Martial Arts

China is the home of an astounding number of styles, forms and schools of martial arts. Each type is unique and some even have their own philosophies or religious principles. Studying these art forms in China gives students the opportunity to study various martial arts in their land of origin, and to learn from masters in the field.


Kung Fu

Kung Fu is actually a broad category of many different styles of Chinese martial arts, some ancient and others of more recent modern, so defining it extremely difficult. Kung fu can include weapons training and various elements of Chinese philosophy. All forms of Kung Fu seek to discipline the mind and body and prepare its students for armed and unarmed hand-to-hand combat.
 

Wushu

Wushu is an internationalized, standardized form of various other Chinese martial arts. The sport itself has two branches. Taolu is a gymnastics-like style that incorporates difficult physical patterns and manoeuvres into a performance art. Sanda is a fighting discipline that is similar to kickboxing but is also highly influenced by Chinese boxing and grappling techniques. Flexibility is key to Wushu, and can be done barehanded or with weapons of various sizes.

Wushu is an international sport and there are practitioners worldwide. It is also highly organized, and a World Wushu Championship is held every two years.

 
Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a relatively new martial art, though its complete origins are unknown. Tai Chi focuses on using an opponent’s strength against him, using neutralizing techniques rather than brute force. This martial art has a strong grounding in Taoist philosophy and emphasizes training the mind as much as the body.

Tai Chi incorporates certain special techniques. These techniques include a focus on correct breathing, correct posture and smooth, fluid movements. This is coupled with combat-oriented training, and are said to improve mental agility and the ability to cope with stress.