FIGHTING DRAGON TEE - BLACK

Fighting Dragon - The Back Story

The Chinese dragon, unlike its more war-like and evil European counterpart, is a symbol of power, strength, and good luck. They symbolize potent and auspicious powers - and are said to have control over water. Rainfall, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods – all these fall under their realm.

Buddhists considered the dragons to be benevolent beings, but just as water destroys, so too can dragons destroy with their influence of floods, tidal waves, and storms. Some of the worst floods, they believed, were caused by a mortal upsetting a dragon.

Shaolin Buddhists understood the dragon to represent enlightened truth. It could be felt, but never, ever heard. The Taoists even saw the dragon as manifestation of the Tao itself. “The Dragon reveals himself only to vanish,” they believed.

In combat, those who understand their techniques (instead of just memorizing them) and are able to adjust their movements in accordance with their opponent’s are said to be fighting “dragon style,” as opposed to “tiger style,” which is simply brute strength and the memorization of movement. The most effective method of “dragon style” fighting is the ability to disguise the attack, making it incredibly difficult for the opponent to counter.