Perhaps everyone has ever heard of the martial arts of China, which have long been known throughout the world. Now people attend special sections to master at least one of these arts, and devote their whole life to this occupation. But learning this or that type of battle is not so simple. Since these martial arts are significantly different from the usual for us boxing. Not so much physical strength is appreciated here, but spiritual. The article will present the types of Chinese martial arts and describe all their features.
A bit of history
In China, the topic of martial arts arose long ago. The first martial arts of China appeared several millennia ago. Then the fighting techniques were studied by the soldiers of the Chinese army. "Wu-shu" is a designation that is used for each combat technique. Translated from Chinese means "martial art." But civilization gradually developed, and martial arts were appreciated more and more. Martial arts is not only the ability to perform techniques. This also included meditation, philosophy, medicine, training not just one combat technique, but several at once.
There are people who completely surrendered to this. Devoting life to martial arts, they could perfectly guide not only their body, but also their mind. Now many of the martial arts that existed several millennia ago, have become known around the world and put into individual sports. However, success can be achieved only by one who, not sparing himself, will attend grueling training and devote more than one year to this occupation.
It is perhaps impossible to recount all styles of Chinese martial arts, but then the most popular of them that have not been forgotten to this day will be considered.
It is important to understand that Wushu are Chinese martial arts combined. Unknowing people sometimes attribute Wushu to a separate type of battle, but this is not so. Therefore, do not confuse this term with combat techniques.
Kung Fu: Description
Chinese kung fu is one of the oldest martial arts of this country. This includes not only mastery of certain combat techniques, but also the study of Chinese medicine. Anyone who is seriously involved in kung fu is required to follow a special kind of diet, which helps to master the technique, and also attends various psychological trainings. This is necessary so that a person can possess not only his body, but also his mind. There are a number of rules that Chinese kung fu adherents consider binding:
- You can’t eat anything meat.
- You can not drink wine.
- Increased sexual desire should be immediately suppressed in yourself.
- Every teacher and older person deserves respect.
- Military equipment can only be used during self-defense.
- Conflicts must be avoided in every way.
Taking these rules as a basis and training daily, a fighter will be able to form in himself such abilities that will help him to predict all the actions of his opponent. But that is far from all. During physical training, fighters constantly repeat the same techniques and movements. And thanks to this, during the battle they can strike back, ahead of the opponent. But at these trainings, not only the honing of combat techniques is provided. Here, too, the fighters meditate and learn their body. Because the warrior must remain calm during the battle, so as not to make mistakes. That is why he must be able to maintain peace of mind and balance.
Kung Fu is just a type of martial art that has more than 400 styles. In China, the whole family has a certain kung fu style, since this knowledge is inherited from father to son. But each new generation improves this style, brings something of its own. All of these styles can be divided into southern and northern. Now the Chinese prefer the first, which gained especially great popularity when they began to appear on the screens of films featuring Jackie Chan. In battle, people who own at least one of these styles imitate the movements and habits of various animals.
Buck may
The Buck Mei style got its name from the name of a Taoist monk who was one of the five oldest Shaolin monks. The style originated in the early 18th century in a province called Sichuan. Translated literally, the name means "white blood."
His main goal is to build up great hand strength in order to deliver critical hits to the enemy at a short distance. And the main thing here is considered not only the power of striking, but also the technique itself. Bak Mei warriors are put up in special racks that allow you to train the force of impact and properly tighten your muscles. The main secret of the style is that until the hand reaches the enemy, its muscles are in a completely relaxed state, but as soon as it touches the enemy, the muscles sharply tighten. Due to this, the impact force can be increased many times. But, to master this technique, it will take quite a lot of time, because in order to accurately learn at least one technique, it is necessary to repeat it more than one thousand times.
It is this type of martial art that everyone else adopts the defense technique, since it is considered the best. Here the line of the block and the defense is held by the fighter along the axis. And at that moment, when the enemy opens the most vulnerable places of his corps, the fighter should not hesitate to deliver quick and accurate strikes against them. The enemy at this moment receives such strong damage that it can even die. During training, the fighter will learn to properly maintain posture, master the necessary breathing technique. These two criteria are considered the key to success during the battle.
Lu he
Liu-he (other options: “Luhebafa”, “Luhebafa”, “Luhebafatsuan”). Authorship, so to speak, is attributed to the legendary Taoist sage Chen Tuan. In the process of its creation, he kept detailed records. Which, after the death of the creator of the style, were discovered by a Taoist hermit Li Dongfeng. On their basis, the latter wrote the treatise "Fist doctrine of the five secret signs." Without years of hard training and comprehension of the deep philosophical strata of martial arts, it is impossible to comprehend the meaning and form of Luhebaf.
Style also implies the presence of other skills that a fighter must master:
- A warrior must perfectly control his energy and be able to distribute it correctly.
- Energy has certain waves that a fighter must feel and fully follow.
- Even during the battle, the fighter must save energy and not waste it.
- During the battle with the enemy, the fighter should not immediately reveal his equipment to him, but should hide it until the right moment comes to use it.
