Tai Liu Chuan Fa is a southern, soft style form of Chinese Temple Boxing (Gung-Fu), which was taught to Sigung Saul Tallbear throughout his thirty-four year studies with Grandmaster Tien Kwai Suu of Kwangsi, China. Tai Liu Chuan Fa is an eclectic, southern form of Gung-Fu, which seems to resemble Wing Chun, Chin-Na, Eagle Claw, Southern Praying Mantis, and Mok Gar styles of Gung-Fu.
Tai Liu Chuan Fa could be described as a poison hand (pressure point), or soft hand style. Although it contains both yin and yang (soft and hard) elements, no real toughening is necessary to penetrate vital targets of your opponents’ anatomy. The laws of nature (i.e. physics) are applied against your aggressor ultimately, utilizing their own force, to cause his own demise. Like many Chinese systems of Gung-Fu, whose origins can be traced back to the Shaolin Temple, Tai Liu Chuan Fa is a family style of Gung-Fu passed down from generation to generation. Unlike Shaolin Sil-Lum (Ng Ying Ga), the animals are not the snake (she), crane (hao), dragon (lung), leopard (pao) and the tiger (hu), but are more in line with the Eagle and Southern Mantis. Whether or not the Eagle of the Tai Liu system is the same as the Northern Chinese Eagle Claw system (Bak Siu-Lum Kom Ma), one cannot be sure. As with many family-based systems, much of the history has been lost throughout the years. Some technical similarities could include joint locks, manipulations, and like most Gung-Fu systems, various stances and foot work.
The Southern Mantis aspect of the art is more apparent while observing the Tai Liu Chuan Fa practitioner in action. Although, it bears very little resemblance to its Northern Mantis counterpart, the Southern Mantis of Tai Liu Chuan Fa could be described as an inside, short hand fighting method. The attacks are designed to overwhelm their opponent with an onslaught of rapidly delivered strikes to vital points of the body. Properly aligned body mechanics, along with speed, are utilized for an effective delivery. Strikes are used as blocks and blocks are used as strikes. Therefore, the Tai Liu Chuan Fa practitioner rarely, if ever, chambers their strikes. In fact, the loading or chambering of a punch or kick, is often avoided and emphasis is placed on projecting through your target, all while utilizing what seems to mimic an off-balanced foot shifting, or body torque. Due to the preferred, close proximity of the strikes, full body torque must be utilized for maximum effect. Power is literally generated from the shifting of the feet, up through the legs, tan tien (lower abdomen), arms, and ultimately, out through the fist, like a whip, via the index finger knuckle (Phoenix Eye), torqueing palm strike, or the Tai Liu Chuan Fa trademark, vertical torqueing fist. The same can be said for Tai Liu Chuan Fa kicks. Unless utilizing a front snap ball kick, the foot, or instep, is usually kept relaxed. This total body relaxed state helps to better achieve the desired, physical elements of self defense techniques, such as accuracy, power, speed, and economy of motion, while simultaneously smothering your opponents’ offense and defense. Since force against force is not used, strength or an attempt to “muscle” a technique is not required. This makes Tai Liu Chuan Fa an excellent art for all body types and both sexes alike.
Over the years Sigung Tallbear has made minor modifications and additions to the Tai Liu Chuan Fa system to better meet the needs of a western society. The most notable change is seen within its ranking system. He feels most students need motivation and that any type of Chinese sash system would not work. For this reason, the Americanized “Karate belt” (white, yellow, purple, etc…) system of ranking is used In the Tai Liu Chuan Fa system.