Kung Fu-The Art of Misnomer

Is there such a style as Kung Fu?

No.

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Wolfgang says:

I could think of a million better things to do in Japan for a month besides jumping off of picnic tables. - x893

If you haven;t seen this explained millions of times on MA forums, then you haven't been looking in the right place.

Kung Fu essentially meas skill acquired through hard work, so being a skilled cook could be considered Kung Fu, etc etc etc

No style. Just concept. Like MH says above.

The more proper term is "wushu" or "kuoshu" -- "martial art" or "national art." But even those are general terms, they don't describe a style.

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

“	Originally Posted By: 47MartialMan Is there such a style as Kung Fu?	”

Yes... much like Karate for Japan,Okinawa & depending on who you ask Korea.

Styles are specific... catch alls are just that.

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Terrorists aren't overseas. They're at the gas pump.
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I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. -- Kung Fu-tzu (Confucius)

Then could there be such a thing as "Authentic/Original Shaolin Kung Fu"?

“	Originally Posted By: 47MartialMan Then could there be such a thing as "Authentic/Original Shaolin Kung Fu"?	”

It's hard to say what is a 100% authentic. Shaolin had a lot of outside influences in their long history. I'm no expert but I would think that the closer to the source you can get as with any art, the more authentic. Whether or not it's effective or not is another question entirely.

“	Yes... much like Karate for Japan,Okinawa & depending on who you ask Korea.	”

Actually, I think karate is a style it just has many branches of sub styles. I think the Japanese term that is the equivalent of "wushu" would be kakutogi, or something like that.

Now that I think about it, many of the systems from Japan are labelled as such and just have many branches of sub styles... JuJutsu has many sub styles, even judo... But I think karate has the most...

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Rock On!
Cam
"Raise up your mind....."

“	Originally Posted By: 47MartialMan Then could there be such a thing as "Authentic/Original Shaolin Kung Fu"?	”

Oh sure there could be.

Is there?? That's a different story & the answer is mostly no.

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Terrorists aren't overseas. They're at the gas pump.
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I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. -- Kung Fu-tzu (Confucius)

Shaolin is just one place where people trained in martial arts. Wudang is another.

Both were not so much "martial art centers" as places where people came to study, meditate, and learn -- strive to become a "whole person" or go beyond themselves. Kung fu, like many of the books (and in the case of Shaolin, the religion itself) came from external sources and was aggregated there.

A lot of the Shaolin stories are legend. It's more of a touchstone for martial arts than a 100% source.

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"Pain can be a great teacher of compassion and humility."~ Unkotare-san

"Whatever the case, it proves that countless disasters can be prevented by simply assuming everyone you're working with is a moron." ~ Adam Brown, 5 Tiny Mistakes...

“	Originally Posted By: Sammygirl Shaolin is just one place where people trained in martial arts. Wudang is another. Both were not so much "martial art centers" as places where people came to study, meditate, and learn -- strive to become a "whole person" or go beyond themselves. Kung fu, like many of the books (and in the case of Shaolin, the religion itself) came from external sources and was aggregated there. A lot of the Shaolin stories are legend. It's more of a touchstone for martial arts than a 100% source.	”

True true... try to get the general populus/sheeple or mis/uninformed to believe it though...

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Terrorists aren't overseas. They're at the gas pump.
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I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. -- Kung Fu-tzu (Confucius)

The more correct term to use would be Wu Shu.
Definitions of Wu Shu on the Web:

• Generic name for mainland (northern) Chinese martial arts (translates roughly to "crafts of combat") which emphasize lower-body moves (aka Northern Fist); practiced by, among others, Jet Li.

• www.hkfilm.net/terms6.htm

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Mark
Liberalism is a mental disorder. -M. Savage

lower body moves eh?

wouldnt that more correctly be called

northern foot?

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"...any theory that satisfies the facts demands assumptions which are completely absurd."

Aleister Crowley

Instead of saying "what style of kung fu do you practice?" the correct question would be "What style of wu shu do you practice?"

With that being said you have traditional wu shu and conteporary wu shu (also refered to as modern wu shu). The latter is associated with the more acrobatical moves such as aerials, butterfly twists, etc....

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Mark
Liberalism is a mental disorder. -M. Savage

“	Originally Posted By: banditshaw It's hard to say what is a 100% authentic. Shaolin had a lot of outside influences in their long history. I'm no expert but I would think that the closer to the source you can get as with any art, the more authentic. Whether or not it's effective or not is another question entirely.	”

You cant get closer to a source as everything out there is a far cry. At least with Japanese systems, they are a lot closer....