Showing posts with label Unarmed Combat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unarmed Combat. Show all posts

Sunday, 18 May 2014

The Modern Warrior

Ancient Warrior Secrets For The Modern Entrepreneur

by: Hirini Reedy




warrior 279x300 The Modern Warrior The words you see onscreen trigger subconscious responses. Dark images penetrate your mind. Your heartbeat increases slightly. Your muscles tighten. Like a warrior advancing to combat, you prepare to engage with your market. Ready, aim, fire. You send an email! Everyday, military metaphors are projected across our computer screens. Guerrilla marketing. Market penetration. Global domination. Competitive intelligence and more. How do you approach your marketing, your business? At the end of the day, do you feel like you have been in battle? Suffering battle fatigue.


War is just metaphor for the application of force. By understanding the nature of war, you can apply this understanding to business. You can apply the principles of war with elegance or with crudeness. It is like knowing the difference between a charging gladiator and a meditating warrior-monk.


Here are some warrior secrets that have been derived from traditional Maori martial arts and modern military tactics. Adapt and apply some of these principles into your life and business.


1. The Power of Oneness.


When tracking and observing, you need to become one with your environment. The trees, the insects, the wildlife become your eyes and ears. The forest becomes part of your body. In order to reach this level of feeling, you need to become one with yourself. This power of oneness begins with the point of stillness. You need to slow down your thinking and relax into yourself. Slow down your thoughts so that you can sense your own body. Tense muscles. Nervous responses. Stressed breathing. Just slow down and take time out from your busy work environment. Spend an hour of slow thinking each day. Do nothing during this hour then move when you are ready. The modern entrepreneur is like a scout, silently observing then moving with swift, efficient actions.


2. Know Yourself.


Know your strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes it takes honesty to admit your own weaknesses. Your partner, your children or close friends can all be good mirrors. They reflect back both your good and ugly features. The ego of a mighty entrepreneur can be easily pricked by the honest opinion of his 4-year old daughter. Your results are also another good indication. What results are you getting? Look around you for 360 degree feedback. Put yourself in uncomfortable positions so that you can stretch and grow.


3. Know Your Enemy.


I said know your enemy, not kill your enemy. Sometimes your worst enemy can be yourself. Sometimes your enemy is called your competitor. Try this. Look at your competitors as potential allies. Study them. Think like them. Talk to them. Understand them. They very much want the same things in life as you do. Yet be like an iron fist wrapped in a velvet glove. Negotiate and operate from a position of strength and honour rather than weakness and deceit. The energy of your values and beliefs radiate out from you like a force-field. What energy are you sending out?


4. Think 3 Times Beyond Your Current Capability.


Some warrior races such as the Maori of New Zealand used to train so that one warrior was equal to three or more opponents. Their smallness in numbers was compensated for by the quality of the warriors. Find a way to leverage your current capability so that you achieve a 300 percent improvement in your results. You could be three times faster in delivering your product to the customer. Or your product could be three times more reliable. Why stop at a ratio of three? Perhaps you could achieve a 10, 20 times improvement ratio on your current capability.


5. Focussed Relaxation in High Stress Situations.


Stress is the number one cause of reduced work efficiency. When teaching martial arts I encourage people to consciously laugh when in high stress situations. This relaxes the body and allows natural reflexes to emerge. Imagine a bloodstained maniac running at you with an axe. Your body starts to tense up. Your mind panics. Now imagine the same axe maniac running straight into an invisible concrete wall three metres in front of you. He is completely knocked unconscious and thrown backwards onto the floor. You laugh. Now slow this moving image down, frame-by-frame. Bring the invisible concrete wall a little closer each time. Laugh as the maniac gets knocked out. Now speed up the frame sequence. Charging axe maniac. Bang! Knock out! Hahaha! Repeat several times. The concrete wall becomes a metaphor for the power of your focussed mind. The next stage is to learn and apply defensive shock-actions so that you have the equivalent physical impact of an invisible concrete wall. Use t!


his same mind process when encountering negative or hostile customers. Put up an invisible barrier to block their negative energy. Use laughter to disarm the tension. Be in control of your own mind and space.


Find ways to activate the warrior energy within you. Use it as a force for good. This is the challenge for the modern entrepreneur. To serve the common good while creating several successful businesses.


