Wushu that is practiced today has been developed over many centuries; the oldest evidence of Wushu, or Chinese martial arts goes back to the Zhou dynasty (1111-255 BC).

Taoist monks are claimed to have been practicing physical exercises that resemble Tai Chi at least as early as the 500 B.C. era. In 39-92 A.D

In regards to the Shaolin style of Wushu that is popular today, historical records show that the Shaolin monks harbored retired soldiers who taught the monks self-defence techniques that they had learned during military training. The monks put what they had learned into a "Shaolin" Kung-Fu style In order to protect themselves from bandits and criminals.

Around the 6th century AD, a Buddhist monk, named Bodhidharma (Pu Tai Ta Mo in Chinese or Daruma Daishi in Japanese) from either Central Asia or South Asia (his origins are lost in history) is said to have taught the Shaolin monks meditation exercises that were incorporated into Shaolin Kung Fu.

 

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There are three important elements that a person needs to succeed in any martial arts: -

· Motivation

· Self-discipline

· Time

Motivation is the basic driving force, wanting to do something, without it, skill or kung fu, can never be reached. It means both interest and the will to do something; a person who is forced to do something is not truly motivated. A motivated person, on the other hand, has interest in learning: they have a goal.

Self-discipline is closely related to motivation, but refers to the effort and patience required to actually get something done, to force yourself to do something even when you don’t feel like doing it and to get past obstacles that might appear on the way towards one's goal. While motivation is the mental state of wanting to do something, self-discipline is required to put motivation into action.

Time is essential for finding one's motivation and self-discipline, and to actually accomplish something by making use of them, but motivation and self-discipline are also important to make a person willing to put time into accomplishing their goal: to prioritise. Once motivation and self-discipline have become a vital part of a person's life, it is important to continue spending time on practice. Many ancient Chinese philosophers and martial artists consider time the most valuable commodity in a person's lives, as time cannot be replaced. It is said that one should use time wisely, and that, to get the most out of life, must practice kung fu in every activity. By finding interest in and putting effort and time into every action, one will make the best use of time, and live a happy and productive life.

 

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A typical Chinese Martial Arts syllabus would be made up of : -

Warm-up

Warm-ups are a vital part of the training, as in most other physical activities, and include such things as stretching, strengthening of muscles, bones and tendons, stamina training, and basic stances.

A student cannot progress to the more advanced stages without them; without strong and flexible muscles, many movements of Chinese martial arts are simply impossible to perform correctly

Chinese martial arts pay considerable attention to stretching. Common stretching exercises include general warm-up stretching, stretching in pairs, and various types of stretch kicks, usually practiced with speed. As many Chinese martial arts are formed to suit children and higher-level students who have been practicing since childhood, they can include basic exercises that require very high flexibility in order to be possible to perform at all.

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Basics

Basic techniques are normally the most common techniques that are found in many of the style's forms, and are taught before moving on to actual forms

Basics are practiced by punching, kicking and blocking in thin air allowing the instructors and the students to make sure the techniques are executed properly and they are not over stretching, the last thing you want in a real fight is to miss your target, over stretch and fall flat on your face.

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Forms

Forms (taolu) are a pre-choreographed series of techniques and movements, performed alone or with one or more partners.

Two man fighting forms use pre-arranged moves to attack and defend against each other. These fighting forms help develop technique, speed, timing, and accuracy.

Solo forms, like Katas, are a series of techniques put together after one another so they can be practiced as one whole set of movements, as if fighting imaginary opponents, enabling us to perfect the smooth movement from one technique to another, to change direction quickly and apply power using relaxed techniques that only tenses on impact by using body movement and Chi.

Every movement in a form represents either an attack or defensive technique and as such applications to a form should be practised at some point in the syllabus. Even if applications are not part of the syllabus, the teachers should know the applications well to ensure that the movements are trained correctly, effectively and safely. If you take the applications away from a form it becomes nothing more than a dance.

Apart from the obvious strikes and blocks, you will find a wealth of hidden techniques in any form, you will find they incorporate many of the Chin Na techniques, so although some of the movements may look like harmless gestures (“soft” and “flowery”) they are in fact devastating techniques and it is only by constant practice that you really start to understand the forms properly (this applies to any martial art, Chinese, Japanese or Korean). 

As well as the obvious advantages of practising applications there is also the health benefits that can be found in many traditional forms, such as keeping the body supple, stretching, strengthening etc.

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Application

Application training (both as prepared drills and as free sparring) refers to the training of putting the martial techniques to use. 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.

Nowadays the practice of applications is as important than ever as the need for self-defence has become more significant in the today’s society, but with the introduction of firearms such as guns, it has made the traditional weapons and empty-handed martial arts lose much of their power, as even a completely untrained person can kill a master of any style by firing a gun from a safe distance.

Before guns existed, however, knowledge of martial arts could save both your and your family's life. Because of this, the applications of the techniques were often considered sacred, and were commonly kept secret from all but family and the closest friends.

