No need to wonder. There are so many empty hand techniques that it rules out the one or 2 pieces that he presented. Ways to make fists, ways to punch, kicks, grabs. etc. none of which are related to using a weapon. Are some of the movements similar? Of Course, but to make a broad assumption that it isn't really meant for empty hand fighting is way out there. In my opinion that makes as much sense as the Yellow Bamboo stuff.
Any deficiencies present in Kung Fu is the combined result of China wanting to make it ineffective, trying to squash it out and practitioners not trying to learn how to use it. Instead of training to fight they took and keeping it alive, they decided to depend on legends and stories of those who actually learned how to use it. Sort of like how MMA fan boys champion MMA but never once trained it.
I train a form that use what people may see as "exaggerated movements" and the concept of exaggeration is misunderstood, not only my non kung fu practitioners but also by those who actually train the systems. When I train, the "exaggerated movements" are more of a stretched movement. Exaggerated would mean that my movements extend beyond my structure..
With long fist we want to be loose since being tight slows the speed of the punches, as a result in training (forms) we concentrate on making movements longer but not exaggerated. It's similar to the mindset that if you want to fight for 1 minute then train to fight for 2 minutes. If you want to be good at running the mile, then train by running 2 miles. These are also examples of of what people may concider "exaggeration."
In reality when fighting. Long fists fighting techniques for the same punch will vary in length. I can pull things in for close range or I can fight at longer distances without tensing up. Jow Ga students are known for using too much force in sparring, because we are always taught to relax when hitting. As a result the strikes land harder without having to really put much into them. You see me in my videos pulling punches for this very same reason, that state of relaxation comes from "exaggerating the punches" more accurate, it comes from relaxation and allowing the punch to extend or stretch. Boxers also do something similar with their Jabs.
Here you can see the relaxation of his punch You don't get this by practicing short jabs all the time. The relaxation part isn't easy since fighting can be a tense thing.
If you are looking at Martial Arts that's done for "entertainment only, then a lot of things are going to be exaggerated. Stances are going to be super low, kicks are going to be way to high for combat, flips, and splits. You'll see it tons of exaggerating. For example, there's is no fighting benefit to be able to kick like this or to even train like this. If this is what you are thinking of then you also have to remember that these people also don't fight using Kung Fu. I don't do any of this stuff in my training as it's not beneficial to fighting or my safety.
While some movements are going to translate into weapon fighting and some would be born from weapon fighting there will be other systems that don't fall into that category, so to assume that all kung fu has such origins would not be accurate. Contrary to the belief of many, forms do not teach everything. There are other things outside of the forms that are also taught. Things that are taught by people who actually know how to use a martial arts system for fighting.
If you never use Kung Fu to fight, then all you'll ever know is the Form.
This is the hard truth of Kung Fu, one that applies to student, teacher and "Kung Fu Master"
