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@avatarfightingforms
—It is important to draw wisdom from different places. If you take it from only one place it become rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, the other nations, will help you become whole. It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make you more powerful too.
My teacher for my uni class on health and physical education (for my edu degree) put on a vid on basic tai chi movements to demonstrate non-locomotor movement and had us follow along with the guy doing the vid just to try it out...
And in the back of my head, I was thinking “wasnt water bending kinda based on tai chi?”
And the literal first move we do is the move they do when Katara says “Water” in the intro for ATLA and we had to repeat the movement a few times and I legit could barely contain the giggles bc all I could think was Katara’s voice saying “Water” “Water” “Water” each time I did the upward motion XD
THE ONE PAKU DOES!!!
JUST OVER AND OVER:
Water
Suki - the Kyoshi Warrior.
The Kyoshi warriors fighting style was based on the Tessenjutsu style of martial arts.
And that’s the end of the series! I hope everyone enjoyed it, I know I sure did. Aang Katara Toph Zuko Sokka
Firebending basics.
So I'm rewatching ATLA like any recent college grad in a pandemic and trying to apply what I've learned at college to what I see in the show.
I spent three of my four years in college learning water bending.
Water bending, like all other elemental bending, is based off martial arts. This one is specifically Tai Chi. You have to feel the push and pull of the energy within yourself in order to do it correctly. Master Pakku is correct when he says this in episode 18. It's impossible for someone to feel this immediately when they first start out with no prior experience. Aang pushes around water, but he doesn't push around energy. He actually messes up where beginners mess up with cloud hands (the move we watch him learn and try to teach Katara). One of his hands is slower than the other, they don't move in tandem, and they're held far too stiffly to the point where one is at a wrong angle. There's a reason Aang isn't getting this right.
Katara, on the other hand, picks this up quickly because she knows what the push and pull feels like. She knows to attack Pakku's hands later in the episode than anywhere else because she won't get the reaction she needs to out of him. My sensei said that hands are the expression of the form, that feet are the balance and stomachs are the engine. If Katara attacked Pakku's feet or torso, nothing would happen because that's where his center is, where he's most solid. The hands are then the most vulnerable. You'll recall the battle ended once Katara couldn't move her hands and not when she was knocked down.
I think it's fascinating that they aren't following specific forms from what I can tell (8, 24, fan, sword) but Aang is still learning from the beginning forms (8 and 24) regardless.
I wish we were given the chance to see Sokka's warrior training. I'd love to know if the warriors learned the sword form of Tai Chi. It's a lot of fun to watch. Katara deserves a sword!
If you know a punch or a kick, you have something to practice...
There's the classic Bruce Lee quote "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." When you take all of the fancy, spinning, jumping, theatrics away from the martial arts, all you will have left are a handful of punches and kicks, and in all honesty, you don't even need to know all of those either.
What makes the difference, is your skill in execution of the single techniques. That is the true sign of advanced skill in any art, and though it most likely won't be highlighted, your teachers and advanced level practitioners will see it and keep an eye on it as you progress. Belt grades are measures of memorization of the requirements, tournament medals are just as much a reward of chance as they are skill. Real skill is not built through belt/medal collections, but the honing of skills, the working and reworking of the basics. Just a punch (for example) Focus on your basics, using the hip, shoulders, snapping the punch, and then checking your alignment. Throw the punch in slow motion to make the path of the strike clean and efficient, then speed it up. Punch something....repeatedly. Build up the strength to punch strong, and support a strong punch (fortify those wrists!). Then practice moving and punching: stepping forward and punching, stepping back and punching, turning 90 degrees and punching, turning around 180 degrees and punching. Practice punching from completely still (this one's a lot harder than it sounds) with no preliminary movements or telegraphs. Practice punching at different targets to develop accuracy (head, solar plexus, ribs, vs a standing opponent, vs a downed opponent...). Douse candles with the wind of your punch. Break boards with your punch. Get some resistance bands and build strength in your punch, put your punching knuckles on the ground and do push ups. Contract your muscles, clench tight and and punch slowly. Hang a string from the ceiling and punch it. Hang a piece of paper and rip it with your punches. Do 10,000 punches of gratitude. Perfect the technique, one punch at a time. So don't worry if you don't have anything new to work on, or are stuck at home away from classes, because mastery of the technique is a product of practice and like I said -if you know a punch or a kick, you have something to practice.
