Budo international Martial Arts Magazine Jul.-Aug. 2014 | Página 204

In using the typical leopard-fist, a halfopen fist, a target can be hit with a
small point of impact, the knuckles,
from a short distance and with a
highly destructive power. Beside its
function within the fighting system,
the element metal is important within
the traditional Chinese medicine as
well and linked with the organs lung
(ying organ) and large intestines (yang
organ). As mentioned in the text about
the element fire with regard to the
organs heart and small intestines, a
ying organ is generally considered
more important than a yang organ,
therefore yang organs are usually only
mentioned in passing. Not only the

traditional Chinese medicine has
recognized that there is a connection
between the lungs and the skin, but
Western medicine also acknowledges
this link and that the skin mirrors the
state of health of the lungs to some
extent. The cause for several skin
diseases can be explained by an
imbalance in the lungs and can be
therefore attributed to the element
metal. A popular example is smoking.
It causes various adverse affects and
also influences the skin in a negative
way. Discussing the element metal
relating to fighting or self-defense
techniques, an inexperienced student
often struggles to establish an

understanding for metal techniques.
Nonetheless, or rather for that very
reason, I hope that this article, as well
as constant practice, enhances
everybody’s perception of these very
interesting principles. It is the same as
with the four other elements: the
depth
of
knowledge
and
understanding depends on regular
exercise, a curious mind and a skilled
teacher. I sincerely hope that many
students of mine will choose to go all
the way to become Hung Gar masters
one day and thereby discover the full
potential, subsystems and secrets,
which are embodied in the Hung Gar
system.