Kung fu

Kung fu

Kung fu and wushu are popular terms that have become synonymous with Chinese martial arts. However the Chinese terms kung fu (Chinese: 功夫 pinyin: gōngfū) and wushu (traditional Chinese: 武術; simplified Chinese: 武术) have very different meanings. Wushu can describe greatly varying martial arts traditions. Kung fu can be used in a context without any martial arts whatsoever. Colloquially, kung fu (or gung fu) alludes to any individual accomplishment or cultivated skill obtained by long and hard work. In contrast, wushu is a more precise term that refers to general martial activities. The term wushu has also become the name for a modern sport similar to gymnastics involving the performance of adapted Chinese bare-handed and weapons forms (tàolù 套路) judged to a set of contemporary aesthetic criteria for points.

The origins of Chinese martial arts are traced to self-defense needs, hunting activities and military training in ancient China. Hand to hand combat and weapons practice were important components in the training of Chinese soldiers. [1] [2] [3] From this beginning, Chinese martial arts proceeded to different philosophies and ideas into its practice - expanding its purpose from self-defense to health and finally as method of self cultivation. In return, influence of martial arts ideals can be found in poetry, fiction and film. Chinese martial arts are now an integral element of Chinese culture. kung fu was a smart type of fighting. Not!
According to legend, the reign of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, traditional date of ascension to the throne, 2698 BC) introduced the earliest forms of martial arts to China.[4] The Yellow Emperor is described as a famous general who, before becoming China’s leader, wrote lengthy treatises on medicine, astrology and the martial arts. He allegedly developed the practice of jiao di or horn-butting and utilized it in war.[5]
Shǒubó (手搏) kung fu, practiced during the Shang dynasty (1766-1066 BC), and Xiang Bo (similar to Sanda) from the 600s BC,.[6] are just two examples of ancient Chinese kung fu. In 509 BC, Confucius suggested to Duke Ding of Lu that people practice the literary arts as well as the martial arts[7] thus, kung fu was practiced external to the military and religious sects by ordinary citizens; (pre-dating Shaolin by over 1,000 years). A combat wrestling system called juélì or jiǎolì (角力) is mentioned in the Classic of Rites (1st c. BC).[8] This combat system included techniques such as strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks. Jiao li became a sport during the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BCE). The Han History Bibliographies record that, by the Former Han (206 BCE – 8 CE), there was a distinction between no-holds-barred weaponless fighting, which it calls shǒubó (手搏), for which "how-to" manuals had already been written, and sportive wrestling, then known as juélì or jiǎolì (角力). Wrestling is also documented in the Shǐ Jì, Records of the Grand Historian, written by Sima Qian (ca. 100 BC).[9]
A hand-to-hand combat theory, including the integration of notions of "hard" and "soft" techniques, is expounded in the story of the Maiden of Yue in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue (5th c. BC).[10]
In the Tang Dynasty, descriptions of sword dances were immortalized in poems by Li Bai. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, xiangpu (the earliest form of sumo) contests were sponsored by the imperial courts. The modern concepts of wushu were fully developed by the Ming and Qing dynasties.[11]
Martial arts are also mentioned in Chinese philosophy. Passages in the Zhuangzi (庄子), a Daoist text, pertain to the psychology and practice of martial arts. Zhuangzi, its eponymous author, is believed to have lived in the 4th century BCE. The Tao Te Ching, often credited to Lao Zi, is another Daoist text that contains principles applicable to martial arts. According to one of the classic texts of Confucianism, Zhou Li (周禮/周礼), Archery and charioteering were part of the "six arts" (traditional Chinese: 六藝; simplified Chinese: 六艺; pinyin: liu yi, including rites, music, calligraphy and mathematics) of the Zhou Dynasty (1122-256 BCE). The Art of War ( 孫子兵法), written during the 6th century BCE by Sun Tzu ( 孫子), deals directly with military warfare but contains ideas that are used in the Chinese martial arts. Those examples shows that over time, the ideas associated with Chinese martial arts changed with the evolving Chinese society and over time acquired philosophical basis.
Taoist practitioners have been practicing Tao Yin, physical exercises similar to Qigong that was one of the progenitors to Tai Chi Chuan, at least as early as 500 BCE.[12] In 39-92 CE, "Six Chapters of Hand Fighting", were included in the Han Shu (history of the Former Han Dynasty) written by Pan Ku. Also, the noted physician, Hua Tuo, composed the "Five Animals Play" - tiger, deer, monkey, bear, and bird, around 220 BCE[13] Taoist philosophy and their approach to health and exercise might have influenced to certain extent the Chinese martial arts.

A sparring form of Shaolinquan, an external style of Chinese martial arts, being demonstrated at Daxiangguo Monastery in Kaifeng, Henan.
With regards to the Shaolin style of martial arts, the oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat is a style from 728 CE that attests to two occasions: a defense of the Shaolin Monastery from bandits around 610 CE, and their subsequent role in the defeat of Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621 CE From the 8th to the 15th centuries, there are no extant documents that provide evidence of Shaolin participation in combat. However, between the 16th and 17th centuries there are at least forty extant sources which provided evidence that, not only did monks of Shaolin practice martial arts, but martial practice had become such an integral element of Shaolin monastic life that the monks felt the need to justify it by creating new Buddhist lore.[14] References of martial arts practice in Shaolin appear in various literary genres of the late Ming: the epitaphs of Shaolin warrior monks, martial-arts manuals, military encyclopedias, historical writings, travelogues, fiction, and even poetry. However these sources do not point out to any specific style originated in Shaolin.[15] These sources, in contrast to those from the Tang period, refer to Shaolin methods of armed combat. This include the forte of Shaolin monks and for which they had become famous — the staff (Gun, pronounced as juen); General Qi Jiquan included these techniques in his book, Treatise of Effective Discipline. Despite the fact that others criticized the techniques, Ming General Yu Dayou visited the Temple and was not impressed with what he saw, he recruited three monks who he would train for few years after which they returned to the temple to train his fellow monks.[16].
The fighting styles that are practiced today were developed over the centuries, after having incorporated forms that came into existence later. Some of these include Bagua, Drunken Boxing, Eagle Claw, Five Animals, Hsing I, Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Monkey, Tiger, Bak Mei Pai, Praying Mantis, Fujian White Crane, Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan.
The present view of Chinese martial arts are strongly influenced by the events of the Republican Period (1912-1949). In the transition period between the fall of the Qing Dynasty as well as the turmoils of the Japanese invasion and the Chinese Civil War, Chinese martial arts became more accessible to the general public as many martial artists were encouraged to openly teach their art. At that time, some considered martial arts as a means to promote national pride and build a strong nation. As a result, many martial arts training manuals (拳普) were published, a training academy was created, 2 National examinations were organized as well as demonstration teams travelled overseas [17] and numerous martial arts associations were formed throughout China and in various oversea Chinese communities. The Central Guoshu Academy (Zhongyang Guoshuguan, 中央國術館/中央国术馆) established by the National Government in 1928[18] and the Jing Wu Athletic Association (精武體育會/精武体育会) founded by Huo Yuanjia in 1910 are examples of organizations that promoted a systematic approach for training in Chinese martial arts.[19][20][21] A series of provincial and national competitions were organized by the Republican government starting in 1932 to promote Chinese martial arts. In 1936, at the 11th Olympic Games in Berlin, a group of Chinese martial artists demonstrated their art to an international audience for the first time. Eventually, those events lead to the popular view of martial arts as a sport.
Chinese martial arts started to spread internationally with the end of the Chinese Civil War and the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Many well known martial art practitioners chose to escape from the PRC's rule and migrate to Taiwan, Hong Kong,[22] and other parts of the world. Those masters started to teach within the overseas Chinese communities but eventually they expanded their teachings to include people from other cultures.
Within China, the practice of traditional martial arts was discouraged during the turbulent years of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1969-1976).[23] Like many other aspects of traditional Chinese life, martial arts was subjected to a radical transformation by the People's Republic of China in order to align it with Maoist revolutionary doctrine.[23] The PRC promoted the committee-regulated sport of Wushu as a replacement to independent schools of martial arts. This new competition sport was disassociated from what was seen as the potentially subversive self-defense aspects and family lineages of Chinese martial arts previously exhibited by the Boxer Rebellion.[23] Rhetorically, they also encouraged the use of the term "Kuoshu" (or Guoshu meaning "the arts of the nation"), rather than the colloquial term gongfu, in an effort to more closely associate Chinese martial arts with national pride rather than individual accomplishment.[23] In 1958, the government established the All-China Wushu Association as an umbrella organization to regulate martial arts training. The Chinese State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports took the lead in creating standardized forms for most of the major arts. During this period, a national Wushu system that included standard forms, teaching curriculum, and instructor grading was established. Wushu was introduced at both the high school and university level. The suppression of traditional teaching was relaxed during the Era of Reconstruction (1976-1989), as Communist ideology became more accommodating to alternative viewpoints.[24] In 1979, the State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports created a special task force to reevaluate the teaching and practice of Wushu. In 1986, the Chinese National Research Institute of Wushu was established as the central authority for the research and administration of Wushu activities in the People's Republic of China. [25] Changing government policies and attitudes towards sports in general lead to the closing of the State Sports Commission (the central sports authority) in 1998. This closure is viewed as an attempt to partially de-politicize organized sports and move Chinese sport policies towards a more market-driven approach.[26] As a result of these changing sociological factors within China, both traditional styles and modern Wushu approaches are being promoted by the Chinese government.[27]

