Hasayfu

Hasayfu (下四虎) is a form of Chinese martial arts, but Hasayfu also literally means Lower Four Counties, which refers to a region in the Fujian Province located south of the provincial capital city of Fuzhou. This region includes the four counties Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Yong'an; in short, the southern half of the Fujian Province. Hasayfu Hung Ga is the martial art practiced in this region and is known simply as Hung Gar. Unfortunately, much of its early history has been lost, however, modern teachers and students recognize Grandmaster Leung Hwa Chiu as its founder. Currently in the United States, Grandmaster Kwong Wing Lam is considered the successor of this style of kung fu [Ching, Gene, The Roots and Culture of Hung Gar. Shadows of Ha Say Fu Hung Gar Lie Between shaolin Temple and Grandmaster Wing Lam, in: Wushu KUNGFU, Aug/Sep, 1998, p. 48-52.] .

Name of the System

The proper translation of Hasayfu is "four lower provinces" which references the areas of origination for the style. When Grandmaster Wing Lam began teaching the style, his students desired a more inspired title for the art. The pronunciation of the Chinese character "province" is similar to that of "tiger." Therefore, Grandmaster Wing Lam and his students began referring to the style as "the Four Lower Tigers." Since Hasayfu is a fighting art, tiger is seen as more appropriate because it denotes the fierce dominating aspects of the tiger's fighting abilities.

Present Day Training

Hasayfu is a rarely demonstrated system of kung fu [ [http://www.hungkuen.net/article-tangledroots.htm Hung Kuen Net - Online Hung Gar Kung Fu Resources ] ] . Grandmaster Wing Lam himself never taught it as a separate system but combined it in higher-level training for his advanced Hung Gar students. In the United States, teachers are almost non-existent; Sifu Saleem Alamudeen [ [http://www.hasayfu.com/lamtang/master_saleem Master Saleem Alamudeen | Hasayfu Kung Fu Association ] ] , Grandmaster Wing Lam's disciple, teaches Hasayfu as a separate curriculum in order to restore it to a more prominent place in Chinese martial arts.

The most recent demonstration of the style was at the 2007 CACMA [ [http://www.mhkungfu.com/CACMA/cacma.html CACMA: Carolinas Association of Chinese Martial Arts ] ] martial arts tournament wherein the Thunder Hoe set was performed.

System Characteristics

Stance Training

Basic conditioning consists of stance training [ [http://www.hungkuen.net/training-stancetraining.htm Hung Kuen Net - Online Hung Gar Kung Fu Resources ] ] and qi gong. The basic stances of Hasayfu Hung Ga are the straight bow and staggered bow stances, staggered horse stance, cat stance, twist stance, and the Yee-Gee Kim-Yeung Ma. The Yee-Gee Kim-Yeung Ma is unique to this system, and the foundation stance of Hasayfu Hung Gar. It is used in training much like the square horse stance of the other styles. Feet are turned inward and knees pushed outward. At the same time, the pelvis is pushed forward, chest is hollowed and leans backward slightly, forming an "S" shape.

Forms

The system consists of empty hand form sets that are known in Chinese martial arts as the Five Animals. The Five Animals of Hasayfu are: Panther, Tiger, Snake, Crane, and Dragon. These forms are usually taught in this sequence. It is thought that the natural elements of the animals can be perceived and appreciated by proper understanding of the forms. Each hand form contains unique conditioning exercises that aim to develop the essence of each animal. The first two forms, the Panther and the Tiger forms, focus on developing speed and strength, respectively. The third hand form, the Snake, focuses on the cultivation of Qi, the vital, intrinsic energy that is the focus of the internal martial arts. The primary emphasis of the Crane Form is to develop ligament strength and balance. After developing the four physical essences from the previous forms, a student is introduced to the Dragon Form last to enable a cultivation of spirit, a higher state of awareness.

*"Panther Form" - Panther Form movements are quick and agile, representing the essence of speed.
*"Tiger Form" - The characteristics of the movements in the Tiger form are strong and explosive, representing the essence of strength.
*"Snake Form" - The Snake Form cultivates chi through the development of soft strength by imitating the flowing motions and relentless nature of a snake.
*"Crane Form" - Ligament strength, balance, and calmness exemplify the spirit that the Crane form seeks to develop. Compared to the relentless nature of a Snake, the character of a Crane is composed, in a state of stable balance. Its strikes are quick, strong, and deadly accurate even though its body remains in stillness.
*"Dragon Form" - Dragon form represents the pinnacle of physical and mental development. The focus of the form is to elevate the spirit to a higher state of awareness where conscious thoughts and self-awareness no longer matter. Physical actions and reactions become instantaneous, without conscious efforts.

Weapons Forms

The weapons [ [http://www.hasayfu.com/hasayfu/forms Hasayfu Forms | Hasayfu Kung Fu Association ] ] used in Hasayfu Hung Gar contain not only the common Southern styles weapons such as butterfly swords, chain whips, and trident. The style also has certain weapons that are peculiar to Hasayfu such the Thunder Hoe, Heaven General Nine-Point Rake, Double Gan, and Double Tiger-Head Shields. Weapons fall into two categories: farming and military. Farming weapons include: Thunder Hoe, Heaven General Nine-Point Rake, Dragon-Head Wooden Bench, and the Tiger Fork or Trident. Military weapons include: Broadsword, Butterfly Swords, Staff, Monk's Spade, Double Gan, and Kwan Do.

Sparring Forms

Hasayfu Hung Gar incorporates sparring forms in the training not only to demonstrate the intended applications of the movements in the solo forms but also to bridge the gap between solo form practices and free sparring. These include Round Shield and ButterflySword versus the Trident, and Four-Gate Sparring Form, Staff vs. Butterfly Swords Sparing Form, Empty-Hand vs. Butterfly Swords Sparring Form, Trident vs. Round Shield and Butterfly Sword Sparring Form, and Three-Person Staff Sparring Form, Three-Person Weapon Sparring Form.

Tiger Iron Palm Training

In Hasayfu Hung Gar, Tiger Iron Palm Training is aimed at toughening the hands and increasing the striking power. Five different hand strikes are used in the training following the sequence: slap, backhand slap (a downward palm strike), knife-hand chop (a downward knife-hand strike), push (a snapping strike forward using the heel of the palm), and grab (includes both a strike and a pull with a tiger claw).

Differences From Other Styles

Along with the focus on the Kim Yeung Ma stance as opposed to the emphasis typically placed on the horse stance there are several other distinguishing features of Hasayfu. Most notably absent from the Hasayfu style is the kiu sao hand posture which is prominent in Hung Ga. Therefore, in appearance the Hasayfu forms look quite different from the traditional Hung Ga sets (i.e. Tiger Crane) because the elements emphasized by Wong Fei Hung are absent.

References

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