Beggar style Kung-Fu

Originally, the Beggar or Vagabond School was established to resist foreign aggression. When the Manchus invaded China and established the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1911), various rebel groups were set up and they recruited from the Beggars societies. They practiced a harsh set of martial arts techniques that became known as the Beggar or Vagabond's School. Their arts were important to their survival but also used to assassinate the Manchurian soldiers and spies.

Once the Manchurians were defeated these revolutionaries were no longer needed and the Vagabonds went back to panhandling, performing "magic" tricks, pick-pocketing and selling magic elixirs and tonics. They concentrated in such places as Shantung, Kiangsi, and Hunan provinces.

At first, they lived and worked in the northern Chinese provinces, but winters are too harsh there, so they "wandered" to the warmer southern provinces, and especially to the Pearl River basin. Near the end of winter, late February or March of the following year, they moved back North. This went on for many generations. They were known as "Hakka" (Cantonese) or "Ke Jia" (Mandarin), to the villages they visited, which means, "Guest family."

The Beggar's Style Martial Arts

Because they lived, worked, and traveled in the lower classes of society, they needed martial arts training simply to survive. Their style had to be effective and deadly. As they travelled, they learned and integrated the most efficient and effective techniques, including strikes to vital acupuncture points.

First, Beggar's Style is noted for its "dirty" fighting and its lack of "gentlemanly" rules that are generally seen in Chinese martial arts. They use techniques that are very rapid and painful. There are not a large number of techniques or forms (kata, kuen) practiced by the Beggar's Style. They use all manner of standard weapons, and also many unusual weapons, as well as seemingly non-martial weapons methods, including beggar's canes and crutches.

Practitioners of different arts can recognize their own techniques in the Beggar style; to include Southern Mantis, Fukien White Crane, Tiger, and Southern Shaolin.

Common Fighting Techniques/Postures

"Beggar Asking for Rice" - is the ready position of the style. If the right foot is forward in a cat stance, the hands are in front of the chest, the right hand placed forward, and the left hand placed to the rear, with the left fingertips touching the right elbow. The right palm faces up and the left faces down. Simultaneous block-and-strike is practiced thousands of times, on both sides.

"Beggar Threading the Needles" - when the opponent is wide open, the fingers reach out to grab the collarbone, digging into the pressure points, while sending a knee strike to the groin. The Beggar may suddenly let go to reach for the enemy's ears and deliver a head butt to break the nose.

"Beggar scratching for fleas" - the Beggar drops to the ground in a kneeling position, grabs dirt, twigs, rocks, etc. and then throws the stuff into the opponent's face. Add a kick to the groin and a strike to the throat and the Beggar can go on about his business.

"Tiger Tail Kick" - this is a close-range technique that is done when the enemy is close. The Beggar turns his back on the enemy, squats down on all fours, and then gives a straight back thrust kick into the opponent's groin or solar plexus. As the opponent falls, another kick is given to the opponent's head.

Ouch!