Kung Fu styles 

Although most Kung Fu styles have origin in Shaolin monastery spreading of Kung Fu all across of China lead to it's further development through creation of many different styles. Today in China there are hundreds of Kung Fu styles, from very similar ones to styles so different from each other, that someone could treat them as totally different martial arts.

That's why is very hard to classify all these styles. But two major classification of Kung fu styles could be established:

1. by geographical location
2. by degree of using qi in training and combat

By geographical location Kung fu styles could be divided on:

• north styles
• south styles

This classification is based on well known chinese sentence: "southern fist, northern leg" which emphasized dominant use of hand techniques in southern styles and dominant use of leg techniques in northern styles. This differences was result of more factors: different constitution of northern and southern chinese, different clothing in southern and northern parts of China, and different type of opponentsand battle fields.

By degree of using qi in training and combat Kung fu styles could be divided on:

• soft (internal)
• hard (external)

Although all Kung Fu styles beside physical fitness require ability of controlling and using qi, some styles give more attention to physical strength and that styles are so called hard or internal. Styles that give priority to qi and to development of internal strength are so called soft or internal. Representatives of internal styles, and maybe only one that belong into that group, are: Tai jii, Ba qua, i Xing yi.