Hung Gar vs. Pak Mei (Rivalry)

[blackmantis]

Hello everyone!

I have heard of a long rivalry between Hung Gar and Pak Mei, and was wondering if I could have some of your thoughts on this!

Is the legendary fight between Hung Hei Goon and Pak Mei the root of this rivalry? Can any of us be sure what actually happened in this fight? Do you historians know the official line?

In terms of style and form, are these styles very similar, or are they very different? I've heard of a long standing rivalry and have heard of clashes in Chinatown in London... does anyone know about this at all?

Any thoughts at all would be great!

Many thanks,

S

[BruceSteveRoy]

to the best of my (very limited) knowledge these two styles are very different. i believe (and please correct me if i am wrong) that hung gar is classified as a long fist style and Bak Mei is a short fist style. Bak Mei uses more internal force and Hung gar uses more external. Again, this might not be correct i havent studied either style and have only ever seen bak mei kung fu once. but i am not sure about any historical dispute between them.

[TenTigers]

There is no ribalry between Hung Ga and Bak Mei, in fact, I know of several Hung Ga people who have also studied Bak mei as well. The story about Hung Hei Guen and Pak Mei is from a movie.
Hung-Ga contains long arm techniques, but also contains short bridges as well. It is in fact played closer range than one would expect. It is also NOT an external art. People misjudge this due to the sections in the form that show tension, but the system is not played in this manner.That is like saying Tai Chi fights slow, or Wing Chun fighters stand in Yee Ji Kim Yeung Ma when they fight. Too many people make judgements based on what they see at a tournament, in movies, or in articles written my misinformed people. Hung-Ga is extremely internal,blends hard and soft, has great mobility and agile footwork, and fights at all ranges, but prefers the close range techniques.

[CLFNole]

Yeah that the premise of the Shaw Brothers movie Executioners of Death aka Hung Hei Koon. Just a movie not a real fight.

[ftgjr]

Having studied both styles for a little while, the biggest difference is that Pak Mei is more pressing in its attack and has its advantages on the inside. Hung Gar has long bombs to attack from longer distances but can also be shortened for in-fighting (5 elements). I have not heard much about a rivalry between the two systems.

[TenTigers]

no need to "shorten it for infighting" look at the opening sequences in Dan Gung Ji ,Fook Fu Kuen, Fu Hok Seung Ying Kuen and Ng Ying Kuen (fu hok especially) these are all short bridge technique. Remember-the long bridging was added later into the system. Originally, Hung Kuen had many similarities to what we refer to as close range fighting systems-such as Fukien Bak Hok Pai, and Hakka Kuen.