What is the distinction between Taekwondo and Kung Fu? Both Taekwondo and Kung Fu are wonderful martial arts for health and fitness.
Taekwondo, on the other hand, is a Korean combat sport that focuses on complex, forceful kicks. Kung Fu is a combat sport from China that emphasises speed and spontaneous fighting reactions.
It will be much simpler for you to determine the right decision for a martial art form once you grasp the differences outlined in this article.
What Exactly Is Kung Fu?
Kung Fu is pronounced “Gong Fu” rather than “Kung Fu” in China. Depending on where you are in the country, it is sometimes called as quanfa or wushu.
Kung Fu is a Chinese term that refers to any talent that requires time, effort, patience, and discipline to learn but isn’t a martial art in and of itself.
When an art is coupled with an institution of teaching, it is a martial art. Shaolin Kung Fu is thus the most well-known kind of Kung Fu as a martial art. Buddhist monks in a Shaolin Temple teach this style of Kung Fu.
It’s worth noting that this makes “Kung Fu” an extremely adaptable phrase. Because the various varieties of Kung Fu could be highly distinct from one another, there is no such thing as a generic Kung Fu fighting style.
The most popular forms in Kung Fu available for training in the West, on the other hand, are mostly associated with a few styles, the most well-known of which being Shaolin, due to its popularity in cinema and literature.
You don’t have to be a Buddhist to practise Kung Fu; in fact, within the monastery, tuition is divided into two parts: Buddhist studying, referred to as “Chan,” and fighting, referred to as “quan,” and both are treated as distinct disciplines.
Some Kung Fu schools are not affiliated with any religion.
Chinese Kung Fu has had a significant influence on the growth of martial arts throughout Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and Sri Lanka, and knowledge of the various schools was first conveyed by visiting monks acting as agents for their monasteries.
What Exactly Is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that originated in China. It is especially well-known for emphasising a combat style centred on kicking techniques like quick kicks, spinning kicks, jumping kicks, and high kicks.
Taekwondo fighters are instructed not to strike their opponents in the legs, but rather at the waist or above.
Taekwondo is a relatively new innovation, having been codified and institutionalised throughout the 1950s. Kung Fu, Karate, Taekkyon, Subak, and Gwonbeop have all been influences.
Because an official governing organisation for Taekwondo was not established until 1959, there is often some uncertainty about the precise origins of each aspect of the discipline.
What is undeniably accurate is Tae Kwon Do was created for the Korean army at the request of the South Korean president at the time, Syngman Rhee, who was impressed by a martial arts display he had seen and believed that the army could benefit from its own specialised technique.
Taekwondo is easier to discern than Kung Fu since it is essentially a single discipline with only a few schools, and the variations between them are considerably fewer than in Kung Fu.
Most importantly, Taekwondo focuses a high priority on speed and strength.
When it became obvious that the mass of a strike had direct proportionality to the force of that blow, but high speed provided an exponential rise in the power, Newton physics and biomechanical theories were merged to establish a martial art based on speed.
As a result, they reasoned that getting faster to become more powerful was easier than gaining weight or muscular size to attain the same goal.
What Are The Primary Benefits And Drawbacks Of Kung Fu?
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of Shaolin Kung Fu, using it as an example and presuming you will learn it in your own nation rather than in China.
The Advantages
You will be a highly effective combatant – Among the most diverse martial disciplines is Shaolin Kung Fu.
You’ll learn to control your inner sentiments and voice, and the martial art’s physical components.
You will notice that your physical condition improves dramatically.
The Cons
Studying Shaolin takes a long time because there are so many forms and motions to learn.
Because of the Buddhist character of this school, you may be advised to explore a vegan lifestyle if you wish to practise at advanced levels.
What Are Taekwondo’s Main Advantages And Disadvantages?
Taekwondo, on the other hand, is a little easier to define.
The Pros
It’s a lightning-quick martial art; if you would like to catch someone off guard, this is the way to go.
It’s a highly powerful martial art; if you knock somebody out, they won’t be able to get back up quickly. You’ll become a lot more agile as a result of this.
The Cons
You need space, and when you let others come too near to you, it’s far more difficult to send them out.
Some martial artists could have an advantage over you since they have more striking and grappling experience.
All that leaping and high kicking can be exhausting; you could be too weary to battle after a few minutes
Is it Best to Study Taekwondo Or Kung Fu?
Is it best to study Taekwondo or Kung Fu? If a particular style or component of either art appeals to you, trust your instincts and pursue that art.
If you’ve gotten this far and still think “they both sound like fun,” consider visiting institutions for each art form in your area.
Look at what instructors do, get a sense for the atmosphere in the dojo, and decide where you want to focus your efforts. Then take a look at that one.
Both of these techniques are excellent for improving physical fitness as well as mental toughness and discipline, which is more than adequate for the large majority of martial artists.
Conclusion
Both taekwondo and taekwondo and kung fu are good choices if you would like to study martial arts for overall fitness and total well-being.
Nevertheless, both taekwondo and kung fu offer unique advantages in different types of use and application, so it’s worth considering what you want from a martial art and then studying the one that comes closest to matching those demands.
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