Shaolin Kung Fu big Penetrating-Arms (da tong bi quan)

instructor: monk De Yang
__________________
combat strategy:

this style teaches "attack" tactics. unlike counter, which takes place inside opponent's opened guard, for attack you face opponent's closed guard. relative to a guard, there are 4 types of areas to attack:

tactic 13 - 'open-area attack':
"befriend the far, attack the neighbor (远交近攻)" – when the opponent puts part of his body openly close to you, it is an easy target, attack it as heavily as possible.

tactic 14 - 'guard-area attack':
"borrow a way to attack the city (假道伐虢)" – seek an openness or open a way to penetrate opponent's guard. as the saying goes, 'hands open doors for the legs.' hands are accurate and versatile, while legs have more range and power and are armored with shoes. hands open opponent's guard, legs break him.

tactic 15 - 'shift-area attack':
"prepare the way in the light, conquer the city in the dark (明修栈道, 暗渡陈仓)" – when you try to open opponent's guard, he opposes by shifting guard and so leaves other areas open. bypass your attack to those opened areas.

tactic 16 - 'left-area (counter)attack':
"besiege enemy capital to relieve your city (围魏救赵)" – when the opponent's guard is engaged, for example, when he wrestles or catches you, the most vulnerable parts of his body (the groins, eyes, fingers, shins, etc.) are left open. instead of direct opposition–which requires much force and has a low chance of success–attack these sensitive open parts.

these involve opening and penetrating or bypassing moves of the limbs. in this style, every major move is preceded by an opening move and may change into a bypass move, teaching you how to find or make an openness in opponent's guard for attack instead of pointlessly attacking a closed guard.
__________________
history:

Tang dynasty (618-907):
in the late periods of the dynasty, the tong bi style was formed.

Five dynasties period (907-960):
Han Tong (韩通), a high-rank army general, mastered the tong bi style.

Later Zhou dynasty (951-960):
the last inheritor of the dynasty was a child, and Zhao Kuangyin (赵匡胤), commander of the palace guard, took the throne, and Han Tong was killed by Zhao Kuangyin's army. he was a great martial arts master and Zhao Kuangyin ordered a grand funeral ceremony for him.

Song dynasty (960-1279):
after 961 AD, Zhao Kuangyin, as the first emperor of the new dynasty, commissioned chief monk Fu Ju (福居) to improve and standardize Shaolin kung fu styles. the army generals, along with Zhao Kuangyin's long style (taizu chang quan), introduced Han Tong's penetrating-arm style (tong bi quan) to the temple. this is the 'small tong bi quan'.

Yuan dynasty (1279-1368):
in the late years of the dynasty, monk Jinnaluo (紧那罗) and others combined the small tong bi quan techniques into the base of small and big hong quans and a monkey style and created Shaolin 'big tong bi quan'.

Qing dynasty (1644-1912):
tong bi quan took its final shape during this dynasty.
__________________
note: there are various other forms and styles named 'tong bi' or 'tong bei quan' in Chinese kung fu, and they are historically and technically different from Shaolin tong bi quan. these are just different styles with similar names.
__________________
Shaolin Kung Fu tutorial:
bodybuilding:    • Shaolin Kung Fu: Body building  
techniques:    • Shaolin Kung Fu: Combat techniques  
styles:    • Shaolin Kung Fu: Combat styles  
weapons:    • Shaolin Kung Fu: weapons