Fun fact:
This scene was performed in real life, then it was redrawn or traced over. Same with Zuko’s fight with Jet.
P.S I think the guy with the white shirt is Bryan Konietzko.
Also, fun fact: All the stances Sokka is using are real martial arts stances - meaning Sokka isn’t just trained in boomerang, machete and club at this point, but also knows combative moves similar to those Katara’s learned.
LOTS of fight scenes in ATLA were performed IRL, redrawn and traced over. Sifu Kisu was brought on because he was Bryan’s teacher. This is a great read.
“Water. Earth. Fire. Air.” The iconic intro to Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series is as unforgettable as the show itself. Avata
@sifu-kisu
This used to hang on the wall in the Nick Studios lobby.
Fun fact:
This scene was performed in real life, then it was redrawn or traced over. Same with Zuko’s fight with Jet.
P.S I think the guy with the white shirt is Bryan Konietzko.
Also, fun fact: All the stances Sokka is using are real martial arts stances - meaning Sokka isn’t just trained in boomerang, machete and club at this point, but also knows combative moves similar to those Katara’s learned.
LOTS of fight scenes in ATLA were performed IRL, redrawn and traced over. Sifu Kisu was brought on because he was Bryan’s teacher. This is a great read.
“Water. Earth. Fire. Air.” The iconic intro to Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series is as unforgettable as the show itself. Avata
@sifu-kisu
This used to hang on the wall in the Nick Studios lobby.
Latest Kung Fu Staff Spinning Tutorial is out!!! It’s a full breakdown that covers a lot of details! Have fun!!!
Advanced Staff Spinning Tutorial This technique is considered an advanced Staff Spinning Technique because it requires competency with two seperate Staff Spinning techniques to be able to combine them. Hopefully this tutorial can help you put the two together for an impressive advanced spinning technique. Have fun! Staff Training Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
How to Spin a Staff Around Your Neck!
This staff spinning technique is a fancy way to transfer the staff to the other hand by spinning it around the neck. Though it is considered an intermediate to advanced level martial arts staff movement, it is actually a basic contact staff technique and the principles of contact can be explored further than beyond the neck. Have fun and be sure to tag me in your staff spinning videos on social media!!!
Fighting Styles: Azula & Ty Lee
sageofthesky replied to your post: sageofthesky reblogged your…
Well, since my primary ship is TyZula… yeah, basically, both your areas of knowledge are good for me. So, how would Azula and Ty Lee mesh/oppose each other? (also, that is simply awesome, I am in awe of your knowledge)
It’s not as impressive as it sounds, I assure you. Studying kung fu takes a lot of time and dedication; even with the years of experience I have, I’m still hardly qualified to do little more than a couple of basic forms.
As for Azula and Ty Lee’s fighting styles, I like to think that Azula recruited Mai and Ty Lee for a reason. Both Mai and Ty Lee are experts at crowd control, with Mai being able to take down multiple targets from a distance and Ty Lee able to take down multiple targets at close range. Azula almost never fights crowds; she always zeroes in on the big fish.
Azula’s fighting style is atypical of most firebenders depicted in the series; she’s never really shown using a powerful fist or holding a wide, sturdy stance commonly seen in Northern Shaolin kung fu. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say she actually uses Changchuan/Chachuan style, which is a Northern style that is known for its beauty, elegance, and power. Unlike a lot of the more grounded and straightforward movements of Northern Shaolin, Chachuan utilizes many aerial movements, extended limbs, and balanced used of both hands and feet, with blows usually delivered at an angle.
Every strike is designed to be fast and efficient, which allows the user to conserve energy for the acrobatic movements this style requires. Chachuan also has elements of Crane (balance), Mantis (blocking), and Dragon (power) style kung fu.
