Tan Tui, Northern Spring Leg Shaolin is is an “external” (hard) style of Kung Fu.
The original Tan Tui is called Longtantui (Longtan foot play). According to legend Tan Tui came from the Longtan Monastery in the Shandong Province, Hence the name of the style. It is now more commonly known as Tan Tui.
and has 12 routines. The 12 routines encompass the basics of Northern Shaolin and many northern schools use Tan Tui as a fundamental part of their teaching syllabus. Tan Tui is a style in its own right and has many training practices within its art.
In 1910 the Jingwu Sports Society incorporated Tan Tui into its training schedule. It has ten differing schools of martial arts and uses them as basic training within their teaching of kung fu/wushu systems. In China, Tan Tui is one of the exercises included on the national curriculm. It has been highlighted as a very good discipline in helping to build personal development and for strengthening the body.
The specialist technique of Tan Tui is the snapping of the kicking foot, and it is because of this, that the discipline has the name Spring Leg Kung Fu.
The importance of practising Tan Tui skills is to make each movement well coordinated with a smooth transition from one stance to another. The form is practised on both sides of the body. The stances are very low, which helps to build strength and flexibility in the legs. The punching and blocking in Tan Tui is performed with speed, power and vigour.
There is an old Chinese saying “if your attacker is strong, then you must be stronger in counterattack”. The movements of Tan Tui are very simple, but with the correct training it can be a devastating art for self-defence.
Tan Tui for self-protection: The majority of students practice martial arts for health and fitness reasons and this, therefore, is the focus of regular club training. Training at competition level is far more intensive than regular club training, while the focus for self-defence training is different yet again.
The postures for self-defence are not as low as those for other purposes. Low stances are ideal for conditioning the body, for building strength, suppleness and agility. There is a Chinese saying: “If you are strong in a low posture, when you stand normally you are much stronger.”
The self-defence techniques follow a sequence of defensive manoeuvres that can be used to foil various attacks. Example: a strangle hold, a punch to the face, a grab to the front of the body, a kick to the body, and grabbing the wrist.
Every teacher will use the postures and techniques in a different way, depending on the training they have done. It is still important to train the body on both sides so that you can react to any situation that may arise, from any angle. Remember, however, that best form of self defence is not to be there in the first place.
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