Loong Fu Pai was established in Victoria, Australia in 1981 and has classes throughout the South Eastern suburbs and also in Queensland. Loong Fu Pai Martial Arts teaches and promotes confidence, self esteem encouraging group interaction. There is an emphasis on discipline, self defence and co-ordination. It is a great way to meet people in a club and family environment. Loong Fu Pai is a FREE Style incorporating the arts of Karate, Kung Fu, Weaponry, Aikijutsu (Mushindo) & Kickboxing in a friendly atmosphere open to all who wish to participate.
Our style is based on the Chinese Shaolin animals, their studied movements and attributes. Loong means Dragon, Fu means Tiger Pai means Style or group, or simply clan (in Japanese it is KAI). One of the many chambers in Shaolin Temple was called LOONG FU TANG which literally means DRAGON & TIGER CHAMBER. The style techniques are based on these five Shaolin animals Loong (Dragon) implying SPEED, Fu (Tiger) implying SWIFT total body movements, Par (Leopard) implies AGILITY, Sher (Snake) implies FLUIDITY, Park Hock (Crane) for calmness.
DRAGON
The 1st of the Five Shaolin Animals incorporated into our style is the Chinese mythological Dragon. It is a supreme being (the only animal that can live on land, air and in the sea) that controls the forces of the weather. It represents cosmic power and transformation. In paintings and our club logo, the dragon is partially concealed in the clouds because revealing itself in it's entirety would cause instant death.
Dragon is characterized by flow, balance and change. Combining the hardness of the tiger and leopard as well as the softness of the crane and snake, it is the last animal to be taught since it incorporates all the attributes of the previous animals: the strength of the tiger, the deception of the snake, the mobility of the crane and the speed of the leopard.
TIGER
The 2nd Shaolin Animal. The Tiger, with its latent power and majestic bearing, has inspired the development of an aggressive and powerful style of combat. Tiger kung fu is a 'hard fighting style' characterized by strength, ferocity and aggression.
Tiger attacking techniques overwhelm the opponent like a charging tiger overcoming it's prey. The tiger form is performed medium speed using intense dynamic tension motions in order to develop strong muscles culminating in SWIFT body movements.
LEOPARD
The 3rd Shoalin Animal. The Leopard represents bravery and martial ferocity. It requires the development of strength and features a strong waist and lower extremities. The leopard style also requires the development of power and speed incorporating swift penetrating strikes. Although not as powerful as the Tiger, the leopard combines speed and AGILITY in footwork to overcome it opponents.
SNAKE
The 4th base animal . The Snake in some ways resembles the dragon, but without the latter’s grandeur and power. The snake is sometimes referred to as the “earthly dragon”. Its' movement is fast and sleek, its attack vicious, and its most notable characteristic is softness. Hence a snake form specialist would normally not block an attack directly with physical strength, but would absorb it using circular movements, coil around it, and slide along the attacking limb to strike the opponents' weak spots. FLUIDITY and energy flow are highlights of snake techniques.
CRANE
The 5th base animal used in our style is the Crane incorporating Patience, CALMNESS and elegance. Stability and tranquility are characteristics yet you can be surprised that its slender solitary-standing leg can support such an enormous weight. Cranes often seem frozen in space and time. When suddenly it takes off, despite it’s huge size and apparent immobility, its movements swift and graceful demonstrating an excellent way of conserving and using energy.