I%26#039;m 17, and I%26#039;m very interested in taking up a martial arts discipline such as Kung-Fu, but I worry that I%26#039;m too old to start, considering I probably won%26#039;t be able to do it until I%26#039;m 18 and have my own money to spend on it... I was just wondering if it is as easy to find classes for adults as it is for children? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but thanks for your help...|||Its even easier when your an adult to get real training from a credible facility. This is because most real facilities require you to be 18 or older to even be considered. The places that take anyone are just trying to make a buck. Look for a place that has strict admissions, where you will have to interview to be considered as a student (I would recommend wing chun discipline). You will find the best training there. Not a dumb question at all friend.|||Too old? No way too old, man! I%26#039;ve known cats that started in their late 20%26#039;s. Your age is a pretty good one to start because you%26#039;ll be allowed to learn the scarier more effective techniques that aren%26#039;t taught to minors. In the style I studied, you can%26#039;t have a black belt until you%26#039;re 18. With kids, we teach predominantly forms, weapon forms, and minor takedown and self defense techniques. Good luck, bruddah.|||You are at a perfect age, but if you train in a kung fu system it may take longer to learn than TKD, and other non Chinese systems. %26quot;Soft%26quot; systems like Ba-Gua,Tai Chi take even longer to learn but they will be well worth it. Just be patient.|||alright you can never really be %26quot;too%26quot; old to learn kung fu i have been training martial arts all of my life i can tell you a great school in richardson if u live in that area but back to the subject u can learn martial arts at any age so go for it dude!!!!!!!|||For the internal martial arts, one should be AT LEAST at the age of cognizance.
.|||No time but the present will do...of course youthful vigor and flexibility doesn%26#039;t make up for age old trickery...This is a quote from one of my teachers. He didn%26#039;t start until he was in the military at 18. He passed away 2 years ago at 83. It matters only at how long you stay on the trail...getting there though is half the battle...good luck...
Sensei Strickler|||This is not a dumb question dude.
I started training in Wing Chun when I was 22. Often I would reflect and think to myself that I wished that I had started earlier but then I realised that in order for me to get to the place that I needed to be in to be a dedicated Wing Chun practioner I had to wait until then, if I had discovered it even 6 months before I did then I don%26#039;t believe I would still be doing it today due to my priorities at the time.
Also beare this in mind...
If it is going to take you a week to get somewhere and you start today then next week you will be where you wanted to be today. But if you put it off for a week because it seems to far away then next week you will still be a week away from your destination.|||now|||The earlier the better. Remember if you start kung fu at age 17 then other 17 year olds who started at age 6 will have 11 years of experience over you.|||Actually you are at a perfect age to begin training. your body is still in the developmental stage. You will gain much balance and coordination as well as strength. It will be something that you will not regret. But definitely take it seriously and try your best to continue the program in which you get involved in. Try to join classes with those that are around the same age or older than you!|||17 is a perfect age to start training, your body is almost grown so tendons will develop and build your kung fu structure by the time your 21. You will benifit greatly as your body will be moulded to what you are trying to acheive, the perfect body mechanics for kung fu. I feel there is you can never be to old to train, aslong as you are willing to that is all that should matter. Have you thought of what style to persue. If you have not already decide do a web search for these classes in your area!
chow gar, pak hok, lung ying, bak mei and hung gar.
Good luck|||Well i have begining with 8 year old, now i have 14 i trainning karate on mondeys and frideys.
So i think u are ready.
good luck!|||The only dumb question is the question not asked. Teenage years are still very young! The earlier you get into martial arts the better but still. You know David Carradine from the two Kung -Fu shows? He didn%26#039;t start doing Kung Fu until the middle or end of the show. While filming he just learned what he had to and then he loved it so much he started taking classes and now he%26#039;s been doing it for around 30 years! It%26#039;s never too late to start! Good Luck!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Is Kung Fu really effective in a sticky situation?
Many teenagers (boys) enjoy to fight and %26#039;murk%26#039; other boys, these are normally chosen randomly, I live in a rough area and go to a rough school, I am not very strong either compared to these tough guys whom hate me for no reason, if I learned Kung-Fu, possibly a specific type, could I overcome them in a fight?
Daniel.|||Kung fu is a wonderful art. To tell you what style, it depends on what you are more comfortable with. Southern kung fu requires low stances and focuses on punching while northern kung fu focuses on kicking although it has many punching techniques. I study northern shaolin kung fu and i would recommend it. Also, see if it includes chin-na (joint locking) as this can be very useful. An example of this is if someone grabs your wrist, use your free hand to hold his hand on your wrist and move your hand inward and push on the top of the other persons wrist to put pressure on it (hopefully this makes sense).
Kung fu also strenghens your mind and will teach you to try to not fight and to use your energy wisely.
Hope this helps .|||I would suggest Kung Fu San Soo.
