ANIMAL SUBSTYLES - RARE KUNG FU STYLES

There are numerous Animal Kung Fu Styles trained in Chinese Martial Arts, most people only know of the 5 or 8 most commonly practiced styles in mainstream Kung Fu, and even online research today will only produce minimal information on a handful more. Through our own unique martial history Imperial Combat Arts school in Denver Colorado teaches numerous Animal Kung Fu styles as Sub-styles of the Eight Imperial Animals. Imperial Combat Arts is part of The Jade Cobra Society, a group of masters dedicated to the preservation of unique and powerful Animal Martial Arts taught at a full combat level. 
These arts are combat martial arts, designed to fight multiple opponents with lethal intent, and therefore contain the advanced systems of; hand toughening, ripping and gouging, nerve attacks, ground-fighting, Chin Na, grappling, tactical training, and weapons. 

ANIMAL TOUGHENING

The styles taught at Imperial Combat Arts require the highest levels of hand toughening to meet the demands of true combat, far from wrapping the hands and wearing boxing gloves for sport. Unlike a technique, bone and joint toughening takes years to master, there is no rushing it, and if done improperly the hands can be permanently damaged. Imperial Combat Arts holds the ancient knowledge to truly and safely master these legendary Kung Fu hand weapons. 
Enter Page> Hand Toughening 
The brutal vital point attacks taught in the Animal Systems are not like desperate self defense moves taught to women and children. Highly trained Masters at Imperial Combat Arts demonstrate the true power of Animal Kung Fu, with their decades of extensive training experience. Routine demonstrations are done in a variety of ways such as tearing the eyes and throats from pig cadavers in a second, striking with single digits through boards and rib cages, full force knuckle strikes against wood and brick, and kicking through bats and concrete. This level of toughening is for true life-and-death combat, far from wrapping the wrists and wearing gloves for competitive sport, these are true weapons forged for life-and-death combat. 

​The Imperial Animal Styles have direct lineage to the battlefields of China and teach fully immersive traditional battlefield weaponry and the highest levels of lethal hand-to-hand combat and toughening.

IMPERIAL EIGHT ANIMAL SUB-STYLES

​​Each of the Imperial Animal Styles has its own unique history, however it was during the reign of the Ch'ing (Qing) Dynasty 1644 to 1912 that these arts and their sub-styles came under one Taoist system and military structure, in the capital city of Beijing. The Ch'ing Military was a meritocracy where any man regardless of race, religion, or social class could compete for military rank. As the powerful Ch'ing military conquered most all of Asia, warriors from all corners came to Beijing to compete for rank. Here in this ultimate acid test only the best and most combat effective fighting styles were retained. One Animal Kung Fu Style was chosen to represent each of the Taoist Energies as depicted in the picture above/left. 
Combined with the substyles there are 64 animal styles taught at Imperial Combat Arts representing the 64 hexagrams of the Taoist I-Ching. Substyles are grouped under their parent animal. The particular substyles attached to each Animal directly complement the main style, and share similar modes of movement, toughening, and weapons allowing masters to quickly learn additional martial arts styles that are similar in nature to their own. Some of these substyles are very rare while others are famous and legendary in their own right. Some of the Imperial substyles are massive arts, while others can be as small as a just a series of specialized techniques, however these smaller styles cant be mastered without the extensive training and toughening of their parent animal.

TRAINING SO MANY SUB-STYLES?

By definition a sub-style is a smaller facet of another style, this can be as simple as a handful of specialized strikes/techniques, the techniques related to a single grappling position, or as complex as an entire grappling art depending on the sub-style. These sub-styles work seamlessly with the parent style and we’re often integrated to fill a hole in the completeness of an art, such as a lack of ground-fighting. This is not uncommon in Chinese martial arts with many other styles such as H’sing-I and Pakua also having various animal concepts throughout

WILD BOAR KUNG FU

Boar is an aggressive berserker style of fighting that toughens lethal thumbs and knuckles, and specializes in head-butts, elbows, knees, kicking and full body collisions. This fighting style toughens the entire body to ram through strikes, minimizing their own damage and in exchange landing killing strikes. Boars grunting growls, sheer animal rage, and willingness to exchange blows make it a force that invokes fear on the battlefield. Enter Page> ​Wild Boar Kung Fu

