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Southern Shaolin / Hung Gar

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  • Southern Shaolin / Hung Gar

    OK, lemme get something straight- is Hung Gar just the same as Southern Shaolin, but with a different name? This is what I've understood from various sources, but I've seen various differences between things that claim to be "Southern Shaolin" and things that claim to be "Hung Gar"- can anyone offer any help on this?
    "Be Cool" - Lao Tzu

  • #2
    They are different, but have some of the same flavour. There are many similarities, but they are two distinct, and seperate styles.
    practice wu de

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    • #3
      lol

      lol..wheres dave to give another lengthy and detailed post about kung fu styles..

      well..i guess i can give it a shot..

      for one..hung ga was never taught in shaolin

      its a style that broke off from shaolin kung fu styles of the tiger and crane

      hung is a chinese familiy name for the hung style of kung fu..

      ga means somethin i cant remember..

      its like.. fut ga

      mo ga

      etc etc..

      the gas means the same thing its kinda annoying me that i cant remember but its not important anyway..its obvious what im saying here

      hung ga is one of several southern styles of kung fu, that was influenced by southern shaolin styles

      the reason it is similiar to shaolin is because essentially it is shaolin..just without the spiritual aims, and probably some other specific training techniques that were uniquely shaolin..

      and also, hung ga like all other prominient kung fu styles broke off into different lineages..thus making further differentation between styles that were once 1 system of fighting..

      but i dont see that as a bad thing..its just sad that there is usually alot of competition between lineages..and all kinds of other stuff

      but the way these styles have developed is good in a way because they are more popular and more versatile..but they also have lost alot of their essence...

      but meh..i think ive answered the question pretty well..

      you shouldnt have any problems discovering why hung ga and shaolin may seem similar..its not neccesarily the techniques that are all that different..moreas the aim and the way they achieve them..

      i guess thats an ok way to put it..

      peace
      "did you ask me to consider dick with you??" blooming tianshi lotus

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      • #4
        "ga" literally means like a family or clan... so "hung ga(r)" means hung family style, etc.

        Many different skills lay claim to "southern shaolin", hung gar, any of the other family styles such as lau, mok etc. choy li fut i think as well (as they have the green grass monk who was the teacher of the founder). But im not sure Even some people link Lung ying (dragon) and other skills like that too. It depends if you take it from the 5 ancestors story or not, as otherwise a LOT could be from there. Even the style of Ngo Chor Kuen - 5 ancestors - part of that is based on i think southern Lohan and some other things. So although Hung has that too - it doesnt have the "monopoly" on it imo.

        As far as my friends who do hung gar know, Gung Gee Fuk Fu Kuen was the foundation that u could say was "southern shaolin" as other methods were consolidated by the likes of wong fei hung etc. in to the tiger/crane set and other forms. Tid Sin Kuen (iron wire) comes from the line of Tit Kiu Sam who if i remember learned from a monk anyway (Kwok Yan? i forget).

        The thing you have to remember is that there is the line of wong fei hung for hung gar but also others. There are many so called "village" styles of hung as well - called such things as "black tiger" and other stuff. They have variations in forms as well. i mean if you look at the Wahnam site u see the articles on tiger-crane and stuff which are VERY different to what the mainstream Hung guys say and do.

        i really dont know much about stuff from shaolin, mainly just the skills i do and are related to them a bit i mean some people say wing chun is from shaolin - but im not too sure as the "technology" (power generation, footwork, sensitivity etc.) is very different to things like Hung gar.

        dave
        simple and natural is my method,
        true and sincere is my principle --Tse Sigung

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        • #5
          Ah well now I've looked up quite a bit of info on Hung Gar so I'm pretty knowledgeable about it now... and this knowledge has brought various things to my attention which are very... *interesting*... with regard to certain schools...
          "Be Cool" - Lao Tzu

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          • #6
            took you a while to notice

            dave
            simple and natural is my method,
            true and sincere is my principle --Tse Sigung

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            • #7
              Like a lot of other styles, there are plenty of politics to go around... shaolin, hung ga, eagle claw, wing chun, etc....
              practice wu de

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              • #8
                I have a book by this guy Sifu Jamal out of NC who writes alot about southern styles. He found some very old South Shaolin manuscripts while researching Hung Gar. The drawings don't even really have perspective, they're like one dimensional almost. But alot of them portray Hung Gar stances and stuff. I think the book is called 36 fist styles of hung gar or something. He writers about hung Gar, iron palm, south Shaolin and also has two really big books, one on hung Gar the other on Lama style, which are similar in some respects.
                "I'm like Tupac: Who can stop me?"

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                • #9
                  Lama style, usually has roots going back into Tibet (along with Hop ga). These tend to have some different power generation, similar stances and footwork. I don't know too much about this sifu Jamal guy... I'll have to look up some of his stuff.
                  practice wu de

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                  • #10
                    If you ever get a chance, check out "Heroes 2" from Shaw Brothers movies. The final scene has some lama style in it. I don't know if it's authentic but I described it to someone at tibetan kung fu.com and he said it sounded about right. Sort of Hung Gar meets King Kong meets an Indian war dance. The new celestial reissue is good but it doesn't have the hung gar demonstration "3 styles of hung family fist" at the begining. (some versions of the old one did)

                    I did Hung Gar for a year unnder a big famous grandmaster guy. It was okay, but there was no sparring, just forms. Not surprisingly, they do extremely well in those sort of competitions. I didn't fit in, which was no big deal because it was a gigantic school and didn't feel bad about leaving really. I learned taming the tiger, Lau gar, the praying mantis one, and the 5 animals, five fists one. I do Lau gar and the praying mantis one sometimes and little pieces of the other two.
                    "I'm like Tupac: Who can stop me?"

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                    • #11
                      Lama Kung Fu

                      Lester,

                      the Lama Kung Fu in that scene is authentic.

                      Uwe

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                      • #12
                        My friend Pat came to my temple last night and he did his Hung Gar form for my Sifu, and my Sifu told us that hung gar can lead to health problems. He said that he noticed quite a few hung gar masters die of heart attacks, whereas Shaolin masters usually live very long and healthy lives.

                        Comments?

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                        • #13
                          hmmm

                          id ask your sifu where hung gar originated from
                          "did you ask me to consider dick with you??" blooming tianshi lotus

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                          • #14
                            Might it have something to do with the fact that most monks don't smoke, and most Chinese men do?
                            Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                            "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

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                            russbo.com


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                            • #15
                              Haha, maybe it does. We've talked about how hard forms wear away at your muscle mass and your joints though. How it makes you unable to continue the art as you age, whereas Shaolin Gung Fu is soft and allows for easy movements at any age.

                              Doc. . . you're the doc, any medical evidence? Haha. I would just assume that it would be putting opposite pressure down on the joints, like around the elbows and such when you have to tense up.

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