KUNG-FU
[http://4everstatic.com/pictures/674xX/fun/animals/cats,-kung-fu-171781.jpg]
I would like you to present my new passion that I discovered 6 months ago. I
hope it will be interesting for you.
What is Kung-fu ?
Most people think that Kung-fu is a word (words) that means a fight, martial arts or something like that. Unfortunately this is not true. In Chinese “kung-fu” means “to achieve perfection/high level of
mastery”.
To be honest ,kung-fu very often isn’t even about the fighting. Of course, I know that when someone
will hear “kung-fu” he will see in front of his eyes: Bruce Lee, Jackie Change, Jet Li, Chuck Norris (and his powerful kick !!). But what with Taijiquan (better known as T`ai-Chi) ?
It is an internal Chinese martial art style but it is very heavily related with your health, sport,
meditation. You don’t train T`ai-Chi to fight but you need to know that forces generated are very big. My Si`fu (master) who also trains Taijiquan has shown me how deadly it can be. It is all about the precision of the move, the understanding of the move.
Kung-fu is about creating yourself, about perfection, about your internal peace, about creating life
not taking it away. It is a martial art (and the word “art” is very important !) that can be beautiful.
Why do I hear Wushu ?
At the moment wushu is one of the most popular sports in China. Wushu means exactly “martial
arts”. Wushu at the moment is divided into 2 disciplines:
-> Presentation of the forms with and without weapons. This is like a fight combined with acrobatics. It often looks amazing !!
[http://www.omei-wushu.com/images/aboutWushu.jpg]
-> Sanda is something like a Chinese version of boxing. It is a pure fight. There are different schools of Sanda and each of them has its their own way to learn it. In some schools you learn a style based on other styles, in others you will learn only one style with specific elements for Sanda. In Poland, for example, most of the schools teach a different version of kickboxing and call it Sanda.
Styles
There are numerous styles in kung-fu. Many of them are long gone and forgotten, some of them are restored, some of them are new, some of the restored are not full systems because they are just too old. Most popular that you can learn in Poland are:
-> Taijiquan
-> White Crane Style (Bai He quan)
-> Mantis Style (Tang Lang Quan)
-> Long Fist Style (Chang Quan)
-> Wing Chun
-> Hung Gar
Remember that each style can have a different version. For example, there is Wing Chun and Ving Tsun – two similar but different styles. We can say that there are about 200 quite complete kung-fu styles that you can learn
Sources:
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung-fu
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wushu
http://www.wing-tsun.pl/index.php
First of all I’m happy for you that you have found a new passion in your life – good for you! As for your presentation, it gives a lot of information, but it would be great if you could add some more about your trainings. How often do you train? How your classes look like? (like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdbORXEmbnk ?). Do you have any achievements (in karate you have belts, is it similar in kung-fu)?
ReplyDeleteAs for the topic I can say that I used to train martial arts as well, when I was a boy, a boy with too much energy, so twice a week I was attending karate classes. After warm up we stretched, practiced new techniques and then had “fights” (nothing brutal, because we all were around five or six). The thing I remember the most about those classes was that I was doing twice as many “extra” exercises as the rest of the group, because it was hard for sensei to subdue me. And you? Are you lacking discipline as main characters from my video clip?
Fingers crossed, that you will be able to maintain you passion for martial arts.
"How often do you train?"
Delete2 times per week but unfortunatly I have a break till end of the year. But in January I'm going back full time !
Your link is to karate lessons ;) To be hones every school has own methods. In my case we start each training from the "form". In wing tsun there are 3 hand forms and 2 with wepoens. Each training starts from the most important one - the basic one. Sim lim tao, then quick worm up and than training with partners. After that isometric exercise to strength the body
The belts, grades, levels - it all depends. In Wing Tsun you have 9-12 basic levels and 8 master levels, the 9th level is for the Grand Master
Nah I'm very absorbed by the Kung Fu, the principles and the rules. It is very fascinating for me and also helps to keep calm ! :)
Thanks for the warm words !
I know the clip is for karate, but I was doing my best. Maybe this would be better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skjHaexBV9U ? Not a kung fu, but... And what weapon are you using?(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1lxqjoRHY).
DeleteAnd thank you very much for answering my questions! Hope, you will be so eager to train in January, as you are now!
nah, it is more like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJEcuTEEgj8
DeleteUnfortunately, I didn’t know anything about Kung-fu before I have read your article and to be honest I was one of that people who associate that word only as synonym of 'Chinese fight' ;) Now I know that I was totally wrong so thank you for that interesting presentation of that topic.
ReplyDeleteAlso , please accept my congratulations. New passion always is something good, especially if it is healthy as yours. I hope that you will be continuing your adventure in January!
Btw. Your text has had some problem with formatting ;)
you were close :) The main problem is that in our culture term wushu is almoust uknown, everybody was naming it "kung-fu" that is why for us in most cases it is the same thing
DeleteI knew you are going to write about Kung-Fu :)
ReplyDeleteStill I prefer Karate Kyokushin or Judo, and I've tried many different martial arts in my life.
I used to learn Japanese to understand it as good as I can. It's good to go to special boot camps, where you've trainings 3 times a day. After 2 weeks of training you are better than after 6 months of training 2 times per week.