Copyright 2004 Hirini Reedy


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Thursday, 15 May 2014

The Direction Of Kempo

n1084635177 36325 6129 231x300 The Direction Of Kempo With all things, certain paths are given directing us on various routes to a final goal. Sometimes, this goal is reached in a very short period of time, while at other times that goal is never completed as new paths cross the original. The direction in which Kempo leads its practitioners is similar to that. Its goals are represented in a sphere, constantly expanding with the final goal, only being the beginning of a new stage. Perhaps, one day, a realistic goal will be mapped and the final enlightenment of the Kempo master will finally be attained.


Kempo is a unique martial art that traces its roots back several centuries ago to a Chinese Shaolin temple. As a martial art, Kempo is referred to as a Do. The Do is referred to in Buddhist Zen scripts as a path towards enlightenment. Lao Tzu, a priest of Taoism, said “Mastering others requires force, mastering the self requires enlightenment.” This phrase sums the full circle of what Kempo strives towards. Although on its surface Kempo can be seen as a unique form of self-defense, hidden beneath its physical exterior are levels where characteristic centralization of mind and body form. At this level, Kempo’s practitioners elevate from a simple form of fighting to a higher level of ability and enlightenment. Ying Kuchan, a Shaolin monk and master of Kempo, after a lengthy period of meditation in a Zen rock garden, spoke of Kempo saying “Kempo is the power of adaptability and yielding, the harmony of all things working together.”


Kempo is a unique art form of spiritual growth, health, and personal responsibility. It is a comprehensive and diversified means of unarmed self-defense, though it encompasses both an armed and unarmed systems of combat with techniques (applications) of varying appearances and methods.


On an external level, Kempo is a no holds barred fighting system of offensive and defensive methods, with equal emphasis of striking techniques with the hands and feet, immobilization and controls, projections and take downs; as well as weaponry, various spiritual, and healing arts.


Kempo, as developed in America, is a street wise defensive art that does not restrict its students in methodology. Clawing hands evolve into slashing feet. Cunning joint locks turn into devastating hip throws. Evasive blocks turn into breath closing chokes.


The possibilities are endless. The only true fighting systems are those where there are no rules applied. From the books of the Han dynasty, we learn “Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.” And it is from this saying that we can derive the upper principles of Shaolin Kempo. What sets Kempo apart from boxing, wrestling, and Sunday night football is an emphasis on spirituality of body and mind.


Many people are quite happy with only the surface value of Kempo, taking its studies for reasons of physical health, self-defense, or a Monday night hobby. Yet, Kempo tries to build a person’s psychological persona and betterment. Kempo is not solely a means of felling an opponent by force, but it teaches an inner peace to one’s life and to the universe around us.


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Monday, 12 May 2014

Military Martial Arts System

Advanced Military Technology In The Martial Arts

by: Peter Sundbye


Martialarm Martial Arts System


Martial Arts 300x199 Military Martial Arts System Martialarm Martial Arts Kung Fu is a total control system incorporating scientific body weapons with unconditional workability in both attacks and defense. Formula Fighting allows a pre-emptive attack and defense – a much faster system of fighting than the conventional ‘reaction response’ defenses. Formula fighting correctly applied transcends current martial arts technology to evolve into a martial science so to set new standards.


# The system includes:

# Smart error concepts and selective targeting

# Pressure points and internal shock strikes

# Multi-functional and military applications

# Broken Rhythm or plyometric applications

# Chi-Sau and automatic reflex systems

# Stealth weapons and clasifications

# One arm combat strategies

# Fire and forget formulas

# Inertia breaking

# Delivery zones

# and more


Martial Arts Modern Warfare


Chinese combat methods especially are renowned for the wide variety of their hand techniques. Most Kung-Fu styles use a wider range of hand/arm weapons (such as claws, gouges, palms, backhands, punches, backfists, hammerfists, forearm, elbows and shoulder strikes) than their Japanese, Okinawan and Korean counter­parts.


In addition to the actual number of natural body weapons used there is also a tremendous range of different applic­ations due to the regionalised develop­ment of Kung Fu styles and the different approaches taken by hard or internal/external styles.


In this analogy, the legs are used as the body’s heavy artillery, while the hands are the body’s infantry. In a military en­counter, it is common to use first satelite technology to view the opponents attack and defense cababilities and then use long distance stealth artillery to soften up the enemy and to provide a moving cover behind which the infantry can advance to seize and hold disputed territory. Without the benefit of the artill­ery, the infantry would take heavy casual­ties.


