Wudang, Shaolin & Emei are not styles but rather broad characterisations. Whatever has been bundled as that today are but new inventions.
[QUOTE=RenDaHai;1133139]My teacher was so relaxed I could push my hand so far into his stomach I could touch his spine![/QUOTE]
This is probably interesting to see yet it’s kind of gross at the same time.
[QUOTE=RenDaHai;1133139]HOw does it differ? Many of the essential principles are identical. Both styles use a combination of Xu and Shi technique (empty and solid). In my experience Wudang focuses more on Xu, empty techniques and Shaolin focuses more on Shi, solid techniques. Many techniqes are shared between the two however and it depends on the practicioner. YOu could do shaolin and make it like wudang and vice versa.
[/QUOTE]
Good post - I’m still not 100% clear on it though. So it’s more of an interpretation of how to apply and develop force?
[QUOTE=MightyB;1133179]Good post - I’m still not 100% clear on it though. So it’s more of an interpretation of how to apply and develop force?[/QUOTE]
Yes, exactly. It is also part of the strategy.
When I say Xu ‘Empty’ I mean that the technique is not committed. It can change at any moment. It uses no force or energy so is not easily captured or taken advantage of. Once it decides on its shape it can use power, but it is weak and slow. But If it fails it costs nothing and leaves you guarded.
When I say Shi ‘Solid, real’ I mean committed. It is very fast and very powerful. However if it fails it wastes energy and leaves you in a compromised position and can be easily used against you.
So the two methods are the classic struggle between risk and reward.
Generally, and it depends on the practicioner, Shaolin relies on generating power throughout the whole movement and favours bold committed techniques. As such it likes to take the initiative. Wudang styles tend to be less decisive, using techniques which can change easily, waiting for the opponent to defeat themselves as it were.
Interestingly in my experience the opposite is true of the footwork in the two styles. Shaolin favours a dynamic Xubu, where as Wudang tends to stand firm. But I don’t have enough experience with Wudang to make a definite observation of its stance work.
Both styles contain the full range of technique and it depends on the individual.
When I was in Wudang I used my Shaolin to spar against one of the coaches. He was excellent and I couldn’t get through his guard at all at first. How can I describe it? When he attacked it was like trying to block when someone throws a bucket of water over you. However I found If I attacked his stance it would force his hands into a solid position, allowing me to penetrate.
wudang mountain has over 200 temples. theres no such thing as wudang style.
[QUOTE=pdf108;877621]Wudang Gongfu, one important school of Chinese Martial Arts has a very long history. Wudang Gongfu, incorporating ways to stay healthy and prolong the lifespan as well as collecting the skills to fight, is not only a special school of Martial Arts, but also a whole system of Martial Arts theory.
Wudang Gongfu, as a culture, takes root in the fertile soil of thousand-year long Chinese civilization, containing profound Chinese philosophical theories, combined twith the raditional notions of Taiji, Yinyang, Five-element, Eight-diagram into boxing theories, boxing skills, exercise and attack policies, tantamount to studying the laws of life activities. So we can say that Wudang Gongfu is the crystallization of Wudang Taoism in the process of studying life.
It is said that Zhang-Sanfeng, the founder of Wudang Boxing, was self-cultivating in Wudang Mountains, when he witnessed a fight between a magpie and a snake. That the magpie was flying up and down to attack and the snake was shaking its body and raising its head to fight back gave him inspiration and understanding of the Taiji theory so that proceeded to create Wudang Internal Kungfu.
The original legend of Wudang Gongfu, and the pose of the snake in the fighting have visually demonstrated the gist of Wudang Gongfu: to overcome the strong in a gentle way and to win by striking only after the enemy had struck. To ascertain one’s position and then defeat the enemy.
After many boxing masters enrichment and development, Wudang Gongfu has many derivatived schools and kinds, such as, Taiji boxing, Form-and-will boxing, and Eight-diagram Palm; and Taiji Sword; Lightening Gongfu, Hard Gongfu, feats and variations of Qigong. From then on, Wudang Gongfu has walked out of the deep mountains and become an important school of Chinese Martial Arts. There are many schools of Wudang Gongfu today, but the Sect of Zhang Sanfeng remains the one that has inherited Wudang Gongfu in the most complete way. Priest Zhong Yunlong is the 14th-generation master of the Sanfeng Sect and Priest Chen Shixing is one of his most outstanding formal disciples.
http://www.daoistkungfu.com[/QUOTE]
What a beautiful fantasy. Brought a tear to my eyes.
[QUOTE=lkfmdc;1133104]I only know one thing
wudang clan aint nuthin ta fuck with
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEOC9El3q70
:D[/QUOTE]
I’ve been on Facebook too much… I tried to “like” this post.
