Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Artistic Video
• VHS Release Date: June 1, 1989
• Run Time: 45 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302998964
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,087 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Featuring Bob Stannells. By Artistic Video, Sound Beach, NY. 1989

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good beginner's video, May 22, 2004

By 

magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: White Crane Kung-Fu [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This would make a good beginner's introduction to the art of White Crane. Sifu Stannels shows basic techniques, demonstrating stances, strikes, and kicks, then shows a long form, which is presented several times. At the end of the video a two-man form is presented by a couple of his students, including a women student who moves quite well. You'll notice many of the kicks are high, requiring greater flexibility than some other southern styles of kung-fu such as Wing Chun, Hung Gar, and so on, which do mainly low kicks.

White Crane is considered an exceptionally refined form of kung-fu, but as this is a beginner's video that really isn't evident here. Also, White Crane incorporates Monkey Style techniques too, so, contrary to popular conception, White Crane isn't really a pure style itself (supposedly it was developed by a Chinese physician who observed a crane and a monkey fighting, the crane trying to drive the monkey off who was trying to raid the crane's nest and steal its eggs). However, compared to northern Praying Mantis, which supposedly incorporates 18 different styles, or O-Mei kung-fu, which supposedly incorporates hundreds, it's relatively pure in its influences. I like that aspect of it, since you can see the original animal influences much more clearly.

The White Crane style is important historically for another reason. It influenced the development of Okinawan karate in that several styles there, including Shorin-ryu and Goju, incorporate White Crane forms known as the Hakutusuru katas. I know of at least three of those although there may be more, and there are variations also that were taught by different masters, so I don't really know exactly how many there are, but nevertheless, White Crane had an important influence on karate as well. Go Ken Ki was the White Crane master who travelled to Okinawa and passed on his art to a number of people there.

We also know that the Kusanku form was passed on by a Chinese military attache by the same name in the late 1700s, but I don't know what the origin of that form was, although it certainly has some White Crane-like moves. But getting back to the present video, this video will give you a basic introduction to the art. It's also shot in some nice outdoor locations in England with reasonably good sound and other production values, and two-man form at the end is done to music.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Early video on this style, February 12, 2008

By 

magellan (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: White Crane Kung Fu (DVD)

This video is good as a basic introduction to this style. It came out 15 or more years ago on VHS, if I remember right. The overall production quality and level of performance might not be as polished as what you would see today in most martial arts videos, but for it's time it was a good introduction to the style. A basic white crane form is presented, and a two-man form is shown which was interesting as it shows the footsweeps. The white crane style has very many forms, like choy li fut, and I don't know what this one is as I'm not expert at this style, but it would have been nice if they had said which one it is. Also shown are the basic stances, footwork, hand and foot techniques. White crane is considered a very refined style of kung fu. In such a brief introduction, it's impossible to go into that level here, but overall, a decent intro to the style from a time when there wasn't much else out there.