Martial Arts Styles For All Generations

Discover The Many Variations And Martial Arts Styles Of Kung Fu

Kung Fu is known to everyone the world over as being a very traditional, spiritual and powerful martial art style. It is not a straight forward martial art though, there are many variations of it that add to its mystique and popularity. The great Bruce Lee even invented his own style Jeet Kune Do which in its own right is a very popular form of the art. So what are the main styles available?

The White Crane Method

This is considered one of the most elegant styles of Kung Fu. It is derived from the crane bird found in marsh land in China. The defence mechanisms of the White Crane are simply astounding, both in terms of effectiveness and beauty.  It is not an easy style to master however, it can take years for a student to become proficient in. they are however relatively simple techniques which focus heavily on the self-defence aspect and how to avoid an attack. The philosophy of this method is to avoid a confrontation where necessary and only to retaliate if there is no other choice.

Wing Chun

This is one of the most popular methods practiced in Kung Fu; it is often where children start to learn the art of Kung Fu that they start with Wing Chun. It is designed to get the opponent to attack, then the student will neutralise the threat by striking the arms so the student can taken them out. Wing Chun concentrates heavily on using the body’s flow of energy much like Tai Chi. It is designed to use mainly your arms and hands to deflect strikes in a fluid arc. It is extremely powerful when used in close proximity to an opponent and very aggressive. It turns the opponents attack on them. It is quite an unconventional method compared to other self-defence styles such as Hapkido and Jiu-Jitsu.

Hung Gar

Hung Gar is based around a version of the 5 animal system, primarily the Tiger. This is a very effective and aggressive style at its best in close combat. A lot of martial arts are taught at a distance and are not as geared up to close combat fighting such as Taekwondo. Hung Gar is extremely effective if you backed into a corner.

Praying Mantis

There is a story behind this one. Approximately four centuries ago a man called Wang captured a praying mantis and studied its movements in intricate detail. He was able to gather from his research a style in which he could attack and defend based on this creature. This again forms one of the 5 animal system of Kung Fu which is very popular and effective.

The Monkey

Another of the 5 animal kung fu styles. You can even find it laughable thinking of a martial art based upon a monkey, but don’t be fooled. It is known the world over as one of the most effective and dangerous martial arts today. It was founded back in the 1840’s when a group of missionaries were first allowed passage into mainland China. It has a curious beginning when first created. It began when a local man called See known to be a law abiding citizen was resisting arrest and accidentally killed an officer. He was then sentenced to prison. In this prison they had a partition of prison apes (don’t ask me why). He found there agility and movements amazing and continued to watch them for the period of his sentence of ten years. In this time though he studied how the apes defended themselves against an attack from another ape and how they would fight each other. Once he was released he adapted all he had learnt and brought to life his own monkey system and he was then thereafter known as the monkey master. Even though this style was born under unusual circumstances it is till widely used today and is an extremely effective and aggressive method when used on the offensive.

There are many martial arts styles available in this day and age but you cannot go far wrong with Kung Fu, no matter which style you choose. 
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