List Of Kung Fu Fighting Styles

"Kung fu" is a general term referring to Chinese martial arts; no two schools or styles are alike. Styles can be broken down generally into northern and southern styles; they are also categorized as hard, or external, and soft, or internal. Different fighting styles are unique; the strategies of one style may be best suited to your personality, body type and natural abilities. A sifu, or kung fu instructor, can help you find the style that best fits you -- though learning all styles makes you the best fighter you can be.

Hung Gar

Hung Gar is a hard, southern style. A traditional Hung Gar school teaches low stances, hard blocks and many of the moves you see in movies about the Shaolin temple. Hung Gar is both an internal and external art, though most schools teach the external applications of forms and sparring instead of the internal chi development. The external practice is taught in the five animal styles of kung fu: dragon, tiger, snake, crane and leopard. Some schools focus only on one of the five animals, though many teach all five. Each animal style has its own particular fighting characteristics and movements.

Wing Chun

Wing Chun is a southern style of kung fu that was invented by a Buddhist nun; it is possibly the most well-known because of Bruce Lee. At a Wing Chun school, you will learn Wing Chun fighting techniques, which employ low kicks, quick movements and close-in fighting techniques. From Wing Chun, Bruce Lee created his own style, called Jeet Kune Do. There are many Jeet Kune Do schools in existence today.

Choy Lee Fut

Schools of Choy Lee Fut, a southern style, teach the five animals but with more circular movements that make it similar to northern kung fu. Choy Lee Fut is mainly an external style that incorporates softness for whipping-like motions of the body during the use of crane techniques. Choy Lee Fut also utilizes a deep horse stance, similar to Hung Gar and Chin Na grappling techniques. Chin Na is a Chinese martial art that uses wrestling, joint locks and grappling.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is an internal style of kung fu. What you might see old people practicing in your local park is not Tai Chi as a martial art. Although Tai Chi is a soft style, it is designed for fighting. Tai Chi consists of forms, weapons and a style of sparring called Push Hands. Push Hands is a two-person exercise that teaches a student to find the opponent's center and take him off-balance without using force. Tai Chi for health and relaxation is a positive activity for many people, but it is not kung fu.

Competition Fighting

Some kung fu schools focus on training students for competitions instead of real fighting. Martial-arts competitions award trophies for forms, weapons and sparring. Training for competition is different than training for real-life combat -- competitions have rules, such as no hard contact and no striking the joints, eyes or groin. Specific rules vary by competition, based on the preference of the person or organization running the tournament.