Kung Fu and Hwa Rang Do Discussion (serious)

Does anyone else here take Kung Fu, Hwa Rang Do, or other little-known and laughed-at martial arts? If you do, this is the place for you! This thread is for discussing the lesser-known martial arts, like Hwa Rang Do, or the often laughed at, but still powerful Kung Fu styles. I am a black belt in Hwa Rang Do, and am looking into studying some Kung Fu, particularly Praying Mantis, Snake Fist, and Dragon. Anyone have anything to say?

 

Can't say that I have but I've been a martial artist for years (Goju-Ryu, Kobudo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu).

Goju was my foundation so I've always wanted to study some southern Chinese styles to see it's roots. Okinawan Karate is relatively big but highly misunderstood too. My teacher would work out with Kung Fu teachers who would tell him, "That's not karate, it's Kung Fu!"

Later in life I will definitely study the 3 major Chinese internal arts but I've always wanted to take a more 'exotic' (best word I could come up with) art like the kinds you're talking about.

 

The Ryu styles are quite interesting, I'm happy to see someone who takes them. I agree, the Okinawan Karate is closer to the Chinese styles than the styles you usually see today, which have been heavily influenced by the Japanese styles. Hwa Rang Do is actually Korean, and originated about the same time as the early Kung Fu styles. It is actually older than Karate and the other Japanese styles, but many Japanese martial artists are not happy to hear that. Since then, it has incorporated many Chinese and some Japanese techniques, but is closer to Kung Fu than to Karate and Ju-Jitsu. It even has many of the same "animal style" techniques found in several of the Kung Fu styles. Some examples are stances like mantis and cat, the mantis block, the spear hand (the Korean version of the Snake Fist), the bear fist, and the eagle strike. Of course, it is nearly impossible today to find a style that has not borrowed in some way or another from several other styles.