More on Zhong Yunlong
Bare-chested Wudang disciples practice kung fu in the snow
( chinadaily.com.cn )
Updated: 2013-01-17
A Taoist master from the Wudang Mountains in Hubei province, Zhong Yunlong, recently revealed some photos of his disciples practicing their martial arts routine one snowy day. They are students at the Sanfeng Academy where Zhong, a 14th generation master of the Sanfeng school, teaches. He made the photos public on Jan 1. They were taken on Dec 26, 2012.
The students in the photos – bare-chested with their hair in buns – moved on palings or played with swords and spears in black trousers and white shoes. Their motions were elegant and well-composed. Zhong Yunlong said that it is common for a kung fu artist to wear an unlined coat when practicing in winter. After class that day, in the snow, several students practiced what they learned on their own without their shirts. “In those early days, the students showered with cold well water after practice in the Purple Heaven Palace,” said Zhong.
Zhong Yunlong said that the extensiveness and profundity of Wudang kung fu lies in its long lasting practice. Every kung fu artist needs to go through basic training, including daily leg stretches, splits, backward bows and somersaults. They must also exercise by hopping, frog-jumping, waddling, creeping, squatting and doing sit-ups and push-ups. The artists would make enormous progress in physical strength after a period of practice like this. As a result, it is not difficult for them to practice kung fu in such cold weather.
I know I will have arrived when I can send my disciples out into the snow for a photo shoot and then take all the credit. 
Not a fan but I like their revisionist historical references!
When I first heard about them I was somewhat skeptical only because they named all their systems after original family styles then added the Wudang nomenclature to it. It is one thing to name your art Wudang taijiquan then next day offer another form called Wudang Zhaobao taiji! Definately is suspicious to say the least but some of their style leaders do happen to show some visible level of skill in general tuishou so a good tool of investment providing it is cheaper, or if one is enthralled by WUDANG name, as that may be worth an extra 200 buckaroos!
As if working in the snow is difficult! :rolleyes:
It’s hard to train at altitude.
nine styles of Tai Chi
[QUOTE=GeneChing;1206349]I know I will have arrived when I can send my disciples out into the snow for a photo shoot and then take all the credit. ;)[/QUOTE]
LOL. (Still laughing.)
All seriousness aside, Ken Cohen wrote an article for the now defunct IKF magazine years ago and he lists the nine styles of Tai Chi that were trained at Wudang.
- Five Elements Tai Chi
- I Ching Tai Chi (standing postures)
- Eight Hacking Palms Tai Chi
- Shoulder/Elbow Tai Chi
- Seven Star Tai Chi
- Praying Mantis Tai Chi
- Snake Form Tai Chi
- Universal Tai Chi
- Formless Tai Chi
[QUOTE=bawang;1133224]wudang mountain has over 200 temples. theres no such thing as wudang style.[/QUOTE]
Yes there is, it’s called co-opted shaolin with long hair and a topknot. 
[QUOTE=Scott R. Brown;1206375]As if working in the snow is difficult! :rolleyes:
It’s hard to train at altitude.[/QUOTE]
True. It is really difficult to train at altitude. I’ve tried. You cash in your chips in about 1/4 of the time it would take you at SL or around it.
The 8 Gates of Wudang
[QUOTE=SKM;1206379]All seriousness aside, Ken Cohen wrote an article for the now defunct IKF magazine years ago and he lists the nine styles of Tai Chi that were trained at Wudang.
- Five Elements Tai Chi
- I Ching Tai Chi (standing postures)
- Eight Hacking Palms Tai Chi
- Shoulder/Elbow Tai Chi
- Seven Star Tai Chi
- Praying Mantis Tai Chi
- Snake Form Tai Chi
- Universal Tai Chi
- Formless Tai Chi[/QUOTE] Hmm, I wonder where Cohen got that. I can’t even map all of that on Chinese terms.
In our SEP+OCT 2003 cover story with Zhong Yunlong, he said the following:
It’s very hard to say how many lineages there are at Wudang today. Through the centuries so many masters have created their own styles. When each master breaks through, when they attain a higher level, they become their own style. When they become their own style, they create another branch of the lineage. Most of the lineages are out in the community among the folk people of the country. Today, there might be thirty or fifty of them, but the Wudang Zhang San Feng branch is the main stream. Now we still call it Wudang San Feng Pai (Pai means “school.”) All of the others came out of the San Feng Pai - they were created and branched out. Under Wudang San Feng Pai are eight men (gates): Taiji, Xingyi (form mind), Bagua (eight trigrams), Baji (eight extremes), Baxian (eight immortals), Xuangong (mystic work), Liuhe (six harmonies) and Jiugong (nine directions). I still focus mainly on Taiji. Wudang Taiji consists of 15 forms. Then from that it also branches out into 18 weapons.
