Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu,
popularly as kung fu (pinyin: gōngfu), are a number of fighting styles that have developed
over the centuries in China.
These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits,
identified as "families" (家, jiā), "sects" (派, pài) or "schools" (門, mén) of martial arts. Examples of
such traits include physical exercises involving animal mimicry, or training
methods inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions and legends.
Styles which focus on improving muscle and
cardiovascular fitness are labeled as external (外家拳,
wàijiāquán), better
known for its overwhelmingly aggressive movements, with a combination of
PUNCHS, KICKS, STRIKES, HOLDS and THROWS; while others concentrate on qi manipulation are
labeled as internal (内家拳, nèijiāquán), follows the
principles of overcoming vigor with QUIET, GENTLE MOVES. However, few experienced martial artists make
a clear distinction between internal and external styles.
Most styles contain both hard and
soft elements, regardless of their internal nomenclature. Analyzing
the difference in accordance with yin and yang principles, philosophers would
assert that the absence of either one would render the practitioner's skills
unbalanced or deficient . . .
“yin and yang alone are each only
half of a whole”
Nan Quan:
this term can be translated from Mandarin Chinese to mean Southern Fist. China is traditionally divided
by the north and south by the great YangTze River. The main perceived
difference between northern and southern styles is that the northern styles (ChangQuan)
tend to emphasize kicks, high jumps and generally fluid and rapid movement,
while the southern styles (NanQuan) focus more on strong arm
and hand techniques, and stable, immovable stances and fast footwork.
Despite that, few martial artists
subscribe to the idea of northern systems being predominantly kick-based and
southern systems relying more heavily on upper-body techniques.
Beyond that, there are 2 definitions for NanQuan.
The first is that NanQuan refers to all the fighting styles
developed in Southern China. This includes all of the traditional styles used
of the South including; Hung Gar Kuen, Choi Gar Kuen, Mo Gar Kuen, Wing Chun,
Choy Lay Fut, Fut Ga Kuen, Five Ancestor Fist (Wu Zu Quan), Black Tiger (Hei Hu
Quan), Hakka Kuen (Ke Jia Quan), etc
The second definition refers only to Contemporary NanQuan that
was developed shortly after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China
(1949) as part of the new Chinese National sport, Wushu.
NanQuan is characterizing for its low stable stances and strong arm movements. The form
emphasizes power, speed and stability. The movements are powerful and aggressive like those of
a tiger. In fact one of the base of Contemporary NanQuan hand form is a modification
of the Tiger and Crane (Fu Hok) routine present in all Hung Gar branches.
In NanQuan, the arm combinations are
used in their entirety to cover all ranges of attack and defense. Common in it is
a unique form of simultaneous attack and defense called bridges (qiao) which
use the forearms at diagonal angles to create both a block and a strike.
While the firm stances are required, a high level of mobility is also necessary despite the fact that the practitioner maintaining
the low positions.
Also present in NanQuan is the
concept of releasing energy through fa-sheng
(“to happen”) or "release shout" which helps generates power through
a forceful breathing exhalation and varied sounds articulations, (i.e.
“shout”).