Arnis

Rapid Arnis

Rapid Arnis is a Filipino martial art originally founded by Pat O'Malley and John Harvey in 1993.


Contents

1 History
2 Name
3 Rapid Arnis International
4 Ranking / Grading System
5 Technical Basis
6 Open Policy
7 BCKEAI
8 Competition Fighting
9 Black Eagle Society
9.1 Formation
9.2 Name
9.3 Rationale
9.4 Rules & Equipment
9.5 Membership
9.6 Comparisons
10 External links

History

Pat O'Malley and John Harvey founded the Rapid Arnis systems after years of experience with other Filipino styles, principally: Modern Arnis, Inayan Eskrima, Doce Pares Eskrima, San Miguel Eskrima, Lapunti Arnis de Abaniko, Pekiti Tirsia Kali, Balintawak, Kali and Jeet Kune Do. Since 1993 a constant development has existed within the organisation and the group's syllabus has undergone constant improvement at Pat O'Malley's insistence as he feels that otherwise the art will stagnate and eventually lose its effectiveness. It is for this reason that Pat O'Malley and many of the senior instructors are constantly seeking out more information and more styles to train and develop their own skills with and better teach the traditional arts of the Philippines. The organization has grown from just one Rapid Arnis club in England to at least 25 clubs in England, 2 clubs in Scotland, 1 club in Ireland and most recently 2 clubs in New Zealand.

Xingyiquan

Xingyiquan (Chinese: 形意拳; pinyin: Xíng yì quán; Wade-Giles: Hsing I Ch'üan) is one of the major "internal" (nèijiā) Chinese martial arts. Xingyiquan translates approximately to "Form/Intention Boxing", or "Shape/Will Boxing", and is characterised by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power.


Its origins are traceable to the 18th century[citation needed]. There is no single organisational body governing the teaching of the art, and several variant styles exist.


A Xingyiquan fighter uses coordinated movements to generate bursts of power intended to overwhelm the opponent, simultaneously attacking and defending. Forms vary from school to school, but include barehanded sequences and versions of the same sequences with a variety of weapons. These sequences are based upon the movements and fighting behaviour of a variety of animals. The training methods allow the student to progress through increasing difficulty in form sequences, timing and fighting strategy.


Contents

1 History
2 Characteristics and Principles
3 Overview
3.1 Five Element Forms
3.2 Animal Forms
3.3 Branches
3.4 Weapons
4 Famous Figures
5 Important Texts
6 Recent History
7 Disputed history
8 See also
9 References
10 Bibliography/Further reading
10.1 Published works
10.1.1 Translated Works
10.1.2 English Works
11 External links
11.1 Articles
11.2 Discussion Sites
11.3 Videos

History


The "Four Generals of Zhongxing" painted by Liu Songnian during the Southern Song Dynasty. Yue Fei is the second person from the left. This portrait is believed to be the "truest portrait of Yue in all extant materials."[1]
Although the exact origin of Xingyiquan is uncertain, the earliest written records of Xingyiquan can be traced to the 18th century to Ma Xueli of Henan Province and Dai Longbang of Shanxi Province. Legend, however, credits the invention of Xingyiquan to the renowned Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) general Yue Fei. According to the book Henan Orthodox Xingyi Quan written by Pei Xirong (Chinese: 裴锡荣) and Li Ying’ang (Chinese: 李英昂), Xingyi Master Dai Longbang

"...wrote the Preface to Six Harmonies Boxing in the 15th reign year of the Qianlong Emperor [1750]. Inside it says, '...when [Yue Fei] was a child, he received special instructions from Zhou Tong. Extremely skilled in spearfighting, he used the spear to create fist techniques and established a skill called Yi Quan [意拳]. Meticulous and unfathomable, this technique far outstripped ancient ones."


Throughout the Jin, Yuan and Ming Dynasties few had his art, one of them being Ji Gong [Ji Longfeng]. After Yue Fei's death, the art was lost for half a millennium. Then, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Shaanxi Province's Zhongnan Mountains, Yue Fei's boxing manual was discovered by Ji Longfeng (also known as Ji Jike) of neighbouring Shanxi Province.


Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming argues that aspects of Xingyiquan (particularly the animal styles) are identifiable as far back as the Liang Dynasty at the Shaolin Temple.[4] Yue Fei, therefore, did not strictly invent Xingyiquan, but synthesised and perfected existing Shaolin principles into his own style of gongfu which he popularised during his military service. Nonetheless, according to Yang, Yue Fei is usually identified as the creator because of his considerable understanding of the art (as shown in the work The Ten Theses of Xingyiquan, credited to Yue) and his cultural status as a Chinese war hero.


Other martial artists and historians of Chinese martial arts, such as Miller, Cartmell, and Kennedy, hold that this story is largely legendary; while xingyiquan may well have evolved from military spear techniques, there is no period evidence to support that Yue Fei was involved or that the art dates to the Song dynasty. These authors point out that the works describing Yue Fei's role or attributed to him long postdate his life (some being as recent as the Republican era), and that it was common practice in China to attribute new works to a famous or legendary personage, rather than take credit for one's self.[citation needed] One source claims that the author of the "preface" is unknown, since no name is written on the manuscript. Most practitioners just assume it was written by Dai Longbang. Some martial researchers believe that it was actually written in Shanxi during the final years of the 19th century.[5] In addition, historical memoirs and scholarly research papers only mention Zhou Tong teaching Yue archery and not spear play.[6][7] Yue historically learned spear play from Chen Guang (陈广), who was hired by the boy’s paternal grandfather, Yao Daweng (姚大翁).[8][9]


With the late Ming-era and Ji Longfeng, evidence for the art's history grows firmer. Ji Longfeng's contributions to the art are described in the Ji Clan Chronicles (姬氏族谱; pinyin: Ji Shi Jiapu). Like the Preface, the Chronicles describes Xingyiquan as a martial art based on the combat principles of the spear. The Chronicles, however, attributes this stylistic influence to Ji himself, who was known as the "Divine Spear" (神槍; pinyin: Shén Qiāng) for his extraordinary skill with the weapon.


The master who taught Xingyiquan to Ma Xueli is conventionally identified as Ji Longfeng himself. However, the traditions of the Ma family itself say only that Xueli learned from a wandering master whose name is unknown. Ji Longfeng referred to his art as Liu He, The Six Harmonies.


The Preface identifies Cao Ji Wu as a student of Ji Longfeng and the master who taught Xingyiquan to Dai Longbang. However, other sources identify Dai's teacher variously as Li Zheng or Niu Xixian.
Xingyiquan remained fairly obscure until Li Luoneng (also known as Li Nengran) learned the art from the Dai family in the 19th century. It was Li Luoneng and his successors—which include Guo Yunshen, Li Cunyi, Zhang Zhaodong, Sun Lutang, and Shang Yunxiang—who would popularise Xingyiquan across Northern China. Sun Lutang exchanged knowledge with Fu Chen Sung, who subsequently took this branch of h'sing yi ch'uan to southern China.

