Just for clarification: the Firebending style is based on “Northern Shaolin” style kung fu, which doesn’t really mean anything because there are like 400 styles of Northern Shaolin. It’s mostly based on modern wushu which is a mishmash the Northern (original) Shaolin temple’s many martial arts styles.
Waterbending is based on tai chi chuan (taiji quan) or the Grand Ultimate Fist, which was invented by Taoist monks at Chen village near Shaolin. So it doesn’t share Shaolin’s Buddhist roots. Contrary to popular (western) belief, taiji is actually a very deadly and effective martial art once the practitioner learns to apply power and speed to the techniques (which are incredibly precise due to the slow-motion training method.)
Earthbending is largely based on Hung Gar (Hung Kuen,) my personal favorite style. It’s probably the most well known Southern Shaolin style due to its association with the legendary hero Wongfei Hung. Hung Gar is based on low, stable stances and applying your body’s full mass to every strike and defense. It’s a very appropriate choice for Earthbenders.
Airbending is based on Bagua chuan (Bagua fist. The Bagua being the holiest symbol of Taoism, a taiji surrounded by the eight trigrams of the I Ching.) And its practitioners train by circle-walking. There is literally a giant Bagua on the ground, and they walk around it in circles and do Kung Fu moves, and it’s rad.
I assume. I’ve never actually met a Bagua Chuan person in real life, which is weird because in the shows they’re the rarest ones, too….
