Recently my master decided to teach me what he knows of Monkey Style. He does not know the entirety of this form. Unfortunately his master died before he could finish passing it on. I do not know exactly which style of monkey these movements are from.
Monkey style is often characterized by the playful antics of the monkey. Most styles of monkey include mimicry of how monkeys move and shuffle, how the look around, and how they use their hands. Monkey styles in general are well known for their acrobatics as well. Most styles use lots of acrobatic movements and break falls within the form. The monkey will move around in both a curious and skittish manner as in investigates and interacts with its opponent.
Monkey has an interesting combat theory. Much of it is executed while in retreat. The arms are kept loose and as an opponent advances the monkey will turn to escape and let the arm trail in an arc so that it impacts the opponent. Monkey also treats combat playfully. It bounces around and even as it retreats will try to grab, entangle, or trip up the opponent. Its quick and acrobatic movements and random changes of direction accompanied with trailing hits and grabbing hands can quickly disorient and confuse a combatant.
I found it a lot of fun working on these movements from the Monkey Style. It did take its toll on my back requiring that I apply some heat and do more stretching. The acrobatics and break falling aggravated it some though luckily now the pain is starting to subside. Normally the style is practiced with very quick transitions, rolling, jumping, and changing direction as fast as you can. When doing more artistic performances, however, you can introduce a lot more of the antics and mimicry which is entertaining to perform as well as to watch. A good practitioner can mimic the animals movements very well. Though any one can learn an do well with this style, it does tend to lend itself to shorter, thinner, nimble body styles. I’m hoping that I can get to a point where I can strengthen my back and improve my speed and footwork through working on the techniques within the Monkey Style.
