A good quality Wing Chun Wooden Dummy(Mook Joong) with Stand can be hard to find.
A time-tested traditional training tool, the Wooden Dummy (Mook Joong or Mook Jong) is used by Wing Chun practitioners or anyone who wants to harden their practical fighting skills.
A good quality Wing Chun Wooden Dummy(Mook Joong) with Stand can be hard to find.
A time-tested traditional training tool, the Wooden Dummy (Mook Joong or Mook Jong) is used by Wing Chun practitioners or anyone who wants to harden their practical fighting skills.
http://www.westga.edu/~kungfu/chigung.html
Excerpt: Chi Gung (chee-gung) is usually defined as “cultivation of the chi.” Chi Gung is an internal system generally considered to be the genesis of Chinese martial arts, the seed from which all of our present systems grew. These exercises developed from…
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Japanese 1 posting(s)
Karate.4 posting(s)
Ninjitsu 2 posting(s)
Jujitsu 1 posting(s)
Kendo 1 posting(s)
Judo 1 posting(s)
Aikido 1 posting(s)
Korean 1 posting(s)
Tae Kwon-Do 1 posting(s)
Hapkido 1 posting(s)
Gum Do 1 posting(s)
Kuk Sool Won 1 posting(s)
Tang Soo Do 1 posting(s)
Chinese 2 posting(s)
Kung Fu 1 posting(s)
Tai Chi Chuan 1 posting(s)
Hsing Yi 1 posting(s)
Pa Kua 1 posting(s)
Chi Kung 1 posting(s)
Wushu 1 posting(s)
Arnis 1 posting(s)
Escrima 1 posting(s)
Okinawa-te 1 posting(s)
Chinese martial arts, often abbreviated as CMA, refers to the enormous variety of martial art styles native to China. Chinese martial arts are also often referred to as wushu or incorrectly as kung fu.
Contents [showhide]
1 History of Chinese martial arts
2 Styles of Chinese martial arts
2.1 External or hard styles (外家 wài jiā)
2.2 Internal or soft styles (內家 nèi jiā)
2.3 Northern styles
2.4 Southern styles
3 Training in Chinese martial arts
3.1 Basics
3.2 Forms
3.2.1 Types of forms
3.2.2 Appearance of forms
3.2.3 Modern forms
3.3 Application
4 Use of qi in Chinese martial arts
5 Chinese martial arts in movies
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History of Chinese martial arts
Many Chinese martial arts, and several Japanese martial arts, claim to have originated from the teachings of the Buddhist culture hero Bodhidharma at the Shaolin Temple (a Chan Buddhist monastery) when he is said to have moved to China sometime circa the 6th century. Researchers regard the claim that all components of Chinese martial arts derive from Bodhidharma with considerable skepticism, since the historical record and modern archaeology report earlier sources for some techniques and schools. However, the Shaolin Temple, located in the Henan province near the city of Dengfeng, has had centuries of long tradition of fostering the martial arts as it has provided refuge for martial artists with widely differing techniques from all over China.
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Styles of Chinese martial arts
Hundreds of different styles of Chinese martial arts have developed over the past two thousand years, many distinctive styles with their own sets of techniques and ideas. Also, there are many themes common to different styles that lead many to characterize them as belonging to generalized “families” (家, jiā) of martial art styles. There are styles that mimic movements from animals and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies. Some styles put all their focus into the belief of the harnessing of qi energy, while others concentrate solely on competition and exhibition. Many styles also make use of the broad arsenal of Chinese weapons. For a list of styles, see list of Chinese martial arts.
Chinese martial arts are split into two broad categories: external and internal (or hard and soft). The difference is what type of training is the main focus of the style, even though most styles contain both external and internal elements. In addition, external styles in particular are often divided into northern and southern as well, referring to what part of China the styles originated from, separated by the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang).
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External or hard styles (外家 wài jiā)
These styles are what most people associate with Chinese martial arts. They are generally fast and explosive, focusing on physical strength and agility. External styles can be both the traditional styles focusing on application and fighting, as well as the modern styles adapted for competition and exercise. Examples of external styles are Shaolinquan, with its direct explosive attacks and high-kicking aerial maneuvers that resemble those of Korean Tae Kwon Do, and the many animal styles inspired by the movements of certain animals. External styles begin with a training focus on muscular power, speed and application, and generally integrate their qigong aspects in advanced training, after their desired “hard” physical level has been reached.
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Internal or soft styles (內家 nèi jiā)
Internal styles focus primarily on the practice of what are considered internal elements, such as awareness of the spirit, mind and the qi, or breathing. Some internal stylists say that the difference between internal and external for them is mostly the distinction of the inside and the outside of the body. The reason for the label “internal,” according to most schools, is that there is a focus on the internal aspects earlier in the training, once these internal relationships are apprehended (the theory goes) they are then applied to the external applications of the styles in question. Because of the extended periods of time that beginning students are expected to work on very basic principles in most internal schools, and perhaps also the prevalence in recent years of many Western “New Age” oriented schools who are accused by traditionalists of emphasizing philosophy and speculation at the expense of hard work (see the next paragraph), many people believe internal styles lack “external” physical training. In the older schools, however, much time is spent on basic physical work, such as stance training (zhan zhuang), stretching and strengthening of muscles, as well as on empty hand and weapon forms which can contain quite demanding coordination from posture to posture. Also, many internal styles have basic two-person training, such as pushing hands. The forms of most internal styles are performed slowly, though some also include sudden outbursts of explosive movements, such as those the Chen style of Taijiquan is famous for teaching earlier than some other styles. The reason for the generally slow pace is to improve coordination and balance by increasing the work load, and to require the student to pay minute attention to their whole body and its weight as they perform a technique. At an advanced level, and in real fighting, internal styles are supposed to be performed quickly, but the goal is to learn to involve the entire body in every motion, to stay relaxed, with deep, controlled breathing, and to coordinate the motions of the body and the breathing accurately according to the dictates of the forms while maintaining perfect balance. Internal styles have been associated historically, in legend, and in much popular fiction with the Taoist monasteries of Wudangshan in central China.
Today, only a few traditional schools teaching internal styles train martially, even though such training was originally a part of all internal styles. This is especially evident in schools located outside of China. Most schools teach forms that are practiced for the physical benefits only, as this is what most modern students are looking for and as these students seldom have the time or devotion to reach far enough in their training to start focusing on the martial aspects. To condition oneself well enough to become adept at the soft style martial arts is a long-term proposition; many simply lose interest after a few years and never finish the program. Also, many people who have not fully learned the martial aspects of their style judge themselves qualified to teach what they do know publicly anyway, leading to a further diminution of the martial applications taught in many schools. Due to the current fad for “mixed martial arts”, many such instructors have an opportunity to supplement what they are teaching with elements from other schools, hard or soft, and their training becomes further removed from the original art. While this gradual watering-down of technique has made some external aspects of internal styles available for a wider audience who are interested in the purported health benefits of the internal schools, traditional schools see a complete martial syllabus as a fundamental, defining part of their art, both for health and self-defense purposes. They claim that while the students may not need to practice external applications to derive a benefit from the training, their teachers should know the applications well, to ensure that the movements are trained correctly, effectively and safely. For these reasons traditionalists feel that a school not teaching martial aspects somewhere in their syllabus cannot be said to be actually teaching the art itself, that they have “graduated themselves”, and that they are much less likely to be able to reproduce the health benefits that have made complete internal systems famous in the first place.
