Finding Thunder: Exploring The White Crane Kung Fu of Liu Chang I – Part 2

By Christopher Caile

Editor’s Note: This is the second article of two about Chinese Feeding Crane (a form of White Crane Kung Fu), a system that influenced the development of Okinawan karate. Part 1 introduced the system, and provided an overview and information about the system’s unique form of power generation. Part 2 focuses on technique, control and how the system is practiced.

Feeding Crane Technique

Once an attack is intercepted Feeding Crane often turns hard using quick powerful breaks and joint dislocations powered by quick (almost spasmodic) violent body action (known in the Chinese arts as “fa jin” or “jin” — an explosive whip-like full body intense action). Targets are the opponents eyes, elbows, wrists, fingers, shoulders, ribs, collar bone — anything that can be injured with emphasis joint injury, dislocations, strains and breaking. It reminded me of Hawaiian Lua. (4) Breaks are less emphasized in Okinawan karate kata. In Goju-Ryu kata breaks are more numerous, but they can also be found disguised within Shorin-Ryu kata. (5)

Unfortunately, most modern karate, especially sports karate prohibit, these techniques as dangerous — thus cutting off the depth of old Okinawan karate. But Sifu Liu brings many of them alive again. I recognized many of the techniques. They jumped out at me from my own kata — that old knowledge lost to most modern karate practitioners.

In Feeding Crane there are also powerful counter strikes using every part of the body, such the fist, elbow, forearm, shoulders, waist, one following the other in staccato fashion. They are aimed at weak points on the body.  Attacking techniques to these areas often use “Short Power” and “Shaking Power,” combined with body dropping or rising. These last two components of power have been largely bleached out of modern kata performance. (6)

Kicks and knee techniques are also part of Feeding Crane’s arsenal, all low and powerful aimed at vulnerable targets (vital points). They include foot stomps and pins, short front kicks and low leg round kicks, and knees to the inside of the legs and drop knees to the top of the thigh. There are no high kicks, spinning or other fancy kicks.

In Feeding Crane a flurry of weapons, such as fists, elbows, foot techniques and knees, are often combined in quick secession. A punch can be followed by an elbow or forearm, followed by a same side shoulder strike with foot stomp, or knee added, culminating in a dislocation or break after the opponent is controlled and his center taken over. Similar combinations are the hallmark of traditional Okinawan karate kata but are little understood.

Feeding Crane does not use fragile parts of the body such as finger tips and toes for striking. In this respect it differs from Okinawan karate which utilizes finger thrusts and toe (usually the big and second toe) kicking techniques. Sifu Liu states, “It is unfortunate if you get injured by your opponent in a fight, but more importantly you should avoid injuring yourself.”

Sifu Liu Chang’I demonstrates use a Crane hand to control the arm of his student Michael Calandra.

This prohibition also extends to what is known in karate as “keiko,” or the “Chicken beak hand” — striking with the finger tips clenched together, fingers extended, wrist bent. Most karate practitioners associate this weapon hand with White Crane, and many Okinawan karate masters practiced it. But in Feeding Crane it is not used. Instead,Sifu Liu uses the bent wrist for blocking (a block known as koken in karate).

This bent wrist open hand position is also used for capture and control. It is found in the arm posture,”Crane Hand,” also associated with White Crane. It is seen Goju-Ryu, Uechi-Ryu and other karate kata and is thought to be some kind of block — two arms positioned vertically in front to each side of the body, wrists bent, hands open and fingers bent downward. In Feeding Crane one application for this position is for defense against a two arm chest shove or grab — your bent wrists angled inward or outward and draped over the attacker’s arms to control or off balance.

Learning To Control

Feeding Crane teaches a practitioner through applications how to control an opponent’s arms, legs and balance. It also teaches the ability to sense and control an opponent’s center. This is developed through push hands, a practice method most people know through Tai Chi.

