Good Kung Fu Info Sites?

[CptJackSavvy]

Hello,

 

I'm new to the board. I just started Kung Fu at a Martial Arts Center near my college and I was wondering if anyone knew of any good sites that describe (in detail) the katas/forms, stances, etc? I'd like to be prepared and do research before hand.

 

Thank you

 

K

[dingyuan]

Hi which Kung Fu style do you do?

[CptJackSavvy]

Hi which Kung Fu style do you do?

 

I'm pretty sure it's Shaolin. Here's the description from the school's website:

 

Our curriculum includes:

 

Northern Shaolin Long Fist

 

Bagwa Chang

 

Eagle Claw

 

Preying Mantis

 

Traditional Chinese Weapons including: Staff, Broadsword, Spear, Chain, 3-Section Staff, Straight Sword, Double Broadsword Double Straight Sword

 

Southern Style: 5 Animals, Nan Quan (Tiger - Crane)

[dingyuan]

hmm.. I am not really sure about Shaolin, but tell you what man, Preying Mantis is a great style, especially the 7 star preying mantis, it's lucky for you to have that in your school.

 

One piece of advice is try to avoid Southern styles other than Wing Chun or Choy Lay Fut because they main contain those fancy moves which has no value in a real fight.

[gheinisch]

Hello and Welcome to the site!

 

Here's a pretty interesting site about the five animal styles. Hope it helps you some.

 

http://www.shaolin.com.au/animal.html

[dingyuan]

Wow gheinisch

 

Great Site!!

 

By the way here's a site on Baji Quan if you like.

 

http://www.wushu.org/eng/1203.shtml

[Hudson]

dingyuan, it's been my experience that southern styles actually practice shorter movements, and that Northern China is where most of the long arm movements come from. Besides, nothing in kung fu is ever impractical... using it at the right time is when it becomes practical.

[dingyuan]

Some Southern form I'm not mentioning names are only designed fro performance purposes and I didn't say all southern style are useless, I like Wing Chun and Choy Lee Fut and I think they are truly great styles.

[CptJackSavvy]

Thank you all for your help.

 

[Zhong Gau]

Capt Jack:

 

you're in the heart of Hung Gar Territory. Tiger Crane is the stylistic signature of Hung Gar. Praying Mantis has several styles: Wah Lum style/Chat Tsing form foundation, Southern Praying Mantis Boxing Form (which comes from the Five Families of Sil Lum and is the original character of the other mantis forms/styles), Nothern Crane (mantis substyle), 7 star mantis form.

 

as for the weapons, all those are fairly standard Shaolin weapons ( in all shaolin systems) except the chain/whip-chain. that is a characteristic hung gar-fut gar-hung fot weapon.