The cobra has the fastest strikes of any of the fighting animals. It is known for fang strikes, hood strikes, and percussionary strikes. It uses what is called a circling pagoda motion, a motion totally unique to the cobra. The fact that the strikes of the cobra rebound from one to the other makes them incredibly fast. Each strike adds more power to the next as energy is rebounded off of the opponent into the next strike
Because the cobra has no feet, the cobra shifu has no stances. He utilizes a floating foot motion at all times. Because he has no stances, he typically uses the opponents mass to move him where he wants to go. Rather than set into a stance and drive like most other beasts, he will use his strikes to change his direction. He maintains an attack on an opponents centerline by shifting with the motion of the opponent.
The strikes are propelled with a whipping motion. Often times the body will snap and project the chi in a whipping fashion out the strike. Much of the energy is created as the strike pushes off of the opponent to be fed into the next strike. Because the cobra has no legs, he must have a constantly shifting centerline. If he did not, he would be balanced and neutralized at center and unable to strike. While the crane can easily strike from a centered position, the cobra cannot. A crane sits flat footed enabling him to center on that foot, a cobra sits arched on his tail and therefore must stay in motion to be effective.
A cobra shifu is capable of hitting his opponent twelve or more times per second. Actually, it is more accurate to say six or more times per half second as the cobra shifu will rarely sustain an attack longer. But do not be fooled that because of the speed, the power is diminished. Every one of those strikes is a devastating blow. But together they are even more destructive in that they force the opponent into the next blow.
Because the circles of the cobra are tight, the cobra tends to be a head hunter. This is because the head is small enough to allow for very small circled fast strikes. This does not mean that he never attacks the body, he can just as easily attack the body. He just generally finishes by attacking the head as his circle tightens. This bouncing percussionary motion rattles the brain and causes a punch drunk reaction in the opponent in mere seconds.
The chi of the cobra flows in small circles. It may enter the body in one place and exit another. Or it may circle around inside of the body and attack various organs with one strike.
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