|
Kungfu
Kungfu or gung fu is a general term that is used to describe the Chinese martial
arts. Literally translated as “the effort of a man to master a difficult task
to the standard of excellence,” there are a variety of styles of kungfu. Despite
the various forms of kungfu that there are in the world, kungfu can be divided
into two main groups: wai-chia and nei-chia. Wai-chia is the external system
of kungfu that is aggressively outward and places an emphasis on force and strength.
Nei-chia is the internal system of kungfu that utilizes techniques for spiritual
means and self-defense. Nei-chia kungfu places an emphasis on soft, yielding,
and inward qualities.
The Nei-chia style of kungfu is usually rooted in Taoist philosophies. Examples
of Nei-chia kungfu styles are Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing-I Chuan, and Pa Kua Chang.
These styles of kungfu are used mainly as a means for self-defense but also
provide health benefits. While training in these kungfu styles, one can usually
attain inner peace and a sense of emotional and physical comfort. These styles
often feel like meditation through movement.
In contrast, is the wai-chia style of kungfu. The wai-chia styles of kungfu
are heavily rooted in Zen Buddhist philosophies and many of the styles used
originated from the Buddhist monastery known as Shaolin. It is widely believed
that the Shaolin style of kungfu developed when the Indian monk, Bodhidharma
arrived at the Shaolin temple in 527 AD to find many monks that suffered from
improper nutrition and a lack of physical exercise. As the poor physical condition
of the monks led to an inability to stay awake during meditation, Bodhidharma
introduced a series of 18 exercises that were intended to nourish both the body
and mind. Highly influenced by ideas of metaphysics and natures, these exercises
began to be incorporated with self-defense exercises and soon fighting techniques
developed based on the monk’s observations of the outside world. Consequently,
such kungfu styles as the Shaolin Five Form Fist emerged that consisted of the
dragon style, the tiger style, the leopard style, the crane style, and the snake
style.
As kung fu evolved, it developed into a variety of different styles. For example,
Southern Chinese kungfu techniques often emphasized hand movements while those
in Northern China stressed food techniques. As kungfu evolved, it spread globally
to become one of the most popular forms of martial arts.
When learning kungfu, you will be trained in the classical Kungfu forms. These
forms or sets combine offensive and defensive techniques, which aids in increasing
your agility, balance, speed, strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness.
Although much of the appeal of kungfu lies in the amazing techniques seen in
classic kungfu movies, the objective of learning kungfu is self-development
and self-improvement. The enhancement of self-esteem and self-discipline often
results in kungfu training as well as an improvement in concentration. The primary
outcome of kungfu is to use it only as a self-defense tool.
|
