Styles of Chinese martial arts

Los estilos del norte (北派; běipài ) presentan posturas muy extendidas —como las posturas del caballo, del arco, de caída y del dragón— conectadas por transiciones rápidas y fluidas, capaces de cambiar rápidamente la dirección en la que se aplica la fuerza. ^{[ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ]}

El grupo de artes marciales del norte incluye muchos estilos ilustres como el kung fu Shaolin del norte , el baguazhang , el bajiquan , el chaquan , el chuojiao , la garra de águila , la mantis religiosa del norte y el tai chi . El changquan suele considerarse el estilo del norte más representativo y constituye una división aparte en el currículo moderno de wushu .

Los estilos del norte presentan un carácter distintivo y diferente al de las artes marciales practicadas en el sur. En general, el entrenamiento de los estilos del norte se centra más en el trabajo de piernas, las patadas y las acrobacias. La influencia de los estilos del norte se puede apreciar en las artes marciales tradicionales coreanas y su énfasis en las patadas de alto nivel. ^{[ 8 ]}

Las artes marciales del sur de China (南派; nánpài ) se caracterizan por posturas bajas y estables y movimientos cortos y potentes que combinan ataque y defensa. En la práctica, el Nanquan se centra más en el uso de los brazos y las técnicas de cuerpo completo que en las patadas altas o los movimientos acrobáticos. La influencia de los estilos del sur se puede encontrar en el Goju Ryu , el Uechi Ryu y algunos otros estilos de karate de Okinawa , así como en el kempo , tanto en los estilos americanos como en los japoneses. ^{[ 9 ]}

The term Southern styles typically applies to the five family styles of Southern China: Choy Gar, Hung Ga, Lau Gar (刘家), Ng Ying kung fu (五形功夫), Li (Lee) Family and Mok Gar.^[10] Other styles include: Choy Li Fut, Fujian White Crane, Dog-style kung fu, Five Ancestors, Wing Chun, Southern Praying Mantis, Hak Fu Mun, Bak Mei and Dragon-style. There are sub-divisions to Southern styles due to their similar characteristics and common heritage. For example, the Fujian martial arts can be considered to be one such sub-division. This groups share the following characteristics that "during fights, pugilists of these systems prefer short steps and close fighting, with their arms placed close to the chest, their elbows lowered and kept close to the flanks to offer them protection".^[11] Nanquan became a separate and distinct component of the current Wushu training. It was designed to incorporate the key elements of each major Southern style.

Las artes marciales chinas también se pueden identificar por sus accidentes geográficos regionales, provincia, ciudad o incluso pueblo. Generalmente, esta identificación indica la región de origen, pero también puede describir el lugar donde el estilo ha consolidado su reputación. Entre los accidentes geográficos más conocidos que caracterizan las artes marciales chinas se encuentran las famosas montañas de China. Las Ocho Grandes Escuelas de Artes Marciales, una agrupación de escuelas de artes marciales utilizada en muchas novelas wuxia , se basan en este tipo de clasificaciones geográficas. Este grupo de escuelas incluye: el Monte Hua , el Monte Emei , las Montañas Wudang , las Montañas Kongtong , las Montañas Kunlun , el Monte Cang , el Monte Qingcheng y el Monte Song Shaolin. Históricamente, China contaba con 18 provincias. Cada provincia tenía sus propios estilos de artes marciales. Por ejemplo, en el Xingyiquan , actualmente existen tres ramas principales: Shanxi , Hebei y Henan . Cada rama posee características únicas, pero todas se remontan al arte original desarrollado por Li Luoneng y la familia Dai. Un estilo en particular también se puede identificar por la ciudad donde se practicaba. Por ejemplo, en el norte, ciudades como Pekín o Tianjin han dado origen a diversas ramas de artes marciales para numerosos estilos. De manera similar, en el sur, ciudades como Shanghái , Quandong y Foshan han sido centros importantes para el desarrollo de las artes marciales. Los estilos más antiguos se caracterizan por su origen rural. Por ejemplo, el tai chi de Zhaobao es una rama del tai chi de estilo Chen, originaria de la aldea de Zhaobao.

External style (Chinese:外家; pinyin:Wài jiā; lit.'external family') are often associated with Chinese martial arts. They are characterized by fast and explosive movements and a focus on physical strength and agility. External styles includes both the traditional styles focusing on application and fighting, as well as the modern styles adapted for competition and exercise. Examples of external styles are Shaolinquan, with its direct explosive attacks and many Wushu forms that have spectacular aerial techniques. External styles begin with a training focus on muscular power, speed and application, and generally integrate their qigong aspects in advanced training, after their desired "hard" physical level has been reached. Most Chinese martial art styles are classified as external styles.

