Basic History and Principle of Kung Fu To be specific, the term “Kung Fu” didn‟t emerge from the Chinese. It was created by a Frenchman from the 18th Century, Jean Joseph Marie Amiot who labeled “Kung Fu” as a way to describe Chinese martial arts. Kung Fu was also named Gongfu, Wushu, or Kuoshu; the term „Kung Fu‟ isn‟t restricted to the martial arts.
Early History of Kung Fu The convention, the knowledge, and the approach of Kung Fu can be found in old Chinese literature like Zhuang Zi, Dao De Jing, and Sun Zi Bing Fa (Art of War written by Sun Zi), all created within 111-255 BC. These pages obtain passages that are linked to the convention, morals and the advocacy of Chinese martial arts; otherwise known as Kung Fu. There are many theories pertaining to the early history of martial arts. One being that is was first written by the Yellow Emperor, who ruled from 2698 BC; he created the disquisition on Chinese martial arts. Others believe that the Taoist monks on the art that mimicked modern Tai Chi around 500 BC. Following, in 39-92 AD, Pan Ku, obtains “Six Chapters of Hand Fighting” on this speech on the history of the Han dynasty (Han Shu). When martial arts became more and more well known, Hua Tiuo, a physician wrote his own passages called “Five Animals Play” in 220 AD. The term, “Kung Fu” became popular in the West in the end of the 60s, because Kung Fu movies and television became an entity at the time. In the West, there has been an insurmountable amount of martial arts films with popular actors such as Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
This article was originally published on the Fighting Tips blog.
Perception of Kung Fu The perception of Kung Fu is encircled by three simple foundations: Self-Mastery, Motivation and last but not least, Time.
Self Mastery In Kung Fu, the development is the parallel to self-mastery. When a trainee practices control, in turn, determination turns into benevolence and action. A trainee has to be determined everyday. Staying rigid in their learning experience will bring them closer to reaching their goals. Without rigid development, self-mastery is just a dull state of mind.
Motivation Those that are well-versed about martial arts believe that the determination behind consuming knowledge of the martial arts is the motivation and not the desire of being strong, but to ameliorate the mind and the body. Motivation is the number one step; there is no popularity contest amongst the trainees and in the end, they will learn the knowledge, the tools, the strength and wisdom.
Time Time is the road to success in the martial arts. Once self-mastery, rigid development and motivation seep through the trainee, a lot of time has to be spent in self-mastery within the mind, body and soul. A dedicated trainee should not waste time, engage in extra activities that distract from their practice and do nothing. Every step should be geared towards will, encouragement and self-mastery.
This article was originally published on the Fighting Tips blog.
Variations and Styles As time passed, various styles emerged within Kung Fu. Some of these well known styles consist of Karate, Escrima, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Shaolin, White Crane, Tai Chi Ch‟uan, and Bagua Zhang. Keep in mind that there is no single style that‟s better than the rest. They‟re all unique in their own right.
This article was originally published on the Fighting Tips blog.