Chapter 7 108 Subduing Tiger Fist
Chapter 7: One Hundred and Eight Subduing Tiger Fists
"The Tiger Subduing Fist is a unique skill passed down from Master Jianxiong. Once mastered, it has the power to subdue the vicious tigers in the mountains."
"This set of boxing techniques has a total of eighteen stances, each with six variations, resulting in a total of one hundred and eight moves."
"You are new here, so start from the basics and remember not to be greedy."
In the spacious grounds of the outer courtyard, Lu Qiang stood in front of a group of apprentices and taught them martial arts.
He is tall and strong, and very steady. Just standing there he looks like a towering mountain.
"Big Brother is a serious warrior of Qi and Blood, nicknamed 'Iron Tiger'."
Among the crowd of novice apprentices, Song Fugui whispered a reminder to Zhou You.
No matter how long a new apprentice stays, what he learns is almost the same and he must work hard to practice the basic skills.
Only by breaking through the strength and becoming a formal apprentice can you learn more.
Although Zhou You arrived the latest, he still attended classes with other novice apprentices.
"Listen carefully, practicing martial arts is also called practicing boxing. Why?"
"Because boxing is the source, foundation and basis of martial arts, all martial arts are rooted in boxing, and practicing martial arts requires boxing."
“When you throw a punch, you not only use your hands, elbows, arms, and shoulders, but you also need to mobilize the strength of your back, waist, hips, legs, and feet.”
"You are new here, so don't aim too high. You should start by practicing the Imperial Swordsmanship and the Square and Circle Steps."
Zhou You cheered himself up and finally got to the point.
But the apprentices who arrived earlier seemed a little lazy and uninterested when they heard about the Imperial Swordsmanship and the Square and Circle Steps.
Lu Qiang didn't seem to notice this and continued to explain clearly word by word.
"Controlling the hand is the foundation of boxing. If you break it down, it consists of two parts: controlling the hand and striking the hand."
“Martial arts is about fighting. When there is fighting, there is attack and defense. One round is a back and forth.
"Controlling the hand is a defensive technique, while cutting the hand is an offensive technique."
"If you punch him, it's a cutoff. If he raises his arm to block it, it's also a cutoff."
"The Armoring Hand is the two sides of the yin and yang coin, they coexist and are indispensable."
"For example, when you're hitting someone, you can't completely abandon your defense, otherwise the other person will dodge and knock you down with a backhand."
"The defensive hand, attack and defend at the same time, either 50-50 or 30-70, can both hit people and prevent being hit."
Lu Qiang gave a brief explanation and called two apprentices to come forward to counter his moves.
The process of countering a move is a rigorous rehearsal.
The two apprentices were punching and kicking each other, and it seemed like a lively fight, but in fact they just stopped when the time was right.
Looking at their appearance, they could fight for a whole day without getting hurt. At most they would just sweat a little and breathe heavily.
Zhou You looked at it carefully and thought that this was what was called the rules.
Although boxing techniques sound unrealistic, they actually follow certain rules. In order to defeat the enemy with the least amount of force, you must find the vital points.
Therefore, the core of any boxing technique is to attack the enemy's weakest part with the fastest speed and strongest force.
This is true for offense and defense as well.
The defensive technique is a set of techniques for attacking and defending against the vital parts of the human body.
What Senior Brother Lu Qiang said makes a lot of sense. This is the foundation of martial arts.
But most of the apprentices around were not very interested in this.
Their minds were filled with the three-month deadline, and they all wanted to learn the exquisite moves of the Subduing Tiger Fist and meet the entry requirements as soon as possible.
After Lu Qiang finished talking about the defensive hand, the next thing was the square and circle step.
“The sky is round and the earth is square. When people walk between heaven and earth, their steps never deviate from the square.”
"A circle follows an arc, a square follows a straight line, and a come-and-go is the key to success."
"Master once said, 'It is better to go round than to go straight. Why is that?'"
"Because going straight is the most dangerous, there is no room for turning back."
"When facing an enemy, keep your feet away. If you want to hit someone, move closer. If the opponent counterattacks, retreat immediately. The arc is retracted. It seems to be retreating, but in fact it leaves room for counterattack."
"If you move forward and backward straight ahead, you'll be a stupid, foolish roe deer."
Lu Qiang gestured as he spoke, taking a few steps forward and then a few steps back. He seemed to be moving forward but was actually moving backward, and he seemed steady, but if you tried to catch his position, it would seem erratic.
Once you fight with him, it will be difficult to hit him.
After Lu Qiang finished his explanation, he emphasized a few more key points and asked the apprentices to team up and counter the moves.
"Zhou You, let's team up!"
Song Fugui found Zhou You, smiling.
His original boxing partner was Ning Daliang who had moved away. It just so happened that Zhou You had just arrived and didn't know anyone, so they were a perfect match.
The apprentices also found their companions and practiced against each other.
But upon observation, it is found that their boxing styles are more fierce and have more variations.
They leaped and whistled, and their footsteps brought with them strong gusts of wind with great force.
"Don't look at them. They have learned the posture of Subduing Tiger Fist."
Song Fugui told Zhou You, "You will learn the moves in the afternoon, so first follow me to practice the basic Yufa Shou and Fangyuan Bu."
Zhou You listened carefully and was thinking about the meaning behind it.
He was also literate and knew that the secret of true teachings was contained in a casual sentence or two.
Lu Qiang is responsible for teaching the apprentices in the outer courtyard. In addition to his good character, he also has an extraordinary understanding of boxing and martial arts.
"Thank you very much."
Zhou You also discovered through observation that pairing also requires great care.
The powerful apprentices improve their strength through sparring and look down on the apprentices who are weaker than themselves.
Song Fugui seemed to be the weakest among the freshmen, so he sought out Zhou You for sparring.
Zhou You took a deep breath, got into position, and placed his hands, one inside and one outside, in a posture that allowed him to both attack and defend.
The left and right toes are pointing in two different directions, which is what is called "bu ding bu ba" in the jargon.
A strong wind blew, and Song Fugui rushed towards him, with his fist enlarged in his sight.
The force of this punch exceeds the level of strength 5.
Zhou You raised his arms, crossed them, and pushed outwards to block the opponent's fist.
The force was transmitted to his body, and his body shook twice, and he subconsciously stepped back.
The phrase 'It is better to go round than square' came to mind, and his feet rubbed against the ground, drawing an arc and flashing to the left side of Song Fugui.
"Defense, attack, you are in me and I am in you."
Zhou You saw a flaw in Song Fuguo's ribs, stretched out his arms, and swung out his fist hidden in his arms like lightning.
Boom!
Song Fuguo turned his palm over to hold his fist, staggered back two steps and stopped.
"Sure, you learn pretty quickly."
Although the fight between the two was brief, it was a complete round of back and forth.
Zhou You was facing Song Fugui, who had only studied for two months, but he was not at a disadvantage.
Song Fugui exclaimed in amazement, "Come again, come again."
He finally found a boxing partner who was a match for him, and he was so excited.
By lunch break, the two were basically tied.
Song Fugui was stronger, but he was surpassed by Zhou You in the application of the defensive hand.
"You are a talented person. You are making rapid progress. Maybe in three months, you will be able to get in."
A line of text appeared on Zhou You's panel.
"You practice the new skill 'Swordsman' for two hours, and your experience points will increase by 2."
"You practiced the new skill 'Square Steps' for two hours, and gained +2 experience points."
"Once a skill is perfected, practicing will no longer increase experience points."
(End of this chapter)