Are there any "internal" southern styles?

[fa_jing]

I don't understand all of the differences between internal and external, but I do know that whenever I hear the term "internal," it applies to

Liu he ba fa
Tai Chi
Bagua
Hsing - Yi
Baiji
Pigua

So are any Southern styles considered strictly internal? I know in Wing Chun, we consider the style to be a cross of internal and external, I'm wondering about a pure internal style?
(please don't ask me to define internal. If you hold the opinion that a particular Southern CMA is internal let me know.)

-FJ

[Former castleva]

I am no man to tell what´s what but I bet there are internal southern styles,wing chun may not be one of them but it ain´t the only one.There are only so many styles...
Southern is not necessarily more internal or external than northern,just more southern and punch oriented.

[David Jamieson]

siu nim tao is considered an internal form in Wing Chun, many southern styles have many internal components to them.

Internal and external are used a little to often and are often times misused in outlining martial practice. At the highest levels of any martial arts, there are no lines of internal and external only one flow of pure you.

peace

[fa_jing]

Correct anwers, just curious if someone is going to pop up and say they practice the Southern descendant of Tai Chi.

-FJ

[Water Dragon]

I practice Southern Tai Chi

[KC Elbows]

The style I study is southern internal, though it's probably pushing the limits of the term "southern" since it's heavily influenced by several other styles(hsing yi, pa kua, and mantis, though I don't know if it's influenced by southern or northern mantis).

The history of my style can be found on www.taihui.com, though, as of yet, that teacher of the style does not have pics or videos up for the six elbows stuff.

I've seen video of his teacher doing the main form in Hong Kong, and it's very interesting. His teacher reminds me of yip man as far as build, wiry and long limbed, very smooth form.

[Ao Qin]

Dragon Form (Southern Dragon Style), is considered an internal art.

[Braden]

:rolleyes:

[Tsuruken]

Paihequan is con sidered to be an internal art that concentrates on the development of jing.

[bearpaw]

Bak Fu Pai --- more like a northern system transpanted to the south ...

[BAI HE]

Bak Hok Pai (White Crane) contains Mee Li Jum, the "Cotton Needle" form to build internal power and focus the Chi.
We used to start class with 20 Mins of seated meditation as well.
This was not the Fukien Style though, so I can't speak for that.

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by bearpaw
Bak Fu Pai --- more like a northern system transpanted to the south ...

I have an issue of "karate & kung fu illustrated" from 1986 that has an interview with a guy named doo wai, who is a (grand)master? in bok fu pai.

[ddh]

Fukien White Crane is more internal than external. Lots of work on the tendons and breath.

[Crimson Phoenix]

I'd rather say White Crane is equally internal and external...of course there's heavy emphasis on tendons (due to the type of shaking and rebounding jings needed), but Fujian White Crane also has a lot of muscular applications and hard jings. FWC uses training methods (force against force exercises, isometric muscle work, heavy emphasis on scapular belt contraction for power and the list goes on) and even hard qigong that would make an internal stylist scream "YOU CALL THAT INTERNAL???!!!!" This is for the external part.
But it also has internal practices too, like sensing hands, sticking hands (both of which become very important at a high level it seems), soft qigong for whipping power and decontraction, very relaxed jings (listening jing, redirecting jing), tendon work, etc...
So most FWC sequences usually mix the two aspects (here a hard jing, here a soft one, a tensed phase then a relaxed phase etc...), but some are specialized, like "Buddha hands" and "Butterfly palms" that are purey internal sequences, and "Arcing crane" or "Spreading wings" that are very muscular and external.
In the same manner, I always thought that dragon was also considered a soft-hard style like crane or snake, and not an internal one...

[Disciple108]

There are many southern martial arts and there are those that are "internal". Although the terms internal/External are not an accurate representation it may seem necessary to distinguish them as such.

We practise many fujian based styles and within them there are internal forms but there are also complete styles that are internal.

YuMenQuan : is an internal style (in the way taiji is) which although popularly practised in fujian is said to have originated in Wudang. It consists of only one form relatively short.

[fa_jing]

See, this is what I was looking for - interesting styles coming out of the woodwork! Any interesting/related sites to check out?

Oh Waterdragon, I meant "Southern Chinese" not "South of Chicago." ;)

[jun_erh]

ao qin- I am not sure southern dragon is an internal form. It is often described as a sister style to Bak Mei, which is hardly internal. I think Dragon is the most internal part of the southern shaolin five animals, but that is relative to the rest of that (external) style. Personally, I would say that northern and southern doesn't really apply to internal styles the way north and south shaolin does.

Tai Chi is taught in north and south china, whereas hung gar is taught in the south and so forth.
There is , of course, iron wire an internal form in the hung gar discipline, but not a style in itself.

[Buby]

Yau Kung Mun is made up of two complete systems. One being Pak Mei and the other being Yau Kung Sup Batt Suerng Toy Juerng (sp?).

Yau Kung Sup Batt Suerng Toy Juerng consists of three internal forms that are played slow like in tai chi, two man sensitivity drills, iron palm, and few other things. One of the forms is called Lion Rolling the Ball and the form is actually played with a ball.

Buby

[red5angel]

Dont forget to add wingchun on your list!

Ultimately these things are labels and we have to remember not to generalize too heavily, as all arts atleast claim to have a little of each.

[Repulsive Monkey]

There is Southern Nan Pai system of Taiji. However there are few people who managed during the early part of the 20th century to find a decent enough teacher.

[NARVAL]

Ao qin is right. Lung ying is internal. No muscular force. Body mechanics and attitude are two different things.

[BSH]

I have an issue of "karate & kung fu illustrated" from 1986 that has an interview with a guy named doo wai, who is a (grand)master? in bok fu pai.

GM Doo Wai is the 6th generation grandmaster of Bak Fu Pai. This is a southern internal Kung Fu.

It is definitely a southern style concentrating on punches and short, quick kicks required for fighting in a more crowded environment.