snake cat crane combined fist





An Enduring Intrigue



Do you remember the 1978 Jackie Chan movie "Snake in the Eagle's Shadow", where the bullied 'Chien Fu' defeats the Eagle Claw master by combining Snake style with techniques he creates observing his pet cat? The 'Cat' style was a theatrical novelty, but unbeknownst to most comes from the real story of Leung Wing-hang.





The Snake Cat Crane Combined Fist, also known as the "Three Shapes Fist" or "Sam Ying Kuen", was created in the 1920's by the young Leung Wing-hang with the guidance of Master Yeung Hon-git who he met during his work travels in Northern China. His eyes were opened to the limitations of his Southern Hung Kuen when confronted with unfamiliar styles such as Mian Kuen 'Cotton Fist', and Ying-Jow-Tong-Long-Bo-Yin-Sun 'Eagle Claw, Mantis Step, Swallow-Body''. Upon self-reflection he found strength and power by focusing on the 'lighter' and 'softer', and ultimately discovered a way with this new style to counter and conquer his weaknesses.