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(More customer reviews)This would make a good beginner's introduction to the art of White Crane. Sifu Stannels shows basic techniques, demonstrating stances, strikes, and kicks, then shows a long form, which is presented several times. At the end of the video a two-man form is presented by a couple of his students, including a women student who moves quite well. You'll notice many of the kicks are high, requiring greater flexibility than some other southern styles of kung-fu such as Wing Chun, Hung Gar, and so on, which do mainly low kicks.
White Crane is considered an exceptionally refined form of kung-fu, but as this is a beginner's video that really isn't evident here. Also, White Crane incorporates Monkey Style techniques too, so, contrary to popular conception, White Crane isn't really a pure style itself (supposedly it was developed by a Chinese physician who observed a crane and a monkey fighting, the crane trying to drive the monkey off who was trying to raid the crane's nest and steal its eggs). However, compared to northern Praying Mantis, which supposedly incorporates 18 different styles, or O-Mei kung-fu, which supposedly incorporates hundreds, it's relatively pure in its influences. I like that aspect of it, since you can see the original animal influences much more clearly.
The White Crane style is important historically for another reason. It influenced the development of Okinawan karate in that several styles there, including Shorin-ryu and Goju, incorporate White Crane forms known as the Hakutusuru katas. I know of at least three of those although there may be more, and there are variations also that were taught by different masters, so I don't really know exactly how many there are, but nevertheless, White Crane had an important influence on karate as well. Go Ken Ki was the White Crane master who travelled to Okinawa and passed on his art to a number of people there.
We also know that the Kusanku form was passed on by a Chinese military attache by the same name in the late 1700s, but I don't know what the origin of that form was, although it certainly has some White Crane-like moves. But getting back to the present video, this video will give you a basic introduction to the art. It's also shot in some nice outdoor locations in England with reasonably good sound and other production values, and two-man form at the end is done to music.
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