How does the Chinese martial art differ from the Japanese martial art?

Just wanted to know - I think that the Japanese are more famous because of the Occupation of Japan by the Americans ...

How does the Chinese martial art differ from the Japanese martial art?
True that Japanese martial arts have had more exposure to the American collective mind. Japanese arts evolved from Chinese MA but of course they will deny that. Everyone knows about karate but many will give a blank look when kung fu is mentioned.





BTW, it is impossible to generalize what a Chinese martial art is. They usually fall under the name kung fu or wushu. Some are external (hard, physically powerful) martial arts and some are soft or internal martial arts (looks almost like exercise for the elderly). Others are a combination of them. There are wrestling, grappling, weapons, pressure points, ground fighting that are incorporated in many Chinese styles. For the most part, the Chinese arts are exotic and misunderstood. especially the soft styles. The Western mentality that brute force will prevail is imbedded in our society. That's why the karate styles make sense to us. They are "macho", aggressive arts (maybe not aikido) and appeal to us.





For me, I think that kung fu is the more refined art(s) since it has been around and battle tested for a longer period of time. I used to practice Okinawan karate but have fallen in love with Shaolin dragon kf.
Reply:All Eastern martial arts are derived from a set of stretching exercises that were originally developed in India. This tradition was spread throughout the Orient by Buddhist monks. China has a longer history with martial arts, as they were doing it before the Japanese. However, both countries have their own flair and you may be correct in your assumption that Japan received more notoriety due to the occupation.
Reply:Chineses martial art is better than Japanese martial art!!
Reply:Chinese MA use more circular motions and softer forms (but hit like a brick). Japense MA is more straight forward, hard forms (definitely designed to break a brick).
Reply:Chinese martial arts is more for dance, show, and performance. 99% don't work. Majority of gyms doesn't even teach a squat about fighting.





Japan martial art was develope for fighting. Majority of modern Japan martial arts that have evolved over the time are still very useful. Also a good gym would teach hands on (train against a real resisting human, spar, etc...)
Reply:Big Daddy Sarge is correct.





Chinese Martial arts are more flowing (circular)


Japanese Martial Arts are more direct (straight)





To see it yourself watch forms competition the difference is enormous





Do you agree Big Daddy?
Reply:Chinese martial arts are mainly considered "internal" such as tai chi, nei gung, baqua, hsing,ect. That is alot of focus is places on getting awareness of your chi and balance it, controlling it, manipulating it. Imagine Yoga but with fighting included.





Japan mainly has "External" arts such as karate and jiu jitsu which have no concept of chi but purely on streightening the body and understanding of what to do in various situations. Japan has one paticular internal art that I can think of which is Aikido but its mostly a weaker version of Hsing.





So lets say a practitioner of baqua got into a fight with someone expert in karate, the baqua practinioner will easily defeat the karate guy within seconds with quick strikes that the karate practioner would not even notice comming.
Reply:chinese martial are is more advance check out the movie "bruce lee return of the graigon."
Reply:same difference
Reply:from what i remember...


chinese internal styles attacked with all their weight behind their attack, but that meant no faints and slower to excute the second attack following the first, compared to boxing. also they used a bit of grappling just to unblance their opponent.





chainese external styles used a combo of throwing weight behind some of their attacks and turning the core of the body to create power in few other attacks. so some of the attacks are done in place by turning the body to create power, and others they step toward the direction of their attack to create power.





japanese styles branches off in a way. karate is mostly the styles from okinawa (i think i spelled that right) and because of their trade with china, they learned a style similar to external styles of chinese kung fu. only they were slightly more into core turning attacks than the external styles were.





then there's the mainland style like the jujitsu. jujitsu was the fighting art that was used when samurai lost their sword and had to fight an un-armed or even armed opponents. jujitsu puts grappling as their main focus because they need to get the opponent's weapon out of the way, and out of the opponents hands to their own hands.





most of chinese kung fu, external and internal, has been turned in to dance like forms due to pressure for communist government to change a fighting art to more of cultural art. most of the styles that still has any fighting value are the ones that's been practiced within families in secret.





karate does not put focus on grappling as much because it was more of an merchant's art of self defense on sea and on land, from theives and pirates.
Reply:well Japanese martial arts use more of a grappling/wresting, hand combat, sword type use





and Chinese martial arts use more of hands, feet, body, and sometimes weapons





the most different thing is style, method, attack areas (attack at arm, neck, etc.) , and that China is the origin of martial arts

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