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Northern styles
These are styles that have evolved from northern parts of China such as Henan province and the Shaolin Temple. It is said that northern styles put more focus on legwork, kicking and acrobatics. Some say this is because the northern Chinese were generally taller than those living in southern China, and that they made their styles take advantage of their greater range of motion, especially in their legs. Others claim that the terrain of northern China is more suitable to kicking techniques. An example of a northern style is the modern Changquan (Long Fist) that is the most popular style in the forms division in most contemporary Chinese martial arts competitions held around the world today.
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Southern styles
Southern styles are styles originally practiced in southern China, in the provinces south of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). There are sayings that because of their shorter height, the southern Chinese developed styles that were direct and powerful, mainly developing their upper body strength and speed. A generalized Nanquan (Southern Fist) style has become a popular class in modern Chinese martial arts competitions. It is similar to Changquan (Long Fist) but includes more rapid punches and blocks, and less legwork and jumps.
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Training in Chinese martial arts
Most styles of Chinese martial arts contain practice of the application of techniques (both as prepared drills and as free sparring), but also the practice of what is known as forms, or taolu (套路 – tào lù) in Chinese. Forms are a pre-choreographed series of techniques and movements, performed alone or with one or more partners.
Another important part of the training, as in most other physical activities, is what is referred to as basics, such as various exercises for strengthening the body, and regular stretching.
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Basics
Basics are a vital part of the training, as a student cannot progress to the more advanced stages without them; without strong and flexible muscles, many movements of Chinese martial arts are simply impossible to perform correctly. Basics include such things as stretching, strengthening of muscles, bones and tendons, stamina training, and basic stances, kicks and punches. Some styles also consider jumping, jump-kicks and acrobatics basics. In addition, many styles teach a few basic techniques as well, before moving on to forms. These techniques are normally the most common techniques of the specific style, found in many of the style’s forms.
Chinese martial arts pay considerable attention to stretching. Common stretching exercises include general warm-up stretching, stretching in pairs, and various types of stretch kicks, usually practiced with speed. As many Chinese martial arts are formed to suit children and higher-level students who have been practicing since childhood, they can include basic exercises that require very high flexibility in order to be possible to perform at all.
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Forms
Forms or taolu are series of techniques put together after one another so they can be practiced as one whole set of movements. Some say that forms resemble a choreographed dance, though martial artists often argue that a general difference is the speed and explosiveness seen in most external styles, and that the movements are actual fighting techniques.
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Types of forms
There are two types of forms in Chinese martial arts. Most common are the solo forms, performed alone by one person, but there are also “sparring” forms, which are a type of choreographed fighting sets performed by two or more people.
Many styles consider forms as one of the most important practices, as they gradually build up the practitioner’s strength and flexibility, speed and stamina, and teach balance and coordination. They also function as a tool for both the students and the teacher to remember the many techniques taught by the style, and sort them into various groups.
A style can have many compartments, both empty-handed and with weapons. In most styles, empty-handed techniques are the most common, but many styles also contain forms using a wide range of weapons of various length and type, utilizing one or two hands. There are also styles that only practice a certain weapon, containing only forms with the specific weapon.
Forms are meant to work the body. Once a basic structure is able be maintained in the body forms are then used to work that structure. Forms develop a sensibility of moving from position to position. This teaches the body to react.
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Appearance of forms
Even though forms of Chinese martial arts are based on martial techniques, the movements might not always be identical to how the techniques they symbolize would look when applied in combat. This is due to the way many forms have been elaborated, on the one hand to provide better combat preparedness and on the other hand to look more beautiful. One easily understood manifestation of this tendency toward elaborations that go beyond what most often might be used in combat is the inclusion of lower stances and higher kicks. The regular practice of techniques while using lower stances both adds strength to the same techniques when used with higher stances, and also facilitates using the same techniques in the lower stances when the realities of combat make doing so the most appropriate choice.
In recent years, as the perceived need for self-defense has decreased, many modern schools have replaced practical defense or offense movements with acrobatic feats that are more spectacular to watch, thereby gaining favor during exhibitions and competitions. The mainland Chinese government has especially been criticized by traditionalists for “watering down” the wushu competition training it promotes. Appearances have been important in many traditional forms as well, seen as a sign of balance but not the most important requirement of successful training. Some martial artists have looked for supplementary income for performing on the streets or in theaters, although in the most traditional schools such performance is forbidden.
Another reason why the martial techniques might look different in forms is thought, by some, to come from a need to “disguise” the actual functions of the techniques from outsiders (from rival schools or from the authorities as legend has it happened in Okinawa). The intention was to leave the forms in such a state that they could be performed in front of others without revealing their actual martial functions, while retaining their original functionality in a less obvious form.
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Modern forms
As forms have grown in complexity and quantity over the years, and many forms alone could be practiced for a lifetime, styles of modern Chinese martial arts have developed that concentrate solely on forms, and do not practice application at all. These styles are primarily aimed at exhibition and competition, and often include more acrobatic jumps and movements added for enhanced visual effect compared to the traditional styles. Those who generally prefer to practice traditional styles, focused less on exhibition, are often referred to as traditionalists. Many traditionalists consider the evolution of today’s Chinese martial arts as bad, saying that much of its original value is lost.
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Application
Application training or sparring refers to the training of putting the martial techniques to use. When and how applications are taught varies from style to style, but in the beginning, most styles focus on certain drills where each person knows what technique is being practiced and what attack to expect. Gradually, fewer and fewer rules are applied, and the students learn how to react and feel what technique to use, depending on the situation and the type of opponent.
Nowadays, many Chinese martial arts choose not to practice much application at all, as the need for self-defense has become less significant in the societies of today. The introduction of firearms such as guns has made the traditional weapons and empty-handed martial arts lose much of their power, as even a completely untrained person can kill a master of any style by firing a gun from a safe distance. Before guns existed, however, knowledge of martial arts could save both your and your family’s life. Because of this, the applications of the techniques were often considered sacred, and were commonly kept secret from all but family and the closest friends. Today, the views on this tradition of keeping things secret are very mixed, and some schools openly teach applications to anyone willing to learn. Others still require the students to show that they are worthy before teaching applications, “worthy” usually meaning that the students can be trusted that they will not use their knowledge to a bad purpose.
There are also modern styles that practice application and even focus solely on them, though these are aimed mostly at competition. One such style that has grown quite popular is called Sanda (or Sanshou). It is similar to Muay Thai and is a type of sparring competition where the competitors wear protection and gloves, and get points when scoring a hit on the opponent or performing a successful throw.
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Use of qi in Chinese martial arts
The concept of qì or ch’i (氣), the inner energy or “life force” that flows through the body of every living being, is encountered in almost all styles of Chinese martial arts. Internal styles are reputed to pay more attention to its cultivation than external styles.
Many believe that one’s qi energy can be improved and strengthened through the regular practice of various physical and mental exercises known as qigong. Though qigong is not a martial art itself, it is often incorporated in Chinese martial arts, and practiced as a complement to strengthen one’s internal abilities.
There are many ideas regarding controlling one’s qi energy to such an extent that it can be used for healing oneself or others: the goal of medical qigong. Some styles believe in focusing qi into a single point when attacking and aim at specific areas of the human body (similar to the study of acupressure), to cause maximum damage or disable certain functions of the body. Some go so far as to think that at an advanced level it is (or was, as some believe such abilities to now be lost, if they ever existed) possible to cause harm without even touching the opponent, a popular concept in Chinese martial arts movies.
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Chinese martial arts in movies
In modern times, Chinese martial arts have spawned a popular genre of cinema. The films of Bruce Lee were instrumental in the initial burst of Chinese martial arts’ popularity in the West, and lately, actors such as Jet Li and Jackie Chan have appeared in many Western films. This type of martial art film is often referred to as “Kung Fu movies” (see martial arts film, wuxia).
