Tibetan HOP-GAR (the style of the Lion's roar)

The Hop-Gar style, also known as "Kung Fu of the Tibetan Lamas", has its own origins in the "White heron" of Shaolin (Bak-Hok-Tse), but developing its own very different style, though maintaining some similarities.

Hop-Gar was developed mostly during the C'hing dynasty (1644-1911), as the official combat style of the Manciu's imperial guard, but its very origin dates back to 1426, founded by Buddhist Lama "ADA-TA" (Adato, Adatol, Adato-Jun, Da-Dit, Dai-Dot).

He entered the Tibetan Shaolin monastery when he was 8 yars old, being an orphan, after seeing the brutal end of his parents killed by Chinese brigands attempting to steal in their home.

This shocking experience heavily marked his entire life, as he continually lived again those terrible violent images, that no child should ever see.

All of this was also aggravated by the fact that his uncles, who already had three sons of the same age, were extremely poor, and couldn't manage to maintain another child.

So they decided to give him in adoption to the monks of the YUE-SHU shire, in the CHING-HAI province (in the Buddha's 1000 golden petals monastery), where he learned the basic trainings of the Tibetan martial art.

The legend says that, in 1350, Adata became Lama at the age of 15, and was the most gifted and talented in the learning of the Kung Fu Lama, wich at the beginning didn't featured any forms, but the exclusive study of the so said Chin-Nah (Qam-Nah in northern Tibetan) and of equitation.
The young novice not only provided a great predisposition, but in the challenges versus other pupils, wich sometimes doubled his age, he easily defeated them.

He was described by everyone as a person who had an humility equal to his strength.

At the age of 17, he was chosen as "First disciple novice" of Lama Gungut who was second only to Dalai-Lama.

For many years he stayed under the guide of his Master, but at the age of 32 he felt the need to expand his knowledge of martial arts.

He respectfully asked to leave the monastery in search of new fighting techniques wich increased the mastery of Tibetan Kung Fu.

For 50 years he traveled China from one monastery to another.

Still today, in many monasteries, written on ancient papers it is possible to read about the passing of Ada-Ta: "Ada-Ta, the Tibetan Bonze, is a man of great force and ability, without any equal opponent,

But at the same time there's not such a quiet look as the one in his eye" and again:"His courage and learning attitude look almost devine","Ada-Ta is the example of a gifted one, even our great abat sees him as a Man among the other men" or again:"The prune flower spread from the mouth of Dai-Dot when he smiles, and he is a feral tiger when he fights, he is the Tao in equal size between Yau (Yin) and Gong (Yang)"

The story of this Lama is also made of meetings with Masters out of the monasteries, to whom he always asked for permission to know their Kung Fu, always learning it in half of the normal training time.

The tale tells that, after his 50 years journey, he came back in his monastery in 1424, with a technical knowledge of 500 chinese forms in all possible styles.

But when he entered his monastery after such a long time, no one recognized him, also because they thought he was dead.

After this premise, he was challenged by the most able Lama fighter of the monastery, Lama Duk-Tong, willing to unmask the impostor.

The stake was that they would believe him if Duk-Tong was defeated, assuming that Ada-Ta learned all the possible Kung Fu techniques throughout China he should have reached a mastery of the highest level, so the outcome of the fight would have tell the truth about his identity.

Lama Duk shot his first kick aiming at the face of the opponent, but missed the mark, then he shot another one and subsequently a fist, but they all went off the mark.

So he tried with the Tibetan Catch techniques, aiming to break his arms: he moved as fast as he could tring to catch his limbs, but Ada-Ta, while no one's eye caught his movement, scored a powerful shot throwing his opponent six meters behind, breaking his chest bones and blocking all the basic functions of his body.

No one would believe what they saw, but the old man's victory was beyond any doubt, and told the truth about his person.

Duk made his apologies and asked to teach him the methods he learned, but Ada-Ta said that he was not yet ready to teach lessons and that he needed two more years to meditate the making of a style that would have made Tibetans stronger in body and spirit.

And that was what he made, passing time in the temple meditating and writing concepts about this new style.

Some say that he went fighting the Himalaya's white tigers with no weapons. In the meantime, the fame of the monk increased spreading all over the Tibet and in South China, bringing the pride of some Chinese and Tibetan Masters to a direct confrontation, only to face an humble defeat.