Kung Fu San Soo is a traditional and practical combat art.
According to %26quot;Inside Kung Fu Magazine%26quot;:
This is not a spectator sport. San Soo is a savagely effective fighting style that trains the warrior to instantly adapt to any combat situation. First, you have the brutally effective fighting style of kung-fu san soo, founded by grandmaster Jimmy H. Woo, a style that is popularly associated with the phrase, %26quot;Tread lightly, and carry a big stick.%26quot; This is not a sport or a game, but a warrior discipline. While some martial arts styles focus on a specific technique - as with judo for throws and karate for kicks and punches - san soo teaches the full family of techniques, which allows the fighter to adjust their style according to the situation they are in. The punches and kicks, the leverages, the nerve attacks, the takedowns - all directed to vital parts of the body - are executed in a perfect rhythm that can make the flow of movement compelling, even beautiful, to witness. But at its very core is also a raw brutality that emphasizes the san soo focus on self-defense.
%26quot;San soo is to the point,%26quot; describes Frater. %26quot;You go for the most critical, vulnerable points of the body. You eye gouge, you bite, you try to kick the joints out; you do things as brutally as you possibly can to get to the end of the fight as quickly as possible. Maximum results with minimal effort.%26quot;|||My opinion is: dont be let down just because you dont know kung fu.
If you dont think you can overcome them if you didnt learn it then learn it because then your mind thinks you can overcome them which means you%26#039;ll have more encouragement :D
But dont think just because you know kung fu you can just take down anybody (if you didnt already) because you have to train up your body to meet the requirements e.g. no point in learning how to fight if you didnt have the stamina to last a minute.
So i would advise you to train your body as well:D
Also, you should only attempt to fight these boys when they attack you first if you just go up to them and start attacking them they might get more people to get you the next day or something.
But on the otherhand maybe you dont need to take down these boys just because they hassle you. Have you tried talking to them? ( I know youll probably hear this from most people you tlak to but maybe it will work) or tried avoiding them until they dont hassle you anymore.
P.S i think you should learn kung fu even if your not going to use it in a fight because its good for the body and who knows when you going to need it?|||Kung Fu is a very effective martial art and would most likely significantly improve your chances of success if you got in a fight with these kids. Not only that, but just about any martial art increases your confidence and improves your self-esteem. I was bullied a lot in school (including high school) until I took martial arts and the bullying died quickly because I learned how to act confident and calm. Kung fu will hopefully not only teach you to fight physically but also explain how body language and psychological factors play into situation of violence and bullying.
Be sure to find a studio that teaches what you are looking for and is practical.
Best of luck.|||No, you wouldn%26#039;t, Kung Fu gives you skill but not confidence, you are relying too heavily on the art and not enough on yourself, to truly overcome them, you must believe that you can defeat them. if you must, a good martial art for many enemies at once would be Elephant, but seeing as my Sifu is the only man within a 2000 mile radius that teaches it, I%26#039;d go with Taekwondo for multiple enemies, not Gongfu.|||Learning kung-fu will definitely make you faster and stronger. Anyone with experience in combat will have an advantage over them. It can definitely help you get out of a tough situation. However, it is not good to engage in a street fight.
Best solution for a street fight: Block and back up and retreat|||yeah i think you should learn some kung fu. it will help you a bit if you get into a fight but you best defence would be to not be there at all. cant get beaten up if you are not there... so try avoid them. and dont fight unless there is no way for you to escape.|||I learned kickboxing and Karate and boxing. And when it came down to fighting in the street, it was more wrestling than anything else. But i use my hands more than my legs so i think boxing is the better sport. Try to avoid those idiots
Daniel.|||Kung fu is a wonderful art. To tell you what style, it depends on what you are more comfortable with. Southern kung fu requires low stances and focuses on punching while northern kung fu focuses on kicking although it has many punching techniques. I study northern shaolin kung fu and i would recommend it. Also, see if it includes chin-na (joint locking) as this can be very useful. An example of this is if someone grabs your wrist, use your free hand to hold his hand on your wrist and move your hand inward and push on the top of the other persons wrist to put pressure on it (hopefully this makes sense).
Kung fu also strenghens your mind and will teach you to try to not fight and to use your energy wisely.
Hope this helps .|||I would suggest Kung Fu San Soo.
Kung Fu San Soo is a traditional and practical combat art.
According to %26quot;Inside Kung Fu Magazine%26quot;:
This is not a spectator sport. San Soo is a savagely effective fighting style that trains the warrior to instantly adapt to any combat situation. First, you have the brutally effective fighting style of kung-fu san soo, founded by grandmaster Jimmy H. Woo, a style that is popularly associated with the phrase, %26quot;Tread lightly, and carry a big stick.%26quot; This is not a sport or a game, but a warrior discipline. While some martial arts styles focus on a specific technique - as with judo for throws and karate for kicks and punches - san soo teaches the full family of techniques, which allows the fighter to adjust their style according to the situation they are in. The punches and kicks, the leverages, the nerve attacks, the takedowns - all directed to vital parts of the body - are executed in a perfect rhythm that can make the flow of movement compelling, even beautiful, to witness. But at its very core is also a raw brutality that emphasizes the san soo focus on self-defense.
