TigerU

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On this page there is also a technical glossary that is open to anyone.

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Technical Glossary

Choy Lee Fut

Bak Sing 北勝

The name of our style of Choy Lee Fut. It means "Northern Victory"

Been Choi _捶

Level strike

Biun 鞭

Whipping action/strike

Charp Choi

Driving hammer (a.k.a. driving leopard fist punch)

Chan Heung 陳享 (1806-1875)

The founder of Choy Lee Fut

Choy Fook 蔡褔

One of Chan Heung's teachers. His name provides the "Choy" in "Choy Lee Fut"

Chum Kiu 沉橋

Sinking deflection (a.k.a. "Sinking Bridge")

Ding

Thrusting elbow or palm

Duk Choy

Rising back fist/forearm strike

Gar

Upward deflection

Hok

Crane - one of the Choy Lee Fut Five Animals

Hok Yik 鹤翼

Crane wing technique

Hu

Tiger - one of the Choy Lee Fut Five Animals

Jong 撞

Windmill technique

Jow 爪

Claw

Jop Sou _手

Palm up inward deflection

Kiu 橋

Deflection (a.k.a. "bridge"). Note that Bak Sing Choy Lee Fut has a slightly different conception of "bridge" compared to some other southern Chinese martial arts. Though the same word is used, the meaning is a bit different. In the Bak Sing sense, Kiu can be taken to mean "destabilizing deflection" - it is not a bridge in the classical sense. The principle of destabilizing deflections was one of Master Tam Sam's innovations when he created the Bak Sing style.

Kam 擒

Standing Palm (strike/deflection)

Kau Da 扣打

One of the three original Bak Sing forms

Kup

Downward knuckle strike

Kwa Choi 掛_

Sweeping back fist/forearm strike. (lit. Hanging Hammer)

Kwun Kiu

Rotating deflection/rotating "bridge"

Leen Wan Charp Choi

Consecutive Driving Hammer. This was said to be the favourite technique of Master Tam Sam. (see Charp Choi)

Lee Yausan 李友山

One of Chan Heung's teachers. His name provides the "Lee" in "Choy Lee Fut

Lok Choi

Hooking with foreknuckles

Lui Charn 雷粲

The teacher of Tam Sam

Lung

Dragon - one of the Choy Lee Fut Five Animals

Na

Shooting deflection

Paau

Leopard - one of the Choy Lee Fut Five Animals

Pao Choi 拋

Rising punch/uppercut/undercut

Peet

Downward deflection/knife hand/forearm

Ping Kuen 平拳

One of the three original Bak Sing forms. (Lit. "Level Fist" or "Flat Fist")

Saat Sou 摋手

Scattering Hand (a.k.a. "Throw Sticks")

Sau Choi 掃

Sweeping Hammer

Se

Snake - one of the Choy Lee Fut Five Animals

Sup Jee Kuen 十字拳

One of the three original Bak Sing forms. (lit. Cross-Shaped, or Cross-Character Fist)

Tam Sam 譚三

The founder of Bak Sing Choy Lee Fut

Ton Kiu

Upper palm deflection

Yong Kiu

Palm up deflection

Kempo

Amanogawa 天の川

Lit. "River of Heaven". A single blade form for Daito, Shoto and Tanto. It is the first form that introduces Kempo practitioners to weapons practice

Ayumite

Stepping techniques

Ayumite-no-Kata

A set of four different footwork drills. Each drill has increasing difficulty - from easiest to most difficult they are called: Shodan, Nidan, Sandan and Yondan

Dagekite

Hook punch or hooking elbow (not literal translation). Partly as a result of the early influence of Western Boxing on Kempo in the latter half of the 1800s, unlike many East Asian styles, Mishima Kempo makes very extensive use of many different hook punches and elbows, all of which come under the classification of "Dagekite"

Gaisoku

Reaping kick/knee

Hikiko

Lit. "Hidden Demon's War Cry". An old-school intermediate Kempo form that is considered something of a classic, and teaches the foundational principle known as "samatage"

Iyo

Iyo, or Iyo Kempo, is a separate system of catch-blocks that are taught alongside Kempo as a last line of defence. In all it has seven types of blocks that are named after the first few syllables of the old Japanese alphabet: I, Ro, Ha, Ni, Ho, He and To. Each block has many variations, making Iyo quite an extensive system despite its relatively simple basis. With practice Iyo Kempo can become a strong fighting system in its own right for those Kempo practitioners who specialise in it

