Comparative Analysis of the 12 Rows and 10 Rows of Tan Tui

Many Long Fist styles use Tan Tui, commonly translated as Springing Leg, as the gateway, or Men Hu (門戶), in the Northern Long Fist Styles of Gong Fu, to building a foundation for more advanced training. The subject of this post is the Shi Er Lu Tan Tui (十二路潭腿) – 12 Rows Springing Leg, and the Shi Lu Tan Tui (十路彈腿) – 10 Rows Springing Legs.

Lu (路), in English, can be translated as Way, Road, Line or Row. I prefer Row. Also note that the Tan character in the 12 Rows appears as (潭) while in the 10 Rows it appears as (彈).

Origins of Tan Tui

There are many accounts of the origins of Tan Tui. Some stretch back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Other accounts credit the development of Tan Tui to different regions. What is certain is that the style gained popularity during the late Ming and throughout the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

There is a popular saying within Traditional Northern Long Fist Styles of Gong Fu that states: Nanjing Dao Beijing, Tan Tui Chu Zai Lingjing (南京到北京, 彈腿出在臨清), which translates as: From Nanjing to Beijing, Tan Tui Originated in Linqjing.

Another saying is Nanjing Dao Beijing, Tan Tui Chu Zai Hui Zu (南京到北京,彈腿出在回族), which means, From Nanjing to Beijing, Tan Tui Comes from the Huizu (Chinese Muslims).

The first lays claim to a Buddhist Monastery in Lingjing, in Shandong Province, as the locale from which Tan Tui originated. The second saying credits the development of Tan Tui to the Hui ethnic minority. These are two different routes, and various practitioners will claim different sources. Whatever the proposed version, neither can be truly verified.

Note: There are also various Chinese characters used for Tan to credit a place of origin, such as Long Tan Temple and even a master from Kunlun Mountain surnamed Tan.

The Spread of Shi Er Lu Tan Tui and Shi Lu Tan Tui

The 12 Rows Tan Tui was taught at the Jing Wu Tiyu Hui (精武體育會) – the Jing Wu Athletic Association in Shanghai. The 10 Rows Tan Tui was widely taught at the Zhong Yang Guo Shu Guan (中央國術館) – the Central Guo Shu Institute in Nanjing.

Contrary to popular belief, Huo Yuanjia (霍元甲, 1868-1910) was not responsible for the Jing Wu curriculum; he died shortly after joining Jing Wu. The master responsible for establishing the Jing Wu curriculum and propagating Tan Tui was Zhao Lianhe (趙連和,  (1883–1945), who oversaw the Martial Arts Department.

Many of the masters who migrated to Hong Kong and other parts of Southeast Asia spread the 12 Rows of Tan Tui that they learned at Jing Wu.

The 12 Rows of Tan Tui are taught in many Northern Styles that are popular in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, such as Eagle Claw, Northern Shaolin, and Mizong Luohan. Among the most renowned masters to teach the 12 Rows were Chen Zizheng (陳子正, 1878- 1933) and Ye Yuting (葉雨亭,1892-1972), but there were also others.

The 10 Rows of Tan Tui spread from the Nanjing Guo Shu were propagated by Wang Ziping (王子平,1881-1973), a Hui Chinese who was proficient in Cha Quan and other martial arts styles and was the head of the Shaolin Department.

After the fall of the National Government of the Republic of China in 1948, many masters who trained at Nanjing Guo Shu moved to Taiwan.  Among the most famous masters teaching the 10 Rows of Tan Tui in Taiwan were Chen Panling (陳泮嶺,1892-1967) and Han Chingtang (韓慶堂,1900-1976), but there were other teachers.

Note: Chen Panling had served as the deputy director of the Nanjing Guo Shu Guan for a time.

The Distinguishing Characteristics of the 12 Rows

Because the Jing Wu Association was established before the Guo Shu Guan, I will first describe the 12 Rows Tan Tui, which I learned from Alex Kwok more than 40 years ago.

The original Tan Tui taught at Jing Wu featured low kicking techniques that did not rise above the knee; the support leg was kept bent. This was to make it easier for beginners to learn. This can still be seen in early publications and in posters that were circulated in the 1970s. Some proponents of the Jing Wu Tan Tui still follow the original low kicking style, although that is no longer the usual case nowadays.