Tai chi chuan

Tai chi chuan

Tai chi chuan (traditional Chinese: 太極拳; simplified Chinese: 太极拳; pinyin: tàijíquán; Wade-Giles: t'ai4 chi2 ch'üan2) is classified as Wudangquan or an internal Chinese martial art. Tai chi is typically practised for a variety of reasons: its soft martial techniques, demonstration competitions, health and longevity. Consequently, there exist a multitude of training forms, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims. Some of Tai chi chuan's training forms are well known to Westerners as the slow motion routines that groups of people practice together every morning in parks around the world, particularly in China.


Today, tai chi has spread worldwide. Most modern styles of tai chi trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu/Hao, Wu and Sun. Who actually created tai chi is a subject of much argument and speculation. However, the oldest documented tradition is that of the Chen family from the 1820s


Contents

1 Overview
2 History and styles
2.1 Family tree
2.2 Notes to Family tree table
3 Philosophy
4 Training and techniques
5 Modern tai chi
5.1 Tai chi as sport
6 Health benefits
7 Tai chi chuan in fiction
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
10.1 Videos of the major family styles

Ninjutsu


Ninjutsu
Ninjutsu (忍術, Ninjutsu?) sometimes used interchangeably with the term ninpō (忍法, ninpō?) is the martial art practiced by the shinobi (also commonly known (outside of Japan) as the ninja). While there are several styles of modern ninjutsu, according to the Koryu.com, none can claim to be related to the historic practice of Ninjutsu in Japan so as to be considered a koryū.[1]

Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
3 18 Ninjutsu Skills (Ninja Jūhakkei)
4 Schools of Ninjutsu
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

History
Ninjutsu was developed by groups of people mainly from the Iga Province and Kōka, Shiga of Japan. Throughout history the shinobi have been seen as assassins, scouts and spies. They are mainly noted for their use of stealth and deception. They have been associated in the public imagination with activities that are considered criminal by modern standards. Throughout history many different schools (ryū) have taught their unique versions of ninjutsu. An example of these is the Togakure-ryū. This ryū was developed after a defeated samurai warrior called Daisuke Togakure escaped to the region of Iga. Later he came in contact with the warrior-monk Kain Doshi who taught him a new way of viewing life and the means of survival (ninjutsu) [5].
Ninjutsu was developed as a collection of fundamental survivalist techniques in the warring state of feudal Japan. The ninja used their art to ensure their survival in a time of violent political turmoil. Ninjutsu included methods of gathering information, and techniques of non-detection, avoidance, and misdirection. Ninjutsu can also involve training in disguise, escape, concealment, archery, medicine, explosives, and poisons. [6]
Skills relating to espionage and assassination were highly useful to warring factions in feudal Japan. Because these activities were seen as dishonorable Japanese warriors hired people who existed below Japan's social classes to perform these tasks. These persons were literally called "non-humans" (非人, hinin?).[7] At some point the skills of espionage became known collectively as ninjutsu. And the people who specialized in these tasks were called shinobi no mono. Somewhat later they were called ninja.
Eventually ninjutsu became so essential to warfare that some samurai began to practice these techniques. Finally they incorporated ninjutsu training into their formal martial arts schools (ryū).[7]
"Ninjutsu" should refer only to a specific branch of Japanese martial arts. Otherwise the word ninjutsu can be used in a historical sense.

Northern Praying Mantis


Northern Praying Mantis
Northern Praying Mantis (Chinese: 螳螂拳; pinyin: tánglángquán; literally "praying mantis fist") is a style of Chinese martial arts, sometimes called Shandong Praying Mantis after its province of origin. It was created by Wang Lang (王朗) and was named after the praying mantis, an insect, the aggressiveness of which inspired the style. One Mantis legend places the creation of the style in the Song Dynasty when Wang Lang was supposedly one of 18 masters gathered by the Abbot Fu Ju (福居), a legendary persona of the historical Abbot Fu Yu (福裕) (1203-1275), to improve Shaolin martial arts.[1] However, most legends place Wang Lang in the late Ming Dynasty

Jeet Kune Do


Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do (Chinese: 截拳道 Cantonese: Jitkyùndou Pinyin: Jiéquándào, lit. "Way of the Intercepting Fist"), also Jeet Kun Do or JKD, is a martial arts system developed by martial artist and actor Bruce Lee.[2]
In 2004, the Bruce Lee Foundation decided to use the name Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do to refer to the martial arts system that Lee founded. "Jun Fan" was Lee's Chinese given name, so the literal translation is "Bruce Lee's Way of the Intercepting Fist."

Contents
1 Lee's philosophy
2 System
3 Principles
3.1 Be like water
3.2 Economy of motion
3.2.1 Stop hits & stop kicks
3.2.2 Simultaneous parrying & punching
3.2.3 No high kicks
3.3 Learn the 4 ranges of combat
3.4 Five Ways Of Attack
3.5 Three Parts of JKD
3.6 Centerline
4 Branches
5 Bruce Lee
5.1 Quotes
6 References
7 See also
8 External links

Hapkido


Hapkido
Hapkido (also spelled hap ki do or hapki-do) is a dynamic and eclectic Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, pressure points, throws, kicks, and other strikes. Hapkido practitioners train to counter the techniques of other martial arts as well as common "unskilled" attacks. There are also traditional weapons including short stick, cane, rope, sword and staff which vary in emphasis depending on the particular tradition examined.
Although hapkido contains both long and close range fighting techniques, the purpose of most engagements is to get near for a close strike, lock, or throw. Hapkido emphasizes circular motion, non-resisting movements, and control of the opponent. Practitioners seek to gain advantage through footwork and body positioning to employ leverage, avoiding the use of strength against strength.
The art evolved from a base of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu or a closely related jujutsu system, though its history is obscured by the historical animosity between the Korean and Japanese peoples following the Second World War. Over the years it has added additional striking techniques.


The spelling of hapkido (합기도) in Chinese characters is exactly the same as the pre-1946 rendering of aikido, 合氣道, the Korean pronunciation of 合 being hap (while in Japanese kun'yomi it is au). 合 hap means "harmony", "coordinated", or "joining"; 氣 ki describes internal energy, spirit, strength, or power; and 道 do means "way" or "art", yielding a literal translation of "joining-energy-way", but it is most often rendered as "the way of coordinating energy", "the way of coordinated power" or "the way of harmony".

Contents
1 Name
2 History and Major Figures from Korea
2.1 Choi Yong Sul
2.2 Suh Bok Sub
2.3 Kim Moo Hong
2.4 Ji Han Jae
2.5 Myung Jae Nam
2.6 Lim, Hyun Soo
3 Principles
4 Techniques
4.1 Kicking
4.2 Hand strikes
4.3 Joint manipulation techniques
4.4 Throwing techniques
4.5 Weapons
5 Training
5.1 Example Curriculum
6 See also
7 References
7.1 Further reading
8 External links

Brucelee

Silambam


Silambam
Silambam (Tamil: சிலம்பம்) or Silambattam (Tamil: சிலம்பாட்டம்) or Chilambam, is a traditional Dravidian martial art based on stick fighting. This style supposedly originates from the Kurinji Hills in present day Kerala, 5,000 years ago, where natives used bamboo staves to defend themselves against wild animals. As per Sangam literature, the Kurinji Hills was one of the five physiographic divisions within Tamilakam, which became known as Keralam after the arrival of Brahmins. The Narikuravar of the Kurinji Hills used a staff called Chilambamboo as a weapon to defend themselves against wild animals, and also to display their skill during their religious festivals. The Hindu scholars and yogies who went to the Kurinji mountains to meditate got attracted by the display of this highly skilled spinning Chilambamboo.
1 Overview
1.1 Beginners
1.2 Unique Nature Of Silambam.
1.3 Versatility of Silambam
2 History
3 References
4 External links
5 See also

Modern Arnis


Modern Arnis
Modern Arnis is the system of Filipino martial arts founded by the late Remy Presas as a self-defense system. His goal was to create an injury-free training method as well as an effective self-defense system in order to preserve the older Arnis systems. The term Modern Arnis was also used by Remy Presas' younger brother Ernesto Presas to describe his style of Filipino martial arts; since 1999 Ernesto Presas has called his system Kombatan. It is derived principally from the traditional Presas family style of the Bolo (machete) and the stick-dueling art of Balintawak, with influences from other Filipino and Japanese martial arts.
1 Modern Arnis Training
2 History
3 Belt ranks
4 See also
5 External links
5.1 Modern Arnis Organizations
5.2 Other links

Sanshou


Sanshou
Sanshou (Chinese: 散手; pinyin: sǎnshǒu; literally "free hand") or Sanda (Chinese: 散打; pinyin: sǎndǎ; literally "free fighting") is a modern Chinese hand to hand combat, self-defense system, and combat sport. Not seen as an independent style, it is rather considered just one of the components of Chinese martial arts (Kung fu) and is normally taught alongside other wushu. The term Sanda has a longer history and is more commonly used. Sanshou was the official name given to the martial art when it was formalized and standardized by the Chinese government. Later the official name reverted back to Sanda.

