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Kung fu is a popular term that is associated with Chinese Martial Arts
However, the Chinese terms Kung Fu or Gong Fu can be any accomplishment of skill in any activity not just martial arts.
Wushu is also another common term used for Chinese martial arts. Wushu is more specific to martial arts although is often associated with more gymnastic, sport orientated martial arts. Probably due to the political situations in China 1969 – 1976 where martial arts and many aspects of Chinese life were subjected to major transformations under Mao. Unfortunately a lot of traditional Chinese martial arts knowledge was lost for ever.
Wing Chun Kung Fu can be traced back to The Shaolin Temple where the monks were taught Kung Fu so that they were physically and mentally able to study plus able to defend themselves against the bandits and outlaws that were common at the period. They trained in both unarmed and armed systems
By the mid-16th century, military experts from all over China were traveling to The Shaolin Temple to study its fighting techniques and strategies. The fighting styles that are practiced today were developed over the centuries, after having incorporated forms that came into existence later. Some of these include Wing Chun, Bagua, White Crane, Praying Mantis, Five Animals, Tai Chi Chuan, Drunken Boxing, Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Pak Mei and Monkey.
As you can imagine there were none of today’s distractions so the monks attained incredible skill and knowledge, dedicating their whole time to study.
China has one of the longest histories of martial arts tradition of any society in the world, and with hundreds of styles Over the past two to four thousand years, many distinctive styles of Kung Fu have been developed, each with its own set of martial techniques, ideas & strategies.
There are also common themes to the different Kung Fu styles, which are often classified by families or schools. There are Kung Fu styles that mimic movements from animals and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies. Some Kung Fu styles put most of their focus into the belief of the harnessing of chi / qi energy, while others concentrate solely on competition and exhibition. Each style of Kung Fu offers a different approach to the common problems of self-defence, health, fitness and self-development.
Chinese martial arts can be split into various categories to differentiate them:
External, Internal or a combination of both. Chinese martial arts can also be categorized by location, as in northern and southern as well, referring to what part of China the styles originated from, separated by the Yangtze River.
The main perceived difference about northern and southern styles is that the northern styles tend to emphasize kicks, high jumps, strong deep stances while the southern styles focus more on rapid fluid movements, many hand techniques, and stable, mobile stances with fast footwork.
Examples of the northern styles include Changquan and Xingyiquan. Examples of the southern styles include Wing Chun, and Nanquan.
Chinese martial arts training consists of the following components: basics, forms, applications and weapons. Each style has its own unique training system with varying emphasis on each of those components often including philosophy, ethics and strategy.
Fundamentals
Fundamentals are a vital part of the training, as a student cannot progress to the more advanced stages without them; without strong and flexible muscles including the management of your breath & energy, many movements of Chinese martial arts are simply impossible to perform correctly . Basics training involves a series of simple movements that are performed repeatedly over a short interval. Your basic training in Wing Chun Kung Fu will involve solo training, training with a variety of partners and the use of specialised equipment such as the wooden dummy, punch bags, focus pads and balance beams.
A common saying concerning basic training in Chinese martial arts is as follows:
Train both Internal Kung Fu and External Kung Fu
Internal Kung Fu training includes the heart, the mind, the spirit & strength
External kung Fu training includes training the hands, the eyes, the body and the legs
Stretching
Chinese martial arts pay considerable attention to stretching. Speed, power, and the reduction of injuries may be achieved by increasing the range of motion. Common stretching exercises include general joint rotations, static stretching, and dynamic stretching. These exercises are performed individually, but may also be practiced in pairs. Different styles have different approaches to increase the student's flexibility. During each class at the Kung Fu Schools you have specific stretches to increase your mobility and gain maximum use of your body. You will also use equipment to aid your mobility and flexibility.
Stances
Stances or steps are special postures employed in Chinese martial arts training. Each style has different names and variations for each stance. Stances may be differentiated by feet position, body weighting, body alignment, and other such factors. Stance training can be practiced statically, the goal of which is to maintain the structure of the stance through a set time period to develop power, concentration and focus. Stance training can also be practiced dynamically, in which case, a series of movements is performed repeatedly. The horse riding stance is a common stance in many Kung Fu styles, Wing Chun Kung Fu has the IRAS which is narrower and is specific for rapid footwork and effective self defence strategy. You will also have the opportunity to use balance beams & balance balls
Meditation
In many styles, meditation is considered to be an important component of basic martial arts training. Meditation can be used to develop focus, clarity of thought and as a basis for chi gong, qigong training. Meditation when practiced in this context does not require a religious component. The solo exercises that you practice in Wing Chun Kung Fu are a method of moving meditation where you are very focused and all other thoughts are put to the side.
