Eagle Claw´s legacy

Gini Lau´s fate was set at birth. While most of her friends were thinking of careers or searching for husbands, she was learning a system that had been handed down through centuries by some of the finest Chinese fighters in history.

Gini Lau´s knowledge is the end product of several hundred years of refinement. While some kung fu practitioners boast of neboulous origins and mysterious temples, her system was handed down to her from father to daughter, as it had been passed down through three ancient Chinese dynasties and the post-dynastic 20 th century.

"While most young Chines girls were interested in developing careers or finding husbands, my future was set for me at birth. I was going to be a kung fu instructor, like all of my ancestors" states Gini.

The origins of eagle claw

The Lau family system of eagle claw, which is military rather than religious in origin, was first invented in the Song Siu dynasty by a general named Yue Feh. A practitioner of several styles of kung fu, he developed his system after observing the chines eagle in action. He was fascinated by the eagle´s hit and fade instincts, and the proficiency of the great bird´s claws.

Because of his battlefield experience, Yue Feh considered martial arts training something to be reserved for when one was weaponless, so the original eagle claw sets were all so weaponless. Three sets were developed which incorporated all eagle claw moves and techniques.

During the Ming Dynasty, the abbot of a Shaolin monastery, who was a proficient eagle claw practitioner, incorporated gymnastic moves and combined it with northern shaolin. He then taught the system to a Beijing resident named Lau Si Jun, who in turned trained Lau sing Yao, who then trained Gini´s father´s uncle, Lau Kai Mun. He in turn, passed the system to Gini´s father, who became grandmaster upon Lau Kai Mun´s death.

Gini´s father, a soldier by trade, left Beijing and moved to Guangshou. He quickly established a reputation as a fighter, and his successes in competition popularized the eagle claw system. He also began to instruct the Nationalist Chinese army and various local police departments. Before world War II, he had achived the rank of general.

During World War II, he became the leader of the notorious "group of 19 enemies", who harassed the Lapanese throughout the occupation period.

After China fell to the communist regime, Gini´s father emigrated to Hong Kong. A good friend of Chang Kai-shek, he would travel to Taiwan every year to train Chang´s army. When Gini´s father died in 1964, Gini disguised herself as a boy and made the yearly sojourn to the island to teach the army. Gini´s older sister, Lilly Lau, became grandmaster upon their father´s passing.

Moving to America

Gini, who started her training at the age of 4, attended the Beijing Opera Company as a student. This is the same training ground which turned out two of her more famous classmates, Jackie Chan and Samo Hung.

As a successful preformer with the opera company, Gini got her first taste of american life. The opera company performed in the U.S. She instantly liked it better there so when she retired from the opera company, she relocated to California.

She appeared in several films, including Killer Elite, but primaraly made her living passing on her family´s legacy.

Later, Ginis sister also moved to California.

"We have kept the forms precise throughout the centuries", says Gini. "In China after the revolution, most martial artists were killed off, and a lot of knowledge was lost. We can gurantee authentic kung fu becourse our system was handed down through the family".

Eagle Claw characteristics

Eagle claw is a complete system. Practitioners utilize strikes, grappling, throwing and sweeping. The eagle claw exponent resebles the system´s namesake in terms of moving in and out of a confrontation. This gives the stylist the advantage of not being limitid to infighting or outfighting, but rather flowing from one method to the next.

The sysem´s trademark is the claw-like application of the fingers. An eagle claw stylist is familiar with muscle and tendon insertations troughout the body. Given an opening, talon-like fingers can actually tear muscle from the bone, rendering a foe helpless.

"I´ve been doing finger exercise all my life to build up hand strength", states Gini.

"A strong grip is one of the body´s most effective weapons. If you can break or tear the muscles and nerves of the hand, the forearm, the arm or the leg, you can stay out of range of your opponent´s other weapons. You have him at your mercy".

Beginning eagle claw practitioner must repeatedly practise forms. When they are ready, they learn the striking and sweeping aspects of the art. The throwing aspects are reserved for more advanced stylists.

"Throwing is very deadly" ,Gini points out. "But Throws take perfect timing to execute". Once a person becomes adept at throws, he learnes the finer points of grappling and groundfighting.

"It´s important to be able to fight from any position, in wide space or limited space, under any set of circumstances", Gini belives. "Originally, most system of kung fu were this complete, but the complete systems are no longer being taught because the knowledge was lost".

Gini Lau today

Gini Lau resides in the peacful California suburb of Vallejo, where she runs here own studio. She´s been teaching in that community since 1975. Gini Lau embodies the spirit and enthusiasm of her kung fu ancestors. And, somewhere, those ancestors are smiling proudly on their daugther.