It is composed of some aspects of traditional martial arts fighting styles in China, but mainly based on scientific one-on-one combat efficiency. Sanshou is composed of Chinese martial arts applications including most aspects of combat including striking and grappling. Sanda tournaments are one of the two sport wushu disciplines recognized by the International Wushu Federation.[1]

Sanshou's history involved barehanded or lei tai fights in which no rules existed. However, as a competitive event sanshou developed in the military as these bouts were commonly held between the soldiers to test and practise barehanded martial skills, ability and techniques. Rules were developed and the use of protective gloves etc. was adopted. It was originally used by the Kuomintang at the first modern military academy in Whampoa in the 1920s[2]. Later it was also adopted as a method by the People's Liberation Army of China.

One can see Sanshou as a synthesis of traditional Chinese kung fu fighting techniques into a more amorphous system and is commonly taught alongside traditional Chinese styles which Sanshou techniques, theory and training methods are derived from. The emphasis of Sanshou is on realistic fighting ability.

As an unarmed self-defense, close combat system, Sanshou includes da (punches), ti (kicks), shuai (grappling), and na (throws, locks, chokes). Sanda unlike other stand up fighting styles, has a very great emphasis on throws. One of its most distinguished techniques is the "kick catch". When the one person kicks and the person performing the throw catches the kick and then trips the person kicking when he's on one leg. While other kickboxing styles, such as Muay Thai also allow this, the kick catch is emphisized in San Shou because of the importance it is given by the judges.

Main Taolu Events
Changquan • Dao • Qiang • Jian • Gun
Nanquan • Nandao • Nangun
Taijiquan • Taijijian

Sparring

Egyptian stick fencing

Egyptian stick fencing

Egyptian stick fencing is an ancient martial arts dance. It is practiced during religious ceremonies, processions, and as sport or game, dating back to ancient Egypt. It is also one of the oldest forms of martial arts in the world and the oldest Egyptian martial arts dance.
Contents
1 History
2 Today
3 The stick
4 Adaptions
4.1 Music
5 See also
6 Notes
7 References
History

The ancient Egyptians performed stick fencing or stick fighting as a form of entertainment.[1] This type of fencing was probably based on actual fighting systems used in combat with a shield and a sword - as with the wooden bokken or bamboo shinai in kendo - which then evolved into a system with its own rules and methods. The fighting stick does not appear to have been used as a battlefield weapon; rather it was used primarily as a training tool and/or for sport.[2] There were advantages of teaching stick fighting, along with other combat sports such as a wrestling, the main advantage being that the Egyptian army could be kept trained and ready for war. In many respects it resembles the sport of single stick.

Some assumptions have to be made in order to understand the stick fighting technique of the ancient Egyptians. Their rules were probably simple and few, and there are two schools of thought on the main objective: the contest was one of either endurance or skill. There is stronger evidence, however, that the game was one of skill and that striking the head was a primary goal.
Stick fighting has a long history in Africa and it's origins as mentioned above can be found woven in to its many cultures and societies.

The art of stick fighting in Egypt around the twenty-first dynasty might have been similar to kenjutsu of Japan where a wooden bokken is used. A curved stick resembling the rungu of eastern Africa with out the knobbed end was used in conjunction with a shield. Shabbako Sabtah, Shebitku Sabbtecha, and Tantamun Taiharcha reputedly saved Jeruselem and Egypt more than once from the attacks of Sanachareb, and later, Esshardon of Assyria using this system of combat.[citation needed]
Sabbekka and other wrestling or grappling systems also used daggers, but in practice used small sticks to limit serious harm to practitioners.

Wrestling



Wrestling

Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two unarmed persons, in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of their opponent. Physical techniques which embody the style of wrestling are clinching, holding, locking, and leverage. Avoiding techniques likely to lead to serious injury, ritual fighting, but its basic principles are closely related to those of military hand-to-hand combat or self-defence systems. Many styles of wrestling are known all over the world and have long histories, and sport wrestling (particularly amateur wrestling) has been an Olympic sport for over one hundred years.

Contents
1 History
1.1 Ancient
1.1.1 Middle and Far East
1.1.2 Mediterranean
1.2 Middle Ages
1.3 Modern
2 Etymology
3 International disciplines (non-folk styles)
3.1 Greco-Roman
3.2 Freestyle
3.3 Grappling
3.4 Beach wrestling
3.5 Sambo
4 Folk style disciplines
5 Collegiate wrestling
6 Professional wrestling
7 Puroresu
8 As a martial art
9 See also
10 Notes
11 External links

History


Jacob Wrestling with the Angel; illustration by Gustave Doré (1855)
Middle and Far East
The Epic of Gilgamesh in Sumerian literature features its hero Gilgamesh establishing his credibility as a leader after wrestling Enkidu. Other sculptures and literature from ancient Mesopotamia show that wrestling was held in popularity.[1] One other early (probably circa 1500 BC) description of wrestling appears in the Old Testament book of Genesis 32:22-32. The passage depicts the patriarch Jacob wrestling with the Angel, for which Jacob was subsequently renamed Israel. (Israel translates to "wrestles (or strives) with God".)[2]
The Mahabharata, one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, describes the encounter between the accomplished wrestlers Bhima and Jarasandha; "grasping each other in various ways by means of their arms, and kicking each other with such violence as to affect the innermost nerves, they struck at each other's breasts with clenched fists. With bare arms as their only weapons roaring like clouds they grasped and struck each other like two mad elephants encountering each other with their trunks".[3] The popular folk wrestling style of India performed on a mud surface called the akhara follows the Indian tradition.
Shuai Jiao, a wrestling style originating in China, is arguably the most ancient of all Chinese martial arts, with a reported history of over 4,000 years. (The date may be legendary, but wrestling was reportedly used by the Yellow Emperor during his fight against the rebel Chih Yiu and his army in 2697 BC.) During these matches, the combatants reportedly wore horned helmets that they used to gore their opponents while using a primitive form of grappling. This early style of combat was first called Jiao Ti (butting with horns). Throughout the centuries, the hands and arms replaced the horns while the techniques increased and improved. The name Jiao Ti also changed over time, both through common usage and government decree.


Catch wrestling
Catch wrestling is a popular style of wrestling. Catch wrestling is arguably the ancestor of modern professional wrestling and mixed martial arts competitions. Catch wrestling's origins lie in a variety of styles, most notably the regional wrestling styles of Europe, particularly the British Isles (e.g. Collar-and-elbow, Lancashire catch-as-catch-can wrestling etc.) and Asia (e.g. pehlwani). 'Collar-and-elbow' refers to the initial hold of the wrestlers.
The term is sometimes used in a restricted sense to refer only to the style of professional wrestling as practiced in United States carnivals just before and after 1900. Under this stricter definition, "catch wrestling" is one of many styles of professional wrestling, specifically as practiced in carnivals and at public exhibitions from after the US Civil War until the Great Depression.
There are a number of modern submission wrestling enthusiasts whose foundation lies in catch wrestling as well as no small number whose training "lineage" traces back to catch-wrestling
.
Catch wrestling and judo
Although catch wrestling did not normally include kicks and blows, it is credited as one of the two disciplines involved in one of the 20th century's first major cross-cultural clash of styles in Martial Arts, occurring between the American catch wrestler Ad Santel and the Japanese Tokugoro Ito, a 5th degree black belt in Judo.
The match in 1914 was one between two prime representatives of their respective crafts, Ad Santel was the World Light Heavyweight Champion in catch wrestling while Tokugoro Ito claimed to be the World Judo Champion. Santel defeated Ito and went on to be the self proclaimed World Judo Champion. The response from Jigoro Kano's Kodokan was swift and came in the form of another challenger, 4th degree black belt Daisuke Sakai. Santel, however, still defeated the Kodokan Judo representative.
The Kodokan tried to stop the legendary hooker by sending men like 5th degree black belt Reijiro Nagata (who Santel defeated by TKO). Santel also drew with 5th degree black belt Hikoo Shoji. The challenge matches stopped after Santel gave up on the claim of being the World Judo Champion in 1921 in order to pursue a career in full time professional wrestling. Although Tokugoro Ito avenged his loss to Santel with a choke, thus setting the record between them at 1-1, official Kodokan representatives proved unable to imitate Ito's success. Just as Ito was the only Japanese judoka to overcome Santel, Santel was ironically the only Western catch-wrestler on record as having a win over Ito, who also regularly challenged other grappling styles.
The impact of these performances on Japan was immense. The Japanese were fascinated by the European form of catch wrestling and a steady stream of Japanese fighters traveled to Europe in order to either participate in various tournaments or to learn catch wrestling at European schools such as Billy Riley's Snake Pit in Wigan, England.