%26quot;San soo is to the point,%26quot; describes Frater. %26quot;You go for the most critical, vulnerable points of the body. You eye gouge, you bite, you try to kick the joints out; you do things as brutally as you possibly can to get to the end of the fight as quickly as possible. Maximum results with minimal effort.%26quot;|||My opinion is: dont be let down just because you dont know kung fu.
If you dont think you can overcome them if you didnt learn it then learn it because then your mind thinks you can overcome them which means you%26#039;ll have more encouragement :D
But dont think just because you know kung fu you can just take down anybody (if you didnt already) because you have to train up your body to meet the requirements e.g. no point in learning how to fight if you didnt have the stamina to last a minute.
So i would advise you to train your body as well:D
Also, you should only attempt to fight these boys when they attack you first if you just go up to them and start attacking them they might get more people to get you the next day or something.
But on the otherhand maybe you dont need to take down these boys just because they hassle you. Have you tried talking to them? ( I know youll probably hear this from most people you tlak to but maybe it will work) or tried avoiding them until they dont hassle you anymore.
P.S i think you should learn kung fu even if your not going to use it in a fight because its good for the body and who knows when you going to need it?|||Kung Fu is a very effective martial art and would most likely significantly improve your chances of success if you got in a fight with these kids. Not only that, but just about any martial art increases your confidence and improves your self-esteem. I was bullied a lot in school (including high school) until I took martial arts and the bullying died quickly because I learned how to act confident and calm. Kung fu will hopefully not only teach you to fight physically but also explain how body language and psychological factors play into situation of violence and bullying.
Be sure to find a studio that teaches what you are looking for and is practical.
Best of luck.|||No, you wouldn%26#039;t, Kung Fu gives you skill but not confidence, you are relying too heavily on the art and not enough on yourself, to truly overcome them, you must believe that you can defeat them. if you must, a good martial art for many enemies at once would be Elephant, but seeing as my Sifu is the only man within a 2000 mile radius that teaches it, I%26#039;d go with Taekwondo for multiple enemies, not Gongfu.|||Learning kung-fu will definitely make you faster and stronger. Anyone with experience in combat will have an advantage over them. It can definitely help you get out of a tough situation. However, it is not good to engage in a street fight.
Best solution for a street fight: Block and back up and retreat|||yeah i think you should learn some kung fu. it will help you a bit if you get into a fight but you best defence would be to not be there at all. cant get beaten up if you are not there... so try avoid them. and dont fight unless there is no way for you to escape.|||I learned kickboxing and Karate and boxing. And when it came down to fighting in the street, it was more wrestling than anything else. But i use my hands more than my legs so i think boxing is the better sport. Try to avoid those idiots
Which do you tihnk is better, or tell me the difference between Kung Fu and Wushu?
I would like to know the answer to my question. I am thinking about starting but I don%26#039;t really know the difference besides the fact that Kung Fu is for fighting and Wushu is for performance reasons. Thanks for your time.|||Oh dear... Ok... Number 1. Kung Fu and Gung Fu are the same thing and mean the same thing (just different spelling or pronounciation).
%26amp; number 2. Most %26quot;kung fu%26quot; styles also train weapons. There are about 16 (at least most likely hundereds of different variations, essentially there are only really 3 different types of weapons) I think off the top of my head in Shaolin alone.
Now onto your question... The difference between Kung Fu and Wu Shu? Essentially nothing...
Kung Fu translates to %26quot;aquired skill%26quot; where as Wu Shu is the actual Chinese word for what we can Kung Fu.
In most cases these days Wu Shu is more sport foccussed, but they still come from traditional martial arts, Many %26quot;shaloin monks%26quot; are actually from the chinese institute of sports. A school teaching Wu Shu will likely teach you many different styles/forms of kung fu and also some fancy gymnastic type stuff to, whereas most things that call them selves something specific for example Wing Chun Kung Fu, will just teach you one style.
