You have seen it in the movies: Weird hand movement, supposedly imitating “Dragon Claws”, a fancy movie technique other martial arts or combat sports make fun of.  Until…

Check out a practical application of this seemingly “flowery” pattern called “Double Dragons Plays with Pearl” (Seung Lung Hei Jyu). Indeed it has a very practical combat usage, both in stand up fighting as well as on the ground.

Watch a short “Dragon Form” clip from the famous Shaolin Temple movie (1976), performed by a Hung Ga Master, student of Grand Master Chiu Wai, and a short combat sequence from our regular sparring sessions, showing one of the applications of the technique.

• Ondra attacks Vojta with big right hand (Kap Cheui).
• Vojta covers and enters with “Attacking Elbow” (Gung Jaang) to establish clinch. Immediately fires a knee to the groin, but because he can’t reach (because Ondra defends with Seung Jak Jeung, “Double Side Palms” on the hips), he extends the second knee into a groin kick (Liu Yam Geuk).
• After the groin kick, Vojta reaches around Ondra’s head and pulls, simultaneously pushing with the other hand, using “Double Dragons Plays with Pearl” as a head twist takedown.
• Vojta has many options – slam Ondra’s head to the floor, or the exact opposite, control the fall, kneel and unleash groun’n’pound hell, or mount, or – disengage, control the situation, and run away.

 How to use the same technique in the ground fighting scenario? 

Next time.

Pavel Macek Sifu, Practical Hung Kyun

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