The Art of Kung Fu
Kung Fu is a specialist martial art form that was born in China many centuries ago. In the world of today, kung fu has become an Olympic sport. From humble beginnings in China to having a worldwide audience today, kung fu has become a fixture in many people's lives. There is a quality to martial arts and especially kung fu that has captivated people for centuries. The movement of the body, the ability to gain strength and defend against attack and the inner peace that it brings have made it one of the most popular forms of martial arts around today.
Kung fu is actually not a form of fighting but is more than that. According to a research, the term 'Kung Fu' does not relate to any specific form of martial art, but rather translates as a ‘skill’ or ‘ability’. The research also states that kung fu probably originated from ancient people who had to defend themselves from other tribes, animals and other predators. Since kung fu is a very powerful way to defend oneself against attacks of any kind, it slowly developed from the natural threats that people had to face. The true origins of kung fu predate recorded history.
The birthplace of kung fu was in the mountains of ancient China. These mountains held Shoalin temples that held the secrets to this art form. One of the first temples to start practising kung fu was one that almost didn't get it. "According to the manual script Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks (AD 645) by Daoxuan, the Shaolin temple was built in the 20th year of the Taihe era of the Northern Wei Dynasty in AD 497”. Altough no one can be sure of it but legend has it that this temple was visited by a travelling Indian monk named Bodhidarma (also known as Da Mo). He was initially rejected from joining the temple but was later inducted when the temple priest learned of his skills. Da Mo taught the monks basic yoga principles that were amended to get the monks in shape and make them fitter. Thus from an Indian travelling yogi, the martial art of kung fu was born.
There are many different styles of kung fu that are practised today. Some of them will be recounted in more detail here. The crane is an impressive style which is Tibetan in origin. The origin of this style is that an old monk would frequently meditate near a pond and one day he saw a bear attacking a crane. The crane was able to evade the bear's attack and pecked at the bear and the bear retreated. From this viewing the old man developed the style that is today called the crane. "Major characteristics of this system include wide-armed, wing-like movements, high kicking, and the crane's beak, a hand weapon made by joining the fingertips firmly”.
Another interesting style is called the Tiger style. The style originated after closely examining the ferocious attacks of the tiger, the emphasis being the deadly counter-attack. “Its primary hand weapons are the closed fist and the tiger claw while kicking manoeuvres are usually low to middle range kicks of great power”. All of these different styles have their origins from watching the movements and the attacking styles of different animals. They are the most easily observable natural form of attack and defence that humans had in ancient times and they adapted the attacking style of animals to suit their needs.
There is a bit of difference between the modern martial art of kung fu used in competition and the ancient form of the sport that is still practised in the Shoalin temples of China. Kung fu is called ‘wushu’ in the East and it is called kung fu in the West. “Chinese ‘wushu’ belongs to competitive sports, whereas Shoalin wushu belongs to traditional martial arts. The two have different natures, standards and connotations”. It seems the modern form of the sport has been adapted and changed to fit modern athletic competition needs while the ancient form is still used as a means of reaching inner harmony.
This great martial art will continue to grow and develop in the modern format. But there will also always be an ancient format practised in the mountains of China that is passed down from generation to generation. Both forms have their place in the world and both are beautiful and distinctive forms of an ancient discipline.
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