The Wudang arts are sometimes referred to as ‘internal’ or ‘soft’ martial arts, as opposed to martial arts like Karate or Shaolin Kung Fu, which are called ‘external’ or ‘hard’ martial arts. The external arts focus on building external strength, are typically offensive, and use isolated body movements. The internal arts work on building inner strength, are typically defensive, and use whole body movements.
The focus of training for the internal martial arts is on inner strength or nei jin. Inner strength refers the ability to use the body’s qi or vital energy in coordination with your movements. Instead of always using your body’s strength to overpower the opponent, The Wudang martial arts also teach how to transform and redirect an attack. The internal martial arts also focus on whole body movements, where you learn to put the force of your entire body into a punch or kick. These techniques are grounded in Daoist philosophy. Because an opponent’s hard force is Yang, it must be met with a soft Yin force. Daoist martial teach that you should only use your martial skills when necessary to prevent or stop violence. However, martial arts teach a lot more than how to protect your physical body; they show us our weak spots and push our physical and emotional limits, creating a stronger, healthier body and mind.
Here is a list of some of the most common forms in the Wudang curriculum
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 基本套路 | Ji ben tao lu | Basic form |
| 玄功拳 | Xuan gong quan | Mysterious effect fist (1-3) |
| 龙化拳 | Long hua quan | Changing dragon form |
| 玄真拳 | Xuan zhen quan | Mysterious reality fist |
| 伏虎拳 | Fu hu quan | Tiger Taming form |
| 两仪玄武拳 | Liang yi xuan wu quan | 2 Polarities mysterious fist |
| 太乙五行拳 | Tai yi wu xing quan | Great primordial unity 5 element fist |
| 武当老八掌 | Wu Dang Lao Ba Zhang | Wudang Bagua Zhang |
| 形意拳 | Xing Yi Quan |
Xing Yi (Form + Intention) boxing |