Feeding Crane also adds a two arm variety where opponents face each other using their hands and arms to push, pull, off balance and throw an opponent. It resembles a type of standing wrestling or judo where two people grab each other and tussle and fight to control the other. A similar practice is also found in some styles of Chen Tail Chi. These exercises are largely missing from modern day karate, although a variation of single hand push hands known as kakie is found in Goju-Ryu Karate and some styles of Shorin Ryu karate. (7) A Similar of type body control is an integral part of muay thai (Thai boxing) used to create openings for close range knee kicks and elbows to the head. In terms of control antecedent parallels might be made with early sumo, or Mongolian wrestling.

Within karate kata, however, pulling,  pushing, body control and off balancing techniques are very prevalent. Added to this mix are jujutsu-like arms and body manipulations, known as Chin Na in the Chinese arts. But in Feeding Crane Chin Na is secondary.  Sifu Liu told me that, “We don’t include this in basic practice, but we teach a little in advanced practice. We don’t, however, stress this type grabbing and body manipulation.” In Feeding Crane, one does not try to control an opponent through pain compliance or by locking them up. Instead, joints are targeted for quick breaking or dislocation, to incapacitate the opponent as quickly as possible.

How The System Is Practiced

Sifu Liu Chang’I and his student Fred Lohse demonstrate kata to seminar participants. In Feeding Crane kata is not only used to practice technique and self defense applications. It also develops lower body strength and provides a contextual framework to practice Feeding Crane’s elements of power including short power and shaking power.

The system of  Feeding Crane is practiced through basics, two person drills, and kata (21 forms). The second kata in the system is Sam Chien, or San Chin (three battles), a well known karate kata’s name, but one that differs in many respects from its counterpart in Goju and Uechi Ryu as well as other Naha Te influenced styles like Seido Karate, Kyokushinkai and others. The total curriculum is complex, including Chi Kung (Qigong or internal energy work and development), body hardening, herbal medicine and other traditional practices.

When you finish practicing Feeding Crane your body feels different than after karate, taekwondo or boxing. With these arts you feel it in your muscles, but Feeding Crane is different: you feel it in your tendons and ligaments. I had a similar experience after training in some other forms of kung fu as well as a few old school forms of karate, such as those of Hohan Soken and old style body dynamics of Shorin-Ryu karate. (8)

At the end of my training with Sifu Liu I ask Fred Lohse (a well known Goju-Ryu teacher from Boston who had studied extensively with Sifu Liu Chang I for several years) how he would characterize Sifu’s Feeding Crane. Lohse replied, “It is blunt force trauma to your opponent using your body’s most sturdy parts.”  Well said.

Thunder Leads Sifu Liu To The US & Europe

If it hadn’t been for “thunder,” Sifu and his style might never have reached the US and Europe. Sifu told me that Kimo Wall (a famous US Goju-Ryu practitioner) while visiting Taiwan had sought his father out to find thunder. His father had passed away, however, but Sifu offered to demonstrate his kata.  “When he first heard it,” said Sifu “he was quiet, almost dumb struck.” Kimo then told Sifu that he had been told by his Goju Ryu teachers that Miyagi Sensei (founder of Goju-Ryu karate) and other old Okinawan masters had exhibited that same sound. But after years of fruitless searching for someone with this ability on Okinawa, he had just assumed “thunder” was just another romantic story.

Kimo Wall himself added a little detail. As a child he studied Goju-Ryu in Hawaii with several teachers who had studied with Miyagi on Okinawa. Later he lived on Okinawa (stationed as a Marine) training under the Goju masters Higa Seiko and Touguchi Seiicki (both senior students of Miyagi) who went on to found their own Goju Ryu organizations.

