shaolin kung fu in the scheme of things

[God]

what do you think the strong points and weak points are in shaolin kung fu compared to other styles of martial arts?

good points:
flashiness
confusion-inducing

[Hakko-Ryu]

good points: it looks good
weak points: it's government wushu.

[SoKKlab]

Which of the possibly hundreds of styles of Shaolin Kung fu are we talking about?

Lohan?
White Ape?
Yau Kun Mun?

They are each very different from each other in themselves and that's just three.

[God]

yes but the differences between those styles are vastly smaller than the differences between kung fu in general and other martial arts like ju jitsu

[SSJ1_Katrina]

personally i think it all comes down to the student, i haven't actually seen that much which could be called 'flashy' with Kung Fu, then again my kwoon tends to focus on practicality and not so much 'art'.
i must admit though, i'd love to investigate what some of the other kung fu styles are like- white ape? definitly.....alternative.

[SoKKlab]

Originally posted by God
yes but the differences between those styles are vastly smaller than the differences between kung fu in general and other martial arts like ju jitsu

No they are not!
And actually Ju Jitsu has a hell of alot in common with alot of Chinese Martial arts, after all it is just Chin Na/ Shuai Jiao but from a Japanese perspective.

Take a 'Shaolin' system like Yau Kun Mun, it's been influenced by Pak Mei and looks like Wing Chun but with loads of grappling and wrestling and submissions/ destructions in it and looks absolutely nothing like Lo Han.

My point is, that the breadth of Chinese systems, even those that may or may not of come from the 'Shaolin' lineage, is vast, hence it would be useful if you were a tad more specific.....

And as for your point about Flashiness...in some yes, in some , no.

Real Kung Fu is not flashy, Fakey 'Made up for Whitey Kung Fu' is.
Alot of modern Kung Fu is completely devoid of any combat significance or potential, over reliance upon things that look pleasing have killed alot of systems stone dead, some now resemble Museum pieces not combat systems.

[Hakko-Ryu]

Originally posted by SoKKlab
Real Kung Fu is not flashy, Fakey 'Made up for Whitey Kung Fu' is.Alot of modern Kung Fu is completely devoid of any combat significance or potential, over reliance upon things that look pleasing have killed alot of systems stone dead, some now resemble Museum pieces not combat systems.

couldnt have said it better...watch out for the many misconceptions out there in Kung-fu...and there's a hell of a lot. Look for "authenticity" instead of flashiness. To be able to discern authenticity you might want to do some research first not only on the school, but also on the history and facts about Kung-fu. For one, the Shaolin temple of today in China is but a joke. It's exactly what Sokklab described as "Fakey 'Made up for Whitey Kung Fu'...it's a tourist attraction.

[PointsView]

^yup the crab system(along w/ many others) is dead

and snake is rare to find ( as far as i looked)

[God]

hm, i REALLY have a lot to learn!