Are the Stances in Kung Fu Really named after animals? if so why??

Question

i saw in kung fu panda theres stances named after animals just wondering if tjhat true or not.

and why they are names after animals

Answer 1

its true. im not too sure of the reasons though

Answer 2

It is not so much the stances themselves that are named after the animals, as the styles themselves.

Answer 3

yeah the style and movement like ex. a snake or tiger watch Last Hero In China

Answer 4

I have yet to see the movie ,but in regards to Kung Fu stances/styles and names:

Many Kung Fu styles are based on animals, therefore will carry that animal's name.  IE Preying Mantis, Tiger, Eagle Claw, White Crane, ect.  

Also, many of the stances also have the names of animals. IE, Horse stance, Cat Stance(also called Dragon Riding Stance), Monkey Sit, ect.  

As to why they are named as such:

Styles are named after the animal that they mimic.  IE, Preying Mantis Kung Fu mimics the preying mantis' grabs, strikes, and throws.

Stances are different.  Some are to mimic the animal's stance, and others if you were to ride the animal.  IE, Horse stance and Lady Horse stance, are more like the way the body would be when riding a horse.  Cat stance and Monkey Sit are more like what the animal does.

Answer 5

becasue when animals attack they have a fixed stance and thats what kung fu teaches us to do to use those stances to fight our foe

Answer 6

Its not the stances but the entire style which was based on an animal's fighting method or attitude.

The founder of the Praying Mantis style of Kung Fu watched a small praying mantis and a large beetle have have a fight.  It looked like the mantis was going to lose for sure, but the Praying Mantis beat and killed the larger beetle.

The founder took the mantis home and used a twig to box with the mantis and studied its movements and strategies.  He molded all the researched techniques into a unique and effective style of kung fu fighting - the Praying Mantis Style of Kung fu.

The five most effective animals who are usually victorious in combat are: Snake, Praying Mantis, Tiger, Monkey, and Crane.  Similarly, founders of these styles researched these animals movements and attitudes and incorporated them into kung fu fighting.

There are other animals and insects which inspired new systems of kung fu, but these are the basic five.

Answer 7

Some stances in kung-fu are named after animals. These appear mostly in Southern styles of kung fu. This is because people practicing martial arts saw the way the animals stood or moved and mimicked their style. There are other stances, like "horse riding stance", which is based on the positioning of the body while riding a horse.

There are also styles of kung fu named after animals. They are collectively known as "Five Animal" style. The animals the styles are based on are the Tiger, the Crane, the Dragon, the Leopard and the Snake. The Southern style Hung Kuen is perhaps the quintessential Five Animals style.

Answer 8

yes because when cultures seen the animals fight they tried to take there style

Answer 9

There are many stances as well as styles named after animals. This was because the Chinese noticed the way that animals moved, and realized they would be effective against for self-defense. While there are many styles these are just a few: dragon, tiger, crane, eagle, mantis, leopard, dog, monkey, horse.