Today, the views on this tradition of keeping things secret are very mixed, and some schools openly teach applications to anyone willing to learn. Others still require the students to show that they are worthy before teaching applications, "worthy" usually meaning that the students can be trusted that they will not use their knowledge to a bad purpose.

There are modern styles that practice application and even focus solely on them, though these are aimed mostly at competition. One such style that has grown quite popular is called San Shou (or San Da). It is similar to Muay Thai and is a type of sparring competition where the competitors wear protection and gloves, and get points when scoring a hit on the opponent or performing a successful throw.

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Shuai Jiao & Chin Na

As well as applications, many styles teach Shuai Jiao (fast wrestling, the art of sweeping, throwing and takedowns) and Chin Na (meaning seize & control) this is the art of controlling your opponent by using joint locks to limit mobility and attack acupressure points and other sensitive parts of the body with strikes, grabs and many other techniques, very much like the Japanese arts of Ju-Jitsu and Akido)

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Pushing Hands

Pushing hands is the name for two-person training routines practiced in internal style Chinese Martial Arts such as Pa Kua Chang, Hsing-i Ch'uan, T'ai Chi Ch'uan and I-Ch'uan (Yiquan).

Pushing hands is said to be the gateway for students to understand the martial art aspects of the internal style (nèi jiā) martial arts; leverage, reflex, sensitivity, timing, coordination and positioning.

At first students work basic patterns, then patterns with moving steps coordinated in different directions, patterns at differing heights (high, middle, low and combinations) and then finally different styles of "freestyle" push hands, which lead into sparring that combines closing and distancing strategies with long, medium and short range techniques.

Pushing hands teaches students safety habits in regard to their own vital areas, especially acupressure points, as well as introducing them to the principles of Chin Na. At a certain point, pushing hands begins to take on aspects of ch'i kung, as the students learn to coordinate their movements in attack and defence with their breathing.

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Sparring

Many styles of Chinese martial arts use sparring or free fighting to put the students in a fight situation, giving them a chance to put their techniques to practise in a fighting situation. There are several forms of sparring: - Traditional, light Contact, Semi-Contact and Full Contact. (See SAN SHOU)

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Weapon Training

Most Chinese styles make use of training the broad arsenal of weapons, not only for fighting purposes but also to help to improve hand and eye co-ordination, improve reflexes and helps keep the body supple. The nunchaku is an excellent example, these are great for helping to improve the hand and eye co-ordination, and many of the movements are excellent for helping keep the body supple and the mind active.

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Hundreds of different styles of Chinese martial arts have developed over the past two thousand years, many distinctive styles with their own sets of techniques and ideas. Also, there are many themes common to different styles that lead many to characterize them as belonging to "families" of martial art styles.

There are styles that mimic movements from animals (White Crane, Swallow, Hawk) - Insects & arachnids (Praying Mantis, Scorpion) or Mythological Beasts (Dragon, Phoenix, Unicorn).

Some take their names from famous male and female martial artists (Wing Chung & Wu Mei) or the families who originally created the forms or made them public: - Chen, Yang, and Wu Tai Chi Chuan - Hung, Choi or Li family

Others gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies or religious principles and images drawn from: - Confucian (Upright Boxing) - Buddhist (Shaolin, Lohan or Jin Gang Temple Guardians Boxing) - Taoist (Tai Chi, Ba Gua, Hsing-I, Yin-Yang & Eight Drunken Immortals Boxing)

Chinese martial arts can be split into various categories to differentiate them: For example, Northern, Southern (referring to what part of China the styles originated from, separated by the Yangtze River), external (hard), internal (soft), even religion. These can be divided even further into either Traditional Wushu or Modern (Contemporary) Wushu.
 

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Northern Styles

These are styles that have evolved from northern parts of China such as Henan province and the Shaolin Temple North of the Yangtze River. It is said that northern styles put more importance on legwork, kicking and acrobatics. Some say this is because the northern Chinese were generally taller than those living in southern China, and that they made their styles take advantage of their greater range of motion, especially in their legs. Others claim that the terrain of northern China is more suitable to kicking techniques. An example of a northern style is the modern Changquan (Long Fist) that is the most popular style in the forms division in most modern Chinese martial arts competitions held around the world today.

Southern Styles

Southern styles originated in the provinces South of the Yangtze River. There are sayings that because of their shorter height, the southern Chinese developed styles that were direct and powerful, mainly developing their upper body strength and speed. A generalized Nanquan (Southern Fist) style has become a popular class in modern Chinese martial arts competitions. It is similar to Changquan (Long Fist) but includes more rapid punches and blocks, and less legwork and jumps.

 

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External or Hard Styles (wàijiāquán)

These styles are what most people associate with Chinese martial arts. They are generally fast and explosive, focusing on physical strength and agility. External styles can be the traditional styles focusing on application and fighting, as well as the modern styles adapted for competition and exercise. Shaolin is a good example of an external styles, with its direct explosive attacks and high-kicking aerial manoeuvres and the many animal styles inspired by the movements of certain animals.