Just have a look around and figure out what is best for you. I learn Wing Chun myself as it focusses more on realism and for fun I just do gymnatics as that%26#039;s pretty much what they add to Wu Shu for show, though they do also do traditional styles and sparring. If you want something cool to show your friends go Wu Shu, but chicks aren%26#039;t really impressed by it sorry to say lol.|||all i know is that kung uses only arms and legs while wu shu uses weapons such as swords etc.|||Kung Fu is Bruce Lee%26#039;s Martial Arts that is not a discipline in Olympics but wushu is an Olympic Discipline|||they are both arts.
kung fu - literally translated is %26quot;skill%26quot;
wushu - literally translated is %26quot;dance%26quot;
both are beautiful, disciplined, and strong.
good luck with either one!|||%26quot;Wushu%26quot; is coined by mainland China to encompass all martial arts and Chinese Wushu can be mainly divided into two subsets. Subset %26quot;Chuantong Wushu%26quot; or %26quot;Traditional Wushu%26quot; ideally refers to the classical martial arts styles that haven%26#039;t been tainted with competition requirements but are taught for effectiveness. %26quot;Xiandai Wushu%26quot; or %26quot;Modern Wushu%26quot; is essentially flashy performance and competition sets with no applicability at one extreme and kickboxing-like Sanda in the other extreme with no moderation in between as most Modern Wushu practitioners train in either one or the other but not both. (The western world generally use %26quot;Wushu%26quot; in references to Modern Wushu performance routines, %26quot;Sanda%26quot; to mean the Modern Wushu contact sports, and %26quot;KungFu/GungFu/GongFu%26quot; to mean Traditional Wushu.)|||Ok, for one, Bruce lee started out in Gung Fu, not Kung Fu. Yes he did know Kung Fu, but he knew Gung Fu well before he did Kung Fu. I dont consider either better than the other. Kung Fu uses the opponents energy against themselves. And it is a very powerful art. As for Wushu, people make the misconception that is it only a performance art. Look at Jet Li, he is a master of Wushu. I have been in the MA%26#039;s for many years, and I am smart enough to know that he would probably, with not too much problem, beat me. Both would be excellent to learn. Both have much knowledge and power. Both would be excellent for Self defense.|||Wushu is a type of Kung Fu. When communist China banned all religious schools from accepting new students the effectively killed Kung Fu within their borders. Realizing this they changed their policy in regards to the Shaolin temple. They also formed a new martial art based on traditional Kung Fu styles that they blended together to form Wushu.
Wushu is very fluid and pretty but not as practical a fighting style as real Kung Fu. Sanshou, the sparring counterpart to Wushu is now considered a separate art and is more realistic.|||kung fu incompass all chinese martial arts, wu shu is kung fu, wu shu is the national art of china
meekoe2
11 degree chain belt|||same thing
%26amp; number 2. Most %26quot;kung fu%26quot; styles also train weapons. There are about 16 (at least most likely hundereds of different variations, essentially there are only really 3 different types of weapons) I think off the top of my head in Shaolin alone.
Now onto your question... The difference between Kung Fu and Wu Shu? Essentially nothing...
Kung Fu translates to %26quot;aquired skill%26quot; where as Wu Shu is the actual Chinese word for what we can Kung Fu.
In most cases these days Wu Shu is more sport foccussed, but they still come from traditional martial arts, Many %26quot;shaloin monks%26quot; are actually from the chinese institute of sports. A school teaching Wu Shu will likely teach you many different styles/forms of kung fu and also some fancy gymnastic type stuff to, whereas most things that call them selves something specific for example Wing Chun Kung Fu, will just teach you one style.
Just have a look around and figure out what is best for you. I learn Wing Chun myself as it focusses more on realism and for fun I just do gymnatics as that%26#039;s pretty much what they add to Wu Shu for show, though they do also do traditional styles and sparring. If you want something cool to show your friends go Wu Shu, but chicks aren%26#039;t really impressed by it sorry to say lol.|||all i know is that kung uses only arms and legs while wu shu uses weapons such as swords etc.|||Kung Fu is Bruce Lee%26#039;s Martial Arts that is not a discipline in Olympics but wushu is an Olympic Discipline|||they are both arts.
kung fu - literally translated is %26quot;skill%26quot;
wushu - literally translated is %26quot;dance%26quot;
both are beautiful, disciplined, and strong.
good luck with either one!|||%26quot;Wushu%26quot; is coined by mainland China to encompass all martial arts and Chinese Wushu can be mainly divided into two subsets. Subset %26quot;Chuantong Wushu%26quot; or %26quot;Traditional Wushu%26quot; ideally refers to the classical martial arts styles that haven%26#039;t been tainted with competition requirements but are taught for effectiveness. %26quot;Xiandai Wushu%26quot; or %26quot;Modern Wushu%26quot; is essentially flashy performance and competition sets with no applicability at one extreme and kickboxing-like Sanda in the other extreme with no moderation in between as most Modern Wushu practitioners train in either one or the other but not both. (The western world generally use %26quot;Wushu%26quot; in references to Modern Wushu performance routines, %26quot;Sanda%26quot; to mean the Modern Wushu contact sports, and %26quot;KungFu/GungFu/GongFu%26quot; to mean Traditional Wushu.)|||Ok, for one, Bruce lee started out in Gung Fu, not Kung Fu. Yes he did know Kung Fu, but he knew Gung Fu well before he did Kung Fu. I dont consider either better than the other. Kung Fu uses the opponents energy against themselves. And it is a very powerful art. As for Wushu, people make the misconception that is it only a performance art. Look at Jet Li, he is a master of Wushu. I have been in the MA%26#039;s for many years, and I am smart enough to know that he would probably, with not too much problem, beat me. Both would be excellent to learn. Both have much knowledge and power. Both would be excellent for Self defense.|||Wushu is a type of Kung Fu. When communist China banned all religious schools from accepting new students the effectively killed Kung Fu within their borders. Realizing this they changed their policy in regards to the Shaolin temple. They also formed a new martial art based on traditional Kung Fu styles that they blended together to form Wushu.