Taekkyeon

Taekkyeon
Taekkyeon is a traditional Korean martial art with a dance-like appearance, probably stemming from Subak. It is uncertain when Subak was first practiced in Korea, but it may have existed many centuries ago. The first source mentioning Taekkyon is the book Manmulmo (also Jaemulmo), written around 1790 by Lee, Sung-JiTaekkyeon is also frequently romanized informally as Taekkyon or Taekyon.
Techniques
Taekkyon contains all kinds of techniques, including hand and leg techniques as well as joint locks, head butts and so on. However, today there are different styles which sometimes do not emphasize all techniques. In all styles, just like in past centuries, kicks are most dominant. Taekkyon teaches a great variety of kicks, especially low kicks (ddanjuk) but also jumps.
Taekkyon movements are very fluid and dance-like with the practitioners constantly moving. Thus, it resembles Capoeira and Shaolin Kung Fu. While some people see a certain similarity to the motions of Taekwondo, the techniques and principles differ a lot from those of other Korean martial arts. For example, Taekkyon does not make use of abrupt knee motions. The principles and methods used to extend the kick put more emphasis on fluency and pushing rather than on speed and strength of the kick.
Taekkyon uses many sweeps with straight forward low kicks using the ball of the foot and the heel and flowing crescent-like high kicks. There are many kicks that move the leg outward from the middle and inward from the outside using the side of the heels and the side of the feet. The art also uses tricks like inward trips, wall-jumping, fake-outs, tempo, and slide-stepping. The art is also like a dance in which the fighter constantly changes stance from left to right by stepping forward and backwards with arms up and ready to guard. This art requires traditional Korean white robes.
Low kicks, very frequent in Taekkyon, are used to disable an opponent's balance and knock him to the ground. These kicks include leg sweeps as well as direct blows to the knee. There are around 10 different basic techniques of this set of techniques called ddanjuk.
As a sport
When Taekkyon is practiced as a sport, it uses a limited subset of techniques, focusing on grappling and kicking only. Points are scored by throwing (or tripping) the opponent to the ground, pushing him out of the ring, or kicking him in the head. There are no hand strikes or headbutts, and purposefully injuring your opponent is prohibited. (The head kicks are often quite sharp, but usually not full force, and fighters may not attempt to wear the opponent down with body blows as in western boxing or muay thai). Matches are sometimes decided by the best of three falls -- the first fighter to score two points wins. However, different modern associations employ slightly different rules. To an untrained eye, the matches are cautious but exhilarating affairs. The contestants circle each other warily, changing their footwork constantly and feinting with low kicks, before exploding into a flurry of action which might leave one fighter flat on his/her back.

Shaolin Kung Fu

Shaolin Kung Fu

Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery. Of the tens of thousands of kung fu wu shu styles, several hundred do, in fact, have some relationship to Shaolin; however, aside from a few very well known systems, such as Shaolin Five Animal, the 108 Movements of the Wooden Man Hall, Enchanted Staff, White Eyebrow, etc., it would be almost impossible to establish a verifiable connection to the Temple for any one particular art.


Internal and external arts

Huang Zongxi described Chinese martial arts in terms of Shaolin or external arts versus Wudang or internal arts in 1669. It has been since then that Shaolin has been popularly synonymous for what are considered the external Chinese martial arts, regardless of whether or not the particular style in question has any connection to the Shaolin Monastery. Some say that there is no differentiation between the so-called internal and external systems of the Chinese martial arts while other well known teachers have expressed differing opinions. For example, the Taijiquan teacher Wu Jianquan:

Those who practice Shaolinquan leap about with strength and force; people not proficient at this kind of training soon lose their breath and are exhausted. Taijiquan is unlike this. Strive for quiescence of body, mind and intention.

In 1784 the Boxing Classic: Essential Boxing Methods made the earliest extant reference to the Shaolin Monastery as Chinese boxing's place of originAgain, this is a misconception, as Chinese martial arts pre-date the construction of the Shaolin Temple by at least several hundred years.

History

The attribution of Shaolin's martial arts to Bodhidharma has been discounted by some 20th century martial arts historians, first by Tang Hao on the grounds that the Yì Jīn Jīng is a forgery The oldest available copy was published in 1827and the composition of the text itself has been dated to 1624.

Huiguang and Sengchou were involved with martial arts before they became two of the very first Shaolin monks, reported as practicing martial arts before the arrival of Bodhidharma. Sengchou's skill with the tin staff is even documented in the Chinese Buddhist canon.

Records of the discovery of arms caches in the monasteries of Chang'an during government raids in 446 AD suggests that Chinese monks practiced martial arts prior to the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery in 497.]Monks came from the ranks of the population among whom the martial arts were widely practiced prior to the introduction of Buddhism. There are indications that Huiguang, Sengchou and even Huike, Bodhidarma's immediate successor as Patriarch of Chán Buddhism, may have been military men before retiring to the monastic life. Moreover, Chinese monasteries, not unlike those of Europe, in many ways were effectively large landed estates, that is, sources of considerable regular income which required protection.

In addition, the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue, the Bibliographies in the Book of the Han Dynasty and the Records of the Grand Historian all document the existence of martial arts in China before Bodhidharma. The martial arts Shuāi Jiāo and Sun Bin Quan, to name two, predate the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery by centuries

List of styles presently taught at the temple
Xiaohongquan - Small 'Hong' fist
Dahongquan - Big 'Hong' fist (after Hong Hei Kwang 洪熙官, a Shaolin boxer, not a monk)
Tongbeiquan - Through the back fist
Liuhebafa Chuan - Six harmonies fist
Taizu Changquan - Emperor Taizu's long fist( this refers particularly to the 1st Emperor of Sung dynasty who was a military commander)
Qixingquan - Seven star fist
Da paoquan - Big cannon fist
Xiao paoquan - Small cannon fist
Changhu xinyi men - The heart will protect the gate
Meihuaquan - Plum flower fist
Luohan - Arhat (enlightened follower of Buddha) fist
Tongzigong - Shaolin child training
Dan Dao - Single sabre technique
Loong – Dragon technique
Chi Lu Chuan - 8 Animal
72 Shaolin Arts

Sanshou

Sanshou
(Chinese: 散手; pinyin: sǎnshǒu; literally "free hand") or Sanda (Chinese: 散打; pinyin: sǎndǎ; literally "free fighting") is a modern Chinese hand to hand combat, self-defense system, and combat sport. Not seen as an independent style, it is rather considered just one of the components of Chinese martial arts (Kung fu) and is normally taught alongside other wushu. The term Sanda has a longer history and is more commonly used. Sanshou was the official name given to the martial art when it was formalized and standardized by the Chinese government. Later the official name reverted back to Sanda.




It is composed of some aspects of traditional martial arts fighting styles in China, but mainly based on scientific one-on-one combat efficiency. Sanshou is composed of Chinese martial arts applications including most aspects of combat including striking and grappling. Sanda tournaments are one of the two sport wushu disciplines recognized by the International Wushu Federation.[1]

Sanshou's history involved barehanded or lei tai fights in which no rules existed. However, as a competitive event sanshou developed in the military as these bouts were commonly held between the soldiers to test and practise barehanded martial skills, ability and techniques. Rules were developed and the use of protective gloves etc. was adopted. It was originally used by the Kuomintang at the first modern military academy in Whampoa in the 1920s[2]. Later it was also adopted as a method by the People's Liberation Army of China.

