What is the best Kung Fu style?

Master Kongling All, Questions and answers 4

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Searching for the best Kung Fu style

One of the most captivating aspects of Kung Fu is the sheer diversity of styles it encompasses: from the swift and acrobatic movements of Northern Shaolin to the internal focus and fluidity of Tai Chi, each of them offers a unique philosophy and approach to combat and self-cultivation.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

It is important to understand that Kung Fu (Gong Fu) has a wide array of styles (and something like 500 substyles), each with its unique characteristics and techniques: some prioritize powerful strikes and external techniques, while others emphasize internal energy flow and meditation.

The question is: which is the best Kung Fu style?

To reply this question we need before to establish:

Who has to practice it – It is foolish to try to teach a butterfly to fight like a bear; before embarking on a Kung Fu journey, it is crucial to identify who we are (age, sex, body type, weak / strong points, etc.)
What are the goals of the practitioner – Let’s do some clarity, what are our real aspirations? Self-defense, physical fitness, spiritual growth, cultural appreciation (etc.)?

Understanding these 2 points is crucial and helps us narrow down the options to select a style that aligns with our temperament, physicality, and objectives (and therefore that is better, specifically for us).

Physical and mental compatibility

It is now time for research and exploration. There are no shortcuts, understood who we are and what we want, we now have to search for something that is suitable, let’s read how in Is it legit?.

The idea is to analyze each style and consider how they resonate with our motivations.

A note by Master Kongling – In any case, whatever our choice will be, let’s never forget that real Kung Fu demands dedication and commitment. Let’s be honest with ourselves about our strengths and limitations, and let’s privilege a style that reflects who we are and not who we delude we are: this will allow an healthy, correct and stable martial growth.

Do I have to choose only one style?

No, just a core one. As we may have started to understand, the “best” Kung Fu style is a highly subjective notion. What might be the perfect fit for one individual may not resonate with another.

Said this, we should embrace the fact that something valuable and enriching (that is worth learning) can come from:

Each style
Each martial art
Each single school
Each single teacher

A note by Master Kongling – We will never find 2 instructors that teach the same content in the same way. Excluding scammers (read Recognize a good / bad master: 5 characteristics) and harmful situations (read Is your instructor harming your martial growth?), we can indeed (we must) learn from anyone.

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

In conclusion, the question of related to the “best” style remains a subjective and individualized matter; if instead with “best” we refer to the mere idea of combat confrontation, in our vision, that has very little to do with the teachings (excluding what is totally fake) but with the training focus and amount (read How to learn to fight: all the steps)
The true beauty of Kung Fu lies in its vast diversity, able to provide a range of infinite learning occasions; each martial art has strengths and weaknesses and only by combining them in a personal style is it possible to take full advantage of the former and bridge the latter
The best way to reason is to understand who we are, set our goals and choose a specific path but without forgetting to continue to explore; it is precisely for this reason that we created 6 Dragons Kung Fu (read 6 Dragons Kung Fu: what does it teach?), to offer bridges and connections between apparently incompatible systems
…

In the next article of this series, we will see how to start to practice from scratch (read How to start practicing from scratch).

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – All the technical exercises of our school to build real martial skills
Self-defense basics: how to – Everything you basically need to know and do to improve your personal security
Meditation: how to start – A step-by-step guide to meditation and its benefits

In-depth articles

The right age to start practice – Do I have to be a child to start a martial arts path?
6 Dragons Kung Fu: the difference with other martial arts – The peculiar characteristics of our school

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Excluding 6 Dragons Kung Fu, what is your favorite Kung Fu style?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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