A US network TV western series of the early 1970s called Kung Fu also served to popularize the Chinese martial arts on television.
Wushu (武術 or 武术; pinyin: wǔshù) literally means “martial art”. It is the correct term for the more commonly known but misused term kung fu, which roughly translates to “skill” and refers specifically to the energy, feeling and effort expended in doing or making something. A craftsman or artisan could be said to have good “kung fu” in the way in which they carry out their craft. In the same way, a wushu practitioner can also be said to have good “kung fu” with their Wushu practice. All categories of Chinese martial arts, traditional, contemporary, hard and soft, can be called Wushu. Today, the terms “modern wushu” or “contemporary wushu” refer to forms that are practiced for health, exhibition and competition. Common “hard” or external styles of contemporary Wushu are southern fist, Nanquan and long fist, Changquan. Common “soft” or internal styles are Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan.
Wushu is practiced in forms (taolu in Chinese), which are comprised of basic movements, (stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps and sweeps), particular to each style and can be changed for competitions to highlight ones strengths. Competitive forms can vary in length from 1 minute, 30 seconds for the hard styles to over 5 minutes for internal styles.
Contents [showhide]
1 History
2 Translation
3 Styles of Wushu
3.1 Contemporary Wushu
3.2 Traditional Wushu
4 Famous Wushu Practicioners
[edit]
History
Although there are a multitude of different Wushu styles which originate from a multitude of different sources, it is generally accepted that one of the earliest forms of Wushu can be traced to the Loyang Shaolin temple in Henan province. According to legend, the monk Bodhidharma (who also brought Chan buddhism to China) stayed there to teach the monks self-defence and bodily exercise techniques, which he apparently invented by meditating in a nearby cave for a long period of time. Later on, the basic exercises were complemented by more complicated routines, and the style spread eastwards and south, evolving eventually into hundreds of different styles and routines – amongst them Korean Taekwondo and Okinawan Karate.
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Translation
The word wushu consists of two Chinese characters. 武 (wǔ), meaning martial or military, and 術 (shù), which translates into art, skill or method. Together these form “wǔshù” or “martial art”. To be more precise, the first character 武 (wǔ) is actually a combination of two other characters: 止 (zhǐ) and 戈 (gē). The first means to stop or halt something, and the latter symbolizes an ancient Chinese weapon similar to a spear (notice that the stroke symbolizing a dagger on the side of the character 戈 is shelved). Because of this, many consider a more detailed translation of wushu to be “method to stop weapon” or “the art of stopping violence”, more similar to the Western term self-defense. This aspect plays a major role in the philosophies that are present in many Chinese martial arts, which emphasize that the best way to defeat an enemy is to do so without fighting, and that the easiest way to not fight is to avoid situations that might lead to any fighting at all.
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Styles of Wushu
As said before, there still exist literally hundreds of different styles and schools of Wushu in China, but generally they can be divided into a few distinct branches. Geographically, Wushu can be divided into Northern Shaolin-style Wushu and Southern Shaolin-style Wushu, mainly corresponding to either the Northern Shaolin temple or the Southern Shaolin temple, although nowadays the terms cover all kinds of styles originating either from the north or the south. The main difference about these two are that the Northern styles tend to emphazise kicks, jumps and generally fluid and rapid movement, as the Southern styles focus more on strong arm and hand techniques, and stable, immovable stances and footwork. Examples of the Northern styles include Changquan and the sword and broadsword routines used in contemporary Wushu competitions, and examples of the Southern styles include Nanquan, Houquan (monkey style) and Wing Chun.
Methodistically, Wushu can be divided into either the External styles, which include most of the Wushu styles in existence, and the Internal styles, which number only a few, Taijiquan being the most famous one. External styles are more traditional fighting arts, with emphasis on strength, speed, explosive power and stamina. Internal styles focus in the precise control of movements, the balance of bodily energies and the concept of Qi (same as the Japanese Chi), the life energy supposedly flowing through every human being. As said above, External styles include all other types of Wushu, except for Taijiquan, Xingyiquan and Baguazhang.
There is also a third division in styles, that being the division to either Contemporary Wushu or Traditional Wushu, which are discussed in more detail below.
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Contemporary Wushu
Wushu, modern wushu, and contemporary wushu often refer to the modern recompilations of traditional wushu forms created in the People’s Republic of China. These are practiced as a demonstration sport, much like gymnastics, and judged and given points according to specific rules. Originally practiced just in the PRC, the contemporary wushu forms have now spread all over the world through the International Wushu Federation, which holds the World Championships of Wushu every two years; the first World Championships were held in 1991 in Beijing.
Similar to gymnastics, there are separate events, the main ones being:
* Barehanded
o 長拳 Changquan (Long Fist)
o 南拳 Nanquan (Southern Fist)
o 太極拳 Taijiquan (Taiji Fist)
* Short Weapons
o 刀 Dao (Broadsword)
o 劍 Jian (Straightsword)
o 太極劍 Taijijian (Taiji Straightsword)
o 南刀 Nandao (Southern Broadsword)
* Long Weapons
o 棍 Gun (Staff)
o 槍 Qiang (Spear)
o 南棍 Nangun (Southern Staff)
Most events were first set up in 1958.
Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but this wushu form is a modernized style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. Changquan is the most widely-seen of the wushu forms, and includes whirling, running, leaping, and acrobatics. Changquan is difficult to perform, requiring great flexibility and athleticism, and is often practiced from a young age.
Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China (i.e., south of the Yangtze River, including Hongjiaquan (洪家拳), Cailifoquan (蔡李佛拳), and Yongchunquan (詠春拳). Many are known for vigorous, athletic movements with very stable, low stances and intricate hand movements. This wushu form is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional southern styles. Nanquan typically requires less flexibility and has fewer acrobatics than Changquan, but it also requires greater leg stability and power generation through leg and hip coordination. This event was created in 1960.
Taijiquan is a wushu style famous for slow, relaxed movements, and often seen as an exercise method for old people. This wushu form is a modern recompilization based on the Yang (楊) style of Taijiquan, but also including movements of the Chen (陳), Wu (吳), Wu (武), and Sun (孫) styles.
Dao refers to any curved, one-sided sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using a medium-sized willow-leaf-shaped dao (柳葉刀).
Jian refers to any double-edged straight sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the jian.
Gun refers to a long staff slightly less tall than the user with his arms stretched up, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the gun.
Qiang refers to a flexible spear with red hair attached to the spearhead, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the qiang.
Taijijian is an event using the jian based on traditional Taijiquan jian methods.
Nandao is a weapon that appears to be based on the butterfly swords of Yongchunquan, but has been lengthened and changed so that only one is used (as opposed to a pair). This event is a Nanquan method, and was created in 1992.
Nangun is a Nanquan method of using the gun. This event was created in 1992.
These events are performed using compulsory or individual routines in competition. Compulsory routines are those routines that have been already created for the athlete, resulting in each athlete performing basically the same set. Individual routines are routines that an athlete creates with the aid of his/her coach, while following certain rules for difficulty, number of acrobatics, etc.
Previously international wushu competitions most often used compulsory routines, while high-level competitions in China most often used individual routines. However, after the 2003 Wushu World Games in Macau it was decided to opt for individual routines in international competition with nandu (difficulty movements) added for additional point bonuses.
There is some controversey concerning the inclusion of nandu in wushu because many of the movements created for the specific events are not originally movements used in those styles. In addition the number of injuries which have resulted from the inclusion of these nandu have caused many people to question their inclusion.
