The Art Of Chinese Self Defense - KungFu
There is a lot of confusion over the word and rightly so as there is no true equivalent word in English. There are at least 3 common usages of the term which are all correct depending on the context. The first two are easy to explain and most of them have heard them before.
1.A catch all term for Chinese martial arts in general.
2.Time and effort spent at something.
The first usage is pretty modern and not universal. It was originally a southern habit but has now become common usage throughout China. In pre-modern China, people did now train “gongfu”. They trained “wu yi” or “wu gong” or even “wushu” but the term “gongfu as a substitute for the term “Wushu”, literally “martial arts” is a recent development. I’m taking a little time to introduce these other terms for martial arts training because I will be referring to some of them later as I attempt to present my explanation of a third and more important meaning of the word.
The term ‘Kung Fu’ does not relate to any specific form of martial art, but rather translates as ’skill’ or ‘ability’. Scholars believe that the use of Kung Fu to describe the Chinese martial form originated in Hong Kong and Kwangtung province. There are records of the Jesuit priest, Pere Amiot, writing of the ‘peculiar exercises’ practised by the Taoist priests of his region which he called ‘Gong Fu’. In the world of Chinese martial arts, modern or competition wushu is perhaps the most often misunderstood and misrepresented style available. Often derided for a lack of martial content, unfortunately many practitioners fail to recognise
the importance of gong fu even in performance arts like this.
Bruce Lee once said that the difference between a Karate punch and a Gongfu punch was that a Karate punch is like being hit with a crowbar, while a Gongfu punch is like being hit by a metal ball on the end of a chain. This describes how the right amount of relaxation can speed up a punch and make its impact more explosive. The striking arm can also recoil back to a guard position more quickly and is therefore less
likely to be grabbed by the defender. Martial Arts is the combination of physical techniques and mental discipline. It is used for self defense, body strengthening, relaxation, and even competition. Women often take martial arts classes to learn moves that will help them in the event of an attack. The moves of Martial Arts are designed for even a small woman to use them effectively. The arms and legs are used in Martial Arts moves.
The progress of each student is reviewed periodically to determine which skills he or she needs to improve. For more information on kungfu: visit http://www.kungfubymatt.com
