Iron Palm is not officially part of
the acknowledged Chen Family style curriculum, but we have
seen at least one practitioner in the Chen Village. We teach
Northern Shaolin style Iron Palm from the lineage of Yim Kai
Wun through Gu Ru Zhang through Yim Shang Mo to Grandmaster
Wing Lam. This Iron Palm training uses four diferent strikes
against a canvas bag filled with (in progression) mung beans,
gravel and iron shot, and features the use of Dit Da Jow
afterwards. The Tiger Iron Palm from the mysterious Leung Hua
Chu adds a fifth strike, has a specialized table and adds an
herbal soak (Si Sou Fang - sometimes spelled Sai Sou Fang)
before practice. The objectives of Iron Palm are to be
able to break concrete pavers and single wood boards. The
boards are laminated pine and come in two different
shapes. Both are 1" thick and 12" long. The 4" wide boards
need 50 pounds of force to break and 10" wide boards need 100
pounds of force to break. Technically, you actually tear the
boards. Currently, we are NOT recommending that anyone
learn these techniques at home without first attending a
seminar. I trained in what was supposed to a Cheng style
Bagua Zhang Iron Palm which involved eight different strikes
and two liniments - one warming and one cooling - plus an
elixir. I am not sure how authentic / canonical the training
was, nor if I can find suitable liniment and elixirs recipes. |