Those who support the new difficulty requirements follow the assertion that they help to progress the sport and improve the overall physical quality of the athletes.
Another modern form of wushu is called sanda (sometimes called sanshou), which is a modern fighting method and sport influenced by both traditional Chinese boxing and wrestling methods and methods of other countries. Sanda appears much like kickboxing or Muay Thai, but includes many more throwing techniques. Sanda fighting competitions are often held alongside taolu or form competitions.
The IWuF’s bid to have wushu included in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing has not met with success, however it is still the hope of wushu practitioners around the world to see it included in the Olympic games at some point in the future.
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Traditional Wushu
The term “Traditional Wushu” refers to every other style and school of Wushu not included in the Contemporary Wushu list above. Traditional routines are also used in competition in events separate from the compulsory and individual routine events, especially in China. The routines used are often new, modernized recompilations of traditional styles. Some of the more commonly seen styles include:
* Xingyiquan (形意拳) – Shape-Intent Fist
* Baguazhang (八卦掌) – Eight-Trigrams Palm
* Bajiquan (八極拳) – Eight Extremes Fist
* Fanziquan (翻子拳) – Overturning Fist
* Chuojiao (戳腳) – Poking Feet
* Tongbeiquan (通背拳) – Through-the-Back Fist
* Piguaquan (劈掛拳) – Chop-Hitch Fist
* Chaquan (查拳) – Cha Fist
* Huaquan (華拳) – Hua Fist
* Paoquan (炮拳) – Cannon Fist
* Houquan (猴拳) – Monkey Fist
* Tanglangquan (螳螂拳) – Praying Mantis Fist
* Ditangquan (地躺拳) – Ground-Prone Fist
* Zuijiuquan (醉酒拳) – Drunken Fist
* Yingzhaoquan (鷹爪拳) – Eagle Claw Fist
* Shequan (蛇拳) – Snake Fist
Similarly, there is also a traditional weapons category, which often includes the following:
* Changsuijian (長穗劍) – Long-Tasseled Sword
* Shuangshoujian (雙手劍) – Two-Handed Sword
* Jiujiebian (九節鞭) – Nine Section Whip
* Sanjiegun (三節棍) – Three Section Staff
* Shengbiao (繩鏢) – Rope Dart
* Dadao (大刀) – Great Sword
* Pudao (撲刀) – Pu Sword
* Emeici (峨嵋刺) – Emei Daggers
* Shuangdao (雙刀) – Double Broadsword
* Shuangjian (雙劍) – Double Sword
* Shuangbian (雙鞭) – Double Nine Section Whips
* Shuanggou (雙鈎) – Double Hooksword
Many more weapons and styles exist apart from those mentioned above; in total, the whole of Wushu contains probably over one hundred different minor or major styles.
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Famous Wushu Practicioners
Probably the two most famous Wushu practicioners in the world are Jet Li (李連杰) and Jackie Chan. Jet Li started Wushu as a competition sport, and gained fame as a five-time national champion of China; he is now a famous movie star who uses his wushu skills onscreen. Many of his old teammates have also appeared onscreen with him, especially in his older movies. Jackie Chan never practiced wushu as a competitive sport; he was a Beijing opera performer as a child, and learned his basic wushu skills there. He also became a famous movie star through Hong Kong-produced kung fu movies. As with Jet Li, several of his fellow practicioners have gained fame on-screen as wushu performers, including actor Samo Hung.
T’ai Chi Ch’uan or Taijiquan (Chinese: 太極拳; pinyin: Tàijíquán; literally “supreme ultimate fist”), commonly known as T’ai Chi, Tai Chi, or Taiji, is a nei chia (”internal”) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent medical studies. T’ai Chi Ch’üan is known as a soft style martial art, an art applied with as complete a relaxation or “softness” in the musculature as possible, to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard styles which use a degree of tension in the muscles.
T’ai Chi Ch’uan is best known as the slow motion routines groups of people practice every morning in hundreds of parks across China and, increasingly, other parts of the world. In T’ai Chi classes one is taught awareness of one’s own balance and what affects it, awareness of the same in others, and appreciation of the practical value in one’s ability to moderate extremes of behavior and attitude at both mental and physical levels.
Contents [showhide]
1 Overview
2 T’ai Chi training and techniques
3 T’ai Chi styles and history
3.1 Family tree
4 T’ai Chi in the present
4.1 Modern forms
5 T’ai Chi as a form of traditional Chinese medicine
5.1 Citations to medical research
6 See also
7 External links
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Overview
While its practitioners have historically considered it primarily a style of martial art, T’ai Chi Ch’uan is also called an art of moving meditation. T’ai Chi theory and practice is formulated in agreement with many of the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Besides general health benefits and stress management attributed to beginning and intermediate level T’ai Chi training, many therapeutic interventions along the lines of TCM are taught to advanced T’ai Chi students in traditional schools. T’ai Chi Chuan as physical training is characterized by its requirement for the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination in relaxation rather than muscular tension. The slow, repetitive work involved in that process is said to gently increase and open the internal circulation (breath, body heat, blood, peristalsis, etc.). Over time, proponents say, this enhancement becomes a lasting effect, a direct reversal of the physical effects of stress on the human body. This reversal allows much more of the students’ native energy to be available to them, which they may then apply more effectively to the rest of their lives; families, careers, spiritual or creative pursuits, hobbies, etc.
The study of T’ai Chi Ch’uan involves three primary subjects, in the following order:
* Health – an unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person will find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use Tai Chi as a martial art. Tai Chi’s health training therefore concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
* Meditation – the focus meditation and subsequent calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of T’ai Chi is seen as necessary to maintain optimum health (in the sense of effectively maintaining stress relief or homeostasis) and in order to use it as a soft style martial art.
* Martial art – the ability to competently use T’ai Chi as a martial art is said to be proof that the health and meditation aspects are working according to the dictates of the theory of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.
The Mandarin term “T’ai Chi Ch’uan” translates as “Supreme Ultimate Boxing” or “Boundless Fist”. T’ai Chi training involves learning solo routines, known as forms, and two person routines, known as pushing hands, as well as acupressure-related manipulations taught by traditional schools. T’ai Chi Ch’üan is seen by many of its schools as a variety of Taoism, and it does seemingly incorporate many Taoist principles into its practice (see below). It is an art form said to date back many centuries (although not reliably documented under that name before 1850), with precursor disciplines dating back thousands of years. The explanation given by the traditional T’ai Chi family schools for why so many of their previous generations have dedicated their lives to the study and preservation of the art is that the discipline it seems to give its students to dramatically improve the effects of stress in their lives, with a few years of hard work, should hold a useful purpose for people living in a stressful world. They say that once the T’ai Chi principles have been understood and internalized into the bodily framework the practitioner will have an immediately accessible “toolkit” thereby to improve and then maintain their health, to provide a meditative focus, and that can work as an effective and subtle martial art for self-defence.
Teachers say the study of T’ai Chi Ch’uan is, more than anything else, about challenging one’s ability to change oneself appropriately in response to outside forces. These principles are taught using the examples of physics as experienced by two (or more) bodies in combat. In order to be able to protect oneself using change, it is necessary to understand what the consequences are of changing appropriately, changing inappropriately and not changing at all in response to an attack. Students, by this theory, will appreciate the full benefits of the entire art in the fastest way through physical training of the martial art aspect.