GOLDEN RAT

​Golden Rat Style Kung Fu is a rare martial art that shows up usually only in Sub Styles of Chinese Martial Arts. At Imperial Combat Arts Imperial Rat Kung Fu is one of the Three Forces Animals (Spider, Bat , And Rat) and trained as a Sub-style of Wild Boar Kung Fu. Rat Kung Fu trains strong biting grips with two fingers and the thumb, pinches that remove areas of flesh, knuckle strikes to vital points, and extensive kicking. Rat is quite painful to learn, like all the Imperial Animal Styles.

IMPERIAL EAGLE CLAW KUNG FU

Eagle Claw is a lethal combat art created by General Yue Fei in the 1100's for his elite combat units. This highly effective martial art was still being trained by elite guard in the Ch'ing Dynasty, and has been used in wars for almost 1000 years. Like General Yue Fei and his elite warriors, Imperial Eagle Claw is for powerful highly trained warriors capable of perfecting 100's of Chin Na techniques used in combat with striking and melee weapons. Enter Page> Eagle Claw Kung Fu

IMPERIAL HAWK

Imperial Hawk is an Eagle Claw Substyle for medium build fighters that use more body weight in their Chin Na and, falling, leaping, and ground-fighting in their techniques. If Eagle Claw is half Tiger/Crane in Taoist energies then Hawk is half Panther/Crane. Imperial Hawk also contains the stealth and ambushing tactics of Panther training even leaping, rolling, falling, and killing in total silence. 

IMPERIAL FALCON

Imperial Falcon is an Eagle Claw substyle for small fighters that use more striking/kicking, and not as much Eagle Claw Chin Na. If Eagle Claw is half Tiger/Crane in Taoist energies, then Falcon is half Leopard/Crane. Falcon trains the complex patterns of controls and striking used in Leopard and many prefer to master the ground art of Cantonese Dog over the Black Scorpion. Enter Page> Falcon Kung Fu

IMPERIAL CRANE KUNG FU

Crane is a legendary Chinese martial art as renowned for its grace, agility, and balance as it is for its powerful highly toughened angular strikes. Crane masters train extensive kicking, leg controls, maneuvers and lower body toughening. Masters of this fighting style will routinely demonstrate standing on one leg, evading multiple strikes while simultaneously countering with fingertip strikes breaking three or more inches of solid wood. Enter Page> Crane Kung Fu

BLACK CRANE

Imperial Black Crane is a powerful substyle that incorporates both Mantis and Snake techniques. Black Crane Style moves its arms like Snake using the similar serpentine form of the Cranes Neck and a unique highly toughened beak weapon for strikes. This rare martial art that blends Crane with Snake and Mantis also uses the quick arm captures and strikes of Mantis with its neck and beak.
Enter Page> Black Crane Kung Fu

GREY HERON

Grey Heron is a Sustyle of Imperial Crane that fights exclusively with their legs. By training and matching to control, negate, or counter an opponents techniques with the legs alone, Heron adds a tremendous value to Imperial Crane. Many of 167 kicks trained in Imperial Crane are contained in this complex and formidable sub-style. Extensive leg toughening is required to learn this style.

GREEN HERON

Green Heron Kung Fu is a unique sub-style of Crane taught at Imperial Combat Arts. This Crane style is for small, short framed practitioners and uses tighter, quicker strikes, often in combinations, as well as leaping to engage larger opponents. Green Heron is fashioned after small Herons in Asia like the Striated Heron. Imperial Combat Arts has several arts designed for small people.