As a practitioner of Chachuan, Azula uses a combination of external and internal energy, hard and soft blows, and open and closed fist. It’s a very balanced and versatile style, which allows Azula to be more defensive and mobile than most firebenders in the series, as she’s often shown blocking and countering attacks with greater ease than Zuko.
Towards the end of the series, Azula’s style shifts from being balanced to being more external, possibly as an indicator of her descent into madness.
Ty Lee’s Snake Fist is primarily internal, though she does have external elements to her overall fighting style. If she were to work in tandem with Azula’s external Chachuan, the two would have great synergy. Both styles are extremely acrobatic and mobile, so their movements complement one another.
Additionally, the long reach of the Chachuan would help make up for the relatively short range of the Snake Fist, while the softness of the Snake Fist would help compensate for the hardness of the Chachuan, which would not fare well against softer styles, like Tai Chi.
If fighting against one another, it’s hard to say who has the upper hand. At long to medium distance, Azula would have the advantage. But close-range, it’s anyone’s game…I’d go into it deeper, but then I would be giving away spoilers for Chasing the Dragon, so I won’t.
Fighting Styles: Azula
Today I’m going to take an in-depth look at Azula’s fighting style, which, after much debate between myself and my Sihing and Sidi, has been identified as a mix of Northern Shaolin and Chaquan/Chachuan (查拳). I’m mainly going to focus on Chaquan/Chachuan, because Northern Shaolin refers to a ton of different styles, and thus is not as easily defined, and Chachuan is what makes Azula’s fighting style unique in comparison with other firebenders. So let’s get started, shall we?
First, what exactly is Chaquan/Chachuan?
Chachuan (The Cha Family Fist) is a substyle of Changquan (長拳), a Northern style which literally translates into “The Long Fist”. Changquan is one of the most popular styles of kung fu in China, due to the “showiness” of its acrobatic forms, and is often performed at tournaments. While it does not technically fall under the category of “Northern Shaolin”, since it did not originate directly from Shaolin, Changquan contains many elements in common with Northern Shaolin styles, due to the constantly evolving nature of kung fu in China throughout history. It is said that the alleged creator of Changquan, Emperor Zhao Kuangyin, was greatly influenced by Shaolin styles, and the resulting prevalence of Changquan in turn greatly influenced the Northern Shaolin styles.
The four families of Changquan are: Cha (The Cha Family/Muslim Fist), Hua (The Hua Family/Flower Fist), Pao (The Cannon Fist), and Hong (The Red Fist). Azula specifically uses the Cha Fist (which itself is split into three different families of Zhang [faster, more agile, more compact], Li [more upright, more comfortable, more graceful], and Yang [more powerful, more continuous, and more direct], but due to the limitations of her fighting animations I cannot discern exactly which family style she uses).
The most notable contribution of Chachuan is the form known as Tantui, or the “Springing Legs” form. Many styles of kung fu, including Northern Shaolin, have incorporated Tantui (or some version of it) into their core curriculum. In fact, it is so ubiquitous, that the Chinese Government adapted the original Cha 10-Road Tantui System as the basis for the contemporary sport of wushu. Though the Tantui System has been adapted into the curriculum for many different styles, and nowadays can be considered a style of its own, the Cha Tantui remains unique due to its irregular, off-beat rhythm and angular strikes, as well as frequent angle changes, which are the defining characteristics of Chachuan.
Other notable characteristics include:
1. Balanced use of both hands and feet
2. Heavy emphasis on a strong offense, as well as numerous counter-attacks, because Chachuan relies on a strong offense to provide defense…
(…which coincides with Azula’s general style of fighting…)
3. Swift, forceful, and economical strikes, usually delivered at angles
4. Wide extension of the limbs, to maximize the space between the body and the fist, keeping attackers at a safe distance
5. Arms outstretched and striking in two different directions, in order to increase the user’s awareness of their surroundings and their effectiveness versus multiple combatants
6. Sweeping blows, from both hands and feet (Azula is a big fan of the low sweeping kick in particular, which she performs at least 3 times during the series)
7. Impressive acrobatic kicks and leaps (The 10-Road Springing Legs Form provides the basis for this.)
8. High degree of maneuverability, in contrast with more grounded forms like Tai Chi and Hung Gar
Chachuan is a style that is noted for its extreme beauty, elegance, and grace, as well as its acrobatic nature, versatility, and combat effectiveness. During the Tang Dynasty, it was the martial art of choice employed by soldiers in the Imperial Army due to its ability to fend off multiple opponents.
