The term Kung Fu refers to the martial arts of China. Kung Fu originated in a place called the Shaolin Temple, where monks practiced Kung Fu for health and self-defence during their quest for enlightenment.
The first Shaolin temple was a Buddhist monastery built in 377 A.D. in the Henan province of China. In 527 A.D. a Buddhist prince, Bodhidharma, or Da Mo in Chinese, travelled to the temple for religious teaching, but found the monks weak and in poor health. To find a way to give the monks strength and vitality, Da Mo locked himself in a room for nine years of meditation. His resulting work, Yi Jin Jing, a series of exercises which developed strength, vitality, and internal energy, is considered the original Shaolin martial art.
Historically, Kung Fu in China was an integral part in the education of scholars and the leaders of government. The Chinese people placed great value in the practice of Kung Fu because they felt it taught respect, patience, humility, and morality.
Many Americans believe that Kung Fu is a term which describes a single martial art, much like Taekwondo, Judo, or Aikido. In reality, Kung Fu is a general term which includes hundreds of styles of Chinese martial arts. Some examples of Kung Fu styles are Long Fist, Eagle Claw, and Taiji Quan.
Another misconception is that Kung Fu is a "soft" style compared with Karate or other "hard" styles. This is not so: each Kung Fu style contains both hard and soft techniques. Also, many people believe that Kung Fu is an external style and Taiji Quan is an internal style. While most Kung Fu styles emphasize external development, all styles of Kung Fu contain both internal and external components
The Difference Between Kungfu and other Martial Arts
Kung Fu Puts Philosophy into Practice
The philosophy of Chinese martial arts originated not with warlords whose aim was to kill, but with Buddhist masters whose aim was to prolong life. This philosophy and history has lead to a difference in the practice and the attitude of students of Chinese martial arts.
Unbelievable violence and hostility are found in some martial arts systems. Such behavior is not found in Kung Fu training, because the nature of the training is such that a calm disposition and a feeling for one's training partners are developed intrinsically, and harboring selfish, aggressive attitudes would work against the practitioners themselves.
Kung Fu is a Comprehensive System
Martial arts techniques are divided into four areas: striking, kicking, grappling and throwing, and seizing and locking the joints. Every type of Chinese Kung Fu contains techniques from each of these four areas. This is important because each category of techniques is effective against one or more of the other categories. A Chinese martial artist, therefore, can deal with every type of attack and defend himself effectively.
Other martial arts, like Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, and Taekwondo, specialize in only one or two of the four categories of techniques. Because of the nature of these martial arts, their practitioners often have difficulty if opponents use attacks that fall outside the categories in which their respective arts specialize.
One way to prepare yourself to handle any fighting situation is to learn all these different martial arts. A better alternative is to learn a Chinese martial art like Long Fist. It not only saves time and effort, it also gives advantages not found in other martial arts.
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