However, artillery on its own cannot seize and hold territory – a major bom­bardment may drive the enemy out. So it is with arm and leg techniques – we often use our legs to soften up the opponent and to enable us to bridge the gap until we can close in and finish the fight with hand/arm techniques and the proper use and co-ordination of hand/arm and leg techniques is often crucial to success/ survival.


We espouse a combina­tion approach which uses hand/leg attacks from different angles of attack and at various target levels. The concept is to keep a flow of offensive techniques moving into an opponent’s target zones from different angles and at different levels, in order to disorientate him/her completely. We believe that this approach is superior tac­tically to reliance upon one or two heavily committed techniques.


Martialarm Scientific Training For Speed


#1. Beginning of action


a. You must start in a positive delivery zone otherwise a negative zone can either injure your body parts or work against the intended action and become counter productive. (Newtons 1st law of motion)


b. Create an inertia breaker, a movement that will help you overcome the inertia (resistence to motion due to gravity and friction).


#2. Middle of action (Newtons 2nd Law)


a. After the inertia breaker you must continue the acceleration with a Booster. (Like a booster rocket, an extra aid, a second stager)


b. All body parts eg arms and legs, in any move be it a punch, block or kick, must always end up in a bent elbow or knee movement to enable a very quick change in any direction at any time.


#3. End of action


NOTE: ‘End’ of action should not be taken literally as one should never really stop action until the job is done. Our ‘end action’ should be programmed to an interuppted continuity as if this stage is still the middle stage.


Martialarm Martial Developement of Power


Most Chinese styles use a relaxed approach to power development. We try to keep unnecessary muscles from being involved in the technique, in order to avoid inhibiting the prime movers behind a certain technique from doing their job. Essentially, a straight punch is a triceps-driven technique and the Chinese style of punching allows the triceps to do its job without the inhibition of significant biceps involvement in this punch.


Most other techniques can be viewed in a similar fashion – you have muscles which are vital to the effective execution of a technique and muscles which are not, or which are even counter-productive when involved in that technique. No matter which martial arts style you do, try to avoid unnecessary muscle involvement.


Many Chinese styles use more “follow-through” in their techniques and achieve their power by driving the entire body weight through a target zone at speed. The arm is totally relaxed until contact is made and the body is still driv­ing deeper into the target when focus is brought to the technique using a trigger.


The body has more inertia to overcome before it can move with the descending line of force and, as a result, the power is more completely absorbed by the body­rather than being partially dissipated by the body moving more freely with the punch, as with a horizontal line of force.


Martialarm Martial Arts Weapons


The Martialarm System uses quite a large array of natural body weapons, some of them fairly specialised. The main ones are:


• Fist Strikes. (Sun Fist, Dragon Head, Phoenix Eye and Leopard Paw)

• Palm Strikes. (Tile Shattering, Yin/Yang, Wil­low Leaf and Hurricane Palm).

• Finger Strikes. (Flying Fingers, Immortal Pointing the Way, Twin Dragons, Tiger Claw, Eagle Claw, Dragon Claw, Rat Claw and Crab Claw).

• Back Fist Strike. (These tend to be follow­through rather than the ‘snap’ versions).

• Bottom Fist Strike. (Iron Hammer equates to the Japanese tettsui technique).

• Forearm Strikes. (This is used for smashing, sweeping blows of great power).

• Elbow Strikes. (This is generally used in a very flexible manner using multiple strikes).

• Shoulder Strikes. (Used for close-in work, of­ten to propel an opponent out into punch­ing range).


As you can see, there is an emphasis on tightly targetted use of a specialised hand formation in many cases. It is not enough merely to lash out in the hopes of an effective strike. In a ring situation, the “when in doubt, lash out” tactic may gain you points, but in the street it will be ineffective, unless you are lucky enough to impact on a vital point. A precise, surgi­cal strike or kick into one of your opponent’s vital or weak targets is needed and your combinations should be struc­tured with this in mind.


Martialarm System Technological Achievements


1. Revolutionised Martial Arts thinking and design of “Formula Fighting” or “Martial Arts by Numbers” that allows pre-emptive attack – a much faster system than the conventional “Reactionary Response” to attack.