“A number of the old Okinawan karate masters including Miyagi were known to have thunder,” said Wall.  He related that he was told that in the past several Okinawan karate students had traveled to Taiwan and elsewhere trying to gain this knowledge. “I had heard of Sifu Chang I’s father, Liu Yin Shan, and sought him out. But I was told he had passed away, but his son offered to show me his art.  I was so impressed that I convinced Sifu Liu to come to the US with me to teach seminars.” For several years Kimo conducted these seminars with Sifu Liu around the US. More recently Sifu has continued to teach seminars across the US.

Fred Lohse (a student of Sifu and Goju Ryu teacher) told me a funny anecdote about Sifu Liu Chang’s  “thunder.” A few years back a well known martial arts production company made a high quality video and sound recording of Sifu Liu’s technique and kata for a DVD of his Feeding Crane. But repeatedly during recording the sound equipment kept registering unexplained sounds, something that was attributed to technical  problems. Numerous adjustments and fixes, however,  didn’t seem to rectify the situation. Finally things were explained when technicians were told those extra sounds were the “thunder” associated with much of Sifu Liu’s technique.

Final Comments

It was almost a year ago when I last saw Sifu. In one of our last conversations he commented on the loss of so much of ancient kung fu knowledge. “As to Feeding Crane,” he said, “I am the only one left, as far as I know, besides my younger brother, teaching my art. I am the last direct descendant, father to son, father to son until it came to me. I am afraid it is going to get lost. That is why I am teaching you and others in the US and elsewhere: to preserve my art, my tradition, its knowledge and the old way.”

I have been practicing Sifu’s “short power” exercises for almost a year now. At last I am beginning to feel the snap-back of my muscles and I think I hear, ever so softly, the “kaplunk,” the beginning of my own thunder emerging from my body. I will be seeing Sifu again soon in New York and hope to continue my progress.

Acknowledgements:

I want to thank Sifu Liu Chang’I for his hospitality and openness in discussing and demonstrating his art. He is a true gentleman, humble and open. I also want to thank Michael Calandra Sensei (Isshin-Ryu Karate) from New York and Fred Lohse Sensei (Goju-Ryu) from Boston who are experienced students of Sifu and who annually have hosted his seminars. They were kind enough to give advice and suggestions on this article.

Footnotes:

1- Unfortunately most sport orientated karate (as well a Taekwondo and Kung Fu) today prohibits grabs and body control technique. Free fighting thus conflicts with the principles of kata — it stresses movement, evasions and avoidance to control space (not interception to control the attack and the opponent).

2- Rigidly defined stances with specific names are a by-product of the Japanization of karate, a culture’s standardization imprinted on the adopted art. On Okinawa old teachers often told me that in the old days teachers would show a student and say “stand like this.” Stances were not so precise, but fitted the need and the individual. The Japanese process of standardization also worked to change kata. Movements that looked approximately the same, but may have served different functions, were modified to fit the same pattern and then named. What is now called an upper block could have been in its kata context something very different and also performed differently.

3- Very similar open hand intercepting arm techniques are also found in older Okinawan versions of Shorin-Ryu kata, such as Rohai, Shinto, Gojushiho and Passai. Goju and Uechi Ryu karate exhibit similar open hand intercepting techniques, but so does the karate taught by Hohan Soken Sensei. See footnote 4. Soken also taught these open hand interception techniques as part of his tuide (a separate class of grapping and body manipulation techniques which are separate from kata).

4- Lua is best know for its brutal attacks and bone/joint breaking that renders the opponent’s body totally destroyed and disjointed.

5- Breaking techniques are definitely found in most of Okinawan karate.  They are definitely found Isshin-Ryu karate and its kata,  says Sensei Michael Calandra (a NY area senior Isshin-Ryu teacher). In the Goju-Ryu curriculum there are many examples. In kata, such as, sepai, seiyunchin, sanseru, kururunfa and suparinpei include body breaking techniques. They are more disguised in Shorin-Ryu kata, such as gojushiho (korogojushiho), wanshu, passi, chinto and others. Breaking is also found in the more basic pinan or heian kata, especially pinan three, four and five. But as a group Okinawan kata seem to put less emphasis on breaking joints and body segments than Feeding Crane. Shorin-Ryu kata seem to give more emphasis than Feeding Crane body and head control techniques (jujutsu-like techniques), takedown and throws.

