�What the hell is he doing?� you ask yourself. Well he�s performing a bizarre tradition known as the Kung Fu greeting. It�s where the person you�re talking to decides, for reasons unknown, to greet you in a fashion of a true martial artist. Having no training in martial arts, he decides to use what he claims that he saw in a late night movie. This ritual is popular among Caucasian males and some times African Americans. A good number of Asian Americans use it as well, but the big users of this practice are usually foreigners to any martial art (mainly people who don�t do martial arts regardless of race.)
The question to them is which movie did they see this in? They�re have been many Hong Kong action cinemas which have been responsible popularizing the practice, but never has their been a film made where the actors actually fight just like the imitators. Granted, the high pitch yells are there, but they do not do them constantly and in the same fashion as the ones used in the greetings. Bruce Lee was not known by appearing in front of the enemy and yelling, �WOOOGAHHH WOOOOOGAHHHH WOOOOOOO WHOOOOOO� for five minutes before actually attacking them. Most Bruce Lee action sequences relied on his personal attitude and vicious attacks. There hasn�t been anyone who looked vicious, or conveyed any attitude when using the greeting.
So they aren�t in movies, maybe the real martial artist uses it. Well let�s look at Kung Fu, the self-defense that dubbed the name, and makes some comparisons. Kung Fu seldom uses any hi pitched squeals at all. Bruce Lee added it to his repartee (very sparingly) only for dramatic effect. He never used it while practicing the art form. Kung Fu also uses eloquent moves that usually emulate those animals that live in nature (monkeys, snakes, etc.) Never has it been taught to constantly wave your hands while squealing out �WOOOOGAHHH WOOOOGAHHH WOOOOO WHOOOOO.�
Now that it has been established that the greeting is completely inaccurate, how does one correct the mistake made? Well the first thing to do is actually modernize it. Let�s emulate the Kung Fu action stars of today who actually do Kung Fu. Instead of doing Sonny Chiba of the old days lets do Jackie Chan. Do an impressive life threatening yet eye-opening stunt. I�m sure you�ll be able to improve the greeting a great deal and really create an impressive response. No one will give funny looks because they will know what the concept is and where it came from.
�Man that was great when you slid down that tree and narrowly missed that semi truck to say hi to me! You looked like Jackie Chan out there!� So get rid of the high pitch squeals and arm waving. Emulate the movies the right way and impress, not repulse, your friends.