Of course you can go to China and train with them If you really want to improve your skills and expand your knowledge.
Anyway I think Kung-Fu have long tradition behind, and it's quite spectacular. Especially If you are watching it in movies ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFeCs3HKlCc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxjrxIGnvVk
Old kung fu movies are awsome :D They are so funny and you can see some realy cool stuff
DeleteAbout Karate Kyokushin in my group one guy trained it for about 10 years. I talked with him and I've asked him to compare both styles he told me that if you want to feel the true sport spirit and go beyond your limits you should train Karate but if you want to lear how to fight you should lear kung fu ;) Of course I don't want to start another martial art war ! :D It is not about the martial art, it is all about the martial artist :)
I totally agree. Maybe one day I'm going to try Kung-Fu just to compare both martial arts.
DeleteI hope it helps you :)
ReplyDeleteI used to train Aikido when I was in primary school. That was great experience for me. I still have somewhere my Aikido License with 4th Kyu! I had trainings with jō (stick)! That was awesome!
I'm not sure if film "Ip Man" is about Kung-Fu but I've seen it and I have to say... it's one of the best movie I've ever watched!
Check out trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJxXQ7xojE
Don't tell me to watch Ip Man, I watched every part the first one even 3 times. This is a great movie. I'll say more.
DeleteIp Man is the Grandmaster of Wing Chun :) This movie was a small inspiration for me.
Well, interesting topic. When it comes to defending yourself on a street or help somebody in dangerous situation it is good to have our body well trained. Practicing one of the martial arts involves great focus of mind what is helpful to develop for even further usage, rather than limiting it only for fights. Being able to focus on one target in the future is as helpful as reading books. If this state of mind will stay longer it may happen that we will fall into kind of flow which might lead us straight to our goal. Amazing, isn't it? It might take a little to learn how to stay in that persistent focus longer but a reward might shock!
ReplyDeleteI agree. Focus is very important, it is all about state of your mind. The method is not important, it is all about you !
DeleteI learned ju-jitsu for three years in my junior high school and even passed some exams that allowed me to wear a white belt with two red stripes :p Still, I don't think it changed much in terms of my self defense capacities. All those moves I learned worked but only in certain conditions and you can't always hope for your attacker to position himself correctly while throwing a punch. Still, I agree that martial arts as any other sport is a good way to stay fit and healthy and you can definitely benefit from that while running from three bald and buffed muggers while enjoying a nice evening walk on the east side of Vistula river ;)
ReplyDeleteThat is why I wrote that real kung fu has not many in common with the kung fu you see in moview. The real kung fu is not about cool moves, is about the confrontation. In Wing Chun you learn that your goal is to make as little moves as it is human possible. If you can win in 2 moves you should win in 2 moves
DeleteGood for you Dawid. I belive that the fighting is not only a way to bet someone or to make our bodies strong and healthy, but also good training for a mind.Especially when it's historical made, chinese fighting style. As you mentioned, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li- everybody likes to watch this guys in action! I do not know very well on styles, and how to get on the top in kung- fu, but as any sport people do, it is good way to make progress, improve yourself and of course must be big endorphin injection! But I'm afraid that kung-fu is the most, ore one of the most elite fighting styles and there is only a few places lo learn this style. Am I right?
ReplyDeleteYes it is hard to find a good school even in warsaw. There is little understanding of it in Poland but in Warsaw you can find couple of really good schools of styles that I've mentioned in my presentation. If you want you will always find something for you :)
DeleteInteresting topic! I never knew there are so many kung-fus! ;)
ReplyDeleteI never was especially interested in martial arts but aspect of self improvement sounds good. Maybe I should try Tai-Chi?
Another interesting thing are those animal styles found in Shao-lin Kung-Fu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4qNsz0nulk
I never saw anything like it in another martial art.
Interesting fact is that Shao-lin monastery is visible in almoust all kung fu styles. It is hard to find any in which history Shao-lin is not mentioned
DeleteUnfortunately my knowledge of eastern martial arts is limited so your article was interesting. So as i said, i haven't trained for any styles of fighting except maybe one handed swordsmanship and archery. But in my training i came to now a style called Bagua which revolve around making circle and constant moving. And it's sub style with blades.
ReplyDeleteI`ve heard about Kung-Fu Panda and it`s all what can i say about it . Of course i`ve seen movies with brilliant cast (Bruce Lee, Jackie Change, Jet Li, Chuck Norris) but I didn’t know that all crazy moves became from Kung-Fu. Thanks a lot for Your`s presentation because I learned something new and really interesting. Also I used to train Muai Tai some time ago and I remember that was very fag out exercise so congrats for your determination. Keep going this way Man :)
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAHAHAHAH John Dabrowski !!! :D I was wondering.. if it is more about a spiritual thing than a fighting thing to get the super power and strength, maybe there is some possible way of loosing weight using the same technique lolz and I'm as serious right now as the whole wushuleee bruce lee ching chang thing. Don't take it personally anyway :-) I really like people who are into something :-) I just don't understand the whole Kung Fu thing... But your article is a great starting point to learn something new.
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating how far-eastern martial arts, like many other elements of these cultures, are about seeking perfection and the neverending quest for self improvement. Unfortunately there is nothing I could add to what you wrote, but I find your article very interesting, thanks!
ReplyDelete