Each of the movements of the 12 Rows is repeated three times. The rows begin and finish with a vertical punch from a Ready Stance. For practice purpose and if space allows, each Row can be repeated 3, 6, 9 times and so forth.

A word about Jie Tan Tui (接潭腿) – Connecting Spring Leg

Jie Tan Tui is a fighting set where the techniques learned from the 12 Rows are practiced with a partner. To my knowledge, the Jing Wu Jie Tan Tui is the only set that practices the techniques in a prescribed manner with a partner. Personally, I believe that this implicit cooperation of practicing the Tan Tui limits the interpretation of potential applications to a predetermined set pattern and I don’t teach it to my students.

Tan Tui Men (潭腿門)

After Zhao Lianhe established the Jing Wu Curriculum, some people started referring to the 10 Standardized forms as Tan Tui Men. This distinction erroneously classifies Tan Tui as a separate style. The character Men (門), meaning Gate, is often used in Chinese martial arts to refer to a style, school, or system. This belief persists in some Chinese martial arts circles.

Refer to the post on The Jing Wu Athletic Association and the 10 Standard Forms on this Blog for more information.

The Distinguishing Characteristics of the 10 Rows

The 10 Rows of Tan Tui have different openings before the start of the first row. The Cha Quan opening can vary even among different branches of the same style and can differ from the opening practiced by Shaolin Long Fist exponents. I learned the Cha Quan Tan Tui from Li Enjiu, which I later compared and refined through discussions with martial arts friends such as Alex Liu.

Some branches of Cha Quan teach an advanced Tan Tui routine that is dynamic and contains many intricate skills and jump kicks.

Each of the movements of the 10 Rows is repeated twice, and, generally, each row begins and ends with a vertical or a flat punch delivered from a Crane Stance, which I prefer. For practice purpose and if space allows, each Row can be repeated 2, 4, 6 times and so forth.

Note: I will add videos of the first two rows of the Jing Wu and Cha Quan Tan Tui to show their differences and similarities. Eric Anderson is featured in the photos.

The 24 Essentials

The performance should adhere to the Er Shi Si Yao (二十四要) – the 24 Essentials, which are the same as those that apply to Northern Long Fist Styles. These include Si Ji (四擊) – the Four Attacks; Ba Fa (八法) – the Eight Methods; and Shi Er Xíng (十二型) – the Twelve Forms.

Note: It is beyond the scope of this article to describe the 24 Essentials in detail. They will be discussed in a separate post. 

Clarification notes from Shifu Alex Kwok regarding the characters used for the Jing Wu Tan Tui

The Chinese character used by the Shanghai Jing Wu for Tan Tui should be (潭) – Tán. It has nothing to do with a person or a place. It was used because it sounded the same as the original (彈) – Tán.

The character (彈) can mean plucking a musical instrument or the action of springing. Both are pronounced Tán in Northern China.

In Southern China, when (彈) is used for indicating the plucking of a musical instrument, it is pronounced Tán. But if (彈) is used to indicate the action of springing, as in Tan Tui, it is pronounced Dàn.

Shanghai is halfway between North and South, and many of the key people at the Shanghai Jing Wu spoke Cantonese. If the Jing Wu Association was to use the original characters (彈腿) as the name of the routine, the Southerners would pronounce it as Dàn Tuǐ, instead of Tán Tuǐ like the rest. By naming it (潭腿) – Tán Tuǐ, Northerners and Southerners will pronounce it the same.

Closing Comments

People often have different opinions about the origins or authenticity of what is traditional, or about the right and wrong way of practicing. What I have found is that, while some Tan Tui were spread from Jing Wu and others from the Guo Shu Guan, exponents of different styles will interject the characteristic features of that style in the practice of their Tan Tui. For example, the Tan Tui practiced by Ying Zhao Fan Zi and those practiced by Mizong Luohan practitioners differ, although they both derive from Jing Wu.

My appreciation goes out to Shifu Alex Kwok for his advice. I have referenced him often regarding Tan Tui. He is well versed in the subject as he served as the official Canadian Jing Wu representative for several decades and traveled often to the Jing Wu headquarters in Shanghai.