DUCK KUNG FU

Duck Kung Fu is a fast and aggressive fighting style that strikes in flurries and combinations using kicks and highly toughened fingertips. Duck specializes in close range combat using the bend arm to block and control strikes and is a sub-style of Crane best suited for short, strong, and stocky body types. Duck Kung Fu style also masters two traditional blade weapons know as Duck Blades. Enter Page> Duck Kung Fu

IMPERIAL LEOPARD KUNG FU

Imperial Leopard is fierce, fast, cunning, and deceptive. As a master of feigns and deception Leopard often goes unnoticed and underestimated until they unexpectedly unleash years of combat training and vital point attacks with fast and highly toughened hand and body weapons. Leopard is a master of ambush and hit-and-run guerrilla style combat tactics. The Leopard Kung Fu Hand Weapons are legendary and kill with one strike to the throat. Enter Page> Leopard Kung Fu

CANTON DOG

Canton Dog is a ferocious street, and ground fighting style, with an evil reputation. Eye gouging, groin attacks, finger breaking, throat attacks, leg breaks, and even tearing off lips and ears are signature wounds from one quick Dog attack. This style, like all the animals arts, is savage and brutal for real combat. These aren't just self defense moves, but toughened and powerful attacks. Enter Page> Dog Kung Fu

IMPERIAL PHOENIX

​Phoenix is found in most Leopard Kung Fu if only a hand weapon and few strikes. The legends of this bird date back at least 8000 years, and modern sources claim that the mythical Phoenix has its roots in a prehistoric bird that lived in China. Phoenix Kung Fu, a complex martial art in its own right, gives bird-like energies to Leopard with the highly toughened knuckle strikes of the Phoenix-Eye. 

GOLDEN LEOPARD

Golden Leopard is a unique and challenging martial art with two Leopard practitioners fighting together as one entity. This art is more intimate and complex that dance mastery with full speed combat decisions communicated through movement, growling, and guttural code. Golden Leopards draw weapons from each other, attack in unison, throw, push, pull each other, and train high levels of group fighting tactics.

IMPERIAL PANTHER KUNG FU

Imperial Panther is a hunter-killer with equal parts power and stealth. Imperial Panther Masters execute full speed forms, even diving and rolling, in almost complete silence. In addition to stealth Panther is intense and ferocious with powerful growls, highly toughened hands, and throat crushing grips. Panther Style trains body collision take-downs with flesh grips that spin opponents down into ground positions, chin na, and joint destruction. Enter Page> Panther Kung Fu

NORTHERN WOLF

Northern Wolf is a deadly and fearsome fighting style from the streets of Shanghai. This rare style taught at Imperial Combat Arts specializes in group fighting tactics, low realm combat, and ground-fighting. Wolf is a vicious art with high level gripping, ripping and tearing techniques that can kill with the hand. Wolf is heavier but somewhat similar in nature to the ferocious style of Dog. Enter Page> Wolf Kung Fu

IMPERIAL LION

​In addition to being a powerful combat Style, Lion was also the symbol of the 1st and 2nd class military ranks in Imperial China for over 500 years 1391C.E. to 1911C.E. Lion is a tremendously powerful and effective fighting style both standing and on the ground, and fights with highly toughening grips, claw and fist weapons that can tear out, or crush the throat of a man in seconds. 

IMPERIAL SNAKE KUNG FU

Snake style fighting is legendary for its blinding speed and incredible accuracy in combat. Unlike most snake martial arts Imperial Snake consists of five unique fighting styles each considered a complete martial art with their own master level toughening and training. One of the five is Python a massive system of powerful palm strikes, combat grappling, chokes, strangles, joint attacks, and throws. Also Cobra, Adder, Viper, and Asp. Enter Page> Snake Kung Fu 

IMPERIAL PYTHON

Python is a high level combat art that masters powerful palm strikes, highly toughened fingers, powerful kicks, and a massive system of grappling, chokes, strangles, joint attacks, and throws. Several of our masters taught Jujitsu before joining Imperial Combat Arts and training Python for combat with its toughened fingers, throat crushing grips, lethal tail strikes, and the deadly grappling.
​Enter Page> Python Kung Fu

IMPERIAL COBRA

Cobra is a lesser know style that masters long range strikes, powerful whipping backhands, toughened fang weapons, and hard heavy throws. Cobra is also a master of standing Chin Na with primary focus on Chin Na throws, joint destruction, and quick arm breaks. Cobra Masters routinely demonstrate breaking boards and bricks with just the two fingers of the Cobra's Fangs.
​Enter Page> Cobra Kung Fu

IMPERIAL ADDER

Adder is a devastating art that specializes in toughened knuckle and finger strikes, Chin Na, ripping & gouging, as well as painful and powerful grips that crush the throat. Adder Masters are at home fighting on their feet or the ground and use strikes, grips, and Chin Na for twisting bring-downs and take-downs. Adder has numerous nerve attacks, and is a master of afflicting pain. 

