Mok Gar (莫家) is one of the five major family styles of Southern Chinese martial arts. It was developed by a Shaolin monk named Mok Da Si who later taught the art to his family in Kwantung province in China.Mok Ching Gill, the third generation inheritor of the system, defeated more than five hundred boxers in open challenges in Kwantung, cementing the fame of this style.
Mok Gar emphasizes shorthand fighting techniques and also powerful low kicking techniques. Mok Gar training also includes a full range of weapons training.
Mok Gar techniques are based on simplicity and using maximum leverage. These techniques are used for a smaller, weaker person to combat someone who is bigger and stronger.
Mok Gar Fighters are said to fight so close, it is said they fight chest to chest, cheek to cheek, breath to breath.
The Hung Gar lineage from Wong Fei Hung has influences of Mok Gar from his second wife Mok Gwan, who after the death of Wong Fei Hung ran his medical clinic until her death many years later.
The Mok Gar (Mo Family)
style is said to have originated with Monk
Mo Ta Shih as an inheritance of the Southern
Shaolin Fist. It gained fame three
generations later, in the Qing Dynasty, with
Mo Qing Chiu (also known as Mo Ta Chang) who
learned supposedly from a famous kicker,
Choy Kao Yi. Different generations boasted
masters such as Mo Lin Ying, Mo Fifth
Brother and Mo Ta Fen. The famous Wong Fei
Hung's wife was one Mok Kuei Lin, a member
of the Mok clan who had been studying since
childhood. Cantonese papers recorded her
fight with a would be rapist and the kick
that sent him sprawling. In the post war
period one Zheng Liang (Mandarin) was a
security garden for a linseed oil plant,
during the post war period. There was so
much unrest in the Hong Kong-Kwoonlun area
from the vast throngs of immirgrants that a
day did not go buy without a fist fight.
During serious struggles Sifu Zheng would
use a fish knife as a weapon for close
quarter work, rarely not leaving his
opponent dead or wounded. In modern times
the work has passed to Lin Yin Tang, one of
the "Three Tigers of the East
River." In Hong Kong the major exponent
was for a long time Chang Yung Hui, who was
elected vice-president of the Hong Kong Kung
Fu Association .
Mok Gar (Mo Jia) is
unusual for a Southern Style in that it
is renown for its kicks. One Mok
historical anecdote suggests how serious
this was. The ancestral offerings at the
tombs of the Mo family were very
important. Any family member would
travel a great distance to attend the
festival. The origin of the Mok Family
was Huo Kuang village, Tung Wan
District, Guang Dong. On the Pure and
Bright Festival around April, members of
the Mok Family would crowd into Huo
Kuang.
One year after festival
an argument broke out among the top
practitioners of the style. The topic?
Why must the shoulders be pulled back
and the waist elongated when throwing a
side kick? They couldn't come to a
conclusion so they had two members
consume some "hit medicine"
then go at it. After many engagements
they learned that with a shoulder pull
back and waist extension the side kick
will cause real injury. But without
these adjustments it will only hurt.
Then they corroborated their findings on
wooden panels.
Mok Gar is one of the five famous family
styles from Southern China. It was developed
by a Shaolin Monk named Mok Da Si and later
taught the art to his family in Kwantung, a
Southern province in China. The art was
later renamed from Shaolin Chuen to Mok Gar
after the third-generation Master Mok Ching
Gill.
Responsible for the widespread popularity of
Mok Gar, Mok Ching Gill defeated more than
five hundred boxers of various styles of
Kung Fu in Kwantung. This fame spread
throughout Southern China, making Mok Gar
one of the famous and effective styles of
Kung Fu. Mok Gar was known especially for
its powerful kicking techniques.
Although famous for its strong powerful
kicks, Mok Gar also emphasize on shorthand
fighting techniques. Training in Mok Gar
concentrates on building a tremendous amount
of stamina as well as the development of
power and flexibility in the legs.
Techniques to withstand kicks are also
taught to the students of this style.
Mok Gar training also includes a full range
of weapons training. This makes Mok Gar one
of the most effective and complete styles of
Kung Fu. Unlike some other styles of Kung
Fu, Mok Gar has been faithfully passed from
generation to generation without
modification.
Responsible for the widespread popularity of
Mok Gar, Mok Ching Gill defeated more than
five hundred boxers of various styles of
Kung Fu in Kwantung. This fame spread
throughout Southern China, making Mok Gar
one of the famous and effective styles of
Kung Fu. Mok Gar was known especially for
its powerful kicking techniques.