It is even told that he fought alone versus 1000 armed men, wich assaulted the monastery to kill the Dalai Lama. With only one stick in his hands he fought the enemy army without getting no harm.

In 1426 he codified the Hop-Gar (Kao-Gar) style, wich in the old Chinese language means "style of the Lion" or "style of the Lion's roar".

Inspired by the Himalayan white tiger, the heron and the ape.

The style based itself over the study of 10 positions and 8 methods, referring to the form called "SAP-YN-PA-KWUA-KUEN".

The style featured:

-8 kinds of kicks

-8 kinds of positions

-8 finger techniques

-8 catch methods

-8 palm of the hand techniques

-8 sweeps

-8 close combat methods

-10 postures to express all the power of C'hi.

During 1800, the Lama method spread all over south China, thanks to the extreme practicalness of the combat.

In 1860 SING-LUM-JONG-LAW became the most famous practicing.

Si-Fu Law had only 5 disciples, they were: CHAN-YUM, CHOU-HUNG-YUEN, CHU-CHI-YU, WONG-LUM-HOI e WONG-YIM-LUM.

These pupils saw the famous fight between their Master and the mythical WONG-FEI-HONG (see the section referring to the style Hung-Gar), and they told that it went on for seven days and seven nights. The hardness of Wong was contrasted by the style of the Tibetan "Divine drunk" of the Master, both putting themselves at the hardest test.

No one of them ended victorious, but it ended with a shake of hands as a respectful sign.

Sing-Lum-Jong-Law fought many times in his life because, just like his ancient Abbot, he was often challenged, believed invincible and immortal.

This, however, didn't make him lose the wisdom of the ancient masters, and for this reason people who didn't practice Hop-Gar, went to him to ask advices and help against various diseases.

WONG-YM-LUM was his first disciple.

To reassemble the pieces of the Wong style, he frequently contacted a Buddhist Lama monk named Jun-Chyun.

After the death of Master Law, Wong took the reins of the school and became the most representative of the method of Tibetan fight.

STYLE FEATURES

This style is famous for its techniques in long distance fight, anyway, the complete study sees also many short and medium range techniques.

A Lama motto says: "the ‘long hand’ is like the shooting of an arrow, the ‘short hand’ comes from the heart".

The "short hand" method uses the JIN-LEK and HEI-LEK (internal force and external force), to create a balance between the various levels of C'hi (energy).

The hand techniques in short distance, of the Hop-Gar, are employed in connection with C'hin-Nah (Qam-Nah, in northern Tibetan).

This means 4 other methods of expression:

"TO CATCH, TO TRAP, TO CLOSE, TO CAST".

There are 8 chinese terms that sum up the Lama philosophy spirit for Hop-Gar style:

CHUN (Cruelty) To aggressively and relentlessly attack, breaking the enemy’s defense. The concept is “cruelty” and “total destruction”.

SIM (Escape) To avoid, dodging jumping left and right. In few words the best defense is “not to be there”.

CHOUN (Wedge) When the opponent attacks or retires there’s a space between the first and the final movement, in this very moment the attack must be sent, piercing immediately through time and space.

JIT (Intercept) There are two methods of interception: Yauh, soft, and Gong, hard. Yauh is to deviate the attack force, Gong is to intercept an attack possibly before it is thrown.

KAO-CHOY (special fist of the lion’s roar) It spreads a sound in order to fully express its very energy and it is shown through the state of “despair”, wich pushes the body and the mind at the most intense concentration, when life and death are at stake.

GOK (elbow technique) It is not really an elbow shooting technique; the expression of this form is wider, and it sees a first attempt to strike with a fist, then curl up and strike a second shot. It is used when there’s no defense in the upper side of the opponent.

TAI-GORK (Knee technique) In the short distance fight, the major attention is on the chest. A knee technique in a precise position of the body (Dim-Mak with leg, that is strike vital points with legs), may put an definitive end to the fight.

DIM-MAK-CHUM-JAT-YU-CHOY (stroke that goes for all vital points)

This is the most advanced technique of the style. Traditionally this method was taught only to the closest disciples of an Hop-Gar Master.