r/kungfu • • Jul 24 '26

MOD Behave yourselves.

114 Upvotes

I'm sort of getting tired of policing all the internet bravado, "come see me in real life," and bringing arguments in from other subs. You're not that cool. Nobody is.

Post kung fu. Talk about kung fu. Critique kung fu. Ask about kung fu. It's not complicated.

Next time I wake up and see 18 reports about some argument from the USMC or bullshido subs or whatever, I'm banning the lot of you for a month.

If you want to argue or "prove it, here's my address" crap, do it in the DMs. It doesn't belong here.

NOTE: Don't be a dick. If someone posts a video and you respond with "wow you suck and you're fat" you're getting a ban for however long we feel like. Be better.


r/kungfu • • May 13 '16

MOD [OFFICIAL] FAQ answers thread! Help the community by writing for the FAQ!

47 Upvotes

The request has been made time and time again, your voices have been heard! In this thread, let's get well-written answers to these questions (as well as additional questions if you think of any). These questions have been sourced from these to threads: here and here.

I apologize in advanced for any duplicate questions. I'm doing this during mandatory training so I can't proofread a ton haha.

For the format of your post, please quote the question using the ">" symbol at the beginning of the line, then answer in the line below. I will post an example in the comments.

  • What's northern vs southern? Internal vs external? Shaolin vs wutang? Buddhist vs Taoist?

  • Can I learn kung fu from DVDs/youtube?

  • Is kung fu good/better for self defense?

  • What makes an art "traditional"?

  • Should I learn religion/spirituality from my kung fu instructor?

  • What's the connection between competitive wushu, Sanda and traditional Chinese martial arts?

  • What is lineage?

  • What is quality control?

  • How old are these arts anyways?

  • Why sparring don't look like forms?

  • Why don't I see kung fu style X in MMA?

  • I heard about dim mak or other "deadly" techniques, like pressure points. Are these for real?

  • What's the deal with chi?

  • I want to become a Shaolin monk. How do I do this?

  • I want to get in great shape. Can kung fu help?

  • I want to learn how to beat people up bare-handed. Can kung fu help?

  • Was Bruce Lee great at kung fu?

  • Am I training at a McDojo?

  • When is someone a "master" of a style?

  • Does all kung fu come from Shaolin?

  • Do all martial arts come from Shaolin?

  • Is modern Shaolin authentic?

  • What is the difference between Northern/Southern styles?

  • What is the difference between hard/soft styles?

  • What is the difference between internal/external styles?

  • Is Qi real?

  • Is Qi Gong/Chi Kung kung fu?

  • Can I use qigong to fight?

  • Do I have to fight?

  • Do Dim Mak/No-Touch Knockouts Exit?

  • Where do I find a teacher?

  • How do I know if a teacher is good? (Should include forms awards not being the same as martial qualification, and lineage not being end all!)

  • What is the difference between Sifu/Shifu?

  • What is the difference between forms, taolu and kata?

  • Why do you practice forms?

  • How do weapons help you with empty handed fighting?

  • Is chisao/tuishou etc the same as sparring?

  • Why do many schools not spar/compete? (Please let's make sure we explain this!)

  • Can you spar with weapons? (We should mention HEMA and Dog Brothers)

  • Can I do weights when training Kung Fu?

  • Will gaining muscle make my Kung Fu worse?

  • Can I cross train more than one Kung Fu style?

  • Can I cross train with other non-Kung Fu styles?


r/kungfu • • 1d ago

Real life wuxia women from China.

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192 Upvotes

r/kungfu • • 6h ago

Looking for Shawn Forts in Australia

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1 Upvotes

r/kungfu • • 14h ago

You'r main style's attack strategy and principles?

3 Upvotes

So Im kinda curious. For those of you who train for fighting ability, what is your art's attack strategy and fighting principles?

For Feeding Crane, our attack strategy is basically use explosive short movements to neutralize an attacker, mostly going for limbs. (Note Im still rather new to this styles)


r/kungfu • • 1d ago

Blog Favourite martial art

12 Upvotes

Trained Wing Chun for a while then left in pursuit of boxing and wrestling. Over the years I always found myself going back to It. Wing Chun is simply fascinating. It's ingenious, I have this intimate relationship with it. The concepts and principles are ahead of its time. It does have limitations most notably within its defence, counter-blocking measures, distance control but it's actually really practical and ideal for self-defence. Wing Chun is at its best when it's used in conjunction with other arts and styles. A tool, supplement, a means to an end if you will. The one thing it's severely lacking is conditioning. Students are as soft as butter. If you train Wing Chun make sure you condition your body. My second instructor was a former Muay Thai expert and he would incorporate the drills in our training to toughen us up. This helped and improved our overall skills immensely. My instructor said and I quote. "If a Wing Chun man adopts the mindset of a Thai boxer, you have a dangerous Wing Chun man."


r/kungfu • • 14h ago

What are the different styles of Bajiquan ?

