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The Shao Lin Fist Forming the Fist Hood Khar Pai Shao Lin trainees are taught to form the fist (Quan in Mandarin, Kun in Hokkien dialect) in the following manner:
The Fist as a Striking Surface The Shao Lin fist, formed in the manner just described, is used in a variety of ways to deliver the concentrated force of the user’s body into a blow that is directed against vital points on an assailant’s anatomy. The most commonly used types of fist formations are the fore-fist (Quan), the bottom-fist (Quan Di), the back-fist (Quan Bei) and the top-fist (Hu Ko Quan). The fore-fist may be delivered in either a horizontal or a vertical position. In either case the exponent makes the entire knuckle area of his fist (shaded area) the striking surface that is to be impacted against a selected target. The horizontally held fore-fist is best used to strike against hard areas like the ribs, chin, or sternum; the vertically held fore-fist is best used to strike against fleshy or hollow areas such as the solar plexus, groin, nose, or eyes. Bottom fist is best used in hammer-like blows delivered to vital points on the assailant’s arms and legs; as such the bottom-fist is a valuable blocking weapon.
Uses for the back-fist area many. It is particularly effective as a blocking weapon when it is used to strike against vital points on an assailant’s arms and legs, but it is also useful to deliver direct blows to other body target areas. The back-fist may be used in either normal or inverted-fist fashion. The top-fist is useful in connection with the delivery of roundhouse or hook-punching actions; it also finds limited use as a blocking weapon.
Delivery of the Shao Lin Fist 
Two special physical characteristics of the use of the fist identify the true exponent of Hood Khar Shao Lin. The first of these characteristics concerns the preparatory position of the fist that must precede delivery of long-punching actions. An exponent always brings his fist, knuckles at the bases of the fingers down, to its corresponding hip. Secondly, from that position at the hip, the exponent always first turns his fist to a knuckles-up or out position at his hip before commencing the delivery of his punch. No use is ever made of the screwing action of the fist as it movers toward its intended target. 
Delivery of the fist in a punching manner is termed Jing (Mandarin). Two kinds of delivery characterize the Hood Khar use of the fist: Chang Jing (Mandarin) long punching action, and Duan Jin (Mandarin) short punching action. The long punch is best in encounters where the opponent (either a partner in sparring exercise or an opponent in the actual fight) is fairly far from the exponent.The short punch finds great favor among exponents for use in the rapid flurry of punches that can and must be made at very close range with a trainee or an assailant. Long and short-punching actions are practiced in the form of specific training exercises that follow in this chapter. But not until the fists are specially conditioned are they said to be fully useful as effective weapons of the Shao Lin trained exponent; these toughening methods will be described later. |