One can see Sanshou as a synthesis of traditional Chinese kung fu fighting techniques into a more amorphous system and is commonly taught alongside traditional Chinese styles which Sanshou techniques, theory and training methods are derived from. The emphasis of Sanshou is on realistic fighting ability.

As an unarmed self-defense, close combat system, Sanshou includes da (punches), ti (kicks), shuai (grappling), and na (throws, locks, chokes). Sanda unlike other stand up fighting styles, has a very great emphasis on throws. One of its most distinguished







Wing Tsun Kung Fu

WingTsun
WingTsun Kung Fu (alternatively Wing Tsun, 詠春, "spring chant" is a branch of the Chinese martial arts commonly known as Wing Chun, led by Leung Ting. It should be noted that the characters (永春) "forever spring" are also phonetically spelled Wing Tsun, Wing Chun, Ving Tsun, Ving Chun, Weng Chun, etc. All are various English romanizations of the same two sounds, wing6[1] chun1[2] in Yale romanization of Cantonese pronunciation, the first of which can be one of at least two different words depending on context. This leads to much confusion and argument, and variations of both the original characters and the various romanized spellings are in wide use by the various branches of the Wing Chun family tree. More information about the different branches of this martial art family can be found on the main Branches of Wing Chun page. There is also a city 永春, (literally, "Eternal Spring") in Fujian Province, China. Some martial arts originating there, such as White Crane Weng Chun (Yong Chun) have the characters as part of the name to identify the place they come from, rather than due to a relation with the Wing Chun martial art. [3]
Likewise, the characters (永春) "forever spring" are also used in other southern Chinese martial arts, including Jee Shim Weng Chun (Yong Chun).
The particular phonetic spelling of 詠春 as Wing Tsun was picked by the branch founder Leung Ting to differentiate his branch from the others. WingTsun (without a space) is the trademarked form used by the International WingTsun Association (IWTA) and is the preferred form when mentioning the organization

Introduction
Principles
Fighting Principles
Energy Principles
Training
Lat Sao
Chi Sao
Forms
Wooden Dummy
Grading System
Grading சிஸ்டம்
Titles
A student's title in the class is determined by their grade and their relationship to the individual that is addressing them. The title naming system is based upon the Chinese family names - showing its origins in tight knit, usually cover, groups - and students who have spent longer training under a teacher are usually referred to as "older".
There are several commonly used titles in Wing Tsun:
Sifu (師父) - Father/Teacher. Si (師) means teacher. fu (父) means father.
Sisok (師叔) - Younger Uncle (the Sifu's Sidai).Sok means "younger uncle".
Dai Sihing (大師兄) - Eldest (kungfu) brother - normally, the student who has been with Sifu the longest. Dai (大) means "oldest,or the first"
Sihing - Elder Brother
Sije (師姐) - Elder (kungfu) Sister
Simui (師妹)- Younger Sister
Sidai (師弟) - Younger Brother
Todai (徒弟) - Student
There are also other titles that, while used, are much less likely to be found in a training environment and used by students.
Sijo (祖) - Great Grandfather
Sigung (公) - Grandfather (the Sifu's Sifu)
Dai Sifu - Eldest teacher (Teacher of Teachers), The Sigung's oldest student who is a Sifu, or that has a certain number of Students he has trained to Sifu level.
Sibak (伯) - Elder Uncle (the Sifu's Sihing)
The convention is that a students relationship can be described in how the title is written. For example, all Sifu's use that title, but a student will refer to their specific sifu as "si-fu" likewise a students direct sihing would be written "si-hing" - a subtle way of signifying familiarity.
Sifu
The title of Sifu signifies that the martial artist is an officially recognized and proven teacher. The minimum official IWTO requirements for a Sifu title are as follows:
The teacher must be at least 28 years old
The teacher has achieved the 3rd Technician Level and has held it for at least 1 year
The teacher has brought at least one student from 1st Student Level to 1st Technician Level (normally at least a four year process)
The teacher has at least 50 students
Traditionally the prospective Sifu also gives his Sifu a present. This is a personal gift between teacher and student, so raw monetary value is not always a factor, however it usually is a significant item.
As the title is a sign of peer recognition of the instructor's teaching abilities, on some very rare occasions there are exceptions and the Sifu title had been granted when the teacher had 2nd Technician Level for at least a year[However this is exceedingly rare, and even exceptional martial artists such as Heinrich Pfaff who taught full-time at the Langenzell Castle headquarters for over 10 years, had 3rd Technician Level when recognized as a Sifu.
Different organizations have differing Sifu requirements, for example The National WingTsun Organization (NWTO) requires 100, or more, active students within the teacher's network of schools, and they must have produced at least five 1st Grade Technician Level students.
Other requirements may be stipulated by different schools (such as total number of students). The UK National WingTsun Organization (NWTO) requires that the candidate have 100 (500?) or more active students within the teacher's network of schools, and that the candidate must have produced at least five 1st Technician Level students.
Usually students who have been with a teacher since before they gained the title of Sifu will still call the teacher by the title Sihing (or Sije), since that was their relationship when they started training. All new students, however, will address the teacher by their new title.

The world of martial arts


Arnis

Aikido



Aikido
Aikido (合気道, aikidō?) is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying (with) life energy"[1 or as "the Way of harmonious spirit."Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury.

Aikido is performed by blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on. The aikidoka (aikido practitioner) "leads" the attacker's momentum using entering and turning movements. The techniques are completed with various throws or joint locks. Aikido can be categorized under the general umbrella of grappling arts.

Aikido derives mainly from the martial art of Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu, but began to diverge from it in the late 1920s, partly due to Ueshiba's involvement with the Ōmoto-kyō religion. Ueshiba's early students' documents bear the term aiki-jūjutsu. Many of Ueshiba's senior students have different approaches to aikido, depending on when they studied with him. Today aikido is found all over the world in a number of styles, with broad ranges of interpretation and emphasis. However, they all share techniques learned from Ueshiba and most have concern for the well-being of the attacker.
History
Morihei Ueshiba, founder of aikido.Aikido was created by Morihei Ueshiba (植芝 盛平 Ueshiba Morihei, 14 December 1883–26 April 1969), referred to by some aikido practitioners as Ōsensei ("Great Teacher").[12] Ueshiba envisioned aikido not only as the synthesis of his martial training, but also an expression of his personal philosophy of universal peace and reconciliation. During Ueshiba's lifetime and continuing today, aikido has evolved from the koryū (old-style

Wingchung


Wing Chun

Wing Chun, occasionally romanized as Ving Tsun or "Wing Tsun" (literally "spring chant" and alternatively as "forever spring", or substituted with the character for "eternal springtime")is a Chinese martial art that specializes in aggressive close-range combat.
The characters (永春) "forever spring" are also associated with some other southern Chinese martial arts, including Jee Shim Weng Chun (Yong Chun) and White Crane Weng Chun (Yong Chun).

History

The history of most martial arts, including Wing Chun, has historically been passed from teacher to student as an oral history rather than through written documentation, making it difficult to confirm or clarify the differing accounts of Wing Chun's creation. Some have sought to apply the methods of higher criticism to the oral histories of Wing Chun and other Chinese martial arts Others have attempted to discern the origins of Wing Chun by determining the specific purpose of its techniques. Wing Chun starts to appear in independent third-party documentation during the era of the Wing Chun master Leung Jan, making the subsequent history of Wing Chun and its divergence into branches more amenable to documentary verification.
The common legend involves Yim Wing Chun (Wing Chun literally means beautiful springtime or everlasting spring). A young woman who has rebuffed the local warlord's marriage offer, and he says he'll rescind his proposal if she can beat him in a fight. She asks a local buddhist nun, Ng Mui, to teach her boxing, the style they develop enables Yim Wing Chun to defeat the warlord and she marries her sweetheart and teaches him the style which he names after her.
It should be noted that the system was developed during the Shaolin and Ming resistance movement against the Qing Dynasty and thus many legends about the creator of Wing Chun were spread to confuse the enemy, including the story of Yim Wing Chun, this may have contributed to why no one has been able to accurately determine the creator or creators of Wing Chun.