Wushu is very fluid and pretty but not as practical a fighting style as real Kung Fu. Sanshou, the sparring counterpart to Wushu is now considered a separate art and is more realistic.|||kung fu incompass all chinese martial arts, wu shu is kung fu, wu shu is the national art of china
meekoe2
11 degree chain belt|||same thing
What are the best excercises for kung fu?
i currently do many forms of chinese kung fu, but i want to know more excercises. also, how about some weapons? how would i make some practice weapons like: 3 section staff, numchucks, etc. by the way, does anyone have any recomendation of how to do iron bone training %26quot;properly%26quot;?|||play dead
Kung Fu training trip to china: Where and How much?
I want to go to china to live in a kung fu academy for 4-5 years. Is there any cheap school with a good quality of training, food and acomodations? If yes, please give me the name, website, prices, etc...|||Some of them:
http://www.cngongfu.com/english.html
http://www.gfwjpx.cn/gfwjpx/yw.aspx
http://www.beijingshaolinwuxiao.com/engl...
http://www.qiluedu.com.cn/indexenglish.h...|||YES, I THINK THERE ARE MANY SCHOOL SPECIALIZE ON KUNG FU. PLENTY OF THEM FOR SO MANY OF SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPE KUNG FU WE HAVE. BUT THERE ARE SO FEW ENGLISH KUNG FU WEBSITE AVAILABLE IN CHINA, BUT PLENTY CHINESE WETSITE. AND ABOUT THE PRICES IT WON`T BE VERY EXPENSIVE.
HOPE THIS MAY HERE.
http://www.cngongfu.com/english.html
http://www.gfwjpx.cn/gfwjpx/yw.aspx
http://www.beijingshaolinwuxiao.com/engl...
http://www.qiluedu.com.cn/indexenglish.h...|||YES, I THINK THERE ARE MANY SCHOOL SPECIALIZE ON KUNG FU. PLENTY OF THEM FOR SO MANY OF SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPE KUNG FU WE HAVE. BUT THERE ARE SO FEW ENGLISH KUNG FU WEBSITE AVAILABLE IN CHINA, BUT PLENTY CHINESE WETSITE. AND ABOUT THE PRICES IT WON`T BE VERY EXPENSIVE.
HOPE THIS MAY HERE.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
What's the difference between Karate and Kung Fu?
And why are there a lot more places to learn Karate than Kung Fu in America? Like I%26#039;ve seen many Karte learning centers/buildings but not one that says Kung Fu.|||Karate=
Hard
Okinawan
External
Power oriented
Kung Fu=
Soft
Chinese
Internal for the most part.
Speed oriented.
Karate and Kung Fu aren%26#039;t a style, they are a system of styles.
Karate has many styles along with Kung Fu.
Karate:
Shotokan Karate
Kempo Karate
Ishin Ryu Karate
and much more.
Kung Fu:
Wing Chun (What I take)
Praying Mantis
Tai Chi
And hundreds more.
Why is there more Karate than Kung Fu in America? After WW2 when the Americans defeated the Japanese, they had a check point in Okinawa and the Marines forced the Okinawans to teach them the art, then when they brought it back to America, they spread it and added the belt system to it. At the time, the Chinese prohibited teaching Kung Fu to westerners until Bruce Lee broke the gap between East and West which was in the 1960%26#039;s. That%26#039;s why Karate is more known than Kung Fu. Atleast that%26#039;s what I read.
Hope this helped.|||Kung fu is a generic label for Chinese martial arts, doesn%26#039;t actually have anything to do with martial arts. There are many different styles and they are vary as to what types of techniques they teach.
Karate is also more or less a generic label for martial arts from Japan/ Okinawa, means open hand. Again many different styles with different focuses on what they teach.
As to why there are more Karate schools than Kung fu schools, several reasons. One of the main ones being the %26quot;Kung fu craze%26quot; of the 70%26#039;s, it kind of resulted in lots of bubble gum schools or as a lot of people on here call them McDojo%26#039;s. These are basically money makers for the people who run them, they basically feed you a lot of BS and don%26#039;t really teach too much worth anything. In my opinion Chinese martial arts and Tae Kwon Do have been there worst effected by this.
