GREY CLOUD TRAINING

  • Grey Cloud training is essentially a defensive study developed from several martial arts.
  • The study isolates the different parts of the body used to engage strikes, like the shin, forearm, hand, foot etc. and puts students through a grueling focus using just that part until it is strong in defense and sparring.
  • ​We've had great success with Grey Cloud over the past 65 years in the U.S. in preparing students to engage heavy experienced fighters and our own Instructors with backgrounds in Muay Thai, Boxing, Taekwondo etc.
  • A large part of this success is that students defend for as much as 30 minutes without pause against increasingly aggressive and relentless attacks comprised of all manners of strikes, elbows, and the kicks from all martial arts.
  • This has become a well received study by students of all martial backgrounds used to give them a strong defense before learning more classic pushing hands and traditional Kung Fu sets.
  • ​Grey Cloud was developed by our Masters with both sport fighting and combat experience largely because beginners in most Kung Fu often struggle with an overwhelming number of advanced traditional techniques and are prone to analysis paralysis.
  • Much of Grey Cloud is nothing new, blocking with forearms somewhat like Karate or Boxing, blocking with the shins or jamming kicks. Other parts are much less common because they can't be done with gloves on and come from strictly combat systems, like using the hands, grips, and fingertip strikes.
  • Grey Cloud training under it's name could be as young as 70 years, or it could be much older as it emphasizes traditional suits of battlefield armor, we only have strong verifiable records to the mid 1900's.
  • The concepts of controlling space, classic aspects of pushing hands, and using these body parts in a fight is obviously much older and are core concepts of many martial arts.
  • Grey Cloud also begins students on the study of force-on-force interaction based on the universal forces of the Pakua they'll need for the Wu Tang Arts and 8 Animal Styles.
"The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy" - Sun Tzu

BLOCKS VS CONTROLS

Grey Cloud strives to teach students to not only block, but to also open up strike angles and unbalance their opponent; the difference between a block and a control. A block like a defensive move in boxing, hunkers down and takes a strike, whereas a control may gain a counter attack. This is easier said than done, but a fundamental in weapon training. Blocks break down quickly with weapons, but vs sword a boxing block could leave a severed arm on the ground. A straight block with a wooden shield vs spear, the spear would penetrate. Instead, the thrust should be deflected in such a way to open up an immediate counter. Grey Cloud is also preparing the students for weapon training.
The literal translation of this study is "The Grey Cloud Crosses the Face of the Moon". The moon representing the spheres of control or vital points, and the Grey Cloud as the moving body parts that control the spheres.

EIGHT CONTROLLING ENERGIES

The Pakua or "eight energies" represent all possible force or yielding in the universe. As arms, legs, or weapons connect every technique is one of these 8 energies and they change quickly. Through the study of Grey Cloud, the yielding, counter, or overwhelming force of every move is felt in real combat time. This study requires development of a complex nervous system that feels and combats any technique from the heaviest and most powerful, to the lightest and fastest. This study counters to open a vital point, or cross multiple opponents. The concept is in all our arts and not exclusive to Grey Cloud, but is where students first learn of the Pakua.

TOUGHENING & GREY CLOUD

Grey Cloud increasingly requires more and more toughening to advance in. The toughening to kick through a bat, transfers to blocking well with the shin. To break a bat with the blade of the hand, then to striking a punch aside. As students general toughening and body conditioning advances, so does their Grey Cloud ability. In the highest levels of Grey Cloud are fingertip strikes, and the toughening to use them is advanced. Grey Cloud is not all about technique. To go toe-to-toe with aggressive fighters you have to be toughened.
The six parts of Grey Cloud are Brass Arm & Leg, Bronze Gauntlet & Greave, Iron Glove & Boot, Steel Hand & Shoe, Silver Fingers & Toes, and Golden Finger & Toe. 

GUARD HAND
The study of Grey Cloud largely begins with the development of a strong rear guard hand, by removing the front hand. This isolation forges a strong rear guard against all manner of attacks. The front guard hand is advanced by training the further parts of our Grey Cloud curriculum. This takes time, as students develop their defenses and controls against full combative force as a routine part of class. 
A sport fighter may shrug off numerous hits, kicks to the leg, strikes to the head, but in combat its a sword to leg, and a light knife cut to the throat is death, the whole approach to how one guards themselves is different. 

BRASS ARM

Brass arm uses powerful extended arms linked to a heavy fluid body to control strikes. A Brass Arm control can bring into momentarily control even the most powerful strikes or kicks and is demonstrated controlling opponents 5x the practitioners size. Once the powerful form of the arm is mastered, students use Brass Arm to learn all the controlling energies of the Pakua vs all manner of strikes and attacks. 

BRASS LEG

Brass Leg is powerful heavy leg that uses techniques with the entire weight of the body in motion to control, these moves can be a small as an inch or several feet in distance. Brass Leg controls and counters all types of kicks, stances, and maneuvers. In upward techniques Brass Leg can demonstrate the power to lift a man, with superior weight, off the ground.

BRONZE GAUNTLET

Bronze Gauntlet, like the piece of armor, is the use of the forearm to control opponent strikes, kicks, and weapons with the Pakua controlling energies vs all Pakua energies of attack. The extensive forearm toughening and conditioning of Grey Cloud begins in full force with Bronze Gauntlet. Unlike the extended Brass Arm, Gauntlet controls space closer the body.

BRONZE GREAVE

Bronze Greave, again as the armor suggests, is the use of the toughened shin and lower leg to control opponent kicks and stances. In the study of Greaves students further their shin toughening with extensive force on force controls. This training masters the Pakua energies for reaps, sweeps, kick counters, and to open vital points for attack.