Internal or Soft Styles (nèijiāquán)

Internal or "soft" styles focus on the practice of what they call "internal" elements, such as awareness of the spirit, mind, ch’i (breath) and the use of relaxed leverage rather than muscular tension, tension that soft stylists call "brute force". In the older schools, much time is spent on basic physical work, such as stance training, stretching and strengthening of muscles, as well as on empty hand and weapon forms, which can contain quite demanding coordination from posture to posture. The forms of most internal styles are performed slowly, though some also include sudden outbursts of explosive movements, such as those the Chen style of T’ai Chi Ch’üan. The reason for the generally slow pace is to improve co-ordination, balance and allows the student to pay attention to their whole body and its weight as they perform each technique. At an advanced level, and in actual fighting, internal styles are performed quickly. Today, most schools teach internal forms for health benefits only as this is what most modern students are looking for and as these students seldom have the time or devotion to reach far enough in their training to start focusing on the martial aspects.

There are other trains of thought upon the meaning of Internal "nèijiā" and External "wàijiā". One suggested use for the terms Internal and External is that some martial arts were taught exclusively to those inside (nèi) one's family (jiā), whereas instruction in other martial arts was available to all, i.e. those outside (wài) one's family (jiā). Another refers to where a style originated, inside China or outside China: -

Buddhist Styles

Buddhist styles are classed as “External” styles because there origins came from outside China. They were created or trained mostly within Buddhist temples (primarily Chan Buddhism) or by Buddhist monks, later on spreading out to laymen. These styles often include Buddhist philosophy and principles.

Taoist Styles

Taoist styles are classed as “Internal” because they were developed inside China. They were created or trained mostly within Taoist Temples, which later spread out to laymen. These styles include those trained in the Wudang temple, and often include Taoist principles, philosophy, and imagery.  

Contemporary Wushu

These are forms (taolu) that have been created from traditional forms especially for wushu competitions. They are practiced as a demonstration sport, much like gymnastics, and judged and given points according to specific rules. Originally practiced just in the People's Republic of China, the contemporary wushu forms have now spread all over the world through the International Wushu Federation. Similar to gymnastics, there are separate events; these include empty hand and weapons forms. These events are performed using compulsory or individual routines in competition. Compulsory routines are routines that have been already created for the athlete, resulting in each athlete performing basically the same forms, the main one’s being: - Individual routines are routines that an athlete creates with the aid of his/her coach, while following certain rules for difficulty, number of acrobatics, etc.  

Traditional Wushu

Traditional routines are also used in competition in events separate from the compulsory and individual routine events. Many weapons and styles exist; in fact the whole of traditional Wushu contains hundreds of different minor or major styles. However, in general, they are rarely seen in competitions, as traditional forms do not earn as many points as the modern forms.

Another form of wushu is called San Shou (pro. San Show), which is a modern fighting method and sport influenced by both traditional Chinese boxing and wrestling methods. 

Modern San Shou was developed by the Chinese army in the 1960s, using techniques from various traditional styles. It including punching, kicking, elbows, knees, locks, chokes and shuai jiao, (a Chinese form of wrestling), making San Shou among the few contact sports that utilise the full range of fighting and produce a very effective form of Chinese unarmed self-defense 

In order to define a standard wushu fighting style, the great masters from all over China were given the task of organizing the huge heritage of Chinese martial arts in to a system of rules in which different styles could complete. Protective equipment was also added to further reduce the risk of serious injury. Lately, the Chinese government have promoted San Shou into a nation-wide sport and held formal national and international championships every year.

As a sport the rules are designed to simulate actual combat, covering the three ranges of fighting: - kicking, punching and grappling (wrestling, takedowns and throws) which adds realism to the sport, although elbow and knee strikes are not allowed, most San Shou gyms teach these techniques as well.

Continuous punching to the head is now allowed and fighters are only allowed to clinch for a short few seconds. If the clinch is not broken by the fighters and if no one succeeds in throwing the opponent, the referee will break it up.

A fighter can win by forcing the opponent off of the platform, scoring points, which are awarded for the techniques according to effectiveness or by a knockout. In a tournament, the duration of a fight is over 3 rounds lasting 2 or 3 minutes each. 

Traditionally matches were fought on a raised platform called the "Lei Tai", a 24 x 24 foot platform about 5 foot high, but nowadays mats or, more recently, boxing rings are also used. Historically, the “Lei Tai” dates back centuries in China where challenge matches were fought between the many different styles/schools of Chinese martial arts, both bare handed and with weapons, usually with no rules- often resulting in death or serious injury.

Qingda (pro. Chin-dar) has been developed so that men, women and children can participate within a sparring competition without the fear of getting hurt. Qingda rules only allow light contact, and direct attacks to the face and legs are no permitted.