Shaolin Kung Fu is known worldwide as the father of all martial arts. In this part of my page I will give desciptions of other arts and discuss how they relate to Shaolin Kung Fu.
1.Tai Chi= it is an internal chinese martial art that uses slow but strong movements. Tai Chi means "Supreme Ultimate" . A Shaolin pupil named Chang San Feng went to Wudang Mountain and developed Wudang Tai Chi(which is the first style of Tai Chi). This martial art is really a fighting style although most people don't see it like that and think its only used to improve health. Tai Chi is based on the movements of Shaolin Kung Fu but the style emphasizes more on the training of ones internal energy(Chi). The 4 main Tai Chi styles are: Chen, Yang, Wu, and Sun.
2.Karate= it literally means "empty hand". The exponents of this japanese art use mainly striking attacks. The fishermen of Okinawa learned fighting techniques from the Shaolin monks in the Southern Temple and when they came back to their island they invented Karate to protect themselves from the invaders of other island. One of the most known styles of karate is Goju Ryu.
3.Tae Kwon Do= the "art of kicking and punching" is Korea's most famous art. Taking inspiration from the japanese arts the Korean soldiers created Tae Kwon Do while Japan was in command of Korea troughout the 20th century. It was also influenced by an ancient Korean art called Soo Bak Do, that was based on Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, and Tae Kyon. Tae Kwon Do places more emphasis in kicking techniques, and the power of its kicks is generated by the speed of the snap, just like Northern Shaolin Kung Fu.
4.Hapkido= this art is the most complete of the Korean arts. It's founder is named Choy Yong Sul and Hapkido's early influences are Daito Ryu(Karate) and AikiJujitsu(a blend of Aikido and Jujitsu), and it is later influenced also by Soo Bak Do. This style contains striking and grappling attacks. Hapkido means "the way of the harmonious chi".
5.Tang Soo Do= The art of Tang Soo Do is one of the newest martial arts. His creator, Hwang Kee based his new art on moves from Tae Kwon Do and Soo Bak Do so this art has more kicks than hand strikes. Tang Soo Do means "the way of the worthy hand".
6.Aikido= Aikido means "the Way of the harmonious energy". A japanese general named Ueshiba created Aikido based on the evasive moves of Tai Chi because he thought that using force against force wasn't the right way to fight. In Aikido, the exponents prefer to fight using their opponents own force against them, instead of striking them. This is a true Samurai Art.
7.Ninjitsu= an art that still today is taught in secrecy. Ninjitsu means the art of the ninja. Around the time of feudal Japan the ninjas created their own fighting style based on the wisdom of both chinese and japanese martial arts. Around this time the ninjas hid in the mountains of Japan from the samurais.
8.Kempo= there're are both chinese and japanese version of Kempo, theres even an american style Kempo. This style came from the Shaolin Art of Chuan Fa and arrived in Japan around the 17th century. Kempo means "the way of the fist".
9.Jujitsu= this art was the Samurais main fighting style. Jujitsu is a japanese art that evolved from Sumo Wrestling(which was based in a style of Kung Fu named Shuai Chiao), also a Shaolin monk named Chen Yuan Bin came to Japan to spread his art and this layed the basics of the Jujitsu strikes. In addition to the grappling techniques of Sumo Wrestling, Jujitsu also had kicks and punches. Today there are different styles of Jujitsu like Brazilian Jujitsu and there are also blends of it like Aikijujitsu.
10.Judo= the japanese art of grappling and felling techniques. Judo means "Way of Gentleness".This art developed from Jujitsu techniques(mostly the wrestling ways). Its founder is Jigoro Kano and Judo practitioners try to knockdown their opponents by manipulating their center of gravity.
11.Jeet Kune Do= Jeet Kune Do means "the way of the intercepting fist". This martial art was created by Bruce Lee based on his knowledge of Wing Chun(A Southern Shaolin kung fu style)and other martial arts, and also his philosophical believes.
12.Muay Thai Kickboxing= it is Thailand's most popular martial art. This fighting style was invented by the thai immigrants of China and its original purpose was to defend against invasion. In Muay Thai each part of the body is trained to be like a weapon for different purposes. Muay Thai Kickboxing is the descendant of American Kickboxing. The power of the strikes in this art(especially the kicks) is generated by raw strenght and knockdown power, instead of snapping power, just like Southern Shaolin Kung Fu.
13.Krav Maga= Krav Maga means "contact fight". This art was developed in Israel by Imi Lichtenfeld. The art was develop for military needs and its moves come from Judo, Juijitsu, Boxing, and wrestling.