There are plenty of really good Kung fu, Karate and TKD schools out there, you just have to check them out pretty good before you go signing contracts and giving your money away.
Be mindful and check a school out before joining.
Best of luck|||Karate is Japanese hand-to-hand, while Kung Fu is a Chinese term for Great Achievement in any field technically. Wu Shu means Martial Arts in Chinese. Karate is copied from a few Chinese styles. There is a wider range of moves in Chinese styles. Chinese boxing styles have dichotomies. They are divided into Buddhist = Shaolin and Taoist = Tai Chi Chuan and into Northeren and Southern styles. Japanese are not as racist as Chinese are. Many Chinese do not teach their martial arts to non-Chinese.|||Firstly Karate is Japanese and Kung Fu is Chinese. After that there are just too many differences to name.
Whichever you decide to study, try to remember neither is about fighting. Both are a way of life, a philosophy, and as such can be applied to every aspect of a persons existance.
Don%26#039;t just take the class, study as well. Go to the library and read books. There is so much more to both than you could ever imagine. For a start just Google %26#039;The philosophy of karate / kung fu%26#039; and see what comes up. just that one action could set you on a wonderous journey of education and excitement.|||One is Japanese and the other is Chinese. Is the most obvious. I believe back in the 40s 50s after WW II, Karate was introduced to the USA by mostly American military personnel that fought in the Pacific campaign. While it seems the Chinese have long been in the U.S. they were much more secretive about sharing their martial arts. This was going on well into the 60s and early 70s. Also Kung Fu seems more available on the west coast in places like California. They%26#039;re also far too many different styles of Kung Fu and Karate to say exactly what the differences are. Some are more hard line linear and some are more circular. Then are some that are a little of both. So unless you are asking about one specific style then its very hard to say exactly.|||Kung Fu is more of an open hand style. Karate is closed fist. I saw a tournament of different fighters and the Kung Fu style was graceful, but when it came to striking, they had to use closed fists like everyone else. |||Karate is Japanese and Kung Fu is chinese.
Hard
Okinawan
External
Power oriented
Kung Fu=
Soft
Chinese
Internal for the most part.
Speed oriented.
Karate and Kung Fu aren%26#039;t a style, they are a system of styles.
Karate has many styles along with Kung Fu.
Karate:
Shotokan Karate
Kempo Karate
Ishin Ryu Karate
and much more.
Kung Fu:
Wing Chun (What I take)
Praying Mantis
Tai Chi
And hundreds more.
Why is there more Karate than Kung Fu in America? After WW2 when the Americans defeated the Japanese, they had a check point in Okinawa and the Marines forced the Okinawans to teach them the art, then when they brought it back to America, they spread it and added the belt system to it. At the time, the Chinese prohibited teaching Kung Fu to westerners until Bruce Lee broke the gap between East and West which was in the 1960%26#039;s. That%26#039;s why Karate is more known than Kung Fu. Atleast that%26#039;s what I read.
Hope this helped.|||Kung fu is a generic label for Chinese martial arts, doesn%26#039;t actually have anything to do with martial arts. There are many different styles and they are vary as to what types of techniques they teach.
Karate is also more or less a generic label for martial arts from Japan/ Okinawa, means open hand. Again many different styles with different focuses on what they teach.
As to why there are more Karate schools than Kung fu schools, several reasons. One of the main ones being the %26quot;Kung fu craze%26quot; of the 70%26#039;s, it kind of resulted in lots of bubble gum schools or as a lot of people on here call them McDojo%26#039;s. These are basically money makers for the people who run them, they basically feed you a lot of BS and don%26#039;t really teach too much worth anything. In my opinion Chinese martial arts and Tae Kwon Do have been there worst effected by this.
There are plenty of really good Kung fu, Karate and TKD schools out there, you just have to check them out pretty good before you go signing contracts and giving your money away.
Be mindful and check a school out before joining.
Best of luck|||Karate is Japanese hand-to-hand, while Kung Fu is a Chinese term for Great Achievement in any field technically. Wu Shu means Martial Arts in Chinese. Karate is copied from a few Chinese styles. There is a wider range of moves in Chinese styles. Chinese boxing styles have dichotomies. They are divided into Buddhist = Shaolin and Taoist = Tai Chi Chuan and into Northeren and Southern styles. Japanese are not as racist as Chinese are. Many Chinese do not teach their martial arts to non-Chinese.|||Firstly Karate is Japanese and Kung Fu is Chinese. After that there are just too many differences to name.
Whichever you decide to study, try to remember neither is about fighting. Both are a way of life, a philosophy, and as such can be applied to every aspect of a persons existance.
