Why are there so many styles of kung fu?

and what makes them all kung fu?|||1) Because the ancient land was called Ch%26#039;n, now China. It encompassed all of Asia, including Korea, japan china etc..... now that%26#039;s alot of warrior sects. And many of these sects had various ways of ancient combat. Today we see alot of styles, and if any of these styleswere in the same demographic area now called China, it would have been called Kung Fu, regardless how the style fought- be it Kick Punch- grappling , etc. That%26#039;s why some KF%26#039;s are very effective and some not. Shuai is effective wrestling from China, and the term Kung Fu applies here in America as much as it does when we call San Da Kung Fu or Wu Shu or Shaolin. A cool note is that most Southern Chinese styles are more upper body orienated due to the cold weather and heavy clothing, that is hand boxing. And Nothern due to warmer climate has more kicking to it.


2) Kung Fu simply means good work, and when a person in the old days could perform well in this manner, everyone considered it good work. Like a Knight in armor is respected.|||Well for your first part of your question is simple, for the same reason there are so many automobile manufactures ...choices ... and for the other question, circular hand movements and kicks plus the broad use of weapons.|||There are so many styles because China is huge, vastly populated and separated by mountains and such. Each little pocket of civilization developed their own means of self-defense.


Kung fu is Chinese for martial art.|||kung fu is used as a general term for chinese martial arts. that alone should answer your question. all forms of chinese martial arts are usually referred to kung fu.





many(not all) kung fus are based off of acting like things such as animals; crane, mantis, tiger, monkey, etc... also people such as drunken boxing, you can see how the styles can add up quickly. also martial arts tend to vary by region too and china is a HUGE country.





http://www.majorsmartialarts.com/terms.h...|||Because Kung fu is a term, that describes Chinese martial arts.





There are many styles and martial arts in China, and they use %26quot;kung fu%26quot; to refer to all of them.





It%26#039;s similar to using %26quot;kickboxing%26quot; to all martial arts that include kick and punch strikes in their curriculum, or %26quot;boxing%26quot; to any striking art with your fists.|||Kung Fu isn%26#039;t just one art, but a group of many that were taught in the Shaolin(Little Pine Tree Forest) Temples of China. The different %26quot;styles%26quot; are simply different ways of looking at the same thing. In every sub-style of Kung Fu, the martial artist learns the same art, but in different ways. Some styles are names after animals. Tiger, for power and ferocity, Crane for balance and grace, Praying Mantis for speed and patience, Dragon for spinning and skill as well as riding the wind, Bear for the way it uses size and weight against opponant, Snake for Chi and felxibility, Leopard for timing and footwork, Eagle for swooping and determination, a list that can go on seemingly forever. Kung Fu all originates from one simple, fighting art style, but has devided just as human devide ourselves for the reason that we are foolish creatures.|||Because many families in China developed their own styles and forms.|||So much cultural diversity exists in China and neighboring countries. All developed hand to hand combat techniques to suit their situations. The overlying factor for so many hand to hand arts was the lack of ability to use weapons in self defense. In some cases this was by their political rulers and in other cases by religious conviction.