Opinions on Luohan quan 18 Hands? Is this a martial art style or a training method?

[Balas Sermas]

Is it only taught in China? How does it differ from the specialized "Shaolin/Hua quan Luohan's 18 hands"? I realized they abstaining from hitting someone with a full-powered fist on the face and instead they play this slap-and-tickle push pattycake version to avoid getting someone hurt very badly but still the way the opponent "punches" is totally fictional and ludicrously cartoonish, very rigid. Most people dash at you or walk fast, especially here in Greece/Mediterranean countries (Spain, not Italy).