IMPERIAL VIPER

Viper is a high-speed combat style that trains primarily striking and kicking. Viper specializes in toughened knuckle strikes, counter grappling, and fighting larger opponents. Viper style uses complex and ever-changing patterns that have great success in confusing and controlling opponents. Imperial Viper toughens both hands and legs to weaponize the body for combat.

IMPERIAL ASP

Asp is designed after small but deadly snakes such as the Mamba. This extremely fast-moving art specializes in fast fingertip strikes and powerful blade hands. Asp Masters are experts of high speed bobbing, weaving, and evasive maneuvers to get into striking range and spend many hours training to evade and counter the high level Chin Na and Grappling of our other Animal Styles.

SPIDER

Spider, one of three rare styles taught in the Three Forces Martial Arts, is a sub-style that specializes in rope fighting, entrapment, strangulation, captures, and entanglement vs multiple opponents. Spider is a master of soft weapons, gripping, striking, throws, and chin na. Spider trains the combat applications of rope for use in man-traps, prisoner restraints, hunting, and climbing/rappelling. 

TIBETAN GHOST BAT

The Ghost Bat is a very rare and little known style that is trained as part of the Three Forces martial arts. Ghost Bat is a circular running style somewhat similar to Pakua but with focus on stealth and evasion. Running is an important part of training for real combat when maneuvering over large areas or through multiple opponents. This concept is no different then that of the fast stealthy maneuvers of small military units.

IMPERIAL TIGER KUNG FU

Tiger is a powerful and aggressive martial art that requires years of finger, arm, and whole body toughening to master. Tiger masters can power through the strongest defenses, killing with a single strike or grip, and can tear out the throat of an opponent. Tiger training is extremely challenging and requires the highest level of human willpower to master.
​With our direct military lineage Imperial Tiger is rooted in 5 different Tiger Styles. Enter Page> Tiger Kung Fu 

NORTHERN TIGER

Northern Tiger is the most physically powerful Tiger Style as the Northern Chinese people, Manchurians, and Mongolians are larger and stronger than the Southern Chinese People. Northern Tiger masters can power through the strongest defenses, killing with a single strike or grip, and can tear out the throat of an opponent, our Masters today demonstrate this ability on pig cadavers as part of Tiger training.

SHANGHAI TIGER

Shanghai Tiger is a more intelligent interpretation of Tiger with training and development put into each individual digit of the hand for single finger and thumb strikes to vital points as well as gripping and chin na not found in our other Tiger styles. Shanghai Tiger is favored by medium-weight masters and master who move into Tiger after training Animal Styles with intricate finger gripping.

SOUTHERN TIGER

Southern Tiger is the fastest a lightest Tiger style, and while Southern Tiger practitioners may have smaller builds they still develop all the intensity and intimidation of the larger styles. While they may not be able to tear the throat from their opponents and animal cadavers, they're required to crush throats within their Tigers Mouth grip in order to carry the title of Imperial Tiger Master.

BLACK TIGER

Black Tiger trains to the highest levels all of the stealth, ambush, and guerrilla tactics of true combat level Tiger. When many people think of Animal Styles they see them as done by a performer in a silk costume and don't realize that the true killing styles were real world martial arts that trained all the techniques of the animals they emulate like camouflage, stalking, and ambush.