Wu Chien-ch’üan, co-founder of the Wu family style, described the name T’ai Chi Ch’uan this way at the beginning of the 20th century:
“Various people have offered different explanations for the term T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Some have said: ‘In terms of self-cultivation, one must train from a point of movement towards a point of quiescence. T’ai Chi comes about through the harmony of yin and yang. In terms of the art of attack and defense then, in the context of transformations of full and empty, one is constantly inwardly latent, not outwardly expressive, as if the yin and yang of T’ai Chi have not divided apart.’ Others say: ‘Every movement of T’ai Chi Ch’uan is based on circles, just like the shape of a T’ai Chi symbol. Therefore, it is called T’ai Chi Ch’uan.’ Both explanations are quite reasonable, especially the second, which is fuller.”
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T’ai Chi training and techniques
As the name T’ai Chi Ch’uan is held to be derived from the T’ai Chi symbol, the Taijitu or T’ai Chi t’u (太極圖, pinyin tàijítú), commonly known in the West as the “yin-yang” diagram, T’ai Chi Ch’uan techniques are said therefore to physically and energetically balance yin (receptive) and yang (active) principles: “From ultimate softness comes ultimate hardness.”
The core training involves two primary features: the first being the solo form or quan or chüan (拳), a slow sequence of movements which emphasise a straight spine, relaxed breathing and a natural range of motion; the second being different styles of pushing hands or tui shou or t’ui shou (推手) for training “stickiness” and sensitivity in the reflexes through various motions from the forms in concert with a training partner in order to learn leverage, timing, coordination and positioning when interacting with another. Pushing hands is seen as necessary not only for training the self-defense skills of a soft style such as T’ai Chi by demonstrating the forms’ movement principles experientially, but also it is said to improve upon the level of conditioning provided by practice of the solo forms by increasing the work load on students while they practise those movement principles.
The solo form should take the students through a complete, natural, range of motion over their centre of gravity. Accurate, repeated practise of the solo routine is said to retrain posture, encourage circulation throughout the students’ bodies, maintain flexibility through their joints and further familiarize students with the martial application sequences implied by the forms. The major styles of T’ai Chi have forms which differ somewhat cosmetically, but there are also many obvious similarities which point to their common origin. The solo forms, empty-hand and weapon, are catalogues of movements that are practised individually in pushing hands and application scenarios to prepare students for self-defence training. In most traditional schools different variations of the solo forms can be practiced; fast/slow, small circle/large circle, square/round (which are different expressions of leverage through the joints), low sitting/high sitting (the degree to which weight-bearing knees are kept bent throughout the form), for example.
In a fight, if one uses hardness to resist violent force then both sides are certain to be injured, at least to some degree. Such injury, according to T’ai Chi theory, is a natural consequence of meeting brute force with brute force. The collision of two like forces, yang with yang, is known as “double-weighted” in T’ai Chi terminology. Instead, students are taught not to fight or resist an incoming force, but to meet it in softness and “stick” to it, following its motion while remaining in physical contact until the incoming force of attack exhausts itself or can be safely redirected, the result of meeting yang with yin. Done correctly, achieving this yin/yang or yang/yin balance in combat (and, by extension, other areas of one’s life) is known as being “single-weighted” and is a primary goal of T’ai Chi Ch’uan training. Lao Zi or Lao Tzu provided the archetype for this in the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing in pinyin) when he wrote, “The soft and the pliable will defeat the hard and strong.” This soft “neutralization” of an attack can be accomplished very quickly in an actual fight by an adept practitioner. A T’ai Chi student has to be well conditioned by many years of disciplined training; stable, sensitive and elastic mentally and physically in order to realize this ability, however.
Other training exercises include:
* Weapons training and fencing applications employing the straight sword known as the jian or chien or gim (jiàn 劍), a heavier curved sabre, sometimes called a broadsword or tao (dāo 刀, which is actually considered a big knife), fan, staff (棍), 7 foot (2 m) spear and 13 foot (4 m) lance (both called qiāng 槍). Less commonly known weapons still in use are the large Da Dao or Ta Tao (大刀) or Bagua sabre, halberd (jǐ 戟), cane, rope-dart, Three sectional staff and steel whip.
* Two-person tournament fighting (san shou 散手);
* Breathing exercises; nei gong or nei kung (內功 nèigōng) or, more commonly, qigong or ch’i kung (氣功 qìgōng) to develop qi or ch’i (氣 qì) or “breath energy” in coordination with physical movement. These were formerly taught only to disciples as a separate, complementary training system. In the last 50 years they have become more well known to the general public.
T’ai Chi’s martial aspect relies on sensitivity to the opponent’s movements and centre of gravity dictating appropriate responses. Effectively affecting or “capturing” the opponent’s centre of gravity immediately upon contact is trained as the primary goal of the martial T’ai Chi student, and from there all other technique can follow with seeming effortlessness. The alert calmness required to achieve the necessary sensitivity is acquired over thousands of hours of first yin (slow, repetitive, meditative, low impact) and then later adding yang (”realistic”, active, fast, high impact) martial training; forms, pushing hands and sparring. T’ai Chi Ch’uan trains in three basic ranges, close, medium and long, and then everything in between. Pushes and open hand strikes are more common than punches, and kicks are usually to the legs and lower torso, never higher than the hip in most styles. The fingers, fists, palms, sides of the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, back, hips, knees and feet are commonly used to strike, with strikes to the eyes, throat, heart, groin and other acupressure points trained by advanced students. There is an extensive repertoire of joint traps, locks and breaks (chin na), particularly applied to lock up or break an opponent’s elbows, wrists, fingers, ankles, back or neck. Most T’ai Chi teachers expect their students to thoroughly learn defensive or neutralizing skills first, and a student will have to demonstrate proficiency with them before offensive skills will be extensively trained. There is also an emphasis in the traditional schools on kind-heartedness. One is expected to show mercy to one’s opponents, as instanced by a poem preserved in some of the T’ai Chi families said to be derived from the Shaolin temple:
“I would rather maim than kill
Hurt than maim
Intimidate than hurt
Avoid than intimidate.”
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T’ai Chi styles and history
There are five major styles of T’ai Chi Ch’üan, each named after the Chinese family that teaches (or taught) it:
* Ch’en style (陳氏)
* Yang style (楊家)
* Wu or Wu/Hao style of Wu Yu-hsiang (武家)
* Wu style of Wu Ch’uan-yü and Wu Chien-ch’üan (吳家)
* Sun style (孫家)
The order of seniority is as listed above. The order of popularity is Yang, Wu, Ch’en, Sun, and Wu/Hao.
The five family styles share much underlying theory, but differ in their approaches to training. There are also several groups teaching what they call Wu Tang style T’ai Chi Ch’üan:
* Wu Tang (武當)
The designation Wu Tang Ch’üan is also used to broadly distinguish internal or nei chia martial arts (said to be a specialty of the monasteries at Wu Tang Shan) from what are known as the external or wei chia styles based on Shaolin Ch’üan, although that distinction is sometimes disputed by individual schools. In this broad sense, among many T’ai Chi schools all styles of T’ai Chi (as well as related arts such as Pa Kua Chang and Hsing-i Ch’üan) are therefore considered to be “Wu Tang style” martial arts. The schools that designate themselves “Wu Tang style” relative to the family styles mentioned above mostly claim to teach an “original style” they say was formulated by a Taoist monk called Chang San-feng and taught by him in the Taoist monasteries at Wu Tang Shan. Some consider that what is practised under that name today may be a modern back-formation based on stories and popular veneration of Chang San-feng (see below) as well as the martial fame of the Wu Tang monastery (there are many other martial art styles historically associated with Wu Tang besides T’ai Chi). There is also a modern T’ai Chi style going by the name Wudang as a term of convenience that is fairly well-known internationally, especially in the UK and Europe, originally taught by a student of the Wu (吳) style.