2. Development and pioneered Martial Science – a system which enables practitioner of all styles to evaluate and modify current technologies to improve efficiency and allow comparisons with proof of technologies, concepts and technologies.


3. Developed the following technologies -


a. Sightless combat

b. Smart weapons systems

c. Stealth weapons systems

d. Fire-and-forget systems

e. Broken rhythm energy

f. Plyometrics applications

g. U.F.O. motions

h. Counter error programs

i. Convert errors into attack

j. Selective automatic targetting


The Three Cs – Capability – Control – Confidence


Certainty in containing the opponent by a huge technological edge and a super tough body and mind.


1. Capabilities – Current martial arts technologies have been transcended by total control in that it is a martial science based on failproof concepts.


2. Control – Allows total control of the opponents capabilities making him defensively impotent. Multi functional applications in everyday life as well as in self defense.


3. Confidence – The small, the unco-ordinated, the disabled and also the best and brightest will gain in self belief through this training.


Martialarm Martial Science Offers


Attack systems that cant be blocked. A shield that cant be breached. Body toughening, Formula fighting, Stealth and U.F.O weapons including the Nukes. Mind freeze technology that shuts the opponent down. 3Cs Capabilities and Control bring about Confidence.


Martialarm Martial Science Concepts


1. Traditional Martial Arts – Animal styles or based on kata and ritualised.


2. Acclectic Martial Arts – Collection of what works for the individual into a new style.


3. Designer Martial Arts – Only the usable of conscious mind, scientific and repeatable.


The Martialarm Combat Training Partner


In a martial arts career you can occationally find your self with no school to go to or no one to train with and so out of neccessity the martialarm solo training partner was born. The Martialarm is a Martial Arts training machine used to develop the entry and trapping skills of any martial arts system. It is designed to actually test any techniques so to improve the ability to trap and control your opponents hands and arms. This can be done because the Martialarm moves and reacts like a real opponent. The Martialarm moves and twists up, down, left and right just like a real opponent would – so it can spring forward and it does strike back!.


About The Author


This article was written by P. Sundbye who has been training in various martialarts for the last 11 years including Wing Chun Kung Fu, Aikido, Tong Long and the Lee Total Control system.


For more information and martial arts news visit:


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Saturday, 10 May 2014

A Warrior’s Path

Strategy As Applied To Warrior-Citizens

by: Owen Johnston


15 Stunning Warrior Illustrations 223x300 A Warriors Path After years of study, I have come to a small understanding of the way of strategy. I will here explain some strategy as it applies to warrior-citizens. Seek whatever truth you may find here, then continue on your search for enlightenment.


In the broad view, a warrior must uphold the values of his or her society to be of any honorable use. We all depend on one another. The warrior must quell disorder, promote peace, and cultivate character. In practicing the ways of war, one has an obligation to not use them in an illegal or immoral fashion.


Let us now consider fighting tactics. First, we must understand self defense. One should exercise caution in the use of force. Awareness must have the highest priority.


In self defense, one must be able to read the situation and potential adversary. Pay attention to the neighborhood, your own mental and physical state, as well as the mental state of potential attackers. One can never be too careful. When visiting a new area, stay in well lit areas that seem safe. Also try to find good information on the right places to stay if you are going to be in town for a while.


There are many articles on the uses of makeshift weapons, and weapon disarms. Not all such articles are realistic, nor are any of them a substitute for hands-on defense training. They may be a supplement to such training from a true instructor. The broken rhythm of fighting, the form without form, and the warrior’s mindset are difficult to learn without guidance.


There is never enough thought given to proper timings. Blend with or break the opponent’s energy, rhythm, or attitude. Read timings/habits quickly. This is applied to hand to hand combat, large scale combat, and overall strategy. Study this well.


You must be ready to defend yourself as soon as you leave your home, even if you are not feeling well, caught off guard, outnumbered, or overwhelmed by a stronger attacker intent on killing you. You must be prepared for the worst. End the fight as soon & as peacefully as possible; simplicity & instinct are key!


In life, stay truthful to yourself and loved ones. Take the most honorable course of action in every situation; your enemy today may become your ally tomorrow. Your best friend can be your worst enemy because he or she knows the most about you. It is in this case you must treat them as honorably as possible. Also remember that what protects and upholds you today may hinder you tomorrow. Watch carefully, ask questions, and do not ever stop learning. This will be your lifelong progress, and contribution.


