on where in the Philippines it came from.

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Fa Hey Ying Jong Lifting block similar the upward block of Karate except the palm is held open.

Fu Jow Fu Jow translates to Tiger Claw. It is a way of forming the hand so as to be able to rake an opponents eyes or face. The fingers are spread out widely and then the tips of each finger is angled downward to resemble the paw of a tiger.

Fu may gerk Tiger tail kick. In many systems this might be called a donkey kick.

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Gwan Dao The Gwan Dao is a long weapon with a blade attached to the end. It is the weapon of choice for the famous Chinese General name Gwan after which the weapon is named. Usually this weapon is most effective when applied from horseback, but there are circumstance in which it can be effective while unmounted

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Harmonious Hands Harmonious Hands are not really a technique but rather a concepts found in Shuai Jiao. The concept is to flow with incoming attempts and grabs and use the flow to put yourself in a advantageous position to throw while at the same time putting your opponent at a disadvantage. In Harmonious Hands one should never go against the force but rather redirect any incoming force, thus the name "harmonious"

Huiyin Also named the perineum, this is the acupuncture point directly opposite the baihui. It is the meeting point for the yin meridians, as baihui is extreme yang, huiyin is extreme yin. A Taiji Chuan practitioner will keep huiyin and baihui aligned during the practice of forms.

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Jhou Kuen Lifting Fist. The major point to remember about this punch is that it must be kept close to the body in order to have maximum leverage. However, the body can lean to change angle and thus change the punch from a vertical punch to a 45 degree upward punch. This is considered the uppercut.

Jia Jia is the Mandarin pronunciation of Family or clan. The same term in Cantonese is Gar or Ga. An example of it's usage is "Hung Gar Kuen" which would translate to "Hung family fist" the style Fut Gar Kuen would translate to "Monks family fist" in Mandarin it would be "Fo Jia Chuan"

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Kung Fu Skill through devotion. Also known as hard work. Chinese style martial arts.

Kwa Kuen Back fist. Any movement that hits with the back of the hand while it is in a fist positions can be called Kwa Kuen. In Jeet Kuen Do the same movement is referred to as "Gwa Choi"

Kwoon In the martial arts world this refers to ones training hall or school.

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Laogong Laogong is a point specific to the center of the hand. Also called the 'Labor's Palace', this is where qi naturally flows to the center of the hand.

Lei Tai or Loey Toy The lei tai is an elevated platform used in China for Challenge matches or fights. Typically one could win the fight by throwing the opponent off of the platform.

Li yau sun Li yau sun was the founder of Li gar kuen, or Li family fist. Li Gar is one of the five most popular systems of kung fu found in the South of China. During the Ching Dynasty. Li yau sun besides being a kung fu master also was a practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine. He opened a Herbal shop in the city of San Woi during his lifetime.

Lin Wan Kuen Linking Continuous fist. Sometimes we will refer to this set as the "tiger set" becase it has elements of both the tiger and crane.

Loy Gung Pak Mai Thunder god pounding mochi rice, a downward motion using a fist.

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Ma bu or Mah Bo Mabu refers to stance in Kung Fu. The horse stance is the most prevalent of these stances. The stance is an even weighted stance. The knees are bent and the practitioner's posture resemble the posture of someone riding on a horse.

Mabu Mabu is a generic term for the different types of horse stance found in the art of Kung fu. One must go low in mabu to train the legs for stability. However, mabu traing must also include movement to develop mobility.

Mok Gar Mok gar is one of the five family styles of Southern China. It waas developed my Mo Qing Chiu. It is primarily know for it's powerful kicks. And it's 60-40 stances. Mok gar uses low kicks and is a close range fighting style.

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Ni Gi Ma Crossing stance or "lady's crossing stance" The back of the forward leg should touch the fromt of the other leg to brace oneself. Used to twist and as a setup for a kick.

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Pak Sau Slapping block meant to go into or towrad the opponents centerline. Uses the palm of the hand to strike the opponents arm in a sideways direction

Peng Peng is a term for one of the types of powers found in the art of Tai chi chuan. It can be described as a feeling of expansion and as if trying to push a buoyant object into the water. there is a type of reistance to it.