When tracing T’ai Chi Ch’üan’s formative influences to Taoist and Buddhist monasteries, one has little more to go on than legendary tales from a modern historical perspective, but T’ai Chi Ch’üan’s practical connection to and dependence upon the theories of Sung dynasty Neo-Confucianism (a conscious synthesis of Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian traditions, esp. the teachings of Mencius) is readily apparent to its practitioners. The philosophical and political landscape of that time in Chinese history is fairly well documented, even if the art later to become known as T’ai Chi Ch’üan’s origin in it is not. T’ai Chi Ch’üan’s theories and practice are therefore believed by some schools to have been formulated by the Taoist monk Chang San-feng in the 12th century, a time frame fitting well with when the principles of the Neo-Confucian school were making themselves felt in Chinese intellectual life. Therefore the didactic story is told that Chang San-feng as a young man studied Tao Yin (導引, py dǎoyǐn) breathing exercises from his Taoist teachers and martial arts at the Buddhist Shaolin monastery, eventually combining the martial forms and breathing exercises to formulate the soft or internal principles we associate with T’ai Chi Ch’üan and related martial arts. Its subsequent fame attributed to his teaching, Wu Tang monastery was known thereafter as an important martial center for many centuries, its many styles of internal kung fu preserved and refined at various Taoist temples.
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Family tree
LEGENDARY FIGURES
|
Zhang Sanfeng*
circa 12th century
NEI CHIA
|
Tai Yi Zhenren*
|
Ma Yun Cheng*
|
Wang Zongyue*
TAI CHI CHUAN
|
Zhang Song Xi*
|
THE 5 MAJOR CLASSICAL FAMILY STYLES
|
Chen Wang Ting
1600-1680 9th generation Chen
CHEN STYLE
|
+—————————————————+
| |
Chen Changxing Chen Youben
1771-1853 14th generation Chen circa 1800s 14th generation Chen
Chen Old Frame Chen New Frame
| |
Yang Lu-ch’an Chen Qingping
1799-1872 1795-1868
YANG STYLE Chen Small Frame, Zhao Bao Frame
| |
+———————+————————-+ |
| | | |
Yang Chien-hou Yang Pan-hou Wu Yu-hsiang
1839-1917 1837-1892 1812-1880
| Yang Small Frame WU/HAO STYLE
| | |
Yang Ch’eng-fu Wu Ch’uan-yü Li I-yü
1883-1936 1834-1902 1832-1892
Yang Big Frame | |
| Wu Chien-ch’üan Hao Wei-chen
| 1870-1942 1849-1920
| WU STYLE |
| 108 Form |
| | Sun Lu-t’ang
| | 1861-1932
| | SUN STYLE
| |
| |
MODERN FORMS |
| | lineage to Chen Old Frame
| | |
| Cheng Wing-kwong Qi Min-xuan
| ????-???? | ????-????
| | |
+—-+————-+ | |
| | | |
Cheng Man-ch’ing | Cheng Tin-hung
1901-1975 | 1930
Short (37) Form | Wudang style
|
Chinese Sports Commission
1956
Beijing 24 Form
.
.
1989
42 Competition Form (Wushu competition form combined from Sun, Wu, Chen, and Yang styles)
Notes to Family tree table
* Short (37) Form (http://www.patiencetaichi.com/aspects.htm)
* Wudang style [1] (http://www.taichichuan.co.uk/information/wudang_tai_chi.html)
Names denoted by an asterisk are legendary or semi-legendary figures in the lineage, which means their involvement in the lineage, while accepted by most of the major schools, isn’t independently verifiable from known historical records.
The Yang Pan-hou lineage is considered senior to the Yang Chien-hou lineage (as reflected by their respective ages), although it may appear otherwise in the formatting of the Family tree table above.
The Cheng Man-ch’ing and Chinese Sports Commission short forms are said to be derived from Yang family forms and appear to be in the Yang family transmission above, but neither are recognized as Yang family T’ai Chi Ch’uan by current Yang family teachers. As well, the “Wudang style” isn’t recognized as representative of their style by the Wu family organisation. The Chen, Yang and Wu families are now promoting their own shortened demonstration forms for competitive purposes.
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T’ai Chi in the present
Recently there has been some divergence between those who say they practise T’ai Chi primarily for fighting, those who practise it for its aesthetic appeal (as in the shortened, modern, theatrical “Taijiquan” forms of wushu, see below), and those who are more interested in its benefits to physical and mental health. The wushu aspect is primarily for show, the forms taught for those purposes are designed to earn points in competition and are mostly unconcerned with either health maintenance or martial ability. More traditional stylists still see the two aspects of health and martial arts as equally necessary pieces of the puzzle, the yin and yang of T’ai Chi Ch’üan. The T’ai Chi “family” schools therefore still present their teachings in a martial art context even though the majority of their students nowadays profess that they are primarily interested in training for the claimed health benefits. T’ai Chi has become very popular in the last twenty years or so, as the baby boomers age and T’ai Chi’s reputation for ameliorating the effects of aging becomes more well-known. Hospitals, clinics, community and senior centers are all hosting T’ai Chi classes in communities around the world.
Along with Yoga, it is one of the fastest growing fitness and health maintenance activities, in terms of numbers of students enrolling in classes. Since there is no universal certification process, and most Westerners haven’t seen very much T’ai Chi and don’t know what to look for, practically anyone can learn or even make up a few moves and call themselves a teacher. Relatively few of these teachers even know that there are martial applications to the T’ai Chi forms. Those who do know that it is a martial art usually don’t teach martially themselves. If they do teach self-defense, it is often a mixture of motions which the teachers think look like T’ai Chi Ch’uan with some other system. This is especially evident in schools located outside of China. While this phenomenon may have made some external aspects of T’ai Chi available for a wider audience, the traditional T’ai Chi family schools see the martial focus as a fundamental part of their training, both for health and self-defense purposes. They claim that while the students may not need to practice martial applications themselves to derive a benefit from T’ai Chi training, their teachers at least should know the applications well enough to ensure that the movements they teach are done correctly and safely by their students. Also, working on the ability to protect oneself from physical attack (one of the most stressful things that can happen to a person) certainly falls under the category of complete “health maintenance.” For these reasons they feel that a school not teaching those aspects somewhere in their syllabus cannot be said to be actually teaching the art itself, and will be much less likely to be able to reproduce the full health benefits that have made traditional T’ai Chi Ch’uan’s reputation in the first place.
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Modern forms
In order to standardize T’ai Chi Ch’uan for its citizens’ daily exercise, and because many of the family T’ai Chi Ch’uan teachers either moved or stopped teaching after the Communist regime was established in 1949, the Chinese Sports Committee brought together four T’ai Chi experts who truncated the Yang family hand form to 24 postures in 1956. They wanted to somehow retain the essential principles of T’ai Chi Ch’uan but make it less difficult to learn than longer (generally 88 to 108 posture) classical family T’ai Chi Ch’uan hand forms. Because shorter forms don’t have the conditioning benefits of the classical forms, they wanted more difficult forms for the purposes of further studies and demonstration that didn’t have the demanding martial requirements of the traditional family forms. In 1976, the Combined 48 Forms were created by three T’ai Chi experts headed by Professor Men Hui Feng. The combined forms were created based on combining and condensing elements of the classical forms of four of the major styles; Ch’en, Yang, Wu, and Sun. The idea was to take what they felt were distinctive features of these styles and to express them in a short space of time.
