reasons for choosing a style

[fgxpanzerz]

I met someone once who stopped studying hungar because he said his body was too small and wimpy. Shouldn't choosing a style be based on a person's personality?

For example, you need a certain personality to study and understand choy li fut. I call this the tiger personality.

[lungyuil]

I disagree. i think you can train in any style you choose if you put your mind to it. it is a copout sheer laziness or lack of interest in the style.

I train in Yau Kung Mun and i was told that because of my body structure it didn't suit me. I was told that Hung ga was best for my body type.

I stuck with YKM and its great, there are no gings, techniques etc that i cannot do if i put my mind to it.:)

[mono68]

I knew this individual once who was very heavy who initially wanted to learn Eagle Claw the Teacher himself told him a southern base style was appropriate for him since of his size.
He attempted to try when he injured his knees when doing the kicks and jumps. Sometimes some styles are more appropriate to suit our structure. But if you are discussing personality I believe any style is suitable. You really do not need to be placed or suitable for one style then other due to you personality.

[Diu Sao]

I don't think that personality dictates what style someone should practice. I mean how many different types of people do Kung-Fu? Look at any given school and it is easy to see how broad the student spectrum can be. A good teacher should be able to teach anyone with the proper motivation, regardless of body type.

[Crimson Phoenix]

There are definitely styles better suited for certain builds, but you won't let that prevent you from studying the style you want, will you??;)

[Helicopter]

To me good Kung Fu instruction is so rare, that you have to take what you can get.:D

[BSH]

A good style should be able to work with any body type, but not any person. Some people just should not be taught. It takes a level of righteousness that not everyone has.

[fgxpanzerz]

People tend to think that big people are slow and should study styles like hung gar and small people are fast and should study wing chun, for example. None of that is true. Bigger people(that includes heavy people and more muscular people) can be fast as heck and smaller people can have a lot of power and fierceness.

[CLFNole]

I don't feel that body type or personality for that matter should dictate the style that you learn. Different styles have a variety of forms within them that suite various body types and personalities. My style of choy lay fut is the same, there are forms that suit are stronger type person and others that rely more on flexibility and explosive power that a smaller person could excel at.

Not that a big or small person couldn't do either but it allows various body types to have forms that suit them to some extent. In the old days you would be taught forms according to your body type, however nowadays we are lucky enough to learn all of them and then you can specialize yourself.

It is important to learn forms for all body types because while a particular form may not suit you it is important to know and understand the form in order to pass it on to someone whom it would suit.

Peace.

[GreyMystik]

i think that a complete system will be able to train nearly anyone regardless of size or physical attributes; however, i also believe that certain sizes and/or body types will be more NATURALLY suited to certain systems. the personality compatibility is also a factor.

certain systems were even created for (at least by legend) certain types and reasons, such as wing chun kuen for women, certain styles such as hung gar kuen for rebels etc, so yes i do think that personality and body type may be factors, but as others have also stated, if you want to (and the system is complete) you can still do well if you work hard at it!

[denali]

You are neglecting the fact that larger systems have many different techniques, for different situations as well as body types. It's not necessarily the system, but the techniques that you choose to specialize in and train more.

[Crimson Phoenix]

Yeah but guys, you'll have to admit it's not very convenient studying fanziquan or piguaquan when you have short arms or chuo jiao with small legs :D

[TaoBoy]

I don't know about you guys, by I found my style through trial and error. In the previous styles I studied (judo, karate, kung fu) I didn't find that body size was a problem. The styles didn't work for me because the philosophies weren't the same as my own. (And in some cases I found that the instructors were less than adequate.)

So, from my perspective body size/build shouldn't be a key factor.

FYI - still studying kung fu but a different system to that discussed above.