Training: Day of the Dragon

TRAINING:

DAY OF THE DRAGON

Preview:

Today I'm posting about my "Dragon Style" workout. It is inspired by Dragon Style Kung Fu, which is one of the only styles with a mythical creatures attributed to it, seen as a combination of different styles (snake, tiger, crane, etc). It tends to emphasize zig-zag footwork, internal power, pressure points, and short ranged attacks that utilize winding power. There are also gripping attacks that emphasize joint manipulation. Many styles employ hissing during the motions. 

The following is my Dragon inspired workout. It employs palms, pressure strikes, hammers, and, now, some basic body manipulations via the Dragon Claw. 

The Dragon Claw Technique is basically a Claw Strike where the fingers are in a similar pattern to the Tiger Claw, but are maintained more straight. It is used to press pressure points and grip the foe's body. In this work-out, it is used to grip and manipulate the skeletal frame.

Also, in this workout I focus on the cross-steps and forward step. I also combined elements of Baguazhang to emphasize an evasive and behind the foe style which takes advantage of proximity, combined with the dragon claw technique. Furthermore, I have added the Dragon Motions of Xing Yi Quan, which also incorporate the locking techniques, the claw techniques, and the cross step.

Warmup:

Windmills: 

• Open hand & Dragon Claw

Fists: 

• Single Palms (Horizontal and Vertical)
• Double Palms
• Middle Knuckle Fists
• Forward Hammer (Horizontal)

Kicks: 

• Low Back Kick
• Low and Mid Hook Kick
• Sneak Back Kick

Basic Drills: 

• Double Palm Pivot
• Circle Walking
• Dragon Walking

Footwork: 

• Front Crossover
• Back Crossover
• Forward Horse (Shoot)

Practice:

Hand Technique Drills:

• Back Crossover Elbow
• Front Crossover Middle-Knuckle Fist & Sweep
• Forward Shoot Middle-Knuckle Fist combo: front, ear, upper pec
• Forward Shoot Double Palm Redirect to Double Palm Strike
• Forward Shoot Double Palm Redirect to Palm Strike (Far or Near Chop)

Leg Technique Drills:

• Low Back Kick to Knee (From Cross, Shoot, and Reverse)

Gripping Technique Drills:

• Reverse Step Pivoting Elbow Throw 
• Circle Step Redirect to Dragon Claw Manipulation (Neck)
• Forward Shoot to Inside Dragon Claw Redirect (Neck)
• Forward Shoot to Outside Dragon Claw Redirect (Neck)
• Forward Shoot to Double Dragon Claw Drag (Neck)
• Step Forward Drill Fist to Cross Step Dragon Claw Arm Lock (Elbow)

Reflection:

The Dragon style is awesome, but it's also the most mysterious to me since Dragon Style is one of the ones I know the least about. Again, this workout is inspired by what I know of this style. Again, inspired is the proper term. I am not a student of any style of Dragon Kung Fu.

The hand techniques are the palms (horizontal and double) to deliver strikes penetrative strikes to the torso and the Middle-Knuckle Fists to strike vital points. The single palms are for quick strikes, the double palms can be used for more impact and also more projection.

Furthermore, I added the horizontal hammer to this workout for it is effectively employed in Southern Dragon Kung Fu, and it is a powerful strike.

The cross steps are employed to give mobility and an ability to attack and evade from all angles. Both the front and back cross steps can be used to set up strikes, sweeps, and kicks. They can switch from one to the other, and they can keep the practitioner moving and turning to feint and strike. They can be quite effective in the arsenal of a crafty user. 

The forward step is also quite important, as is pivoting to create winding power. This is applied here with the knuckle-fist combination. The forward step can also create a powerful forward thrust, as seen in the palm strike application.

In terms of leg attacks, I use this workout to emphasize hooking kicks and back kicks applied from the cross step. However, roundhouse kicks and side kicks are also very applicable from these positions.

All in all, this workout is meant to be versatile just like the chimeric creature of Chinese myth.