Unlike Northern Shaolin, where nearly every strike is delivered with a high degree of power, Chachuan’s forms and attack sequences are performed in continuous waves, with each movement leading into another, coalescing into a single (or multiple, depending on the situation) powerful strike(s) at the end.
Like any seasoned Chachuan user, Azula attacks in waves. She favors quick strikes that produce smaller bursts of flame, which usually culminate in one large burst at the end. The idea behind this is to chip away at your opponent’s weak spots with quick, soft blows, then finish them off with one or more hard blows at the end. The same applies to Azula, who likes to finish her fights with lightning generation (a Northern Shaolin form, but she performs it with the movement style of a Chachuan user).
The odd rhythm of Chachuan lends to its general unpredictability, and, along with a number of “sneaky” moves, makes it one of several styles (such as Drunken or Monkey) that actively relies on deception to evade and quickly dispatch its opponents. Graceful, quick movements transition abruptly into powerful strikes, interspersed with steady stances and sudden stops. It has been said that Chachuan users are like candles blowing in the wind; dancing gracefully one second, but still and steadfast the next. Any time a Chachuan practitioner is standing still, you’d best be prepared to defend, dodge, or block yourself against a series of incoming attacks.
Because it is a physically demanding art form that requires a high level of flexibility, Chachuan users must begin training at a very young age, and most competitive performers of the art are quite youthful. It is also a popular style among young girls and women.
Chachuan is one of the few martial arts in the world which remains relatively unchanged over the course of time. It is a style that embodies contradiction and balance, and has been heralded as vigorous, yet precise, graceful and authoritative, elegant but forceful. In combat, skilled Chachuan practitioners must be extremely efficient, due to the high physical demand the acrobatic style places on its user. The prodigious skill required of a Chachuan practitioner, along with its renowned beauty and effectiveness, make it the style perfectly suited for Azula’s personality.
Random Notes:
The first form of Chachuan is called muzi (母子) or “Mother and Son”. The form Azula demonstrates as a child during “Zuko Alone” is very reminiscent of this form. Foreshadowing of her lingering resentment towards Ursa and Zuko, perhaps?
Interesting to note is that from Season 3 onwards, Azula begins wearing heavy armor. This would likely have impeded her ability to perform Chachuan to her full capacity, causing her to tire more quickly than normal.
Though Chachuan and Northern Shaolin have similar moves, the execution style overall is different. You can see the difference between the way Zuko bends and the way Azula bends. Zuko’s strikes tend to demonstrate a noticeable exertion of force and power (heavily external hard blows), whereas Azula’s strikes exert force abruptly and unexpectedly. Another noticeable difference is in the posture; while Zuko’s stances tend to be more upright, like most Northern Shaolin stances, while Azula’s stances more often include angles or leaning due to the elements of Chachuan in her style. (If you’re interested in seeing the differences in these two forms, watch a video of the Tantui form as performed by a Northern Shaolin practitioner and a Chachuan practitioner.)
Chachuan is called The Muslim Fist because it was allegedly founded by Cha Shang Mir, a Muslim General in the Chinese army, and was predominantly taught to and practiced by Muslims in ancient times. Nowadays, it is one of the more popular styles of Changquan taught in China, though it is still extremely popular among the Northern Islamic population.
The style of Chachuan is deeply rooted in Northern Chinese-Islamic philosophy and spirituality. Its key principle is the idea of achieving harmony and balance by embodying contrasting elements. When Azula is “off” in Sozin’s Comet (Zuko subtly noting her loss of sanity and inner balance), her fighting style suffers considerably.
And that’s the long summary of a short glimpse at Chachuan. If you want moves like Azula, go out and learn some Cha Fist!
