The art of Shou’ Shu’ is a combined animal art. There are actually seven arts that make up this whole. Each of these arts is based upon the fighting motions of an animal. When these seven animal arts are combined, it is called Shou’ Shu’. Shou’ Shu’, meaning “beast knowledge,” is the ability to combine all seven arts to hide their individual weaknesses.
Mastery of each individual animal constitues a degree of the overall art of Shou’ shu’. So a degree in the art is really mastery of a complete system.
In ancient times the individual beasts were taught first and the combined system afterwards. To meet the needs of the modern practitioner, the combined system is now taught first. This allows us to teach the application from day one. The beginning student learns the system in a combined animal format, however he won’t recognize this without prior knowledge of the animals. The pure animals are actually learned later which further develops the combined system taught early on. So the reality is that the eighth degree is taught first, then the other seven. However, without the knowledge of the other seven, the eight degree is not brought to its full potential. As a shifu learns each of the seven beasts, he or she adds this knowledge to the techniques learned in getting to the rank of shifu, giving each one further meaning.
While there are other animal systems of Kung Fu, from what we have seen, these are very different from the animal systems of Shou’ Shu’. The Shou’ Shu’ Shifu concentrates on learning how each animal creates its power. Each animal uses a different way of applying physics.
By studying each animal individually, one can master the highly complex motions distinct to those animals. By studying them individually and fully realizing the strengths of each, the practitioner can seemlessly switch between them or integrate several together to form a completely new motion. If the practitioner were capable of only applying one beast at a time he would have the limitations of that animal. By combining all, the limitations are removed.
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