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The History of Kung Fu

AMAZING Kung Fu Martial Arts HISTORY

by: Peter Sundbye


kungFu 1670284c 300x187 The History of Kung Fu 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 ‘Cong Fou’.


Wu Shu is traditionally the term widely used to describe the traditional Chinese martial arts, though other descriptions such as Kuo-shu, Kuo-chi, Chien-shu and Tao-fa have also been used from time to time. (Wu Shu is the term currently used for Chinese martial arts by the People’s Republic of China).


Exactly when Kung Fu first sprouted is unknown, with historians stating that Chinese martial forms most likely predate recorded history. Since the dawn of time there have been battles between man and animal, warring tribes, etc. during which conflicts combative techniques were executed and accumulated and passed down from generation to generation.


What is particular about the Chinese martial forms is that many schools or styles were created by imitating the fighting techniques of animals such as monkeys, lions, tigers, snakes, bears, etc. The adaptation of animal techniques stems from a belief that in order to survive in their harsh natural environment, all animals (even birds and insects) were naturally endowed with skills for fighting.


Hence techniques were born from the tiger’s pounce, the eagle’s sharp claws and the elusiveness and unpredictability of the monkey. Still, it is difficult to attach a precise date to the true birth of Kung Fu. Some traditional historians date it as far back as the Shang Dynasty (16th century BC). Others place it in the period of the Contending States (475 – 221 BC) and the Yellow Emperor, Huang Ti. Indeed, it would appear that modern Kung Fu has adapted and evolved from the warring experiences of China’s past, with distinct traces of Mongolian, Tibetan, Indian and other cultural ideologies exhibited in many styles. If there is one common reference point in tracing Kung Fu‘s history, it is the Shaolin Temple and the journey of Buddhism from India to China.


Buddhism reached China during the period of the Eastern Han Ming Emperor (58 – 76 AD) and soon flourished. It is estimated that by 500 AD there were more than 10,000 Buddhist temples in China and many emperors became devout Buddhists. In 495 AD the Shaolin Temple was constructed by the order of Emperor Wei Xiao Wen (471 – 500 AD). The Temple was built to house the teachings of a Buddhist monk named Batuo, who came to China for Buddhist teaching in 464 AD. As such Batuo can be considered the first Shaolin Temple monk, though there is no record of how or what (471 – 500 AD). The Temple was built to house the teachings of a Buddhist monk named Batuo, who came to China for Buddhist teaching in 464 AD. As such Batuo can be considered the first Shaolin Temple monk, though there is no record of how or what Batuo passed down by way of religious Qigong practice, just as there is no record of how or when he died.


The most influential person in the study of Kung Fu‘s history through the Shaolin Temple is an Indian monk named Da Mo (or Ta Mo). Da Mo, also known as Bodhidarma, had been a small prince of a Southern Indian tribe. He followed the Mahayana school of Buddhism and was revered as a bodhisattva – and enlightened being who had renounced nirvana so as to save others. The legends of Da Mo in Chinese mythology are elaborate, to say the least. One legend has Da Mo sitting in a cave where he stared at the wall for nine years in meditation. After accidentally falling asleep, he became so angered with himself that he tore off his eyelids and threw them on the ground. Tea shrubs grew from the ground beneath the discarded eyelids and monks have used tea ever since to deter sleep.


Dao Mo was invited to China by the Emperor Liang Wu. He arrived in Canton in 527 AD but when the emperor disliked his preaching. Da Mo withdrew to the Shaolin Temple. Upon arriving at the Temple, Da Mo found many of the monks to be sick and weak. He pondered this problem for nine years (his nine year seclusion) and when he emerged wrote two classics: Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic) and Xi Sui Jin (Marrow/Brain Washing Classic). The classics taught the priests how to build their Qi to an abundant level and use to it improve their health and change their physicality to one of super strength. When this training was combined with martial forms, the priests found a marked improvement in the strength and power of their martial techniques.


It is believed that Da Mo may have authored the series of 18 exercises contained in a manuscript, the I-Chin-Ching, outlining the Shaolin method of Chinese boxing. The method that emerged from the Shaolin Temple, which is representative of the northern Chinese styles in general, was called wai-jya (wai-chia) or external family of Chinese boxing. Shaolin strove the increase speed, strength and elasticity. It was vigorous and calisthenic and became the basis from which Karate in Okinawa and the Korean martial arts were derived. The Xi Sui Jin was hard to learn and as such was passed down secretly only to a few disciples in every generation. Sadly Da Mo passed away in the Shaolin Temple in 536 AD but what he had started would live on for centuries.


