There are five basic types of martial arts. The five basic types are Dragon, Snake, Crane, Tiger and Leopard. Bodidharma, an Indian monk, proposed the five fighting styles. Shaolin monks adopted these fighting styles to defend themselves against thieves. Over 1,000 years later, we now have many types of martial arts. Leopard is one of the five basic fighting styles. The Leopard is strong against the Dragon's fighting style. It is weak against the Serpent fighting style. The leopard is an offensive animal, so it is based on an offensive attack style. The Leopard uses rapid, relentless attacks and a rapid, continuous barrage of fire. The Leopard uses multiple hits at once to defeat an opponent rather than one big hit, so if the attacker misses a hit, it doesn't matter to the outcome. It uses the sum of several blows to beat an opponent rather than a few powerful blows. Leopard uses constant movement. He doesn't stay in one place for more than a blink of an eye. You use changing body movements and footwork to dodge and prepare for the next wave of strikes. The Leopard's defense is a secondary by-product. The Leopard does not engage in any action. This can make a delicious treat for the dragon. The Leopard's reliance on multiple attacks leaves it vulnerable to the Serpent's vital striking and grappling attributes. What I just described is “the animal” or this specific style of fighting. “Animals” are theoretical extremes thought of, there is no style or action that is 100% Tiger or Snake. Unique arts took parts of “animals” to make their style more effective. Wing Chun often uses a balance of all animals. A fighter usually switches from one style to another in the middle of a fight to change it up. The...... middle of paper ...... finding foundations as recent as the 18th century, Ming Dynasty 15th century, but to understand the Shaolin crane, we have two times of origin; one when it was introduced to Shaolin after the second destruction of Shaolin around the 11th century; and the second is how this source became the guardian of the origins, which most likely come from Tibet. Stylist Crane prefers a peaceful environment and would rather walk away from conflict than consider participating in it. The Crane Stylist is a dancer, the most beautiful mover of all Shaolin animals. It is a beautiful shape, graceful and full of elegance. Although every movement, every turn and jump, every pause has meaning, Crane's stylists' practice of form will often feel more like a dance. They are very light on their feet and can be mistaken for ballet dancers at the highest level.