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1 Upvotes

r/kungfu • • 1d ago

Request Goju Ryu training - questions about Kung Fu

7 Upvotes

Hi - this might be unusual, but I genuinely love and have a deep respect for Kung Fu. As a Goju Ryu practitioner, my dojo seems to place a very large emphasis on concepts that appear in Chinese martial arts:

For example, my dojo explicitly teaches:
-6 harmonies
-sanchin/sanzhan concepts
-bubishi is constantly referenced
-vital points from bubishi
-Chinese element destructive cycle
-sink, swallow, spit, float
-body hardening (kote kitae) training
-moving as “one unit” through the dantien
-“whip” like power from tendons/fascia usage
-qigong

I used to train in world Oyama karate, and NONE of these concepts were ever touched on.
My sensei often mentioned that Goju Ryu is “more Chinese” than other karate styles, and I’m aware that karate is not a monolith.

Basically -what I’m asking is, are these concepts above found in Chinese martial arts (I’m certain they are)? If so, where? I’m curious about diving more into this Chinese connection - I’ve read and watched several documentaries/videos about White Crane, I’ve watched Jesse Enkamps videos, I just want to explore more!

I’m aware of the “Hakka” martial traditions, and that southern Kung fu seems to have more of that connection I’m looking for.

Stories, explanations, anecdotes from kung fu practitioners, books or videos to watch…please advise me on where I should take my reading to next.

Thank you very much in advance- Onegaishimasu!


r/kungfu • • 1d ago

History Chinese Karate Influencers: Fujian White Crane Kung Fu

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3 Upvotes

r/kungfu • • 2d ago

Curious about Kung Fu but don't know where to start? I made a short introduction for adults who want to understand the art.

42 Upvotes

I've been practising martial arts since 1999, and one thing I've noticed is that Kung Fu can be surprisingly difficult to understand from the outside.

What does Kung Fu actually involve? What's the difference between the styles? What do you practise in a typical class? And do you need to be young, flexible, or already fit to begin?

I put together a short series called So, What Is Kung Fu? to explore these questions.

It's aimed at curious adults who want to understand Chinese martial arts without having to dig through hours of videos or navigate all the myths and stereotypes first.

The series covers everything from styles, stances, and forms to what training actually looks like and whether you can learn at home.

I have a background in traditional Chinese martial arts, sports psychology, and competitive fighting, so I approach the subject from both a practical and an educational perspective.

The series is free to watch: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWLahbNSvfpo

Hope it will offer you a good starting point to understand kung fu/Chinese martial arts! :)


r/kungfu • • 1d ago

Undisputed Kings of Tuishou Unite at the Thunderbird Championships

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1 Upvotes

r/kungfu • • 3d ago

Forms This is 摔跤 Shuāi jiāo. Chinese style wrestling. Short tutorial video and competition video included.

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80 Upvotes

Noticed these videos on my library. Thought I share it here.

Quick origin & history

Shuai Jiao is China’s traditional wrestling art, with thousands of years of history. Ancient names include Jiao Li (角力).
It was practiced in royal military training, festivals and competitions. Modern competitive Shuai Jiao was standardized in the 20th century.

Core rules & what it focuses on

Shuai Jiao’s main goal: throw your opponent to the ground.

• Victory condition: Make the opponent land with any part of their back or hips touching the mat.

• Unlike judo: More emphasis on standing throws; less ground fighting (ground grappling is limited, match usually stops once someone falls).

• Wrestlers wear a thick, heavy cotton jacket called a da lian 褡裢 (dā lián). You grip this jacket to execute throws.

• Lots of leg trips, hooks, pulling and pushing throws.

Style branches

  1. Beijing Shuai Jiao (北京摔跤) – most famous competition style, fast, explosive.

  2. Inner Mongolian Bokh / Mongolian Shuai Jiao (蒙古摔跤) – separate but related traditional variant.

  3. Shanxi & Tianjin regional styles with slightly different throw techniques.

Not the most popular form since the stereotype is that somebody who should be doing this type needs to be (big and strong), and it’s mainly popular on northern China.

MMA fighters from China will train in Sanda which borrows steals takes (whatever you want to call it) techniques from Shuāi jiāo.


r/kungfu • • 2d ago

Different perspectives result in deeper understanding.

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11 Upvotes

This short glimpse features drone footage from the in-depth lessons on the rare Hebei Xingyi Quan Ba Zi Gong (Eight Word Skills Practices), available through the Hua Jin Online Learning Program.