WHITE TIGER

Imperial White Tiger is most noted for its extensive matching with one arm and in legend was incorporated into our arts as a sub-style for combat amputees. White Tiger has since become an important part of mastering Imperial Tiger and trains to match all the other animals styles with one highly toughened arm at a time. Not to be confused with other White Tiger Styles. Enter Page> White Tiger 

IMPERIAL BEAR

Bear is a rare style that like several of the Animal Substyles is close to extinct. Bear is very much alive at Imperial Combat Arts and taught as a substyle of Tiger. Bear is a powerful style that incorporates the toughening, strikes, claws, ripping, and throat crushing grips of Tiger into chin na, wrestling, and grappling. Bear was the 5th class officer rank in China for over 500 years. Enter Page> Bear Kung Fu

IMPERIAL RHINO

​Rhinoceros is not an animal people usually think of when it comes to Chinese Martial Arts. In actuality Rhino (Unicorn) is a tremendously powerful and effective fighting style, and was the 8th class military rank in China from 1391C.E. to 1911C.E. This martial arts hand weapons look  like the horns of the Rhino and show up in several arts, usually arts associated with Tiger such as Pai Mei. 

IMPERIAL BULL

Bull was a popular military martial art in China often trained by 8th & 9th ranking officers. Bull masters toughen knuckle and fist strikes, ramming elbows, and full body collisions. Bull adds some of the most powerful fist and knuckle strikes into Tigers already powerful style. In legend Bull Masters are said to be able to knock a horse and its rider to the ground with their powerful collisions. 

IMPERIAL PRAYING MANTIS

Mantis is an art renowned for its speed and accuracy. This legendary art specializes in capturing opponents strikes and counter-striking with single or two-fingered strikes to vital points. Years of finger toughening and speed training are required to master this style. Imperial Mantis Masters demonstrate the true power of Mantis with one fingered strikes into melons, and destroy animal eyeballs held in moving dummies. Enter Page> Praying Mantis Kung Fu

SCORPION

Scorpion Kung Fu techniques and the Scorpion Claw show up in many styles of Chinese Martial Arts. Scorpion Kung Fu at Imperial Combat Arts is an extensive combat martial art and a sub-style to 4 of the 8 Primary Animal Styles. Scorpion Kung Fu itself contains many small animal styles that Imperial Combat Arts students train from day one, as part of the Black Scorpion Ground Fighting system. Black Scorpion is a massive art of ground-fighting, grappling, and Chin Na. > Scorpion Kung Fu

RED SCORPION

Red Scorpion is a Scorpion Sub-style that is designed to fight much larger opponents where grip and striking strength may be outmatched. Red Scorpion specializes in faster flurries of movement, combinations, kicking, leaping, and evasion with moments of intense striking focus to the most vulnerable areas. Where the Black Scorpion trains extensive grappling and Chin Na, Red Scorpion trains anti-grappling and evasion.

BLACK SCORPION

Black Scorpion is a massive martial art that has highly toughened gripping Chin Na, devastating strikes, strike captures, kicking and throws as well a a vast grappling and ground-fighting system made up of numerous sub-styles. Black Scorpion Ground-fighting System teaches high levels of Terrain Fighting, climbing, in water, hillsides, tight spaces, obstacles etc. and its training is more difficult that a military obstacle course. Enter Page> Black Scorpion 
These are all the Sub-style martial arts taught within the Black Scorpion at Imperial Combat Arts. Black Scorpion itself is a Sub-style to 4 of the 8 Animals for their ground and terrain fighting. The other 4 animals have their own systems. For students, the following are listed in the order of your posture drills in class. The true lethal techniques of these styles aren't possible until level IV hand and leg toughening is achieved. Black Scorpion not only masters all of the following styles and their techniques but also seamlessly transitions throughout them. This powerful style has the ability to fight in any position, and with mastery of all joint lock and Chin Na. 

CRAB

Crab is the first complete ground style students learn at Imperial Combat Arts. Crab is a powerful and dynamic ground position used to fight standing opponents with focus on evasion vs strikes and weapons, anti-grappling, powerful kicks, reaps, sweeps, and throws. With level IV leg toughening Crab becomes a devastating ground-fighting art that specializes in breaking legs.
Enter Page> Crab Style Kung Fu 

MANTA RAY

Manta Ray specializes in rolling, evasion, and counter chin na against arresting controls on the ground. This rare style has high percentage and unusual ground escapes vs grappling holds. Master level Manta Ray will also perform rolling chin na escapes into counters from standing, often breaking an opponents arm in the process. This style has the ability to counter throw while being thrown.

