External martial art styles are typically "hard" in nature. The source of energy and power for external training is known as the tan tien. Some notable forms of external kung fu are:
• Animal styles (i.e. Tiger, Crane, Monkey, Praying Mantis, etc.)
• Self-Defense (i.e. Chin Na, Ippon, etc.)
• Shaolin (i.e. Sixteen Hands, Shaolin Five Animals, Lo Han, etc.)
• Weapon styles (i.e. staff, broadsword, nunchucks, spear, fan, etc.)
• Drunken styles (i.e. Eight Drunken Immortals, Drrunken Spear, etc.)
EXTERNAL
INTERNAL
內家
外家
Internal martial art styles are typically "soft" in nature. The source of energy and power for internal training is known as the wei kung. Some notable forms of internal kung fu are:
• Tai Chi Chuan (i.e. Yang style, Chen style, Sun style, etc.)
• Pa Kua Chang (i.e. Eight Animals, Linear Roads, Dragon style, etc.)
• Hsing I Chuan (i.e. Five Roads, Linkage, Two-Person Set, etc.)
• Qi Gong (i.e. I Chin Ching, Iron Shirt (Tie Pu Chi Kung), various meditation styles, etc.)
• Weapon styles (i.e. straight sword, spear, fan, staff, etc.)