Styles of Chinese martial arts
- For a list of styles, see list of Chinese martial arts.
Hundreds of different styles of Chinese martial arts have developed over the past two thousand years, many distinctive styles with their own sets of techniques and ideas. Also, there are many themes common to different styles that lead many to characterize them as belonging to generalized "families" (家, jiā) of martial art styles. There are styles that mimic movements from animals and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies. Some styles put most of their focus into the belief of the harnessing of qi energy, while others concentrate solely on competition and exhibition.
Chinese martial arts can be split into various categories to differentiate them: For example, external (外家拳) and internal (内家拳) (or hard (剛) and soft (柔)). Chinese martial arts can also be categorized by location, as in northern (北拳) and southern (南拳) as well, referring to what part of China the styles originated from, separated by the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang); Chinese martial arts may even be classified according to their province or city. The main perceived difference about northern and southern styles is that the northern styles tend to emphasize kicks, jumps and generally fluid and rapid movement, while the southern styles focus more on strong arm and hand techniques, and stable, immovable stances and footwork. Examples of the northern styles include Changquan and the sword and broadsword routines used in contemporary Wushu competitions, and examples of the southern styles include Nanquan, Houquan (monkey style) and Wing Chun. Chinese martial arts can also be divided according to religion, imitative-styles (像形拳), and more.
External styles (外家拳 wàijiāquán)
These styles are what most people associate with Chinese martial arts. They are generally fast and explosive, focusing on physical strength and agility. External styles can be both the traditional styles focusing on application and fighting, as well as the modern styles adapted for competition and exercise. Examples of external styles are Shaolinquan, with its direct explosive attacks and high-kicking aerial maneuvers from which is developed the Korean Taekwondo, and the many animal styles inspired by the movements of certain animals. External styles begin with a training focus on muscular power, speed and application, and generally integrate their qigong aspects in advanced training, after their desired "hard" physical level has been reached.
Internal styles (內家拳 nèijiāquán)
Internal styles focus on the practice of what they call "internal" elements, such as awareness of the spirit, mind, qi (breath, or energy flow) and the use of relaxed leverage rather than unrefined muscular tension, tension that soft stylists call "brute force". While the principles that distinguish internal styles from the external were described at least as early as the 18th century by Chang Nai-chou, the modern terms distinguishing external and internal styles were first recorded by Sun Lutang; who wrote that Taijiquan, Baguazhang, and Xingyiquan were internal arts. Later on, others began to include other styles in this definition, including Liuhexinyiquan, Liu He Ba Fa and Yiquan.
Some internal stylists say that the difference between internal and external for them is mostly the distinction of the inside and the outside of the body. The reason for the label "internal," according to most schools, is that there is a focus on the internal aspects earlier in the training, once these internal relationships are apprehended (the theory goes) they are then applied to the external applications of the styles in question. Because of the extended periods of time that beginning students are expected to work on very basic principles in most internal schools, and perhaps also the prevalence in recent years of many Western "New Age" oriented schools who are accused by traditionalists of emphasizing philosophy and speculation at the expense of hard work (see the next paragraph), many people believe internal styles lack "external" physical training. In the older schools, however, much time is spent on basic physical work, such as stance training (zhan zhuang), stretching and strengthening of muscles, as well as on empty hand and weapon forms which can contain quite demanding coordination from posture to posture. Also, many internal styles have basic two-person training, such as pushing hands. Some forms in internal styles are performed slowly, though some also include sudden outbursts of explosive movements, such as those the Chen style of Taijiquan is famous for teaching earlier than some other styles (e.g. Yang and Wu). The reason for the generally slow pace is to improve coordination and balance by increasing the work load, and to require the student to pay minute attention to their whole body and its weight as they perform a technique. At an advanced level, and in actual fighting, internal styles are performed quickly, but the goal is to learn to involve the entire body in every motion, to stay relaxed, with deep, controlled breathing, and to coordinate the motions of the body and the breathing accurately according to the dictates of the forms while maintaining perfect balance. Internal styles have been associated in legend and in much popular fiction with the Taoist monasteries of Wudangshan in central China.
Today, only a few traditional schools teaching internal styles train martially, even though such training was originally a part of all internal styles. Most schools teach forms that are practiced for the health benefits only, as this is what most modern students are looking for and as these students seldom have the time or devotion to reach far enough in their training to start focusing on the martial aspects. To condition oneself well enough to become adept at the internal style martial arts is a long-term proposition; many simply lose interest after a few years and never finish the program. Most have no hope as their teachers know little. Many people who have not fully learned the martial aspects of their style judge themselves qualified to teach what they do know publicly anyway, leading to a further diminution of the martial applications taught in many schools. Some of such instructors supplement what they are teaching with elements from other schools, internal and external, and their training becomes further removed from the original art. While this gradual watering-down of technique has made some external aspects of internal styles available for a wider audience who are interested in the purported health benefits of the internal schools, traditional schools see a complete martial syllabus as a fundamental, defining part of their art, both for health and self-defense purposes. They claim that while the students may not need to practice external applications to derive a benefit from the training, their teachers should know the applications well, to ensure that the movements are trained correctly, effectively and safely. For these reasons traditionalists feel that a school not teaching martial aspects somewhere in their syllabus cannot be said to be actually teaching the art itself, that they have "graduated themselves", and that they are much less likely to be able to reproduce the health benefits that have made complete internal systems famous in the first place.