Kirin

An intermediate to advanced form that teaches how to use Kempo in a more attacking way than the defensive patterns that beginners typically learn

Kisshute

Straight whipping kick or knee. Lit. "surprise attack"

Kobana

Intermediate stick system. Lit. "Little Flower"

Konjun-no-Kata

Shadow Boxing. Lit. "Kata of the Primal Chaos"

Kunisazuchi

Two-blade system for daito/daito, daito/shoto, and tanto/tanto. There is also a barehand version

Kunisazuchi

Two-blade system for daito/daito, daito/shoto, and tanto/tanto. There is also a barehand version

Kunitokotachi

Kunitokotachi is Mishima Kempo's second and more advanced stick system - focusing on the use of longer sticks (rokushakubo) and spears (yari) as well as having barehand applications

Mojuu 猛獣

Fierce animal. Different Kempo styles have different animals. Here is a representative selection:

• Hebi - Snake
• Inoshishi - Wild Boar
• Kamakiri (formerly Tourou) - Mantis
• Kuma - Bear
• Saru - Monkey
• Shachi - Killer Whale
• Taka - Hawk
• Tora - Tiger
• Tsubame - Swallow

Omotari

Omotari is an advanced form, and the longest form in Mishima Kempo. It contains a large number of advanced techniques, and is the basis of the Fourth Dan examination.

Reishiken

Reishiken is an advanced system that contains the majority of Mishima Kempo's long-range techniques. It forms the basis of the Fifth Dan syllabus

Renraku

Sequencing/Connections

Samatage

Hindering Principle

Sashi

Lit. "Sting". Separately, the name of both a hand technique and a weapon

Sengen

Lit. "The Source of a Stream". A Shinkakutojutsu training kata or drill with historical influence from Thai Boxing

Shachigata

Often described as the "Black Belt Kata" because it is used as part of the first dan examination. It is also known informally as the "Knock-Out Kata" since virtually all the techniques in it are useful for that purpose. Shachigata literally means "Killer Whale Form". It is sometimes trained on the heavy bag, and focuses on various types of heavy, fluid hook punching

Shizumi

Ducking, bobbing and weaving in the boxing sense (not literal translation)

Tengei

Lit. "Heaven Craft". The most advanced system in Mishima Kempo - sixth dan and above. Tengei originally had three sub-arts: Tekonnajutsu, Kajutsu and Seikijutsu. In modern Mishima Kempo, Kajutsu has been dropped entirely and replaced with Teodori, so there are still three arts

Toridashi 取り出し

Straight punch. One of the three basic hand/elbow/forearm/shoulder strikes in Mishima Kempo. The full name is Shinju-no-Toridashi. Lit., "pulling out a pearl"

Zenan

Lit. "Complete Repose". An intermediate Kempo form, that is the longest encountered before 3rd Dan (after which there are much longer forms). It is relatively strenuous for a Kempo form

Xing Yi

An Jin

Dark Energy

Beng 崩

Crushing

Ce

Flanking

Chi

Energy

Chuai

Hammers

Dao

Sabre

Fan

Overturning

Gui

Turtle

Gunn

Staff

Heng 橫

Lit. "crossing". Has broad meaning in Xing Yi beyond just crossing

Hou

Monkey

Hu

Tiger

Ji

Chicken

Jin 进

Following

Jian

Double edged straight sword

Kou

Hooking

Liu He

Six Harmonies

Long 龍

Dragon

Ma 馬

Horse

Ming Jin

Bright Energy

Nian

Threadmaking

Pao 炮

Cannon/Explosive

Pi 劈

Splitting

Qiang

Spear

San Ti Shi

Three Body Posture. The basic active postural framework of Xing Yi

Sher

Snake

Shi Er Xing

The Twelve Animals

Shun

Follow-up/Double-up/In the same direction

Tai 𩿡

Flycatcher

Tui 退

"backorwards" - apparent retreat with hidden advance

Tuo 鼉

Crocodile/Yangtze Alligator. A.k.a. "The Muddy Dragon"

Tzi

Lit. "stings"

Tzuann 鑽

Drilling

Wu Xing 五行

Five Elements

Xiong Ying

Bear Eagle

Yann

Swallow

Yao

Goshawk

Zhan Ma Dao

Horse Chopping Sword

Zhong 中

Advancing into the centre

Zhong Wan

Centre of the five organs