Chinese Martial Arts

A List of Martial Arts That Are Chinese

All martial arts originating from China fall under the general term "Wushu." In the Chinese language the word literally means "martial arts." The term "Kung Fu" is commonly used by Americans to describe Chinese martial arts. However, the term Kung...

Traditional Wushu

Wushu is the generic label for martial arts from China. Kung fu is often used as a synonym in the West. In China, wushu refers to not only martial arts but to the time and effort given to any activity. Wushu as a martial art started in China...

Difference Between Wushu & Kung Fu

Wushu and kung fu are generic terms for the Chinese martial arts. Though some people use them interchangeably, wushu and kung fu have different histories and meanings. In modern times, both can refer to all Chinese arts or two very different...

North Carolina Kung Fu Schools

Originally known as "ch'uan fa," or "fist way," Chinese martial arts are now referred to under the umbrella term of kung fu. Kung fu offers a number of different stylistic variations, owing to the geographic disparity of styles practiced in China....

Wushu Information

Wushu is a Chinese martial arts system used in both exhibition and full-contact competitions. It is also practiced noncompetitively as a means of self-defense, as a health-enhancement program and for spiritual and cultural reasons. Wushu is not...

What is Wushu Gymnastics?

Wushu is a type of Chinese martial arts that dates back thousands of years. Wushu is a form of self-discipline for both the mind and body. According to HongWU Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy, Wushu symbolizes a combination of using the military...

Shaolin Kung Fu Lessons

A generic term used to describe all Chinese martial arts, "kung fu" actually means "hard work." It can refer to any number of Chinese martial arts, including arts associated with the Shaolin Buddhist temple. Shaolin kung fu lessons require time...

What Is Wushu?

Wushu is an athletic competition that involves elements of both performance art and contact sports with a basis in traditional Chinese martial arts. Wushu as an organized competition traces its origin to 1949 in China, according to the University...

History of Kung Fu in China

In China, kung fu means skill or ability. The many fighting styles most Westerners refer to as kung fu are included under the label wushu in China. The history of kung fu combat is murky but might be traced back to indigenous fighting systems...

Chinese Breathing Exercise

Exercise systems from China often include an esoteric aspect. This can be a religious component, an internal component, or something western science considers mystical. Breathing, with its connection to chi, is an essential facet of many forms of...

Chinese Agility Training

There are a variety of Chinese agility training styles. Some of are martial arts, such as Shaolin kung fu. Others are more closely related to breath training and slower movement, such as qigong or tai chi. Learning such techniques can improve your...

What Is the Meaning of Shaolin Kung Fu?

Shaolin kung fu is a traditional Chinese fighting art that dates to the sixth century C.E. Although the term kung fu is used to describe a variety of fighting arts that were developed in China, Shaolin kung fu is a specialized branch believed to...

List of Martial Arts Weapons

In many cases, mastering a martial arts weapon is a martial art of its own. From the simple farm tools of a villager to the elegant swords of a warrior, martial arts weapons come from as diverse origins as their complementary hand-to-hand martial...

Wushu Rules

Wushu is a martial art that originated in China and can be divided into two basic categories: sanshou and taolu. Sanshou is the applied form of the art. Practitioners learn various unarmed techniques for use in self-defense and competition. Taolu...

Shaolin Kung Fu Training Methods

Shaolin kung fu refers to several styles of fighting that trace their origins back to the Shaolin temple in Song Shan, Henan Province, in China sometime in the sixth century CE. The Martial Arts Database website refers to three major components of...

Wushu Techniques

"Wushu" is a Mandarin term that describes the "martial arts" as a whole. Many different styles of Chinese martial art come under the wushu heading, including such kung fu ("skill") systems as Praying Mantis, Wing Chun and White Crane. These...

List of Martial Arts Belts in Degree

Many styles of martial arts use colored belts to identify the practitioner's skill level, or degree, of knowledge. Belt colors, and the order in which they are attained, will vary among martial art styles but will generally start with white and...

How to Learn Tai Chi at Home

Tai Chi, also known as Tai Ji, is a centuries-old martial art originating from China. Tai Chi consists of a series of movements performed in a graceful slow manner. Tai Chi has gained enormous popularity in the United States and throughout the...

Chinese Kickboxing Techniques

The full-contact competitive sport of Chinese kickboxing, also known as San Shou or empty hands, uses techniques drawn from kung fu and other Chinese martial arts. San Shou employs open-hand strikes, kicks and other self-defense techniques,...

List of Kung Fu Fighting Styles

"Kung fu" is a general term referring to Chinese martial arts; no two schools or styles are alike. Styles can be broken down generally into northern and southern styles; they are also categorized as hard, or external, and soft, or internal....

San Shou Kung Fu Techniques

San Shou kung fu is a hand-to-hand fighting art and combat sport that uses kung fu and wushu techniques. While the rules of San Shou sports fights are similar to kickboxing, official San Shou competitions take place on an octagonal platform that...

The Styles of Martial Arts

Encompassing a wide variety of international fighting techniques, martial arts offer training in the codified practices and traditions of combat. While often drastically different from country to country, the objective of martial arts training...

Why Learn Kung Fu?

No matter what corner of the Western world you live in, you probably have classes offering Chinese martial arts, often referred to by the general term "kung fu," somewhere within a short driving distance. Even though you might not know much more...

Wushu Styles

Wushu, literally translated, means martial arts, and is a term used to categorize all Chinese martial arts forms. From a geographical point of view, Wushu can be divided into two categories; Northern Shaolin style and Southern Shaolin style....

The Different Styles of Martial Arts

Martial arts promote physical health and mental strength, while teaching techniques for self-defense. Almost anyone can practice martial arts, from children to women and men. If you're interested in martial arts, you can choose from a variety of...

Shaolin Wushu Training

Wushu is an ancient Chinese martial art that has become both a practice and a sport. The term wushu means "martial arts," and is also called kung fu. Shaolin wushu, or Shaolin kung fu, is a group of different martial arts connected to the...

The Steps to Learn Kung Fu

Kung fu is a traditional Chinese martial art that uses a multitude of unarmed and weapons fighting techniques. Originally divided into two types -- beiquan or Northern, and nanquan or Southern styles -- contemporary kung fu classes can include...

Taijutsu Techniques

Taijutsu is a Japanese martial art often associated with the hand-to-hand combat style of ninjas. However, the term Taijutsu, which literally translates to "body technique," has a much broader history. Taijutsu encompasses aspects of many modern...

Is Kung Fu a Subset of Karate?

To those not familiar with the martial arts, it is often easy to be confused by the differences between kung fu and karate. Both are martial arts that originated in Asia, and both utilize simple and complex choreography of hands and feet for...

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