Very quickly the Shaolin Monks would become revered for their fighting prowess. During the period between the Sui dynasty and the Tang dynasty, in the 4th year of Tang Gao Zu Wu De (621 AD), Qin King Li Shi-Ming had a momentous war against Zheng King Wang Chi-Chong. With Qin King in trouble, 13 Shaolin monks came to his assistance against Zheng. When Li Shi-Ming later became the first emperor of the Tang dynasty (618 – 907 AD) he rewarded the Shaolin Temple with approximately 600 acres of land. He also granted the Temple the right to train its own soldiers.


Such were the riches of the Shaolin Temple that martial arts training became a necessity to protect its wealth from bandits. The responsibility of defending the Temple was given to the soldier monks known as Seng Bing. For three hundred years the Shaolin Temple enjoyed a golden period in which it legally owned its own martial arts training organisation. The Temple also remained open to outside martial influences, absorbing what it could and incorporating these techniques and training methods into its own system. During this period one of the most famous Shaolin monks was Jueyuan. He travelled the country learning martial arts techniques and working with other famous martial artists. When in Lan Zhou he met the famed martial artist, Li Sou, who in turn introduced him to, Bai Yu-Feng and his son. Later all four men returned to the Shaolin Temple and studied together. After ten years, Li Sou left the Temple but Bai Yu-Feng and his son stayed on and became monks. Bai Yu-Feng’s name changed to Qiu Yue Chan Shi and, according to the book of Shaolin Temple record, it was he who developed the then 18 existing Buddha Hands techniques into 173 techniques. He also compiled the existing techniques contained with Shaolin and wrote the book The Essence of the Five Fist, which discussed the methods and applications of the Five Fist (Animal) Patterns. This is proof that animal patterns had already existed for some time in the Shaolin Temple.


The Shaolin Temple would also be responsible for spreading the Chinese martial arts to Japan. In the year 1312 AD the monk Da Zhi came to the Shaolin Temple from Japan. He studied the Shaolin martial arts (barehands and staff) for 13 years and returned to Japan to spread Shaolin Gongfu to Japanese martial arts society. In 1335 AD a Buddhist monk named Shao Yuan ventured to Shaolin from Japan. During his stay he mastered Gongfu and returned to Japan in 1347 AD.


The golden era of the Shaolin Temple ended when Manchuria took over China and became the Qing dynasty. In order to prevent the Han race (pre-Manchurian) Chinese from rebelling against the government, martial arts training was outlawed between 1644 and 1911 AD. In order to preserve their teachings, the Shaolin techniques were passed onto layman society. Martial arts training in the Temple was carried out in secrecy and the Shaolin monk soldier decreased in number from thousands to a couple of hundred. In 1911 the Qing dynasty fell in a revolution led by Dr Sun Yat-Sen. The value of Chinese martial arts was re-evaluated and for the first time the secrets of Chinese martial arts were permitted to be openly taught to the public.


During the Chinese civil war, Chiang Kai-Shek tried to unify they country. The battle spilled into the Shaolin Temple in 1928 and the Temple was burned for the last time by Warlord Shi You-San’s soldiers. The fire lasted forty days, destroying all major buildings and priceless books and records. In order to preserve the Chinese martial arts, President Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the establishment of the Nanking Central Guoshu Institute at Nanking in 1928. The traditional name Wushu was renamed Zhong Guo Wushu or simple Guoshu. For the first time in Chinese history, by rule of the government, all the major martial arts powers in China came together to share their knowledge. Unfortunately, at the commencement of World War II, all training discontinued. China was taken over by Communists following the Second World War. All religions and all Shaolin training was prohibited under Communist rule. Wushu training was established at the National Athletics Institute. However this was not pure Wu Shu, but rather performance based with major portions of martial training and technique application eradicated by the government to discourage possible unification of martial artists against the government. It was not until the 1980s (unfortunately after several of the traditional masters had died) that the Chinese government realised the value of traditional martial arts training and so encouraged it.