6- Dropping the body or rising power were often components of old Okinawan karate. The Pinan kata, for example, created in the early 1900s by Anko Itosu for teaching karate kata in the Okinawan school system, employed these principles. While some systems still employ rising and dropping power, Japanese karate often stress keeping movement on  a plain so as not to drop or rise.

7- This is not to say that Okinawans did not know how to unbalance and control a grappling opponent. In almost every village and towns, however, boys and young men on Okinawa practiced in stand-up grappling contests known as Tegumi. In fact, Okinawan sumo arose from tegumi. In Charles C. Goodin’s article on FightingArts.com entitled “Karate and Okinawan Sumo” he writes that tegumi, “when practiced for self-defense, and with the addition of the Chinese techniques of striking (particularly vital point and nerve attacks known as kyosho jutsu), blocking and kicking, tegumi became karate. In fact, the characters for the old name “karate” or “tote,” meant “China” (for the Chinese arts) and “Hand” (for “tegumi”)” .

8- White Eyebrow kung fu is characterized by its fast whipping movements (and non- generation of power from the hips). Somewhat similar to this feeling is found in some forms of old Shorin Ryu karate, such as Hohan Soken’s technique.

About the Author Christopher Caile

Christopher Caile

Christopher Caile is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of FightingArts.com. He has been a student of the martial arts for over 65 years.

He first started in judo while in college. Then he added karate as a student of Phil Koeppel in 1959 studying Kempo and Wado-Ryu karate. He later added Shotokan Karate where he was promoted to brown belt and taught beginner classes. In 1960 while living in Finland, Caile introduced karate to that country and placed fourth in that nation’s first national judo tournament.

Wanting to further his karate studies, Caile then hitch hiked from Finland to Japan traveling through Scandinavia, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia — living on 25 cents a day and often sleeping outside.

Arriving in Japan (1962), Caile was introduced to Mas Oyama and his fledgling full contact Kyokushinkai Karate by Donn Draeger, the famous martial artist and historian. Donn also housed him with several other senior international judo practitioners. Donn became Caile’s martial arts mentor, coaching him in judo and introducing him to Shinto Muso-ryu under Takaji Shimizu.

Caile studied at Oyama’s honbu dojo and also at Kenji Kurosaki’s second Tokyo Kyokushinkai dojo. In his first day in class Oyama asked Caile to teach English to his chief instructor, Tadashi Nakamura. They have been friends ever since. Caile also participated in Oyama’s masterwork book, “This Is Karate.”

Caile left Japan with his black belt and designation as Branch Chief, the first in the US to have had extensive training in Japan directly under Oyama Sensei. As such, Oyama Sensei asked him to be his representative on visits to his US dojos to report on their status.

A little over a year later, Nakamura, Kusosaki and Akio Fujihira won an epic David vs. Goliath challenge match against Thailand’s professional Muay Thai Boxers in Bangkok, Thailand, thrusting Kyolushinkai and Nakamura into national prominence.

Back in the US Caile taught Kyokushinkai karate in Peoria, Il while in college and later in Washington, DC. while in graduate school. Durimg this time Shihan Nakamura had moved to New York City to head Kyokushinkai’s North American Operation.

In 1976 when Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura formed the World Seido Karate organization, Caile followed. Living then in Buffalo, NY, Caile taught Seido karate and self-defense at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo) for over 15 years where he also frequently lectured on martial arts and Zen in courses on Japanese culture.

Caile moved to New York City in 1999 to marry Jackie Veit. He is now an 8th degree black belt, Hanshi, training in Seido Karate’s Westchester, NY Johshin Honzan (Spiritual Center) dojo. In Seido Caile is known for his teaching of and seminars on kata applications. He also produced a 14 segment video series on Pinan kata Bunkai currently available to Seido members.