Don%26#039;t just take the class, study as well. Go to the library and read books. There is so much more to both than you could ever imagine. For a start just Google %26#039;The philosophy of karate / kung fu%26#039; and see what comes up. just that one action could set you on a wonderous journey of education and excitement.|||One is Japanese and the other is Chinese. Is the most obvious. I believe back in the 40s 50s after WW II, Karate was introduced to the USA by mostly American military personnel that fought in the Pacific campaign. While it seems the Chinese have long been in the U.S. they were much more secretive about sharing their martial arts. This was going on well into the 60s and early 70s. Also Kung Fu seems more available on the west coast in places like California. They%26#039;re also far too many different styles of Kung Fu and Karate to say exactly what the differences are. Some are more hard line linear and some are more circular. Then are some that are a little of both. So unless you are asking about one specific style then its very hard to say exactly.|||Kung Fu is more of an open hand style. Karate is closed fist. I saw a tournament of different fighters and the Kung Fu style was graceful, but when it came to striking, they had to use closed fists like everyone else. |||Karate is Japanese and Kung Fu is chinese.
Is kung fu still useful as compared to muay thai and gracie?
Dont get me wrong I am a student of Hung Gar and I love it and will stick with it for years to come. But in this day and age, is Kung fu a preactical martial art?|||Do you allow fear to cloud your abilities? Are you true to your convictions? Will you follow through with the attack determined to neutralize your opponent? The efficiency of any art depends on the ability of the practitioner. Muay Thai is an easy art to learn that is why people can get it to work after a short period of time. With Hung Gar your determination, hard work, and patience will, over time, mold you into a better fighter. Hung Gar is a much more complete system of combat than Muay Thai.
Yes its still useful
Good Luck!!!|||Hung Gar is a great style of Gong fu.Definitely stick with it.Yes Gong fu can defeat mma and muay thai and so on.Just be violent in action and focused.Also remember that most martial art schools will allow you to sit in on a class and watch..it will help your learning greatly. Report Abuse
|||Well that question has been put to the test, ad nausium, in the early gracie challenges, as well as the early UFC ( no gloves or time limits, almost no rules).
Over and Over again Kung fu practitioners were destroyed by other arts, especially BJJ. Go to youtube and check some of these fights out for yourself.|||well as noted above - the gracie skill set is good but ONLY if you are fighting a Single opponent.
Since the real world is less likely to contain %26quot;gangs of one%26quot; Kung Fu seems more likely to be of use there.
Not so sure about the Mua Thai.
But as far as practicallity of your art is concerned, don%26#039;t be afraid in real life to complement one style(or Art!) with another as the situation warrants.|||Kung Fu techniques work but alot of Kung Fu martial artists wont be able to use those techniques well in a real fight because all they may have done are forms, it all depends on the school you go to, but Kung Fu it self is effective, it all depends how to train.
The issue most people have with TMA is that they don%26#039;t spar enough and dont really test to see what works and what doesn%26#039;t|||Yes, it is useful against multiple attackers. Gracie jiujitsu is great one on one but against multiple attackers it has it disadvantage. Muay thai is great but it doesn%26#039;t have the weapon part or form part of the martial art. Kung fu is the most complete martial art. Don%26#039;t worry about the pratical part of kung fu because in the street you will fight against some bullies or some drunk, not against an expert so kung fu is very adequate against them.|||depends on the what kind of Kung fu. If you say bajiquan i%26#039;d say yes, but hung gar, i don%26#039;t really know much about hung gar....
The thing is most kungfu do not spar and punch sandbag. Because in the old days almost all school of kungfu do those things to develop their body and punching skill.
-1 sparring = 10 hours of training alone|||In which way are you talking about in MMA or just self defence?
If in MMA then I would say that it is not a good skill to know because the rules in MMA would hamper the skills that you are taught in Kung Fu. Also from what I have seen you require a good deal of space to use your more effective attacks and your opponent would not let you get the space to do that, but I might be wrong?
But in Self Defence it would still be a good style to know as no rules governing the use of skill so neck stabs, pressure point attacks, hammer hits, and others would be allowed because there are no rules to restrict what you use.
But with MMA I think that Muay Thai and BBJ would be more effective at the moment, but that could change as MMA is a evolving sport so we%26#039;ll just have to wait and see.|||If you mean practical in MMA, then Muay Thai really is more effective. Muay thai fighters really train for in ring fighting.
Now if a Kung Fu guy and Muay Thai guy met on the street, where anything goes, well it would really depend on the skill of the fighters.
I%26#039;m sure a kung fu fighter would do very well in defending himself from an attacker, just as a muay thai fighter would be succesful as well. As long as you%26#039;re good at what you do, anything%26#039;s practical and useful.|||In a ring it probably on it%26#039;s own would not fair well. In self defense if you have had a good instructor and trained hard and raelisticly then yes it could stand up very well. TOO many MMA people on here confuse the ring with self defense. Not street fighting, I said self defense. the early UFC%26#039;s were designed to highlight BJJ because the Gracie%26#039;s started it. I do not see laying on the ground with someone for 10 minutes in a self defense situation.