Unique / Special techniques
Special techniques are basic exercises that are unique to a particular martial arts style. Special techniques are developed based on the experience and understanding of a particular style. For example, many styles have training to increase the ability to withstand a direct hit through methods such as Iron Shirt. In Wing Chun, basic training includes the ability to strike with great power over a short distance, the use of a wooden dummy Mook Jung in to develop striking power and hand trapping techniques. There are also types of training that can be characterized as being fictional rather then real. For example, the ability to move lightly without leaving footprints or the ability to climb walls.
Forms
Forms are series of techniques defined by their stances combined so they can be practiced as one whole set of movements. Some say that forms resemble a choreographed dance, although this could not be further from the truth. Training your forms will teach you how to move your body correctly, improve your speed, power explosiveness plus focus your mind. The movements are actual fighting techniques. This confusion often results from modern practitioners not understanding the combat applications of such forms, however this is a key aspect to training and should never be ignored. At the Kung Fu School you will train applications from the forms from your very first lesson.
These forms sought to incorporate both the internal and external aspects of Chinese martial arts. A kung fu form needs to be both practical, usable, and applicable as well as promoting flow, meditation, flexibility, balance and coordination. Often kung fu teachers are heard to say "train your form as if you were sparring and spar as if it were a form."
Types of forms
There are two types of forms in Chinese martial arts. Most common are the solo forms, performed alone by one person, but there are also "sparring" forms, which is a combined fighting sets performed by two or more people. There is another meditative component on kung-fu that is very useful to put the student on an imaginative real fight situation and also to literally "defeat" the fear factor. Many styles consider forms as one of the most important practices, as they gradually build up the practitioner's strength and flexibility, internal power, speed and stamina, and teach balance and coordination. They also function as a tool for both the students and the teacher to remember the many techniques taught by the style, and sort them into various groups.
A style can have many compartments, both empty-handed and with weapons. In most styles, empty-handed techniques are the most common, but many styles also contain forms using a wide range of weapons of various length and type, utilizing one or two hands. There are also styles that only practice a certain weapon, containing only forms with the specific weapon.
Wing Chun Kung Fu has 2 specific weapons Bart Cham Do butterfly knives and Luk Dim Boon Kwan six and a half point pole.
Forms are meant to work the body. Once a basic structure is able to be maintained in the body, forms are then used to work that structure. Forms develop a sensibility of moving from position to position. This teaches the body to react.
Some forms focus specifically on punching and kicking, while others focus on joint manipulation, grappling, jump kicking, or weapons. Still other forms focus on different styles of movement, or on using specific configurations. Often, forms will combine several of these attributes.
Self Defence Application
Fighting Application training refers to the training of putting the martial techniques to use. Chinese martial arts usually contain a large arsenal of techniques and make use of the whole body; efficiency and effectiveness is what the techniques are based on. However, many Chinese martial arts appear to be flowery and 'fancier' than other arts but the movements are very meaningful in terms of application. When and how applications are taught varies from style to style, but in the beginning, most styles focus on certain drills where each person knows what technique is being practiced and what attack to expect. Gradually, fewer and fewer rules are applied, and the students learn how to react and feel what technique to use, depending on the situation and the type of opponent. 'Sparring' refers to one aspect of application training that simulates fighting situations but still with rules and regulations to reduce the chance of serious injury to the student.
Training Wing Chun Kung Fu at The Kung Fu Schools you will learn an application for every single movement you train. One of the beauties of Wing Chun Kung Fu is
Weapons Training
Most Kung Fu styles also make use of training a number of Chinese Weapons for conditioning the body, and strategy. Weapons training are generally carried out after the student is proficient in the basics, forms and fighting applications training. The basic theory for weapons training is to consider the weapon as an extension of your body. The same requirements for footwork and body coordination is required. The process of weapon training proceed with forms, forms with partners and then applications.
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