Fohan Quan Style

Fohan Quan is a relatively unknown style of Chinese Wushu/Kung Fu, which originates from Henan Province in China. It is a descendant of Shaolin Quan, though the two styles are related more through theory than in appearance. The "Fo" in "Fohan Quan" means Buddha, while "han" refers to the Han people of China.

The reason not many people outside of China, nor even outside Henan and Hebei provinces of China have heard of this style, is simply that it has been taught in the traditional family-style for most of its existence, until recently. This means that each successive master in the style would teach many students, but only ever pass on ALL of his knowledge to a single chosen disciple, who would go on to teach the next generation, etc. It was this style of passing on the style, as well as a sort of protective secrecy surrounding the style's most effective techniques that meant that the style did not spread very quickly.

The fact is that a few decades ago, styles like Shaolin Quan, many styles of Taiji Quan, etc. remained fairly unknown, until certain individuals (or movies) helped to popularize the styles and cause them to spread faster than they ever had previously. Fohan Quan simply has not had this public exposure, and therefore remains a small core community of dedicated martial artists.

History

The history of Fohan Quan dates back more than 400 years. It started when Chao Yuan, a monk from the Shaolin temple, sought out the best aspects of all the wushu communities of the time by traveling extensively to many temples across China. After 10 years of research, he combined the best techniques of what he found into a new style.

Through several generations, each successive master of the style continued to improve the style by traveling to such places as Wudan and Shaolin to exchange knowledge and techniques, studying other styles such as Taiji, Erlang's Form, Hong's Form, and also by incorporating the philosophies of Yi Jing (I'Ching), such as Ying Yang, Bagua, and Xushi.

Daming in Hebei province has been the hometown for Fohan Quan for most of it's lifetime. Currently, many of the 5th generation masters still reside there, as do many of their 6th generation disciples.

The Hong Xiang Wushu School in Puyang, Henan Province is currently the most active school teaching Fohan Quan. There are currently eight disciples of the 7th generation who are studying there (note that not all students are disciples!), under the guidance of the 6th generation successor of the style, Li Fan Fu.

If you would like to read a more detailed account of the history of Fohan Quan, please click here.

Characteristics

The style aims to be as comprehensive as possible, and therefore includes many different aspects, which are hard to describe as a simple summary. The style stresses attacking and defending with the same movement, staying close to the opponent and reacting with great speed, and controlling the hands with extreme accuracy. The legs, arms, and eyes work in harmony with each motion. Motions are described as being gentle and flexible, stances should be as steady as a nail, and the hands move with smooth motions while keeping the muscles as relaxed as possible (to help achieve the very quick hand motions).

The system does not use a lot of kicks within the forms, and any kicks that are used are typically delivered to the lower half of the opponent's body, or for defensive purposes. Instead staying close to the opponent and reacting quickly using the arms is the main focus. Many of the hand strikes involve open palms and finger strikes. Great forearm, hand, and finger strength is stressed to be able to accomplish these very precise and effective strikes.

Many leg scoops and grabs are incorporated, and concepts of using internal energy, such as is found in Taiji, are included. Qigong concepts of using the breath are also included, as are joint manipulation techniques. Great stress is placed upon changing techniques for different situations.

Fohan Quan is a comprehensive traditional style. It's main focus is effectiveness and practicality, not on showmanship or performance, although to adapt to present needs, several enhancements have been made to beautify some of the performance forms (typically only weapons forms).

If you would like to read a more detailed list of the characteristics of Fohan Quan, please click here.

Syllabus

The method of learning Fohan Quan has been approached from a scientific angle, and the syllabus is taught differently for different age groups: Children (6-10), adolescent (11-25), and middle-aged (25-40+).

There are 19 stances including 7 rapid stances, 8 flying kicks, and 24 iron claw techniques. There are 3 main sections of the style, each with 24 forms. These forms all consist of 2 opponents fighting with each other, which helps to stress the practical applications and quickness of all of the movements. Weapons forms such as the Chinese Broadsword (Dao), Straight Sword (Jin), and cudgel/staff (Gun), are also taught using the unique Fohan Quan style.