Five creatures, five fighting styles

The karate students at Villari's Self-Defense Center of Somerville, Mass. practiced techniques associated with five animal fighting styles -- dragon, crane, tiger, leopard and snake -- on Thursday night. These techniques ranged from powerful tiger thrusts to swift leopard strikes to slithery snake moves to in-flight crane swoops to mighty dragon movements. It was quite a menagerie of techniques!

Tiger Claw

"Then imitate the action of the tiger..." -Shakespeare

Don't forget to twist your hand (or paw) in completing the Tiger Claw strike!

Leopard Strike

A kitty with punching power!

This cartoon shows the Leopard Strike in karate, done by an actual leopard (who just happens to have a black belt!).