What good are forms to a martial artist ? So reasonably speaking if you want it to be useful you have to work to make it useful.
only then are they useful, even in Boxing, on can shadow box all day, but without proper knowledge of how to apply the punch it is just throwing out your arms in away that resembles a fighting technique. If you want to use moves of a form then one must study and investigate their uses, then practice them. So if you only train for forms competitions without asking how can I apply this move, yes it is useless in that sense, but Wushu will give as much as you want. If you only practice the form without further investigation, then those techniques perhaps will not help you in a true fight situation, Please note that I said “without further investigation” any form from any style, any movement for that matter is absolutely useless unless one trains to use it in a situation.
Competition Wushu is just forms and series of movements. This question is one that usually gets people’s pride all worked up, but if you want to look at the question squarely, yes. Isn’t competition Wushu just a flashy dance sport, and useless in a fight ? With the factors one can be said to have Kung Fu. the ability to apply those techniques as a result of diligent study, practice, and applied experience. The relationship between the two terms can be more specifically looked at as Wushu simply being the root, and kung fu is a proficiency of the skills therein. Perhaps a clearer way to look at the term Kung fu is to express it as “squired skill level” So the term Kung Fu can be used to describe anyone who has a high level of skill in any endeavor, but it takes on a special meaning in the world of martial arts.Īs a result of many films and television series the continued use of the term Kung Fu has simply come mean Chinese martial arts for most people, even some Chinese use this term to refer to martial arts, but this is a result of popularity of the word, mostly from Hong Kong films. One of the biggest problems in understanding martial arts is the improper use of terms. The literal translation of Wushu is martial arts, while the literal translation of Kung fu is time spent with work.
What is the difference between Wushu and Kung-fu ? Wushu will most likely be featured in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Since then World Championships have taken place with 56 nations participating. In 1990, wushu was inducted as an official medal event in the Asian Games. Taiji quan is a major division of wushu, utilizing the body’s internal energy or “chi” and following the simple principle of “subduing the vigorous by the soft.”Īlthough still in budding stages in many countries, wushu is an established international sport. In essence, much emphasis has been placed on speed, difficulty, and presentation.Ĭonsequently, wushu has become an athletic and aesthetic performance and competitive sport, while “kung fu” or traditional wushu remains the traditional fighting practice. During the last thirty years, wushu in Mainland China was modernized so that there could be a universal standard for training and competing. Wushu” is the correct term for all Chinese martial arts therefore kung fu and wushu were originally the same. How is wushu related to kung fu and Taiji quan ? In short, wushu is the most exciting martial art to be seen, felt, and ultimately practiced.
Routines are performed solo, paired or in groups, either barehanded or armed with traditional Chinese weaponry. The wealth of wushu’s content, the beauty of wushu movements, the difficulty factor, and the scientific training methods are the song of the elements that set wushu apart from martial arts. Every movement must exhibit sensible combat application and aestheticism. To describe wushu, it is best to understand the philosophy of its teaching. It’s emphasis has shifted from combat to performance, and it is practiced for its method of achieving heath, self-defense skills, mental discipline, recreational pursuit and competition. It reigns as the most popular national sport in the country of 1.1 billion people, practiced by the young and old alike. Today, wushu has been organized and systematized into a formal branch of study in the performance arts by the Chinese. Previously, Wushu figured significantly in the simple matter of survival through China’s many wars and political upheaval. Wushu therefore means the art of fighting, or martial arts. Literally translated, “wu” is military, “shu” is art. Wushu is an important component of the cultural heritage of China, with a rich content that has remained untarnished over the centuries.