Heihuquan

Hei Hu Quan
黑虎拳

Also known as	Black Tiger Fist, Black Tiger Spring
Focus	Striking
Country of origin	China
Creator	Wang Zhenyuan
Famous practitioners	Wang Zijiu Wang Zhixiao Su Fuyuan / Souw Hok Gwan
Parenthood	Northern Shaolin Kung Fu
Olympic sport	No

Black Tiger Fist (Chinese: 黑虎拳 Heihuquan) is a northern Chinese martial art originating in Shandong Province. There is also another Black Tiger Fist style originating from Gansu, China near the borders of Mongolia.

Origins

The traditional lineage of the system begins with master Wang Zhenyuan in the late nineteenth-century; but the style was originally formed at the Shaolin Henan Temple before being transferred to Wang. The style was then passed from Wang Zhenyuan to Wang Zijiu (1862-1948), then to Wang Zhixiao, and finally to Su Fuyuan (Cantonese: Souw Hok Gwan).

Techniques

The Black Tiger style is characterised by its extensive footwork, acrobatic kicks, low, wide stances, and unique fist position (where the thumb is curled in the same manner as the other fingers, rather than wrapped around them). According to the Shaolin grandmasters, the style is the single most external style in the Shaolin canon; the longer the stylist practices, however, the more he or she comes to rely solely on internal power. In this respect it is similar to Northern Praying Mantis.