Self defense is do damage and get safe. Too many BJJ people laugh about Multiple attackers or weapons. guess what they do happen. I am not against MMA I think it would be fine for self defense, but Traditional Arts give you a lot more than just that. Also they try not to teach deadly stuff to anybody who walks in off the street.|||Any art is good if you understand it. Can you generate power without telegraphing? Kungfu or karate without power is just embarrassing. Can you block all attacks? Do you know your arts strengths and weaknesses?
Do you know you art well enough that it is a part of you? This allows you to move at super speeds and frees your mind to concentrate on strategy.|||Absolutely. Kung fu would have fallen off the map by now if it wasn%26#039;t as useful as the other styles mentioned.|||sorry bud, only in the movies.
Yes its still useful
Good Luck!!!|||Hung Gar is a great style of Gong fu.Definitely stick with it.Yes Gong fu can defeat mma and muay thai and so on.Just be violent in action and focused.Also remember that most martial art schools will allow you to sit in on a class and watch..it will help your learning greatly. Report Abuse
|||Well that question has been put to the test, ad nausium, in the early gracie challenges, as well as the early UFC ( no gloves or time limits, almost no rules).
Over and Over again Kung fu practitioners were destroyed by other arts, especially BJJ. Go to youtube and check some of these fights out for yourself.|||well as noted above - the gracie skill set is good but ONLY if you are fighting a Single opponent.
Since the real world is less likely to contain %26quot;gangs of one%26quot; Kung Fu seems more likely to be of use there.
Not so sure about the Mua Thai.
But as far as practicallity of your art is concerned, don%26#039;t be afraid in real life to complement one style(or Art!) with another as the situation warrants.|||Kung Fu techniques work but alot of Kung Fu martial artists wont be able to use those techniques well in a real fight because all they may have done are forms, it all depends on the school you go to, but Kung Fu it self is effective, it all depends how to train.
The issue most people have with TMA is that they don%26#039;t spar enough and dont really test to see what works and what doesn%26#039;t|||Yes, it is useful against multiple attackers. Gracie jiujitsu is great one on one but against multiple attackers it has it disadvantage. Muay thai is great but it doesn%26#039;t have the weapon part or form part of the martial art. Kung fu is the most complete martial art. Don%26#039;t worry about the pratical part of kung fu because in the street you will fight against some bullies or some drunk, not against an expert so kung fu is very adequate against them.|||depends on the what kind of Kung fu. If you say bajiquan i%26#039;d say yes, but hung gar, i don%26#039;t really know much about hung gar....
The thing is most kungfu do not spar and punch sandbag. Because in the old days almost all school of kungfu do those things to develop their body and punching skill.
-1 sparring = 10 hours of training alone|||In which way are you talking about in MMA or just self defence?
If in MMA then I would say that it is not a good skill to know because the rules in MMA would hamper the skills that you are taught in Kung Fu. Also from what I have seen you require a good deal of space to use your more effective attacks and your opponent would not let you get the space to do that, but I might be wrong?
But in Self Defence it would still be a good style to know as no rules governing the use of skill so neck stabs, pressure point attacks, hammer hits, and others would be allowed because there are no rules to restrict what you use.
But with MMA I think that Muay Thai and BBJ would be more effective at the moment, but that could change as MMA is a evolving sport so we%26#039;ll just have to wait and see.|||If you mean practical in MMA, then Muay Thai really is more effective. Muay thai fighters really train for in ring fighting.
Now if a Kung Fu guy and Muay Thai guy met on the street, where anything goes, well it would really depend on the skill of the fighters.
I%26#039;m sure a kung fu fighter would do very well in defending himself from an attacker, just as a muay thai fighter would be succesful as well. As long as you%26#039;re good at what you do, anything%26#039;s practical and useful.|||In a ring it probably on it%26#039;s own would not fair well. In self defense if you have had a good instructor and trained hard and raelisticly then yes it could stand up very well. TOO many MMA people on here confuse the ring with self defense. Not street fighting, I said self defense. the early UFC%26#039;s were designed to highlight BJJ because the Gracie%26#039;s started it. I do not see laying on the ground with someone for 10 minutes in a self defense situation.
Self defense is do damage and get safe. Too many BJJ people laugh about Multiple attackers or weapons. guess what they do happen. I am not against MMA I think it would be fine for self defense, but Traditional Arts give you a lot more than just that. Also they try not to teach deadly stuff to anybody who walks in off the street.|||Any art is good if you understand it. Can you generate power without telegraphing? Kungfu or karate without power is just embarrassing. Can you block all attacks? Do you know your arts strengths and weaknesses?
Do you know you art well enough that it is a part of you? This allows you to move at super speeds and frees your mind to concentrate on strategy.|||Absolutely. Kung fu would have fallen off the map by now if it wasn%26#039;t as useful as the other styles mentioned.|||sorry bud, only in the movies.
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