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History of Chinese Kung Fu

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 History of Chinese Kung Fu

The calligraphic inscription that hangs over the main gate of the Shaolin Monastery was written in the Kangxi Emperor’s own hand. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)



Kung fu is one of the most well known examples of traditional Chinese culture. It is probably one of the earliest and longest lasting sports which utilize both brawn and brain. The theory of Kung Fu is based upon classical Chinese philosophy. Over its long history it has developed as a unique combination of exercise, practical self-defense, self-discipline and art.



The beginning of Chinese Kung fu probably started long before history was recorded. Kung fu techniques were discovered or created during the long epoch of continuous conflict between human beings and animals, or between different tribes of humans themselves. From these battles, experiences were accumulated and techniques discovered which were passed down generation to generation.


Chinese Kung Fu can trace its origins back some 4000 years to 2674 BC, when Emperor Huang Ti of China used a rudimentary form of martial arts called Chiou Ti as a form of individual combat and military tactic. At that time people use cudgels to fight against wild beasts. Gradually they accumulated experience of self defense. When Shang Dynasty began, hunting was considered as an important measure of Kung Fu training.


240px Art of Shaolin Kung Fu History of Chinese Kung FuDuring Shang and Zhou Dynasties, kung fu developed to be a kind of dancing. Usually the dancing of Kung fu is utilized to train soldiers and inspire their morale. During Zhou Dynasty, Kung fu dancing was designated as a component of education. The application of wrestling techniques at the battlefield received much attention from various states during the period of Spring and Autumn. At the same time, the skill and technology of sword forging as well as sword ceremony achieved rapid development. In Qin and Han Dynasties, wrestling, swordplay, and kung fu dancing were very popular. The application of spear play in Han Dynasty reached its summit along with the appearance of many other techniques of spear usage.


During Tang dynasty, Kung fu became part of the examination process for the imperial courts. All officials and soldiers were required to pass some sort of Kung fu test before being promoted. Excellent candidates would receive titles and awards through the examination, largely propelling the development of Kung fu. By then kung fu had evolved to be an artistic form and an independent genre. It was gradually introduced to many countries in Southeast Asia. Today Kung Fu was honored as the ancestor of kickboxing, karate, aikido, and judo.


Song and Yuan Dynasties witnessed the climax of Kung fu development. Kung fu permeated society, as agile performers displayed their skills in the street. Practice of Kung Fu by civil organizations became more and more popular. Some organizations centered on the use of spear play and cudgel, and they were called Yinglue Organization; while others majored in the practice of arching and therefore called Arching Origination. Besides, there appeared another genre called Luqi People. They made a living as performer of martial arts all over the country. Usually their performance was carried out by a single person or two persons as a pair.


Kungfu Figure History of Chinese Kung Fu Chinese Kung Fu achieved larger development in Ming and Qing Dynasties. In Ming Dynasty, a lot of genres came into being and numerous books on Kung fu were published. In Qing Dynasty, the ruling empire banned the practice of martial arts. In 1644, the Manchurians invaded mainland China and replaced the Ming Dynasty with the Qing dynasty. The Shao Lin Temples ,which had great influence in the growth of Kung Fu, became hives of revolutionaries. In order to counteract the threat from these insurrectionists, the Manchurians destroyed the Shao Lin Temples. The inhabitants of the Temples fled, and in this way Kung Fu knowledge was spread. And the folk also set up various clubs or societies to pass down feat secretly. Qing Dynasty is the times of integration among different Kung Fu genres. Wrestling techniques were introduced into Kung Fu, facilitating the improvement and mature of martial arts. This period is the shed between genres for appreciation and those for actual combat.


The end of the Qing Empire and the beginning of the Republic generated renewed interest in the Kung fu. Practicing kung fu was seen as being in the national interest because it helped strengthen both the body and the mind. In modern times, Chinese Kung-fu was first introduced abroad to the United States by Chinese-American Kung-fu master Bruce Lee, whose agile movements in a series of his great movies swept American audiences off their feet. Thanks to the giant influence of the American movie industry, it soon swept across the world. The entire globe was enchanted by the magic act, starting the upsurge of interest in Chinese Kung-fu. From then on, Chinese Kung-fu learners can be found everywhere. Now, Lee’s followers, Jacky Chan (Cheng Long) and Jet Lee (Li Lianjie) carry the baton pushing themselves to novel heights.



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