IRON GLOVE

Iron Glove controls with a powerful bent wrist and linked body. The linking forms that develop the true power of Iron Glove take months of consistent exercise and a lot of internal development. Iron Glove is close range and can stop full strikes inches from the body. Masters of Iron Glove demonstrate stopping punches, and countering, while standing on a block one square foot across. 

IRON BOOT

Iron Boot controls the lower legs and stance with the ankle and heavy twisting developed by the body linkage of Iron Glove, and Iron Boots own exercises. Iron Boot develops strong knees that can take force, and counter kick in ways that can throw a man by twisting in stance. This strong, heavy Iron Boot stomps through stances and does Chin Na against the limbs and neck of downed opponents. 

STEEL HAND

Steel Hand is the use of the hand itself to control (in place of the wrist or forearm). All parts of the hand engage and counter strikes with rotation or circles that produce Pakua variations vs the specific energy of the strike or attack. Steel hand uses sword and knife techniques with the empty hand. This teaches students compression striking, where the mastered ability to break from an inch is applied to controls. 

STEEL SHOE

Steel Shoe is the use of all parts of the foot to control opponents kicks and stance. This study uses the toughened feet and Pakua energies to break down stances, break legs, and performs simultaneous counter kicking to vital points. The leg toughening of students by this point in training has them kicking through sticks, boards, and bricks, giving Steel Shoe its tempered, toughened ability.

SILVER FINGERS

Silver Fingers is the use of toughened gripping to control opponents. Silver Fingers uses a powerful grip strengthening form called "The Tibetan Lama Fist" to teach full speed gripping with the fingers working in many combinations for techniques that manifest all eight Pakua variations. This art is highly effective in controlling multiple opponents and with hand toughening, can use fingertip strikes to vitals.

SILVER TOES

Silver Toes is the use of toughened toe kicks, and intelligent gripping or pushing off the feet to control opponents, changing which parts of the feet weight in stance. This art builds extensive foot and toe intelligence that forever changes and enhances stance work, foot controls, and kicking. In mastery, the forms of Silver Toes strengthen the foot like one would condition the hand for rock climbing.

GOLDEN FINGER

Golden Finger is the use of one or two toughened fingertips or knuckle points to control strikes by striking nerves or vitals while opponents attack. It takes several ranks of toughening and all the nerve development and skill of the other Arts of Grey Cloud to be able to counter full speed strikes this way. The highest levels of perception, accuracy, timing, and footwork must be developed by this point.

GOLDEN TOE

Golden Toe is an art of direct toe stab counters to stop opponents kicks or punches during their attack. Again, like with Golden Finger, this art requires a high level toughening, master level precision, and mastery of quick stances, and very fast kicks. At lower levels, Golden Toe can use the toe of a combat shoe to preform these counters effectively. At higher levels, masters can strike with the toe of the bare foot.

MASTERING THE GREY CLOUD

Once all of the curriculums of Grey Cloud are trained, and a high level toughening is achieved, these blend together into a whole body controlling system. The art originates from the use of armor and weapon interaction, to control opponents attacks and help create immediate counters. After extensive harassment through the curriculum, practitioners have developed muscle memory and a perception of speed which slows down and becomes more clear. They become familiar with every energy of attack, with all parts of the body. A normal process for skilled fighters. All types of strikes, types of weapons, and fighters can be engaged using The Art of Grey Cloud.

Imperial Combat Arts first ranking Instructor test puts candidates up against 3 opponents nonstop for an hour, using only the defenses of Grey Cloud. A brutal and punishing test which all Instructors go through.
Although sets are taught to teach concepts, ultimately there is no choreography in our training. It is true skill to read and engage attacks in real time, as is needed for battle.

GREY CLOUD WEAPON MASTERY

Grey Cloud includes the study of weapon interaction, armed or unarmed. The empty hand techniques which are learned first, transfer back to use of weapons. This is one of the reasons that Imperial Combat Arts practitioners can be proficient in so many different weapons; by understanding the language of all possible force on force interaction. 

TRAINING GREY CLOUD

Grey Cloud training begins day one with the concepts of opening and closing strikes and how to position yourself vs multiple opponents. While it takes up to our Sifu rank to learn all of Grey Cloud, students are able to block and counter many varied types of strikes and kicks before they get close to reaching the end of this curriculum. Grey Cloud has rapid progression and many students are surprised when they're able to defend vs forceful  attacks in their first couple of weeks. While mastery of Grey Cloud requires the deepest understanding, lectures, pushing hands, and internalization, every one of its techniques is done vs full force attacks from all types of people, regardless of weight or gender.

GREY CLOUD SETS

A large part of Grey Cloud study is routine sets and reviewing the moves, before getting on the mats and sparring. The sets in Grey Cloud are increasingly more complex that teach how to fight multiple opponents armed and unarmed in all possible combinations of 8 directions. By the time a student of Grey Cloud becomes a Master of the training, they've engaged thousands of strikes, which enables them to often read even the slightest intent of their opponents.

THE IMPERIAL EIGHT ANIMAL STYLES

The Imperial Eight Animals also fight with the eight variations of the Pakua. Where Grey Cloud trains them all, each Animal Style represents just one. The Animals take that particular Pakua energy to its maximum human level by developing powers and complex body dynamics. Where a technique can be learned today, a "power" can take years of cultivation, like breaking a baseball bat with your bare hand. Animal masters love watching people try to emulate them, as you can't toughen bone overnight. They've earned these Master level Animal Styles through years of training, after Grey Cloud. By training the eight energies of Grey Cloud first, students are more prepared to move into the animal styles. 8 Animal Styles