Caile is also a long-time student and Shihan in Aikido. He studied in Buffalo, under Mike Hawley Shihan, and then under Wadokai Aikido’s founder, the late Roy Suenaka (uchi deshi under Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido and was Shihan under Tohei Sensei). In karate, Suenaka (8thdan) was also an in-house student of the Okinawan karate master Hohan Soken.

Having moved to New York City, Caile in 2000 founded this martial arts educational website, FightingArts.com. Twenty-five years later, in 2025, it underwent a major update and revision.

For FightingArts.com and other publications Caile wrote hundreds of articles on karate, martial arts, Japanese art, Chinese Medicine and edited a book on Zen. He also developed relationships with a cross section of leading martial arts teachers. Over the last four decades he has conducted extensive private research into karate and martial arts including private translations of the once secret Okinawan hand copied and passed on Kung Fu book, the Bubishi, as well as an early karate book by the karate master Kenwa Mabuni. He periodically returns to Japan and Okinawa to continue his studies and participate Seido karate events. In Tokyo he practiced (with Roy Suenaka Sensei) in a variety of aikido organizations with their founders – including private interviews and practices at the Aiki-kai Aikido Honbu dojo with the son and grandson of aikido’s founder, Doshu (headmaster) Kisshomaru (an old uchi-deshi friend) and his son, Moriteru Ueshiba and in Iwama with Morihiro Saito. On Okinawa he studied Goju Ryu karate under Eiichi Miyazato, 10th dan founder of Naha’s Jundokan, and also with Yoshitaka Taira (who later formed his own organization, who specialized in kata Bunkai. While there Caile also trained with Hohan Soken’s senior student, Master Fusei Kise, 10 dan as well as with the grandson of the legendary karate master Anko Itosu.

Caile’s other martial arts experience includes: Diato-ryu Aikijujitsu and Kenjitsu, kobudo, boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, Kali (empty hand, knife and bolo), study of old Okinawan Shoran-ryu & Tomari body mechanics, study of old Okinawan kata under Richard Kim, study of close quarter defense and combat, including knife and gun defenses, Kyusho Jitsu and several Chinese fighting arts including 8 Star Praying Mantis, Pak Mei (White Eyebrow), and a private family system of Kung Fu.

Caile is also a student of Zen as well as a long-term student of one branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chi Kung (Qigong). As one of two senior disciples of Chi Kung master Dr. Shen (M.D., Ph.D.) Caile was certified to teach and practice. This led to Caile’s founding of the The Chi Kung Healing Institute on Grand Island, NY. In Western NY, he also frequently held Chi Kung seminars, including at SUNY Buffalo and at the famous Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY. His articles on Chi Kung also appeared in the Holistic Health Journal and in several books on alternative medicine.

Caile holds a BA in International Studies from Bradley University and MA in International Relations with a specialty in South and Southeast Asia from American University in Washington, D.C. While in Buffalo, NY he also studied digital and analog electronics.

In his professional life Caile also worked in public relations and as a newspaper reporter and photographer. Earlier he worked in the field of telecommunications including Managing a Buffalo, NY sales and service branch for ITT. He then founded his own private telephone company. This was followed by creation of an electrical engineering company that designed and patented his concept for a new type of low-cost small business telephone system (which was eventually sold to Bell South). The company also did contract work for Kodak and the US space program. Simultaneously Caile designed and manufactured a unique break-apart portable pontoon boat.

Most recently Caile co-founded an internet software company. Its products include software suites with AI capability for control and management of streaming media, such as video and music, an all-in-one book publishing software product for hardcover, eBook and audio book creation and security software for buildings and government use.

For more details about Christopher Caile’s martial arts, work experience and life profile, see the About section in the footer of this site.