MORAY EEL

Moray Eel is a fighting style that fights and moves on its back and uses powerful grips and Chin Na to escape, negate, or kill its grappling opponents. Moray Eel shows up in all weapon fighting including firearms, and trains students how to dynamically fight and move in a Supine position for all types of real combat circumstances. Eel is descriptive of how fighters look when they move quickly while Supine.

STING RAY

Sting Ray is another Supine ground posture that trains students how to fight and maneuver dynamically on steep grade hillsides and slopes without tumbling. This is a good example of how the Imperial Eight Animals train for real world combat in all types of terrain. Combat training and knowing how to use your environment is a crucial part of fighting multiple armed opponent in any situation. 

GOLDEN DRAGON

Golden Dragon is a prone combat posture similar to a military crawl. This crucial combat position is trained the world about today and in most of the ancient world. Yue Fei the legendary Imperial General 1103-1142 the creator of our arts H'sing-i (Xsingyi) and Eagle Kung Fu, would have his elite forces crawl through ditches and fortifications in this posture wearing full armor and gear.

ALLIGATOR

Alligator is a fast moving and powerful prone fighting system that uses full body rolls with its gripping, and chin na. Similar in likeness to a true Alligator Death Roll, these techniques are designed to us the rolling power of the whole body to break limbs and tear flesh, high level Alligator can crush or tear out the throat with its hand alone. Rolls that choke and strangle are trained in Python.

LIZARD

Lizard is a very fast ground posture that runs very low on the hands and toes, as well as extensive fast training in climbing, and hanging. Lizard its trained on the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. Lizard fights with kicks, and spear hand strikes. The strength Lizard masters to hang its whole weight with just the fingers of one hand, it uses for ripping, tearing, and brutal gripping.

TURTLE

Tortoise, Terrapin, and Turtle are ground and kneeling postures used in grappling, as well as throws, rolls, and take-downs. Seemingly innocently named these arts use brutal grips, beak like weapons, and fingertip strikes to gain access to vital point or assist in chin na. This posture appears similar to the classic wrestling position by the same name, but with vicious weapons and techniques for combat.
​Enter Page> Turtle Kung Fu

SQUID & OCTOPUS

Squid and Octopus are postures that fight primarily on their back and master all types of grappling, entanglement, strangulation, with the arms and legs all working together. This style also uses its highly toughened hands for beak like strikes, ripping, gouging, and fingertip weapons fashioned after the ancient Cephalopods, beak, barbed tongue, and tooth cover papilla, that can crack any opponents shell.

FROG & TOAD

Frog & Toad fighting styles master powerful bone breaking kicks, leaping collisions, take-downs, throws, fast spear hand strikes, and ripping, raking, stabbing grips with the hands. The powerful toughened legs of Frog are also used for reaps, and sweeps that hook, pull, and capture. Frog uses specialized swimming style blocks with the arms and hands that capture strikes or open them up for vital point strikes.

SALAMANDER

Salamander is a fighting style that fights and moves in a squat position with rolling, leaping, kicks, reaps, and sweeps with toughened legs as well as grips and strikes. Salamander shows up in all combat fighting including weapons and firearms, and trains students how to dynamically fight and move in a low squat position. This real is needed for all types of real combat circumstances. 

CENTIPEDE

Centipede is an art of a hundred kicks from the ground, not an exact number but in how fast these combinations and flurries are thrown. Centipede use the highly toughened feet and legs already trained in the Main Animal Styles to break the lower legs, knees, feet, or attack the groin. The sheer pain, speed, and intensity of this style has sent trained fighters running or climbing up the walls to escape.
Enter Page> Centipede Kung Fu

SHARK & BARRACUDA

Shark and Barracuda are grappling positions that use powerful upper body enveloping and painful gripping to hold and control opponents and gain vital points. Whether standing or on the ground these styles use deep stances, dropping, running, and leg strength with a powerful thrashing energy to counter, control, and subdue and opponents counters and death throes.