Oh, hello! I can vividly imagine the types of people now reading this blog post.
One group has popcorn ready and is about to jump into a virtual fight. Another group already has their favorite martial arts style and is keen to disagree with me on anything below. And then there is a group of people who are really puzzled about all the styles. What the heck is the difference, and can somebody explain, please?
Taking a bit of that e-popcorn while I write, I have a short and a long answer.
The short answer to “Is kung fu better than other martial arts styles?” is Yes and no.
I’m sure that was helpful!
Now let’s get into the more lengthy answer.
Martial Arts Styles
Telling someone that a particular martial art style is the best for them is sight-shorted. I am sure you have friends who got recently addicted to BJJ/boxing/karate and swear that you need to try that and it’s the best thing you will ever do. They may be right and for sure of the best intentions.
I like the explanation of my sifu, who said that kung fu (or martial arts) is a vehicle of your life. It is supposed to make your life better. And there are many different goals that you can reach through the practice. For example, you can improve your mental health through discipline and routine - maybe here you would love karate or tae-kwon-do with its uniforms, routines, and stricter discipline gym climate. Maybe you are intrigued by Chinese culture, and philosophy and interested in weapons, Chinese kung fu is a better choice then.
Of course, some people go strictly for the fighting element. And let’s say louder it for the people in the back, martial arts is MARTIAL and the fight or self-defense is the main core of it. The practice does not need to be aggressive, for example, in some styles, you won’t regularly spar with each other, in others sparring or rolling will be a daily bread (wrestling, BJJ).
So there is no fit-to-all best martial arts style. I always recommend trying different styles and schools, on the side of thinking what your goals are, because you may not know yet that you will fall in love with fighting/forms/slow movement/throwing people to the ground.
Kung Fu Styles
When it comes to kung fu, this is not a style. Kung fu, or traditional wushu is a big group of all martial arts from China. Inside this group, we can find many styles, including the one I practice and coach, Hung Gar/Hung Kuen.
Hung Gar is a beautiful style of Southern Chinese martial art, that includes 5 animals and 5 elements, and both bare-hand and weapons practice (sword, stick, broadsword, spear, daggers…). I love Hung Gar because of the athletic beauty in the movements - definitely plus points for those who enjoy mindful healthy movement. Next, Hung Gar is very practical. Its self-defense techniques and strategies are broad, so people of different body types can focus on different things. Personally, I am always fascinated by how smart Hung Gar Kung Fu is, the angles, biomechanics, and how techniques match and fit each other like a puzzle, it’s a feeling I am sure advanced boxers or grapplers know very well.
For sure, Hung Gar is not only about fighting, and therefore it is not the shortest path towards fighting or self-defense (perhaps a better choice for those in a rush would be Krav Maga or Muay Thai). Kung fu, which means “mastery reached by hard work over a long period” already gives away that this is more of a lifestyle, affecting mental and physical health and many people chose kung fu for its holistic aspect. I have the experience that I can swear on, since I have practiced traditional martial arts like karate and kung fu my whole life, now in my 30s I feel stronger and healthier. Without this, I am not sure how effectively I could be a professional at my age.
Whether you chose Hung Gar or any other style, I am excited for you to start training, because it will feel like an upgrade of all the aspects of your life - social, emotional, mental, physical, goals planning…
Let me know in the comments what is your favorite style!
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