Forms
Both the Way Yan (Weng Chun) and Nguyễn Tế-Công branches use different curricula of empty hand forms. The Tam Yeung and Fung Sang lineages both trace their origins to Leung Jan's retirement to his native village of Gu Lao, where he taught a curriculum of San Sik.
The Siu Lien Tao (Little First Training) of Cho Ga Wing Chun is one long form that includes movements that are comparative to a combination of Siu Nim Tao, Chum Kiu, and Biu Jee of other families. The other major forms of the style are Sui Da ("Random Striking"), Chui Da ("Chase Striking"), Fa Kuen ("Variegated Fist"), Jin Jeung ("Arrow Palm"), Jin Kuen ("Arrow Fist"), Joy Kuen ("Drunken Fist"), Sup Saam Sao ("Thirteen Hands"), and Chi Sao Lung ("Sticking Hands Set").

Tangsoodo

Tang Soo Do

Tangsoodo or Tang Soo Do is an empty handed, Korean martial art of self defense. For other uses see Tang Soo Do (disambiguation). Grand Master Jae C. Shin is the Grand master of the world tang soo do association, headquartered in United States.


காங்ட்டேன்த்ஸ்

1 Name
2 Founder
3 Early history
4 20th Century
5 Modern Tang Soo Do
6 Belt System
7 Kata, Forms, or Hyeong
7.1 Gicho/Kicho Hyung
7.2 Pyong Ahn Hyung
7.2.1 Pyung Ahn Cho Dan
7.2.2 Pyung Ahn Ee Dan
7.2.3 Pyung Ahn Sahm Dan
7.2.4 Pyung Ahn Sah Dan
7.2.5 Pyung Ahn Oh Dan
7.3 Naihanchi/Naebojin/Keema hyeong
7.4 Bassai/Passai/Palche/Bal Sak hyeong
7.5 Sip Soo/Ship Soo hyeong
7.6 Chinto/Jindo/Jinte hyeong
7.7 Chil Sung and Yuk Ro hyeong
8 Il Soo Sik
9 References
10 See also
11 External links

Name

Tang Soo Do (Hangul: 당수도) is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese characters 唐手道. In Japanese, these characters mean "karate-do", but in contemporary Japanese karate-do is written with different characters (空手道). The Japanese pronunciation of both sets of characters is the same, but the newer version means "Way of the Empty Hand" rather than "Way of the T'ang (China) Hand", although it could also be interpreted as "Way of the China Hand".
Prior to the unification of the Kwans under the Korea Taekwondo Association, most of the major Kwans called their style Tang Soo Do, Kong Soo Do, or Kwon Bup. The first recorded use of the term "Tang Soo Do" in contemporary history was by Chung Do Kwan founder, Won Kuk Lee. The Chung Do Kwan, along with the rest of the Kwans, stopped using the name 'Tang Soo Do' and 'Kong Soo Do' when they unified under the name Taekwondo (and temporarily Tae Soo Do). The Moo Duk Kwan, being loyal to Hwang Kee, pulled out of the Kwan unification and remained independent of this unification movement, continuing to use the name 'Tang Soo Do'. Some Moo Duk Kwan members followed Hwang's senior student, Chong Soo Hong, to become members of a unified Taekwondo. Their group still exists today and is known as Taekwondo Moo Duk Kwan (Moo Duk Hae) with an office in Seoul, Korea.
The late Hwang Kee officially changed the name of the Moo Duk Kwan style to Soo Bahk Do as early as 1957, shortly after his discovery of Korea's indigenous open hand fighting style of Subak. This change was officially registered, and the Moo Duk Kwan refiled with the Korean Ministry of Education on June 30, 1960. The organization was officially reincorporated as the "Korean Soo Bahk Do Association, Moo Duk Kwan."
Most schools of Tang Soo Do use the transcription "Tang Soo Do". However, scientific texts apply the official transcription 'tangsudo', written as one word. Some authors write "Tang Soo Do" and give "tangsudo" or "dangsudo" in the parenthesis.

SIlat

Silat
Silat is an umbrella term used to describe the martial art forms practiced throughout the Malay Archipelago. Internationally it is now called Pencak Silat. Silat is a combative art of fighting and survival and it has been evolved in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam civilizations for centuries into social culture and tradition. During the colonization era, both in Malaysia and Singapore as British Colonies and in Indonesia as Dutch colonies, practitioners (locally known as pesilat) used the martial art as a form to liberate[citation needed] from foreign authorities.

The distinctive forms of silat with other Asian martial arts, such as kung fu, tae kwon do or karate, lie on the cultural aspect. Silat is not only for combative purposes. When accompanied with traditional instruments, such as kendang, silat transforms into a folk dance. In Minangkabau area (the West Sumatra province of Indonesia), silat was the oldest men's tradition known as silek and it is one of the components to perform the Minangkabau folk dance of randai.[1] In Malaysia, one form of silat known of silat pulut also shows the harmonic silat styles as a dance accompanied by traditional instruments, and so in Brunei Darussalam "silat cakak" also performed with the presence of "gulintangan". A silat form in West Java province of Indonesia, known as pencak, is usually accompanied with music, notably by the traditional Sundanese suling instrument.

History
Silat spread throughout the Malay Archipelago since the seventh century AD, but its origin is still uncertain. However, silat has been acknowledged as a genuine Malay art.[3] Malay people that have inhabited coastal cities of Sumatra island and Malay peninsula, from Aceh in the north to Kelantan, Kedah and Riau archipelago in the south, were the people who practiced silat. Contacts with other ethnic groups in the coastal cities had also influenced silat. There is evidence that Chinese and Indian culture had influence the martial art forms.[4] When Islam was spread throughout the archipelago in the fourteenth century, it was taught alongside with silat. Besides as a combative art and cultural folk dance, silat then became a spiritual training.[5]

Silat was gradually refined into the specialized property of sultans, panglima (general) and pendekar (warriors) during the Malacca Sultanate, Majapahit and Srivijaya empires. It was the time when silat spread through Malay peninsula, Java, Bali, Sulawesi and Borneo. Malays, in particular in Malay peninsula, considers the legendary story of Hang Tuah of the fourteenth century as the father of silat.[4]
Silat shares the same history in Malaysia (incl. Singapore and Brunei) and Indonesia during the colonization era as a form to liberate from foreign authorities.[4] During post colonization era, silat has been evolved into formal martial arts. National organizations were formed, such as in Malaysia: Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA), in Indonesia: Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia (IPSI), in Singapore: Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSIS), in Brunei Darussalam: Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB), as well as tens of silat organizations in US and Europe. Silat is now officially included as part of the sport game, particularly during the Southeast Asian Games.

Kobudo


Okinawan kobudō
Okinawan kobudō (古武道; also known as Ryūkyū Kobujutsu, Koryū, or just as Kobudō) is a Japanese term that can be translated as "old martial way of Okinawa". It generally refers to the classical weapon traditions of Okinawan martial arts, most notably the rokushakubo (six foot staff, known as the "bō"), sai (short unsharpened dagger), tonfa (handled club), kama (sickle), and nunchaku (nunchucks), but also the tekko (knuckledusters), tinbe-rochin (shield and spear), and surujin (weighted chain). Less common Okinawan weapons include the tambo (short staff) and the eku (boat oar of traditional Okinawan design).

காங்ட்டேன்த்ஸ்

1 History
2 Weapons and kata
2.1 Bō
2.2 Sai
2.3 Tonfa
2.4 Nunchaku
2.5 Kama
2.6 Tekko
2.7 Tinbe-rochin
2.8 Surujin
2.9 Eku
2.10 Tambo
2.11 Kuwa
2.12 Nunti
2.13 Sansetsukon
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

Kickboxing


Kickboxing

Kickboxing is a descriptive term for martial arts that, while similar to boxing, use the feet just like the hands to hit. Kickboxing can be practiced for general health, or as the fight sport.

Kendo


Kendo
Kendo (剣道, kendō?), or "way of the sword", is the Japanese martial art of fencing. Kendo developed from traditional techniques of Japanese swordsmanship known as kenjutsu.
Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sporting-like physical elements.
Practitioners of kendo are called kendōka (剣道家, kendōka?), meaning "one who practices kendo", or kenshi (剣士, kenshi?), meaning "swordsman".
Kendo is practiced wearing traditionally styled clothing and protective armour (bōgu), using one or two bamboo swords (shinai) as weapons. Kendo may be seen as a Japanese style of fencing. However, the movements in kendo are different from European fencing because the design of the sword is different, as is the way it is used. Unlike western style fencing, kendo employs strikes with a defined 'edge' and tip of the shinai. Kendo training is quite noisy in comparison to other martial arts or sports. This is because kendōka use a shout, or kiai, to express their spirit, and when a strike or cut is performed, the front foot contacts the floor in a motion similar to stomping, called fumikomi-ashi.

