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The 5-Family System Kung Fu

What is “Ng Ga Kuen” (五家拳)?

Ng Ga Kuen, also known as “5-Family System”, is a Southern Chinese Kung Fu martial art system that blends techniques from five renowned southern styles, all believed to be descended from the Southern Shaolin Temple. This system integrated various selective and targeted techniques from five Southern Shaolin 南少林 descendants to form Ng Ga Kuen (五家拳), focusing on balance, position, effective posture transition, speed, directness, and strength for combat purposes due to civil unrest at that time in history.

The Contribution from the 5-Families:

  • Fut Ga (佛) 三德 : emphasizes palm strikes and sweeping leg techniques. Open hand techniques such as palming, slicing, and slapping is from Southern Shaolin.
  • Hung Ga (洪) 洪熙官: focuses on powerful punches and solid power generation. Hung’s closed hand punching was chosen for its power and directness.
  • Choy Ga (蔡) 蔡伯達: provides dynamic stances and sweeping methods. Choy’s medium range stance was used to facilitate quicker transition to advance or retreat.
  • Lee Ga (李) 李友山: known for agile and effective blocking. Lee’s blocking and joint-locking was utilized as NGK’s defense techniques.
  • Mok Ga (莫) 莫清嬌: contributed to the strong kicking techniques. Mok’s stealth kicking completed the NGK system.

Forms and combat concepts were created to ensure longevity and perseverance of the system, which identifies its lineage. These five ancestors from Southern Shaolin provided internal, external, mental cultivation, kung fu etiquette or martial virtues, and philosophical methods as was taught in Shaolin. All 5-families contributed to the Ng Ga Kuen Kung Fu and history to form a complete and balanced system that reflects the diversity and depth of Southern Kung Fu as we know it today.

Providing a little background and history on Shaolin, we have found that the is a concept of the “Shaolin Five Forms Boxing” or also known as the “Shaolin Five Elements and Eight Methods Boxing”, which descends from the Northen School of Shaolin. The five forms of Shaolin Five Forms Boxing refer to dragon, tiger, leopard, snake, and crane. These five forms are said to be derived from the five animals (tiger, deer, bear, ape, and bird) in Hua Tuo’s Five Animals Play. Therefore, Shaolin Five Forms Boxing is a martial art that combines the methods of guiding and fighting. “Shaolin Five Forms and Eight Methods Boxing” not only practices the art, however, it also advocates “training the body and cultivating the mind”. For example, the dragon-shaped boxing advocates the priority of intention, focusing on the center, and mainly practicing “spirit”. This has a good effect on regulating the function of the central nervous system. The tiger-shaped boxing, with a solid waist and heavy arms (head straight and body straight), mainly practices “bone”. It helps to adjust the body shape, exercise the waist, legs, shoulders, and back muscles, and promote bone growth. It is especially beneficial for cultivating the correct posture of young people and promoting normal development. The leopard-shaped boxing has a rapid force with violent punches, which mainly practices “force”. It can enhance strength, improve agility, speed and other qualities. Snake-shaped boxing is soft and swift, focusing on “qi”. It can not only exercise deep breathing and increase lung capacity but also promote blood circulation and improve cardiovascular function. Crane-shaped boxing is steady and soft, and focuses on “jing”. It can cultivate people’s inner spirit, make the mind clear, and be invigorated, which is beneficial to improve the functions of all organ systems in the body. Note, that reference to “box” or “boxing” encompasses various forms, movements, and strategies that are designed to develop both physical and mental strength. “shadowing boxing”, “form”, “set” or “kata”. The “Five Forms” or “Five Elements” represent different styles or approaches within the system, each inspired by natural elements or animals. The “Eight Methods” refer to specific techniques or principles that are applied within these forms to achieve effective combat skills. Overall, “Box” or “Boxing” in this context signifies a holistic approach to martial arts training, combining physical techniques with mental discipline and philosophical principles. It’s a way to cultivate balance, strength, and harmony within oneself.

The 5-Animals:

The 5-Animals in traditional Kung Fu, associated with the 5-Family System, have distinct characteristics as described below:

Each animal’s training approach reflects the characteristics and movements of the animal it emulates, providing a diverse range of strategies and techniques in traditional Kung Fu.

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Ark Y. Wong Bio

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Seming Ma Bio

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