As T’ai Chi again became popular on the Mainland, competitive forms were developed to be completed within a 6 minute time limit. In the late 1980s, the Chinese Sports Committee standardized the many different competition forms. It had chosen the four major styles and combined forms. These five sets of forms were created by different teams, and later approved by a committee of T’ai Chi experts in China, but not by direct representatives of most of the T’ai Chi families themselves. All sets of forms thus created were named after their style, e.g., the Ch’en Style National Competition Form is the 56 Forms, and so on. The combined forms are The 42 Form or simply the Competition Form, as it is known in China. In the 11th Asian Games of 1990, wushu was included as an item for competition for the first time with the 42 Form being chosen to represent T’ai Chi. It is likely to be the official form in the 2008 Summer Olympics. [2] (http://www.egreenway.com/taichichuan/short.htm)[3] (http://www.ohioshaolin.com/China%27s%20Arts/history_of_tai_chi_42_competitio.htm)
Representatives of some of the traditional families do not necessarily agree with the assessments of the Chinese Sports Committee, however. T’ai Chi Ch’uan has historically been seen by them as a martial art, not a sport, with competitions mostly entered as a hobby or to promote one’s school publicly, but with little bearing on measuring actual accomplishment in the art. Their criticisms of modern forms include that the modern, “government” routines, being what they see as a mostly random combination by committee of some external elements of the traditional styles, have no standardized, internally consistent training requirements. Also, that people studying competition forms rarely train pushing hands or other power generation trainings vital to learning the martial applications of T’ai Chi Ch’uan and thereby lack the quality control traditional teachers say knowing the martial aspect of the art is essential for.
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T’ai Chi as a form of traditional Chinese medicine
Researchers have found that long-term T’ai Chi practice had favorable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in elders. The studies also reported reduced pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects. Other studies have indicated improved cardiovascular and respiratory function in healthy subjects as well as those who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients also benefited from Tai Chi who suffered from heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, arthritis and multiple sclerosis (See research citations listed below).
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Citations to medical research
* Wolf SL, Sattin RW, Kutner M. Intense tai chi exercise training and fall occurrences in older, transitionally frail adults: a randomized, controlled trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003 Dec; 51(12): 1693-701. PMID 14687346
* Wang C, Collet JP, Lau J. The effect of Tai Chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions: a systematic review. Arch Intern Med. 2004 Mar 8;164(5):493-501. PMID 15006825
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See also
* jing
* nei chin
* List of Tai Chi Chuan forms
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External links
* A Chen Family Website (http://www.chenxiaowang.com/)
* Yang Family Website (http://www.yangfamilytaichi.com/)
* Wu Chien-ch’üan Family Website (http://www.wustyle.com/)
* Dong Tai Chi home page (http://www.dongtaichi.com/)
* The World of Taijiquan (http://www.chen-taiji.com/mambo/)
* Tai Chi Directory (http://www.taichifollowme.com/)
* Lee Scheele’s Links to T’ai Chi Ch’uan Web Sites (http://www.scheele.org/lee/tcclinks.html)
* Modern Forms (http://www.taiji.de/taiji/head4e/index.htm) applications, videos, and music from Taiji (http://www.taiji.de/) German site
* Tai Chi and Taiji 37 from Dr Shen Hongxun (http://www.buqi.net/gb/)
Bagua zhang (Chinese: 八卦掌; pinyin: bāguà zhǎng) (also called Pa Kua Chang, Bagua Quan, Pa kua ch’üan, Bagua, Pakua, Pakua boxing) is one of the three major internal Chinese martial arts, the other two of which are Xingyiquan (形意拳) and Taijiquan (太極拳).
The word bagua zhang literally means “eight trigram palm”. The trigrams refer to diagrams from the Yijing, one of the canons of Taoism. These diagrams in turn refer to eight animals, upon which in some styles of Bagua zhang movements or fighting systems are based on.
The trigrams and their corresponding animals in martial arts are:
* Li (離) – Chicken (鷂)
* Kun (坤) – Qilin (麟) (sometimes mis-translated as unicorn or Chinese unicorn)
* Dui (兌) – Monkey (猴)
* Qian (乾) – Lion (獅)
* Kan (坎) – Snake (蛇)
* Gen (艮) – Bear (熊)
* Zhen (震) – Long (龍) (often translated as Chinese dragon)
* Xun (巽) – Fenghuang (鳳) (often mis-translated as phoenix or Chinese phoenix)
Similar types of animal systems exist in other types of Chinese martial arts.
The practice of circle walking is bagua’s characteristic method of stance and movement training. Practitioners walk around the edge of a circle in a low stance, facing the center and periodically changing direction as they execute forms. Students first learn flexibility through such exercises, then move on to more complex forms and internal power mechanics. The internal aspects of bagua are very similar to those of xingyi and taiji. Eventually, many distinctive styles of weapons training are practiced, sometimes including the uniquely crescent-shaped deerhorn knives. In many schools, students study both xingyi and bagua. These may be used together in fighting, as they are often complementary. Bagua contains an extremely wide variety of techniques, including various strikes, low kicks, joint techniques, throws, and distinctively circular footwork.
Bagua was developed by Dong Haichuan (董海川) in the early 19th century, who apparently learnt from Taoist and Buddhist masters in the mountains of rural China. There is evidence to suggest a synthesis of several pre-existing martial arts taught and practiced in the region he lived in, combined with Taoist circle walking. (It should be noted that circle walking appears popular among the shamanic traditions, including a version practiced by Siberian shamans). Dong Haichuan taught for many years in Beijing, eventually earning patronage by the Imperial court. Famous disciples of Dong to become teachers were Yin Fu (尹福), Cheng Tinghua (程廷華), Song Changrong (宋長榮), Liu Fengchun (劉鳳春) and Ma Weiqi (馬維棋). Although they were all students of the same teacher, their methods of training and expressions of palm techniques differed. The Cheng and Liu styles are said to specialize in “Pushing” the palms, Yin style is known for “Threading” the palms, Song’s followers practice “Plum Flower” (梅花 Mei Hua) palm technique and Ma style palms are known as “Hammers.” Some of Dong Haichuan’s students, including Cheng Tinghua (who was killed), participated in the Boxer Rebellion.
One of the most famous Bagua practitioners of the 20th century was Sun Lutang (孫録堂), who studied Baguazhang under Cheng Tinghua. Sun was also a Xingyiquan disciple of Guo Yunshen (郭雲深) and learned Wu/Hao style Taijiquan from Hao Wei-chen. Sun Lutang was reputed among the Taiji professionals of his day to have excelled in his studies and subsequently became well known as the founder of Sun style Taijiquan.
Baguazhang is also known for sometimes practicing with extremely large weapons, such as the Baguadao (八卦刀), or ‘Bagua Broadsword.’
Few good teachers of Baguazhang are available in the United States, and many do not advertise. Many are conservative and in line with Confucian didactic tradition will only reveal internal practices to dedicated students.
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See also
* Jing (TCM)
* Kung Fu
* Nei Jin
* Pushing hands
* Wushu
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External links
* The Pa Kua Chang of Lu Shui-Tian (http://www.pa-kua.com)
* European Yin Style Bagua Zhang Association (http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bagua.zhang/index.htm)
* AST Yin Style Bagua (http://www.traditionalstudies.org/ysb/)
* Emptyflower Bagua Links (http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/drilling/bagua_links.html)
* Emptyflower (http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/index.html)
* Nine Dragon The Gompa (http://www.ninedragonbaguazhang.com/)
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Book References
* Robert W. Smith, “Chinese Boxing”
* B. K. Frantzis, “The Power of Internal Martial Arts: Combat Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi, and Hsing-I”
* Bok Nam Park & Dan Miller, “The Fundamentals of Pa Kua Chang: The Methods of Lu Shue-Tien As Taught by Park Bok Nam.”
Kung fu or gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. Its original meaning is somewhat different, referring to one’s expertise in any skill, not necessarily martial. Many consider wushu a better term for Chinese martial arts, as it translates directly into martial art.
Contents [showhide]
1 History
2 Spelling
3 Translation and usage
4 Philosophy
5 See also
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History
The term kung fu was first known to have been reported by a Westerner, French Jesuit missionary Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, in the 18th century and was known little in the mainstream English language until approximately the late 1960s, when it became popular because of the Hong Kong films, especially those by Bruce Lee, and later Kung Fu – the television series. Before that it was referred to primarily as “Chinese boxing”.
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Spelling
Part of the confusion around this term comes from the many ways the Chinese characters 功夫 can be romanized, as Chinese romanization systems have evolved much in the past years.
Here are some of the most common versions in use today:
* Kung fu is undoubtedly the most widely spread. It uses the Wade-Giles romanization system; a system that many consider obsolete today.
* Gongfu is the Hanyu Pinyin romanization. With tones included this would be written gōngfu. Even though Pinyin is currently the official system of romanization of the People’s Republic of China, the spelling “gongfu” is not widely used. Pinyin is, however, a popular system used for many other similar Chinese terms, such as Qigong (instead of Ch’i Kung in Wade-Giles).
* Gungfu or gung fu is a Cantonese version using Yale romanization. This spelling was made popular by Bruce Lee during the 1970s.
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Translation and usage
Nowadays, the most common use of the term kung fu is when referring to Chinese martial arts in general. Thus, when someone says they train kung fu, they likely mean they train in one of the many styles of Chinese martial arts. The original meaning of kung fu is quite different, and is hard to translate as there is no English equivalent. In short, 功夫 (gōngfu) means “achievement through great effort” or simply virtue. It combines 功 (gōng) meaning achievement or merit, and 夫 (fū) which translates into man. In Mandarin, when two “first tone” words such as gōng and fū are combined, the second word often takes a neutral tone, in this case forming gōngfu.
Although the term was originally used solely in reference to Chinese martial arts, it refers to excellence achieved through long practice in any endeavor. You can say that a person’s kung fu is good in cooking, or that someone has kung fu in calligraphy; saying that a person possesses kung fu in an area implies skill in that area, which they have worked hard to develop. Someone with “bad kung fu” simply has not put enough time and effort into training, or seems to lack the motivation to do so.
Originally, to practice kung fu did not just mean to practice Chinese martial arts. Instead, it referred to the process of one’s training – the strengthening of the body and the mind, the learning and the perfection of one’s skills – rather than to what was being trained.
There is a curious contemporary twist on this meaning in the hacker culture: there the fu has been generalized to a suffix, implying that the thing suffixed involves great skill or effort. For example, one may talk of “script-fu” to refer to complicated scripting. It is unknown whether this was consciously based on the original, broader meaning of the term or whether it was a simple wordplay on the less general Western notion of “kung fu”.
As many Japanese martial arts have originally evolved from Chinese martial arts, Japanese people use this word in their native pronunciation of “koufu” (Kanji:功夫, Kana:こうふ) to describe a building site laborer.
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Philosophy
There are various philosophies around the term kung fu, suggesting a deeper meaning. The following is an example of such a philosophy:
For a process to truly be kung fu, the following three elements must be present:
* Motivation
* Self-discipline
* Time
Motivation is the basic driving force, and without it, kung fu can never be reached. It means both interest and the will to do something; a person who is forced to do something is not truly motivated. A motivated person, on the other hand, has interest in learning: they have a goal.
It is important to note a difference between the various types of motivation: A person can be motivated to do something, because if they do not they will be punished. Money can also lead to motivation, because you know that doing something will give you more money. However, the motivation kung fu strives for comes from an interest and an inner desire to learn and develop, in which the goal is not an external gain, like avoiding punishment or earning money, but an internal one, with the only reward being knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom. This motivation can be inspired, but not controlled, by other people.
Self-discipline is closely related to motivation, but refers to the effort and patience required to actually get something done, and to get past obstacles that might appear on the way towards one’s goal. While motivation is the mental state of wanting to do something, discipline is required to put motivation into action: A person might want to do something very much, but lacks the required amount of discipline to get started. Without this, motivation will lead to nothing.
It is true that a competent instructor can assist a person by providing discipline, helping that person to get past obstacles. This is good, but will not last forever, and in the end, it is always up to the person herself to put her thoughts into action.
Time is essential for finding one’s motivation and self-discipline, and to actually accomplish something by making use of them, but motivation and self-discipline are also important to make a person willing to put time into accomplishing their goal: to prioritize.
In later stages, once motivation and discipline have become an integral part of a person’s life, it is important not to stop spending time on practice. This is said to be a very important aspect of kung fu: Many ancient Chinese philosophers and martial artists consider time the most valuable commodity in a person’s lives, as time cannot be replaced. It is said that one should use time wisely, and that, to get the most out of life, must practice kung fu in every activity. By finding interest in and putting effort and time into every action, one will make the best use of time, and live a happy and productive life.
Hsing Yi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Hsing Yi (Chinese: 形意拳; pinyin: Xíngyì Quán; Wade-Giles: Hsing-i Ch’üan; lit. “Form and Thought Boxing”) is a northern Chinese martial art tradition attributed to the legendary Chinese General Yue Fei (岳飛) around 1100 AD.
Hsing Yi claims to specialize in deceptively soft, linear, low attacks and quick yet solid footwork appropriate for the battlefield and the military. Although considered by some to be the most simple and linear of the Chinese soft styles (the other styles being Pa Kua Chang and Tai Chi Chuan), Hsing-i is also known as a subtle and sophisticated art form. Its power generation derives directly from the well-known spiraling and circling characteristics of the internal Chinese martial arts. The spiraling and circling movements only appear to be linear in Hsing-i’s “long arm” approach.
Hsing Yi uses five distinct elements or forms as metaphors assigned to represent the details of different combative methods. Usually called, “the five fists” within the context of hsing-i, these Five Elements or Five Phases (五行 Wǔ Xíng or Wu Hsing) are based on Taoist cosmology, and practitioners of the art are taught that reactions to attacks and counter attacks should be conditioned by which of the elements an attack is considered to be coming from. As combatants or “elements” interact their conflict is said come to an end result predictable by wu hsing theory. Proponents also say that in Hsing-i Ch’üan there are at least three outcomes in a combat situation; the constructive, the neutral, and the destructive. Hsing-i students train to react to and execute specific techniques in such a way that a desirable cycle will form based on the constructive, neutral and destructive interactions of wu hsing theory. Where to aim, where to hit and with what technique – and how those motions should also work defensively – is determined by what point of which cycle they see themselves in.
The advanced training forms varies and combines the five fists together. Depending on the lineage, some of these advanced forms includes linking forms, the “eight hands”, the “eight tigers”, and twelve animal forms.
Most practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan, Pa Kua Chang and Hsing Yi consider Hsing Yi to be an internal style, with an emphasis on qi development and coordination in their training. Traditional Chinese weapon training is another feature of Hsing Yi as a martial art.
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See also
* ching
* kung fu
* nei chin
* Sun style T’ai Chi Ch’uan
* Wushu
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External links
* Emptyflower Xingyiquan (http://www.emptyflower.com/xingyiquan/index.html)
* Mike Patterson’s school of Xingyiquan