There are estimates that about eight million people world-wide practice kendo, with approximately seven million in Japan. The "Kodansha Meibo" (a register of dan graded members of the All Japan Kendo Federation) shows that as of January 2003, there were 1.3 million registered dan graded kendo practitioners in Japan. The number of kendo players not yet graded to a dan level is not included: those kendōka would outnumber considerably the dan graded players.
Kendo is one of the modern Japanese budō and embodies the essence of Japanese fighting arts.

Contents

1 The concept and purpose of kendo
1.1 The concept of kendo
1.2 The purpose of kendo
2 History
3 Equipment and clothing
4 Modern practice
5 Competition
6 Grades
7 Kata
8 Outside Japan
9 See also
10 Notes and references
11 External links

Kenopo

Kenpō


Kenpō (拳法, Kenpō?) is a term used to refer to a wide variety of martial arts, and is sometimes used as a blanket term for martial arts in general. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "quánfǎ. This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo," as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization (which provides for use of the letter "m" when ん precedes a labial consonant such as "p"), but failing to a macron to indicate the long vowel. The generic nature of the term combined with its widespread, cross-cultural adoption in the martial arts community has led to many divergent definitions.


Contents


1 Japanese Usage
2 Hawaiian and American Kenpō
3 Okinawan/Ryukyuan Usage
4 Schools
5 References

Taekwondo


Taekwondo


Taekwondo (also spelled tae kwon do, taekwon-do, or more exactly taegwondo[1]) is a martial art (system of fighting) of Korean origin, similar enough to the Japanese karate. It is based on the utilization of the hands and feet in order to attack or to be defended from an adversary, although some techniques use fingertips, elbows, or knees in order to strike the opponent. Taekwondo is a national sport in South Korea, kyeorugi is a sport event in the Olympic Games. In the Korean alphabet hangeul, tae (跆) signifies "to strike with the foot"; gwon (拳) to "strike with the hand"; and do (道) signifies "way", "road" or "route". Taekwondo can therefore be translated as "way of the foot and of the fist".
Taekwondo refers to a great tradition of Korean martial arts (higher or under 2000 years), but exists in its current form only near 50 years. Today, it has been changed into a sport practiced very much. In the Olympic Games of Seoul 1988 and of Barcelona 1992 it became Olympic sport of exhibition and at present it has come to be Olympic sport of competition.

Taekwondo associations
There are several world-wide taekwondo associations. The most known of them are:
World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). It promotes Olympic version of taekwondo.
International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). After the death of its founder, ITF has been divided into several organizations - each of them claims to be authentic.
Global Taekwon-Do Federation (GTF)
Tae Kwon Do International (TI)

Jujutsu



Jujutsu
Jujutsu (柔術, jūjutsu?) listen (help·info), literally meaning the "art of softness", is a Japanese martial art consisting of grappling and striking techniques. Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for dispatching an armed and armored opponent in situations where the use of weapons was impractical or forbidden. Due to the difficulty of dispatching an armored opponent with striking techniques, the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against him, rather than directly opposing it, and came to be known as jujutsu.[1]
There are many variations of the art, which leads to a diversity of approaches. Jujutsu schools (ryū) may utilize all forms of grappling techniques to some degree (i.e. throwing, trapping, joint locking, holds, gouging, biting, disengagements, striking, and kicking). In addition to jujutsu, many schools taught the use of weapons.
Today, jujutsu is still practiced both as it was hundreds of years ago, but also in modified forms for sport practice. Derived sports forms include the Olympic sport and martial art of judo, which was developed from several traditional styles of jujutsu by Kano Jigoro in the late 19th century; and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which was in turn derived from judo.
History
Origins
Jujutsu was first developed by Samurai. Fighting forms have existed in Japan for centuries. The first references to unarmed combat arts or systems is in the earliest purported historical records of Japan, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), which relate the mythological creation of the country and the establishment of the imperial family. Other glimpses can be found in the older records and pictures depicting sumai (or sumo) no sechie, a rite of the Imperial Court in Nara and Kyoto performed for purposes of divination and to help ensure a bountiful harvest.
There is a famous story of a warrior Nomi no Sekuni of Izumo who defeated and killed Tajima no Kehaya in Shimane prefecture while in the presence of Emperor Suinin. Descriptions of the techniques used during this encounter include striking, throwing, restraining and weaponry.
The term "jūjutsu" was not coined until the 17th century, after which time it became a blanket term for a wide variety of grappling-related disciplines. Prior to that time, these skills had names such as "short sword grappling" (小具足腰之周, kogusoku koshi no mawari?), "grappling" (組討 or 組打, kumiuchi?), "body art" (体術, taijutsu?), "softness" (柔 or 和, yawara?), "art of harmony" (和術, wajutsu?), "catching hand" (捕手, torite?), and even the "way of softness" (柔道, jūdō?) (as early as 1724, almost two centuries before Kano Jigoro founded the modern art of Kodokan Judo).[2]
These systems of unarmed combat began to be known as Nihon koryu jūjutsu (Japanese old-style jujutsu), among other related terms, during the Muromachi period (1333-1573), according to densho (transmission scrolls) of the various ryuha (martial traditions) and historical records. Most of these were battlefield systems to be used with the more common and vital weapon systems. These fighting arts had various names, including kogusoku, yawara, kumiuchi, and hakuda, all under the general description of Sengoku jūjutsu. They were not systems of unarmed combat, but means for an unarmed or lightly armed warrior to fight a heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. Ideally, the samurai would be armed and would not need to rely on them.
Methods of combat (as just mentioned above) included striking (kicking and punching), throwing (body throws, joint-lock throws, unbalance throws), restraining (pinning, strangulating, grappling, wrestling) and weaponry. Defensive tactics included blocking, evading, off-balancing, blending and escaping. Minor weapons such as the tanto (dagger), ryufundo kusari (weighted chain), kabuto wari (helmet smasher), and kakushi buki (secret or disguised weapons) were almost always included in Sengoku jujutsu.

Judo



Judo
Judo, meaning "Gentle Way" comes from the ancient Samurai art in Japan, named Jujitsu.
Jujitsu was a deadly art that used chokes, throws, joint locks, and strikes to knock out or kill opponents. Kano Jigoro who created Judo, took the safest techniques from Jujitsu and combined them to create this new Japanese martial art.
Judo is very scientific in its training methods and fighting techniques.

Fencing



Fencing

In the broadest possible sense, fencing is the art of armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or bludgeoning weapons directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot, thrown or positioned. Examples include swords, knives, pikes, bayonets, batons, clubs, and similar weapons. In contemporary common usage, "fencing" tends to refer specifically to European schools of swordsmanship and to the modern Olympic sport that has evolved out of them.
Fencing is one of the four sports which has been featured at every modern Olympic Games. Currently, three types of weapon are used in Olympic fencing:

Foil — a light thrusting weapon; the valid target is restricted to the torso; double touches are not allowed (see priority rules below).
Épée — a heavy thrusting weapon; the valid target area covers the entire body; double touches are allowed.
Sabre — a light cutting and thrusting weapon; the valid target area includes almost everything above the waist (excluding the back of the head and the hands); double touches are not allowed (see priority rules below).

double touches are not allowed (see priority rules below).
Etymology: The word 'fence' was originally a shortening of the Middle English 'defens', that came from an Italian word, 'defensio', in origin a Latin word. The first known use of defens in reference to English swordsmanship is in William Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor: 'Alas sir, I cannot fence.'[1]

Contents
1 History
1.1 Renaissance
1.2 Early modern period
1.3 1800 to 1918
1.4 1918 to present
2 Forms of fencing
2.1 Competitive fencing
2.2 Fencing as a Western martial art
2.3 Other forms of fencing
3 Modern weapons
3.1 Foil
3.2 Épée
3.3 Sabre
4 Protective clothing
5 Practice and techniques
5.1 Protocol
5.2 Priority ("right of way") rules
5.3 Scoring
5.4 Techniques and tactics
5.5 Competition formats
6 University and School Fencing
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
9.1 Olympic fencing
9.2 Governing bodies for other forms
9.3 Other sites