Internal styles (Chinese:内家; pinyin:Nèi jiā; lit.'internal family') focus on the practice of such elements as awareness of the spirit, mind, qi (breath, or energy flow) and the use of relaxed leverage rather than muscular tension, which soft stylists call "brute force".^[14] While the principles that distinguish internal styles from the external were described at least as early as the 18th century by Chang Nai-chou,^[15] the modern terms distinguishing external and internal styles were first recorded by Sun Lutang; who wrote that tai chi, Baguazhang, and Xingyiquan were internal arts.^[16] Later on, others began to include their style under this definition; for example, Liuhebafa, Ziranmen, and Yiquan.

Components of internal training includes stance training (zhan zhuang), stretching and strengthening of muscles, as well as on empty hand and weapon forms which can contain quite demanding coordination from posture to posture.^[17] Many internal styles have basic two-person training, such as pushing hands. A prominent characteristic of internal styles is that the forms are generally performed at a slow pace. This is thought to improve coordination and balance by increasing the work load, and to require the student to pay minute attention to their whole body and its weight as they perform a technique. In some styles, for example in the Chen style of tai chi, there are forms that include sudden outbursts of explosive movements. At an advanced level, and in actual fighting, internal styles are performed quickly, but the goal is to learn to involve the entire body in every motion, to stay relaxed, with deep, controlled breathing, and to coordinate the motions of the body and the breathing accurately according to the dictates of the forms while maintaining perfect balance. Internal styles have been associated in legend and in much popular fiction with the Taoist monasteries of Wudangshan in central China.

Buddhist styles include Chinese martial arts that originated or practised within Chinese Buddhist temples and later spread to laity community. These styles often include Buddhist philosophy, meditation, imagery and principles. The most famous of these are the Shaolin (and related) styles, e.g. Shaolinquan, Choy Li Fut, Fut Gar, Luohanquan, Hung Gar, Wing Chun, Dragon style and White Crane. and recently a contemporary style called wuxingheqidao. One common theme for this group is the association with Chan Buddhism.

Taoist styles are popularly associated with Taoism. They include Chinese martial arts that were created or trained mostly within Taoist Temples or by Taoist ascetics, which often later spread out to laymen. These styles include those trained in the Wudang Mountains, and often include Taoist philosophy, principles and imagery. Some of these arts include Tai chi, Wudangquan, Baguazhang, Liuhebafa and Bak Mei kung fu.

Islamic styles are those that were practiced traditionally solely or mainly by the Muslim Hui minority in China. These styles often include Islamic principles or imagery. Example of these styles include: Chaquan, Tan Tui, Bajiquan, some branches of Xingyiquan and (七士拳; Qīshìquán).

Imitative-styles are styles that were developed based on the characteristics of a particular creature such as a bird or an insect. Entire systems of fighting were developed based on the observations of their movement, fighting abilities and spirit. Examples of the most well-known styles are white crane, tiger, monkey (Houquan), dog and mantis. In some systems, a variety of animals are used to represent the style of the system; for instance, there are twelve animals in most Xing yi practice.

Many Chinese martial arts styles are based or named after legends or historical figures. Examples of such styles based on legends and myths are the Eight Immortals and Dragon styles. Example of styles attributed to historical figures include Xingyiquan and its relationship to Yue Fei and tai chi which trace its origins to a Taoist Zhang Sanfeng.

Family affiliations are also an important means of identifying a Chinese martial arts system. Heavily influenced by the Confucian tradition, many styles are named in honor of the founder of the system. The five family (Choi, Hung, Lau, Lei, Mok) of Southern Chinese martial arts are representative of family styles. Family styles can also denote branches of a system. For example, the families of Chen, Yang, Wu and Sun represent different training approaches to the art of Tai Chi Chuan.

Another popular method to describe a particular style of Chinese martial arts is to describe the style's emphasis in terms of the four major applications. The four major applications are: kicking (踢), hitting (打), wrestling (摔) and grabbing (Chin na). A complete system will necessary include all four types of applications but each style will differ in their training focus. For example, most Northern styles are said to emphasize kicking, Southern styles have a reputation for their intricate hand techniques, Shuai jiao practitioners train predominately in full-body close-range techniques, Eagle claw fighters are noted for their grabbing expertise, and Wing Chun focusses on hitting (with the hands/elbows).

The variety of classification schemes, like the subject of Chinese martial arts, are endless. Some styles are named after well-known Chinese philosophies. For example, Baguazhang is based on the Taoist philosophy of the eight trigrams (Bagua). Some styles are named after the key insight suggested by the training. For example, liuhebafa is a system based on the ideas of six combinations and eight methods.