Northern styles
Northern styles feature deeply extended postures—such as the horse, bow, drop, and dragon stances—connected by quick fluid transitions, able to quickly change the direction in which force is issued. It is said that northern styles put more focus on legwork, kicking and acrobatics. Some say this is because the northern Chinese were generally taller than those living in southern China, and that they made their styles take advantage of their greater range of motion, especially in their legs. Others claim that the terrain of northern China is more suitable to kicking techniques, or that the cold of the northern Chinese winter caused any focus upon hand techniques to be physically damaging to the practitioner's hands. Still other experts, hold that northern styles originally emphasized high kicks as an expedient against the Mongoloian occupation forces who often fought from horseback and could be easily unseated because they used "very short stirrups" (Peers and Sque, 45). An example of a northern style is the modern Changquan (Long Fist) that is the most popular style in the forms division in most contemporary Chinese martial arts competitions held around the world today. There are many northern styles; some of them are Northern Praying Mantis, Chuojiao, Bajiquan, Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Bayingquan, Eagle Claw, and Chaquan. Most Korean martial arts are analogous to Northern Chinese Style martial arts.
Southern styles
The southern styles are those that originate south of the Yangtze River. They are typified by the styles that belong to the related Fujian (Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors, Wing Chun) and Hakka (Southern Praying Mantis, Dragon) families of martial arts. As Leung Ting, the head of the WingTsun branch of Wing Chun, put it, the common features of the Fujian and Hakka martial arts are "that during fights, pugilists of these systems prefer short steps and close fighting, with their arms placed close to the chest, their elbows lowered and kept close to the flanks to offer it protection" (Leung, 1978, p. 30).
Even though Cantonese styles such as Choy Lee Fut and the Wong Fei-Hung lineage of Hung Kuen are classified as Southern and feature a characteristically Southern emphasis on the arms, their stances and routines, like those of Northern Chinese styles, are respectively wider and more complicated than those of Fujian and Hakka styles. High, narrow, pigeon-toed stances are more prominent in "old" or "village" styles of Hung Kuen but also appear in its Iron Wire Fist empty-hand routine.
There are sayings that because of their shorter height, the southern Chinese developed styles that were direct and powerful. Similarly, it is speculated that the dense urban population of the south and its humid climate made focusing on close-quarter hand techniques more practical there than the north's focus on jumping and kicking. A generalized Nanquan (Southern Fist) style has become a popular class in modern Chinese martial arts competitions. It is similar to Changquan (Long Fist) but includes more rapid punches and blocks, and fewer jumps.
The most popular Southern style is Wing Chun. Also known as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, it is characterized by short range power, centerline strategy and sticking and deflecting techniques. Its most famous student is Bruce Lee, whose teacher was Yip Man. Other Southern styles include Hung Gar and Choy Lee Fut.
Shaolin Kung Fu
The term "Shaolin" is used to refer to those styles that trace their origins to Shaolin, be it the original Shaolin temple in Henan Province, another temple associated with Shaolin, or even wandering Shaolin monks. More restrictive definitions include only those styles that were conceived on temple grounds or even just the original Henan temple proper. The broadest definition includes just about all external Chinese martial arts, though this has much to do with the attractiveness of the Shaolin "brand name".
Buddhist styles
Buddhist styles are those styles practiced mostly within Buddhist temples (primarily Chan Buddhist) or those styles created by Buddhist monks that later spread to laymen. These styles often include Buddhist philosophy, imagery, numbers, and principles. The most famous of these are the Shaolin (and related) styles, e.g. Shaolinquan, Luohanquan, Hung Gar, Wing Chun and White Crane.
Daoist styles
Daoist styles are popularly associated with Daoism, the credulous may believe that they were created or trained mostly within Daoist Temples or by Daoist ascetics, which often later spread out to laymen. These styles include those trained in the Wudang temple, and often include Daoist principles, philosophy, and imagery. Some of these arts include Taijiquan, Wudangquan, Baguazhang, Liu He Ba Fa and Huolongzhang.
Muslim styles
Muslim styles are those that were practiced traditionally solely or mainly by the Muslim Hui minority in China. These styles often include Muslim principles or imagery. Some of these styles include Chaquan, Xinyiliuhequan, and Qishiquan. ---