There are five animals, but unless you go out starting fights, you will only be confronted by three of these beasts: tiger, leopard, and snake. The tiger is based upon the strategy of striking with committed force. The leopard is agile and strikes with fast, whipping combinations. The snake grapples his victim. A trained grappler is quite dangerous because a hold or choke is difficult to escape from.

A quick way to remember the three attacking animals is this simple formula: Brawler = Tiger, Grappler = Snake, Boxer = Leopard. Knowing the enemy is only half of the solution, we must also know which animal to select as our counter.

If attacked with tiger, yield with dragon. The tiger attacks with committed power and follow through, which the dragon is trained to take advantage of. In the words of Sun Tzu, "the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself." The challenge is to stay calm and relaxed to properly receive our attacker's effort.

If attacked with leopard, counter with snake. A leopard explodes with furious combinations. By grappling, trap the attacking limbs and restrict the footwork from which the leopard relies. For example, a boxer in trouble will clinch up with his competitor.

If attacked with snake, defend with crane. Make immediate use of the knees and elbows to counter strike any grappling attempt. These short range weapons produce devastating power.

Thus, we identify our attacker's actions and choose an appropriate strategy. The mind set and fighting spirit of the animal is just as important as the actual physical techniques employed. Use the brawlers energy against him, knee and elbow the grappler, and grab and choke out the boxer. Rock, scissors, paper.

The Three Attacking Animals (c) 1999 Trevor Haines.

Back to Main Articles Page | Five Animal Controlling Order | Five Levels of Technique Understanding
The Three Attacking Animals | Multiple Attackers | My Philosophy of Kenpo | Prefix, Root, Suffix
Shaolin History of Five Animal Kenpo | The Student and the Teacher | Why Learn Five Animal Kenpo?