Pung ma Level horse stance. The goals is to accomplish sitting in this stance for 5 minutes. The type of leg strength it take to so is different than the type of strength it takes to do squats. It is a static leg strength.

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Qi (Chi) Chinese term for universal energy or the energy of the body. Also thought of as circulating bioelectric energy in the human body.

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San ma Cat stance

Sang Ma Dangling horse. The rear leg is at a 45 degree angle the front foot has no weight on it. It is the hardest of the stances to hold for any amount of time. It can be used for fighting in the right situation but it is more used for learning single weightedness and the shifting of weight form one leg to another.

Sei Ma Sliding stance. The rear leg goes back at a 45 degree angle. Keep the rear leg straight to brace yourself against incoming power. the front knee should bend so that it is directly positioned above the front foot's toes.

Seong Ma To step up into a horse stance.

Sheung Jip Jeurng Reciving Hands, this movements is catching the opponents arm by absorbing the energy. Then the movement traps the attacking arm by holding it against the hip.

Shuai Jiao Shuai Chiao or Shuai Jiao(pronounced shwai-jyau) IS kung fu. It is what is known as Chinese fast wrestling. Shuai Jiao has many movements that throw the opponent to the ground. It is considered to be the oldest form of kung fu martial arts. It is thought to have originated more than two thousand years ago. It may also be spelled Shuai Chiao or also Kuai Jiao

Sifu Master/Teacher. This term is usually reserved for the head of the school. In ancient times it was akin to father. As hierarchy in Chinese kung fu follows the same heirarchy as the family unit.

Sil Lum Sil Lum is the Cantonese pronunciation of the Shaolin. It literally translate to "young Forest" The Shaolin temple or Sil Lum temple in China was Famous for the martial arts that originated there.

Sup Gee Kuen Cross Character Fist set. Considered to be the most advanced of all the sets in Fut Ga Kuen Kung Fu. The grandmaster Lum Dai Yong taught this set to one person who was the inheritor of this form which is Arthur Lee.

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Tai chi Chuan Tai chi can translate to "supreme ultimate fist", or "Grand ultimate fist". It is considered a soft style, requiring th use of relaxation to generate power. Many style have an exercise called tui shou also called push hands. It is a bridge between learning the forms and using the style of tai chi to fight.

Tek Gerk The basic toe kick. In kung fu we assume that if you are ever in a self defense situation you will have shoes on. Your shoe can be used a as a weapon. Use the tip of the toe to kick into a soft target.

Tzin Tzi Sau Cutting hand or scissor hand, the idea is to use the ulna bone to strike at an opponents incoming punch.

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Wang Chung Chai Twisted Hammer Punch, starts off up high then twists while striking in a downward motion.

Wu Dip Jeurng Butterfly Palms. Refers to a set of hand movements that open the green belt set and the second set of the Fut Ga system. The Wu Dip Jeurng set is named after the opening movements. One source relayed to me that originally the set was called "moth" but was not as poetic so they changed the name.

Wushu Wushu actually means martial arts. It could refer to any martial art, however it has come to refer to an acrobatic style of Chinese martial arts that have traditional yet aesthetic qualities.

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Yan Gerk Stopping leg. Also known as the jam kick. This kick can be used as a stop kick. Stop kicks attack the opponents leg in mid-air as they try to kick you. It is what other systems call the side kick. Many times it is performed at a low height to attack the opponents knee joint.

Yet Jerng Palm Strike

Yet Qua Backfist

Yongquan Yongquan is a point specific to the foot near the center. Also called the 'bubbling well' or 'gushing spring' it is the point of center and balance for the foot where the root is found.

Yut dim One touch. As in applying pressure to weak points found within the human body. In Chinese martial arts many of the striking points also correspond to traditional acupuncture points.

Yut Zhang One Elbow, as in kids set. Although it could refer to any elbow strike. The word Yut means then number 1 in Chinese.

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Zhang Elbow