[QUOTE=David Jamieson;1206459]True. It is really difficult to train at altitude. I’ve tried. You cash in your chips in about 1/4 of the time it would take you at SL or around it.[/QUOTE]
Yeah me too, except at the time I couldn’t figure out why I sucked so bad. Then I found out I was at 5,000 feet and it all made sense. I wasn’t on a mountain, it was in the upper desert in relatively flat land so it wasn’t obvious at the time.
5,000 feet doesn’t seem all that high, but when you are from sea level, its a huge difference when you are used to working out 3-4 hours at a time.
Where Ken got his info.
[QUOTE=GeneChing;1206500]Hmm, I wonder where Cohen got that. I can’t even map all of that on Chinese terms.
In our SEP+OCT 2003 cover story with Zhong Yunlong, he said the following:[/QUOTE]
I do not know where he got that information. I personally did see him perform the snake Tai Chi and Eight Hacking Palms Tai Chi. He taught me the ‘Universal Tai Chi’, which is the basic Yang form with specific visualizations. Ken is totally fluent in Chinese reading, writing, and speaking. He may have gotten such information through his studies of classical texts or talking to Chinese masters. My own hunch (please do not hold me to it) is that he got a lot of information from Master B. P. Chan.
I have also seen the Mantis Tai Chi performed, but not by Ken.
Personally, I think the information relayed to you by the Wudang master is accurate as it embeds the Taoist philosophy within the training progression. Anybody can make up a form and what Ken is talking about might just be some add-ons that various masters came up with through the course of time and enough people liked the form(s) to perpetuate them throughout the monasteries. That’s just my opinion.
[QUOTE=Scott R. Brown;1206502]Yeah me too, except at the time I couldn’t figure out why I sucked so bad. Then I found out I was at 5,000 feet and it all made sense. I wasn’t on a mountain, it was in the upper desert in relatively flat land so it wasn’t obvious at the time.
5,000 feet doesn’t seem all that high, but when you are from sea level, its a huge difference when you are used to working out 3-4 hours at a time.[/QUOTE]
I was in the Himalayas, I didn’t think nothing of it…carried my luggage up 3 flights of stairs and felt absolutely pathetic. Couldn’t breathe. I was out of training at the time, but I couldn’t believe I was that out of shape. It didn’t dawn on me until a week later what my problem was.
I know why some fighters like to go the high desert to train.
Another one?
It’s like Spring Cleaning time. :rolleyes:
Farce of fury: Boxer KO’s ‘Wudang kung fu master’ in 7 seconds flat
Another video surfaces of a phony Chinese kung fu fighter getting beat down by a combat sport athlete
By Keoni Everington,Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2017/05/15 18:54
Boxer decks “Wudang disciple” in 7 seconds. (Weibo image)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Another fake kung fu fighter met his match when he was knocked out by a boxer within seven seconds on May 4, a few days after the infamous match between an MMA gym owner and self-professed “tai chi master.”
This time, another faux fighter, who claimed to be a disciple of the Wudang () style of kung fu, is shown in a Weibo video being bounded to the turf like a rag doll in seven seconds by a boxer.
In the grainy video titled “Wudang kung fu master fights for traditional martial arts at a fight club, but doesn’t last for seven seconds,” a man is see wearing a black kung fu uniform with white boxing gloves, while a bare-chested boxer can be seen with bright green boxing gloves. Not to leave viewers disappointed, the boxer quickly goes to work and punches the pseudo kung fu “master” to a pulp.
The video is the latest in a series of videos showing purported “kung fu masters” taking on mixed martial artists and boxers. The previous being the clash between an MMA gym promoter Xu Xiao-dong () and a massage therapist turned “tai chi master” Wei Lei (), which ended with the latter being punched into submission within ten seconds.
Nothing is yet known of the current kung fu fighter to be clobbered on video, but the Taoist Wudang monasteries, which housed famous sword fighters going back many centuries, were ransacked during the cultural revolution from 1966-1976 and the resident monks and martial artists were banished from the area.
After the cultural revolution, like most temples in China, the Wudang monasteries were converted into tourist attractions. Not much evidence exists of the return of the original practitioners of Wudang style after the cultural revolution.
Thus it is difficult to ascertain the validity of the martial arts lineage of a person claiming to represent Wudang style kung fu in modern day China. If he did in fact train at Wudang, it is a tangible sign of the deplorable state of this once fierce fighting system.
continued next post
Continued from previous post
Such style versus style videos provide little in the way of quantifiable data as to the effectiveness of a given fighting system since they are individual incidents. Below is a video showing an opposite outcome in which a Wing Chun kung fu fighter smashes a Muay Thai kick boxer into a mirror:
That MMA vs Taiji Fight Everyones Talking About
Wudang Kung Fu?
Muay Thai Vs Wing Chun
Cover Story
Cultivating the Dao Through Martial Arts: A Look at Wudang Wushu Revival By Emilio Alpanseque
July August 2017 cover story tackles Wudang Kung Fu