Why would someone choose Hung Ga over Shaolin,or vice versa? Just questioning the training principles of both styles, and what would you choose and why? Im currently doing Hung Ga for a few months and a buddy of mine is doing Shaolin and im kind of curious what makes people choose either. Thank you,
Earth-= Hung Ga, Fire= Shaolin? But in Hung Ga they incorporate all five elements. Im sure Shaolin does the same since Hung is derived from Shaolin? Am I missing something?
Shaolin is a non specific term, by several definitions Hung Gar IS Shaolin. What Shaolin is your friend doing?
Availability of instruction? Personal preference re: learning environment, teacher, syllabus etc? Your buddy can't stand spending any more time around you? (jk)
That is the official for-profit US arm of the Shaolin Temple at Songshan. They teach different martial arts classes, Qigong, and programs on Chan Buddhism in New York City. There are Tai Chi classes as well. This is a big commercial enterprise that ties back to the People's Republic of China. The Hung gar schools in New York City are also for-profit schools that teach Hung gar and some basic Chan Buddhist concepts, as well as whatever their particular instructors throw in which probably varies quite a bit. These are privately owned. Animals have always had an association with Chinese martial arts due to their myths, which include anthropomorphic animal warriors of all kinds. There are many non-martial arts Qigong practices with animal forms. The Hung gar 5 animals are martial concepts tying back to Ming Dynasty Shaolin practices where Dragon Snake Tiger Leopard and Crane styles became associated with various Shaolin heroes (real and fictional) in the southern provinces, and from there they made their way into Hung gar in both common 'village' form as well as highly structured systems (e.g. Wong Fei Hung's program 19th century school). It is essentially a lot of Shaolin material once it had made its way out into the masses, and was being passed on via families and publicly available schools. Hung gar is Shaolin in the same way Japanese Zen has roots at Shaolin, they are really interpretations of Shaolin, over the course of several centuries.
This old DVD has a good intro into the Shaolin roots of Hung gar. Keep in mind this documentary describes both myth and legend as well as provable factual Shaolin history. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo9LlboOZ-w"]Tiger And Crane Style (Hung Gar) Chiu Chi-Ling - YouTube[/ame]