What is Wushu?

Wushu is a highly disciplined martial artssystemoriginating in China almost 5000 years ago. Literally translated?wu?is military, ?shu? is art, therefore Wushu is the art of fighting
? or martial arts.

ModernWushucompetition has been standardised into routines including barehandfighting, routines with weapon apparatus, breathingexercises,meditation techniques and martial acrobatics. The regularpractise ofWushu develops agility, force, timing, stamina andcoordination as wellas giving the practitioner a powerful means of selfdefence. It is acombination of traditional fighting techniques combinedwith acrobaticflips, twists and kicks.

Standardised routinescover both theinternal and external styles of Wushu - making up thetaolu (routines)events if Wushu. These routines are displayed on a 14mx 8m carpet.
Thethree main bare hand styles are Chang quan, Nan quanand Taijiquan.Chang quan (long fist) is characterised by its highjumps, fast fluidmovements and requires great suppleness.
Nan quan(southern fist)expresses fist power and steady footwork, the changingforms of fistattacks are accompanied by shouts generating courage andstrength. WhereasTaijiquan, otherwise known as Tai Chi, is relaxed andat ease, fluid;it is a combination of toughness and softness. Othermain stylesinclude weapon forms such as cudgel play, spear play, saberplay andsword play. Along with taolu, Wushu competitions also involveSan Shou,the full contact fighting art of Wushu displayed on a lei tai.

Othereventsinclude more exotic forms and weapons such as the nine-sectionwhipchain, emei daggers, kwan dao (long saber), tiger hooks, drunkenboxing,tumbling fist and two, three or four person set sparringroutines. Wushuhas grown to extensive heights in the past fifty yearsand is nowpracticed on every continent of the planet. With thediversity ofstyles, Wushu is open to both the young and old. Thepractice of Wushuhas great beneficial health effects on the athlete aswell as relievingstress. The practice also demands skill,concentration, and consistentand dedicated effort. For those whopersevere, the rewards are immense:efficacy in mind and body, and thedevelopment of physical, mental, andspiritual assets. With sucheffects, why are we not all practicing Wushu?

By Scott Pallet