Which fighting styles are used for the element bending in Avatar: The Last Airbender?
The fighting choreography of the show draws from martial arts; the fighting styles and weaponry are based on Chinese martial arts, with each bending art corresponding to a certain real-world style. The creators referred to Ba Gua for airbending, Hung Gar for earthbending, Northern Shaolin for firebending, and Tai Chi for waterbending.[20] The only exception to this is Toph, who employs a Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style.[33] The series employed Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association as a martial arts consultant.[34] Each fighting style was chosen to represent the element it projected: * Tai Chi focuses on alignment, body structure, breath, and visualization. This technique is the foundation of “Waterbending” in the series. * Hung Gar was chosen for its firmly rooted stances and powerful strikes to represent the solid nature of earth. This martial art is the basis of “Earthbending” in the series. o Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis has distinguishing movements