The luhe warriors learned to find a connection between their internal and external energy. Achieving this balance was not so easy. Long trainings are needed, where the exercises are aimed at ensuring that the bones and joints are in a state when they begin to give the soldier extra vitality. Also, meditation classes were held here, which helped to train the mind and consciousness. Meditation allows the warrior to ponder a little, imagine the enemy and reproduce the battle in his head.
Dim sum
The whole point of this martial art is to inflict pinpoint strikes on your opponent. Dim Mak has another name - "delayed death." Why they began to call him that, we learn further. There is one legend about one killer who was a member of the Chinese mafia, his name was Dim Mak. Once on the set, he struck one point blow in the head of Bruce Lee. Immediately after this blow, the actor lost consciousness, and died a few days later.
In general, Dim Mak is an ancient Chinese martial art, which appeared much earlier than everyone else. It is also worth noting that many other styles originate precisely from Dim Mak. As before, this style has many unsolved secrets and is as much as possible closed to study. Even the masters themselves, who are fluent in this technique, lead a completely closed lifestyle. All their free time is spent on meditation, as well as on the study of all the energy points that are located on the human body. The whole essence of the technology that they own lies precisely in knowing exactly the location of these points. If the master finds himself in a difficult situation, and his health or life is in danger, he only needs to touch one point on the body of the enemy and he will be killed. But this school has its own special code that allows you to use this technique only in cases where several enemies attack at once and his situation becomes hopeless.
Baguazhan
In the 18th century, Dong Hai Chuan founded such a martial art as Baguazhan. The basis was not taken in any particular style, but several at once, from which techniques and some techniques were taken. Under the guidance of this master, the prince of the imperial family Su was trained in art. But besides him, Master Dong had many more students. The main "trump card" of this master was that before starting to engage with a student, he studied his individual characteristics and specially selected for him a special training program. He wanted each of his fighters to be unique and inimitable and possess a special set of techniques.
In training, fighters learned to deliver accurate strikes and carry out painful captures. The blows here were also special and each of them had a piercing and chopping character. Modern teachers, who know this art form, believe that the blows made by the edge of the palm hit the enemy much more than any other. These days, this species is being studied by Chinese police.
Wing chun
This is another martial art, the creator of which sought to win during the battle as quickly as possible and at the same time get the minimum amount of damage.
Wing-chun is a fairly strict system, where logic must be turned on for proper combat. Even during a training battle, you should analyze all your actions and the actions of the enemy. Here the strength of one should not oppose the strength of the other. The task of the fighter is to make sure that the enemy’s force directed against him ultimately defeats the attacker himself.
This type of battle got its start from Shaolin Kung Fu, but they have little in common. You can even safely say that this technique is directed against the Shaolins quan.
This technique has several principles that form the basis of combat:
- Center line. The fighter imagines that a vertical line passes through the center of his body. It is through her that he learns to attack and defend.
- Saving traffic. It’s no secret to anyone that a straight line is the shortest distance from one point to another. Therefore, strikes here are exclusively direct.
- Contact with the enemy. If you consider several other battle techniques, you will notice that there, with one hand, the fighter blocks the enemy’s attack and only then strikes. Everything is done here simultaneously. Either one hand blocks, and the second one beats at the same moment, or the blocking hand immediately goes into attack. A fighter never stops attacking his enemy and does not allow him to strike, blocking the active hand.
- Movement. During the battle, a Wing Chun fighter must be able to take such a position that both his hands are in action. But the opponent’s hands, on the contrary, should not be active, so that he could not strike and defend at the same time. All this can be achieved only if a certain position is taken in relation to the enemy.
Siu Lim Tao
This is the form that is being studied in the form of combat described above. There is practically nothing about the position and movement of the legs, but many basic movements for the hands of a fighter are described. The objective of this form is as follows:
- Develop a correct stance for the fighter in the fight.
- Learn all the hits of Wing Chun and perform them correctly.
- Learn to keep your elbows in the correct position.
- There are certain principles of breathing that this form helps to master.
- The force of the blow develops during the battle with the enemy.
Many Chinese martial artists emphasize that this form teaches relaxation while striking. If the fighter manages to relax as much as possible, then in the end his blow will be so strong that he can hit the opponent the first time.
Martial arts schools
Now there are ten of China's most popular martial arts schools. Each of them deserves special attention and has long established itself with the best hand.
Three schools are located in Dengfeng. Each of them has its own special direction. The youngest is Shaolin Xiaolong Temple. This is one of the few institutions authorized by the Ministry of Education to host students from other countries.
Two other equally well-known schools are located in Shanghai. The Kung Fu Center Longwu stands out especially. It has everything you need for teaching kids and already adult students. The center is very well equipped; all sports equipment necessary for conducting classes has been brought here.
Also worthy of special attention is Siping Shaolin. Not only has this school been opened by one of the students of the monk Shao Lin, but it is also one of the few where foreigners are allowed to study. Now 2000 students from all over the world are studying there.
Conclusion
As you can see, the history of martial arts in China goes far into the past and carries a lot of interesting and unknown. In the modern world, there are many different types and styles of martial arts that have come from this country. Not every person is able to master these techniques, since it requires not only physical, but also great spiritual strength. Some combat techniques require even more endurance and patience than strength.