There isn’t strong historical proof that the stories about him are true. Records about Bodhidharma have been called into question and very much debated. Who created Kung Fu? Some historical documents credit Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk, with bringing his brand of martial arts from India to China and establishing Kung Fu in the Shaolin Temple. However, there is some evidence that it came from (or at least is heavily based on) a martial art that was developed in India. Kung Fu is typically thought of as Chinese martial arts. So old, in fact, that its origins are shrouded in mystery and conjecture. Where does Kung Fu come from? Kung Fu is really old. Its explosion in popularity across the world since the 1960s and 1970s – due in no small part to the popularity of Bruce Lee and his films. This paved the way for martial arts in popular culture and made kung fu much more accessible. (Source: Martial Arts Of The Orient book by Bryn Williams) This emphasized the economy of movement and directness in attack and defense.īecause this didn’t rely on powerful arms and body, this was perfectly suited to women at the time and continues to be a popular and prominent martial art today for both men and women. More recently in the 20th century, Wing Chun became prominent as the favorite of the legendary Bruce Lee prior to developing his own art in jeet kune do.Īs the story goes, Wing Chun was developed by a nun to help her charges defend themselves. The most well-known of these include monkey, tiger, crane, and praying mantis styles. Shrouded in legend around how they developed, a key characteristic of kung fu is the styles associated with it based on distinctive animal movements. Kung Fu was founded on a system of leg, arm, and trunk exercises incorporated with meditation which developed significant strength in physical and spiritual efforts in the monks that practiced the art. On the other hand, the Karate master will have short movements with distinct stops and pauses between one technique and the next. However, the movements of the Kung Fu master will be much more fluid as he moves from one technique to the next with little pause. They are designed as much for self-defense as they are for keeping the body fit and healthy.Īsk a Shaolin master of Kung Fu and a Karate master to perform next to each other and you’ll see many similar movements. Now, traditional Kung Fu practitioners focus on learning fluid, circular techniques and movements. However, it’s possible, more likely probable, that much of Shaolin Kung Fu was based on Chinese styles of martial arts going back much further. It is generally accepted that Kung Fu was developed and refined at the Shaolin Temple throughout its 1500 year history. Shaolin Kung Fu (also called Shaolin Wushu) is kind of the originator style going back centuries. This now includes styles ranging from Shaolin Kung Fu and Wing Chun to the softer styles of Wushu and Tai Chi Chuan. However, in general, outside of China, Kung Fu refers to a type of Chinese martial arts.Īs an umbrella term, kung fu describes a range of distinct styles which used to be characterized by animal movements. In China, it can be used for anything that requires study, patience, energy, and time to learn. It might surprise you to know that the term Kung Fu does not strictly refer to martial arts. The History of Kung Fu and the Five Animals.