An excellent visual representation of Airbending’s real-life counterpart, Baguazhang, the Eight Trigrams Palm, otherwise known as “circle-walking”. See those symbols on the floor? Those are each of the Taoist Trigrams, which represent Heaven, Swamp, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Water, Mountain, and Earth (if you’ve ever watched Jackie Chan adventures, you should be familiar with the trigrams on the Pan Ku Box and its respective Demons). One of the key ideas behind baguazhang is to constantly circle your opponent (occasionally changing direction) and look for a gap in their defenses, whilst maintaining your own guard. The circular movement training makes it easier for baguazhang practitioners to dodge and avoid attacks, which makes it the style perfectly suited to a pacifist society such as the Air Nomads.
Notice how Korra is walking around the center circle. This indicates that she is a beginner in the art. As students advance, the circle you train to walk in grows larger in diameter. Since she is walking in the smallest circle, it’s apparent that she has just started learning the basics.
Fighting Styles: Toph Bei Fong
Today is Earth Day and since I can never pass up an opportunity to make a good pun, I’m going to analyze the physicality/fighting style of everyone’s favorite earthbender, Toph Bei Fong.
Toph is unique in her usage of Chu Family (Zhujia/Chugar) Southern Praying Mantis Style (tanglangquan/tonglongchuan) kung fu, as opposed to the Hung Gar style kung fu (a popular style that is used by one of the most famous martial artists of Chinese folklore and protagonist of many a wuxia film, Wong Fei Hung) every other earthbender in the series uses. Unlike Hung Gar, which is heavily external and thus relies on physical strength, Chu Gar Tonglong is an internal style that emphasizes turning your opponent’s strength against them. This synchronizes with Toph’s preferred method of combat, which is deeply rooted in counter-attacks.
Chu Gar Tonglong is a very unique martial art, characterized by its bizarre rhythm and unconventional movements. It’s been compared to the Drunken Fist, only without the seemingly off-balance aspect. Unlike Azula’s Chachuan, Chu Gar Tonglong is not a particularly elegant or beautiful style (in fact, some martial artists even refer to it as the fighting style of the undead due to its off-putting movements), which also makes sense given Toph’s rough exterior.
Other characteristics of Chu Gar Tonglong include:
1. Striking in rapid succession, without withdrawing your limbs to their initial position
2. Bent elbows, like those of a mantis, hence its namesake (Unlike Northern Praying Mantis, Chu Gar Tonglong does not commonly use the “mantis fist” that most people associate with mantis-style)
3. Stances usually involve the feet separated wider than shoulder-width apart, with the majority of your weight on the front leg. The back leg is slightly curved and enables maneuverability.
4. Close-range combat with a heavy emphasis on arm and hand strikes. Typical uses of the hands include…
Slicing strikes
Exploding fingers from the fist
Claw-like raking actions
Hooking and deflecting hands
Elbow strikes
Outward strikes of the knuckles
5. Simultaneous offense and defense with every strike. Again, this is very fitting with Toph’s preferred method of counter-attacks.
In contrast with Northern Tonglong, Chu Gar Tonglong is very grounded and places almost zero emphasis on kicking techniques. The few kicks there are are very low to the ground, and usually aimed at the opponent’s ankles.
This suits Toph well, due to her blindness and her need to “see” with her feet, as she would require both feet on the ground as frequently as possible, which would make high kicks and flying kicks not ideal for her to use.
In short, Chu Gar is a close-range internal style well-suited for those who don’t possess particularly high physical strength, are fast with their hands, and prefer to remain grounded. Its no-frills approach to fighting and equal emphasis on both offense and defensive maneuvers make it a very unique martial art, and perfectly suited for Toph’s gruff and belligerent personality.
I’ll write more on Toph’s non-combat physicality some other time.
Random Trivia!
Even though Bei Fong sounds very similar to the Chinese phrase meaning “north” (beifang), Toph uses a Southern fighting style.
Chu Gar Praying Mantis is a dying art. There are very few teachers left in the world who know this style and even fewer who are willing to pass it on. Martial arts enthusiasts and Toph lovers should go seek out a Chu Gar master and learn the art while they still can.
Happy Earth(bending) Day!
Look at so wonderful kung fu performance from cartoons
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