Hello ladies,
Glad to see the old guard keeping the place together,lol.I still can't bring myself to use this guy
(The eternaly straining constipated dude).
My daughter starting watching this anime and I ended up enjoying it more then her.It introduced me to the idea that martial arts could be linked to the elements.Heck I'll just cut and paste a summary 'cause I'm lazy.
But it was googling Avatar the last airbendender many ions ago that one link led to another and I ended up in this place.So I've always been fond of this anime.
Here for the brave and not easely bored is a summary of the styles and elementsEach fighting style was chosen to represent the element it projected:
1) Yang Style Tai Chi creates flowing energy, and fluid movements to represent water, turning an opponent's force against them. The Waterbenders find their offense in a strong defense, using the principles of energy in Tai Chi to redirect force, rather than meet it head on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterbendin...
2) Hung Gar was chosen for its firmly rooted stances, linear patterns, and powerful strikes to represent the solid nature of the earth. The martial art is based on the movements of animals, particularly the tiger, which represents Hard Power, and the crane, which represents Soft Power.
Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis has distinguishing movements and unique footwork that are employed by Toph Bei Fong to complement her blindness, giving her an anomalous (yet effective) style of Earthbending.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthbendin...
3) Northern Shaolin Long Fist uses fast, aggressive attacks and techniques, making it the perfect candidate to mimic the power of fire. The strong kicks and jabs of the style, and the speed with which they are executed were meant to replicate the ferocity with which fire spreads and burns. In comparison to others, the style does not employ extensive defensive movements.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firebending
4) Baguazhang's erratic, circular movements were chosen to represent air's unpredictability and cyclical motion. Centrifugal force plays a vital role in generating power in bagua, and the nearly constant circular movement creates angles between the fighters, making it easier for the bagua practitioner to defend and attack .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbending
