Performing Arts

For those of you whom have stayed around lengthy sufficient to figure out the differences, there still may well be some of you who do not know what this title means. Right after several years of analysis, study and very first hand experiences I have found a lot about the factors for training and what styles to train under. Why are we taking any kind of self defense course? Why do we train in this style of Kung Fu? Why not just join the armed forces? All of these questions and a lot of other people will be answered in this write-up.

Kung Fu or Wu Shu?

There have been numerous students that asked me “What is the difference between kung fu and wu shu?” Let us 1st go into the translation of these words from Chinese into English: “Kung Fu” = Time and Energy. Then “Wu Shu” = War like Technique. Neither of these two words separately can be translated onto a fighting style or some kind of self defense. Nevertheless, placed together they represent generalized Chinese martial arts.

Kung Fu: A term usually utilised in the Chinese language for everyone who gains a skill by means of time and effort. A carpenter would have good kung fu in laying carpets, a tailor would good kung fu in sewing clothes, a fighter would have great kung fu in defending himself.

The term “Kung Fu” got it’s connection with martial arts and Shaolin in the 1960’s when Bruce Lee and other movie actors utilised the phrase: “Your Kung Fu is good” which really meant that there skill was very good, not to say that kung fu was there style. From that point onward most average people thought kung fu meant a kind of fighting style like karate or tae kwon do.

Kuo Shu: Kuo = National and Shu = Method. National Method, a term utilized starting in early to mid 1900’s by the Chinese government. They had been attempting to unify the martial arts into a public sport. Later the term Wu Shu would replace Kuo Shu as the term most of us recognize.

Wu Shu: A contemporary term used for the martial sport popular in China right now. Wu = War like and Shu = Strategies. War Tactics or Wu Shu became common in the 50’s – 60’s and China has now produced an application for Wu Shu to grow to be an event in the 2008 Olympics.

Contemporary / Standard?

There are a lot of arguments of what is regarded as contemporary and what is considered traditional. The only difference between the 2 really should be: Some thing produced or developed long ago or Something made or developed recently.

Modern kung fu or martial arts seam to focus on the requirements of the individuals today. Which for the most part is health and fitness and a little bit of self defense. There are extremely few tough core individuals interested in the brutish power and aggressive nature required to become proficient in any sort of worth even though street defense.

If you look at every person on a whole, 75% of us will never get into a fight or require martial arts in our lifetime. There is a 25% chance that some of will get into some type of self defense situation or you could look at some woman and kids being physically assaulted. Most likely you will by no means want kung fu skills to defend your self. For the most component, today’s society is gun happy and you can not efficiently use martial arts against firearms.

Anything that has to do with an older, more original way to do some thing can be considered “traditional”. In that respect, kung fu styles that use older more original forms and methods could be regarded as conventional.

Even so, due to the destruction of all the old records and manuscripts, it is virtually impossible to properly know if a kung fu style is authentically “Traditional” or not. Many kung fu teachers claim to be teaching standard styles but, are only making use of this ploy to lure prospective students into their schools. There are also many teachers who may possibly not really know if their style is traditional or not, they just teach the kung fu that was taught to them by their teacher or father.

For most folks here in India, modern day or traditional may possibly not even matter. Our society is comparatively peaceful in nature. There are no civil wars going on right now. Our government is not an evil tyrannical regime that continually thwarts the individuals at every single turn. So the will need for all folks to be at their leading kung fu skill just to remain alive is practically none. So this peaceful society generally leads most people to martial arts, not to stay alive, but to get in shape or to get some self defense in. For parents, kung fu can build confidence, discipline for their kids.

Fighting Art / Performance Art

I have heard many say “I wish to learn a art form”. An Art Form can be anything from dancing, opera, gymnastics or Kung Fu. As we look at kung fu, the art form most men and women see is the “Form or Pattern”. This Form are techniques linked together to develop a pattern or sequence. Older far more conventional forms are more practical, but still are lovely and graceful to watch. Newer forms such as in the style of Wu Shu are a bit far more gymnastic / acrobatic in nature. The practitioners of Wu Shu look spectacular as they do a dazzling array of jumps, flips and aerial kicks. There are those who say that Wu Shu is just a performance art and not a real kung fu style. That is a wrong assumption. As most of us go to competitions or demonstrations, we tend to see the modern Wu Shu player as only doing the “Form” and not fighting or sparring at all. If taught correctly and with standard fighting values, Wu Shu can be an successful and devastating kung fu fighting style. Just since some thing looks beautiful does not mean it is not deadly.

No matter what reason you think you are supposed to be taking kung fu, regardless of whether it is for self defense or for the “Art Form” or just to get into shape. Just take kung fu due to the fact you take pleasure in what you are performing. Keep training tough and don’t worry about anything else.