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The Five Elements of Chinese Martial Arts
The Hung Gar system incorporates the five elements of Chinese Medicine – fire earth metal water and wood. Each element has a particular characteristic of defense and attack which has been included within the Hung Gar system. Many other Chinese martial arts tyles incorporate these into their systems in a very similar way.
In order to appreciate and understand the elements specifically within the Hung Gar system it is important first to broadly consider a basic observation and description of them in the context of their characteristics and how this observation may help condition or prepare the martial artist in developing fighting skills.
The fire element is characterized by lightning fast and rapid straight punches and kicks. Like a bolt of lightning. It is used to rush an opponent with extremely fast and powerful techniques until the attacker is stopped.
Earth is characterized by externally strong attacks coming from the ground upwards. They are always well rooted and represent a powerful upward or lifting force.
The metal (or gold) element in Hung Gar involves strong and heavy hand and forearm (or leg) movements where the whole limb is used as a powerful unit to destroy an oncoming attack or punish the attacker. Metal movements are done with the arm slightly bent at the elbow. They are usually descending strikes as if intended to cut split or divide like a metal weapon (sword knife axe etc).
The water element involves long and swinging movements of the arms or legs which are powerful and destructive. Like a large wave approaching that is difficult to defend against.
The wood element generally involves short medium-range movements to simultaneously block and strike. Both penetrating and intercepting simultaneously they are powerful techniques. As wood can be molded easily into shapes to suit the task the arms can also take on these characteristics.
As described above each of the elements is quite different and very distinct. By observing and considering these distinctions we can begin to appreciate the fundamental nature of these elements as they have been translated and integrated into the Hung Gar system.
The following diagram provides an overview of the elements’ as described above. This helps to provide an understanding of the application of particular element techniques within the Hung Gar system.
The diagram is intentionally drawn in the sequence representing the five elements within nature. Starting from the top (red) and moving clockwise these are fire earth metal water and wood. These elements are basic to much of ancient traditional Chinese thought which asserts that the elements exist as an essential part of everything in nature and life. Each of the five seasons was attributed to a corresponding element and it was usual to attribute almost everything in life as belonging to one of the elements.
There are many ancient texts describing these correspondences to the theory of the five elements and seasons. To demonstrate the practice and extent of this theory I have included below at the end of this article a table of correspondences that is relevant to Chinese medicine that I personally have been using since the 1970s. Within five elements theory as it applies to Chinese medicine there exists four ways or cycles in which the elements interact with each other. One of these cycles is particularly relevant to Chinese martial arts. The cycle I refer to is the controlling cycle sometimes referred to as the Ko cycle or the grandparent-grandchild cycle. I have shown this particular controlling cycle in the above diagram as the blue arrows. The remaining three cycles I am not going to explain here as they are more applicable to Chinese medicine than to martial arts.
The controlling cycle is very easy to understand if first we consider the five elements (fire[red] earth[yellow] metal[white] water[blue] and wood[green]). In this cycle fire controls metal and is controlled by water; earth controls water and is controlled by wood; metal controls wood and is controlled by fire; etc. You can now also appreciate why this cycle is sometimes referred to as the grandparent-grandchild cycle where the grandparent controls the grandchild.
As these correspondences were an integral part of Chinese culture it was therefore quite a logical progression for them to also be applicable within Chinese martial arts.
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