The Purpose of Wushu

All martial arts exist for one purpose and that is to preserve life. That may be your life, or your families life or the life of your loved ones. This brings into question, of how is killing a preservation of life? This isn’t the main topic of this article so I will explain briefly: People fight to survive.

Wushu is chinese for Martial arts. However, for simplicity I will use two terms to describe two very different disciplines. Wushu is an umbrella turn for all chinese martial arts, but I will use it to describe a modernized practice that has been refined for performance, grace and looking good. Kung fu translates to great skill, but in this article I will use the term to mean the type of martial arts that is applied.

Wushu is for show; Kung fu is for fighting.

In this article I will explain my views on Wushu and describe why one would ever consider spending time on this.

Stress is on Art not application

The way that Wushu is done, is not applicable. You can’t use Wushu in a real fight or else you will get hurt. The blocks and punches that are used are exaggerated to the point that if you do them, it will leave you wide open for an attack. It’s good for shows and Movies (like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), but it is not good for defending yourself.

However, if you study Kung fu, you will be able to decipher the meanings behind the moves. This is possible because Wushu finds its roots in Kung fu. However, you got to know that continuing to practice the wushu way will not help you with technique.

There is a form of Wushu called Compulsory Southern Fist. It is very well known and if you want to see it click here. There is a combo that is done at about 0:20 to 0:24 that I have translated into kung fu. For those of you that do not know, I am a Wing Chun Practitioner and I will translate that combo into Wing chun postures. They translate into Long punch, short punch, huen sau, jut sau, biu sau, gum sau and then lan sau with fak sau. If you don’t know what these terms mean, its ok, knowing the moves is not important right now. The important thing is that Wushu moves can be traced back to the Kung fu root. However, once your bring it back, it ceases to be good for show.

Why is Modern Wushu considered a martial Art?

The written word is to Kung fu as Calligraphy is to Wushu.

Contemporary wushu can still be called a martial art because many of the rules it goes by, follows a general rule that most traditional Kung fu follow

1. A kung fu man needs to stand erect with his head tall and spine straight. In kung fu terms, if he doesn’t do it, he is off center or he is cutting off the natural flow of chi. In wushu terms, he is doing something ugly
2. A punch and kick must have your body behind it. If it doesn’t a kung fu man will say that your punch had no power behind it. A wushu man would just say it looks ugly, or stiff, or lacks intention
3. Power from the hips. All power comes from the hips. In kung fu this power is for hitting hard. In wushu this power is to send a message of power.

Let’s say that Martial arts is like a knife. What does a knife do? It cuts things. You can use it to make food or you can use it to protect yourself. However, that very same knife can be used to carve a wooden sculpture. What is the use of carving a sculpture? You can’t eat it. All you can do with it is create it and enjoy this beautiful thing you have brought into this world. But even though this knife made art, it is still a knife. The difference is in the Application of the knife.

What are the benefits of Modern Wushu?

On the surface, Wushu is a great form of exercise. It’s good for Cardio, speed generation, endurance, flexibility, and improving your posture (All while looking really really cool!). However, these things can be obtained from almost anywhere. So while, these may be good byproducts of your training, they shouldn’t be your main reason for practicing Wushu.

I think the benefits of Wushu are below the surface. You know it is fun to do and that may be all that matters. If you treat Wushu as a pure art form then it doesn’t matter what it is good for as long as you yourself enjoy it. Not many people will understand your passion, but for the ones that do help them feed their passion so they can help you feed yours.

Healthy Obsession

I feel like wushu is a healthy obsession. If you are focused on making your wushu good and are focused on constantly improving yourself, you may find that you have certain requirements you will have to fulfill in order to feed your passion.

• You need money to pay for wushu lessons, therefore try to get a good stable job.
• Good exercise.
• Meet people of similar passion to inspire even more passion.
• Eat right to properly fuel your passion.
1. Think about it. If you were preparing for a test, wouldn’t you try to eat the best food so that you can perform better? The same this is here if you want to perform your passion well, then you need good food to make it happen.

Conclusion

Wushu is for fun. It is an art form that is meant to be enjoyed. It isn’t about fighting, it is about art; your interpretation of art. If it is something that you enjoy that that is all that really matters.

--Derrick Ho

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