The Shaolin temple is believed to be the birthplace to the vast majority of Far East Asian martial arts. Even if it was not, it certainly has influenced the arts tremendously.

Shaolin became famous in legends because of its forms of fighting which were modeled after animals. These systems went on to be developed outside of shaolin eventually, but their roots at the temple are undeniable. At the forefront of these animal forms are the shaolin five animals below:

1.) Tiger. Tiger style is a ferocious and strong martial art, which represents the element of fire. There are often no blocks, just continuous attacks on the opponent. Characteristic of this style is the tiger claw hand technique, which is a very important technique in most many gong fu styles and great for realistic self defense.

2.) Leopard. Leopard is a fast and strong style which represents the element of wood. It is said that this style actually relies more on strength than tiger, but speed and agility is also very important. Characteristic of this style is the leopard fist or also known as the half fist in other systems.

3.) Dragon. Dragon is an internal style relying not on the muscles, but on jin (martial power), or one’s qi. It is explosive, moving in a zigzag pattern often, resembling the mythical creature, and represents the element of water.

4.) Snake. Snake is a quick, agile style based on slippery strikes to vital areas. The snake is also explosive, like the dragon, and is focused on the qi as well. Snake has lent techniques to many different styles, including wing chun. Finger darts are often associated with this style.

5.) Crane. Crane represents the element of metal, and is a soft-hard style, which balances internal and external fighting methods. It is based on quick parry and counter techniques. This style has become one of the most popular and well known in the world, inspiring other martial arts such as wing chun, and the Karate systems. A characteristic technique of crane is the crane beak strike, but it is also known for its parries that look as if a crane is flapping its wings.

There many other animals, such as the eagle, praying mantis, and monkey, but these are the basic five animals which reoccur in Chinese gong fu. They have inspired many martial arts styles around Asia, including Hung Gar, Choy Li Fut, and many others.