Detailed technical teaching is at the heart of every lesson. Alongside explanations, demonstrations and close-up views, I use a variety of filming methods and visual tools to help learners understand the practices more clearly aand more deeply.

An aerial perspective offers another way to see the movements, changes of direction and relationships between individual actions, complementing the detailed instruction in the full lessons.

Learn authentic Xingyi Quan and Liang-style Bagua Zhang with Byron Jacobs, a disciple of Di Guoyong, from anywhere in the world.

Explore the lessons and enrol in the Hua Jin Online Learning Program:
https://www.patreon.com/mushinmartialculture

Discover more:
https://www.mushinmartialculture.com


r/kungfu • • 3d ago

Fights Legit Wing Chun Sparring?

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12 Upvotes

This is from a Wing Chun comp in St. Petersburg. Not sure if this has been posted here before.

Is this legit? I see they're thrown off balance constantly and stuff but tbh I feel like it's acceptable in this scenario because they're fighting and using short range at long (boxing) range.


r/kungfu • • 3d ago

Find a School Tan Tui in the SF Bay area?

6 Upvotes

Does anyone know a place to learn Tan Tui in the San Francisco Bay area? Ideally the East bay (Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond)


r/kungfu • • 3d ago

Forms El paramericano de artes marciales Argentina

1 Upvotes

Estuvo bueno (no fui),lo vi en vivo por YouTube.

Fue mi profe a competir y gano 2 en puño y primero en sable,si escucharon "nehuen villar",ese es mi profesor de kung fu ヽ(≧∀≦)ノ


r/kungfu • • 3d ago

Request Does anyone practice Tao Lu and Qi Gong here

2 Upvotes

Hello, how is everyone?

Im a 23 year old blue belt kung fu student who's been practicing kung fu for 13 years. The school that I go to was established by the master and founder of the Armenian Black Belts Association in Lebanon, and the representative of Artsakh in Lebanon, Master Garo Kebabjian.

I wanted to know if anyone here practice what I practice or is it only Wushu Kung Fu?


r/kungfu • • 4d ago

The 72 arts of shaolin book

7 Upvotes

Has anyone else here read it? I found it rather facinating. Some seem pretty standard as conditioning practices, but some just sound rather bizarr.

Do any of you practice any of the methods listed in the book? If so, which ones, and have you seen any positive results?

Im currently attempting the rubbing palms or "the hands of the golden dragon" training. Im pretty skeptical of the outlandish claims, but overall it seems a good way to train crushing force. Im still pretty early in this practice.

Im pretty interested in fun and interesting conditioning methods that would be a good suppliment to my training.


r/kungfu • • 4d ago

History White Crane Kung Fu and its complex relationship with Karate

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7 Upvotes

r/kungfu • • 5d ago

News Former abbot of China’s famous Shaolin Temple sentenced to 24 years in prison for corruption

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117 Upvotes

r/kungfu • • 4d ago

Daily Shoes?

2 Upvotes

I love Feiyue, but I find the rubber on the bottom wears out too quickly for daily street wear.

Any recommendations for daily shoes?


r/kungfu • • 4d ago

Drills Any drill recommendations?

2 Upvotes

r/kungfu • • 4d ago

Help me improve please

0 Upvotes

Any recommendations on YouTube channels or websites I can use to improve my kung fu please!


r/kungfu • • 6d ago

lets learn some 擒拿 (qín ná) aka joint locks & grappling. short tutorial video included near the end.

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318 Upvotes

Qinna (擒拿) is a Chinese martial arts skill set, often translated as seizing and controlling, or simply joint locks & grappling.

It focuses on:

  • Grabbing, twisting, and controlling an opponent’s joints (wrist, elbow, shoulder etc.)
  • Using leverage to immobilize, subdue or disable someone without necessarily striking hard
  • It is a core part of traditional Chinese fighting systems like Sanda, Kung Fu, police combat training

Note: Qinna includes joint locks, tendon grabs, pressure point controls, and pain compliance techniques. It is not just wrestling; it emphasizes capturing and restraining the attacker.Qinna (擒拿) is a Chinese martial arts skill set, often translated as seizing and controlling, or simply joint locks & grappling.It focuses on:Grabbing, twisting, and controlling an opponent’s joints (wrist, elbow, shoulder etc.)
Using leverage to immobilize, subdue or disable someone without necessarily striking hard
It is a core part of traditional Chinese fighting systems like Sanda, Kung Fu, police combat training

Note: Qinna includes joint locks, tendon grabs, pressure point controls, and pain compliance techniques. It is not just wrestling; it emphasizes capturing and restraining the attacker.


r/kungfu • • 5d ago

Critique my Chum Kiu (Wing Chun)

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2 Upvotes