SnowTiger Combat Systems [STCS] is an eclectic combat art, derived from ancient martial disciplines, considered by many as the "holy grail" of the martial arts, it remains enshrouded in much mystery and secrecy. The art first became known to practitioners in the United Stated by Dr. Robert Hill who passed suddenly in 1982.

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As much controversy still surrounds this art, topics related to its origins and lineage are debated, but for its lethal effectiveness. It is the one thing that all practitioners and admirers alike (even critics), agree on - and that is the brutal effectiveness of SnowTiger and its truly impressive method of attack & defense, uniquely identifiable movement and brilliant entry & exit within the combat space.

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Where did it come from? Who did Dr. Hill train with? Where did Dr. Hill train... are all questions that keep practitioners and interested enthusiasts searching for answers. While many of those that have trained with Dr. Hill in the past have from slightly varying to completely differing accounts of his story and answers to those questions, this is an eyewitness account of the story of SnowTiger and Dr. Robert Hill, from Grandmaster Lee Cunningham.

Some assert that it originated out of areas of South East Asia, it did not, in actuality the style originated out of Shaolin, China; It is clear, however, that Grand Master, Lee Cunningham, has taken this revolutionary and evolutionary art to a level that cannot be disputed.

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Grand Master Cunningham's evolution of the art has seen to effectively break the style up into varying degrees of lethal application, comprising of five core components - Combat, Military, Law Enforcement, Self-defense & Sport / MMA. Having been derived from an ancient Chinese assassin’s art, SnowTiger was known as a lethal assassin’s system because the ‘kill’ is so quick; with students being taught to affect lethal kill techniques within 3 seconds.

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Beginning students are introduced to a carefully selected repertoire of various & complimentary styles of martial disciplines, ending, after the black belt stage, with a migration into the SnowTiger animal systems. Within each system, 9 animal combat styles coagulate to provide an impressive martial and combat discipline.

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It must be noted that SnowTiger was an assassin's art, developed and maintained in Shaolin as a secret art, based on the need to have their assassins kill within a 3 second window, without weapons.

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The original art was refined by the monks of Shaolin who became much more expert than the military men that applied the technique in battle. Many who are exposed to SnowTiger all ask the same question..."why is SnowTiger so different than all other martial disciplines and so effective in its application?"...

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Simply put - SnowTiger was developed as a Military Science arising out of a need for excellence & effectiveness in combat, where the result ended in death within 3 seconds, without use of weapons. It is oriented toward the "3-second kill" or "quick kill" approach. Broken down into animal specialties, the distinct animal systems were developed to address the individual’s physiological & psychological make up with each student mastering the animal system that best suited their natural tendencies and made it easier to learn based on instinctive proclivities.

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Grand Master Cunningham took Dr. Hill's sophisticated method of teaching SnowTiger and developed an approach designed for the beginning student to enter the complicated nature of SnowTiger much more effectively, with lasting results. He broke the combat application of SnowTiger into three distinct subsets:

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Combat Technique Application:

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1. Neutralization

2. Power Skill (the drive phase - strike to disable)

3. Application of Kill Technique (strike against resistance)