An introduction to Contemporary Wushu
What is contemporary wu shu?
To put things simply, contemporary wushu is the modernised version of traditional Shaolin kung fu. It is a modern day sport / martial art rooted firmly in the ancient martial and cultural arts of China. “Wu” translates as “war” or “military”, “shu” translates as “arts” or “skills”. Therefore “wushu” means “martial arts”.
No martial art exemplifies the “art” as much as contemporary wushu does. With its beautiful postures, spectacular jumping techniques and variety of exotic weapons and forms, wushu is both exciting to watch and to do. You may not be familiar with the name but chances are you have already seen some wushu, as it is definitely the current martial art of choice for the movies and media. Wushu is not only about flashy moves, however, the focus of the training is on the development of strong, powerful basics and martial application of the techniques.
Benefits for health and recreation
Contemporary wushu is an excellent form of exercise for men, women and children. Training in wushu improves strength, stamina, agility, flexibility, co-ordination, speed, mental concentration, confidence, spirit and reactions. The movements are interesting to learn and fun to practice. When beginning wushu the majority of training is practiced alone rather than with a partner as the focus is on developing students at their own pace. Only when a student reaches a reasonable level and feels ready in themselves is sparring introduced. Of course, being a martial art it is useful for self defence. Wushu is certainly not an easy art to learn and the training is hard but the rewards are worth the efforts for those who persevere.
Olympic sport of the future
While many people who practice wushu do so for recreation and self defence and will never enter competition, this aspect is of interest to some. The internationally established sport side of wushu is divided into two main categories – “taolu” and “san shou”. Taolu (forms) competition involves a competitor performing a routine of movements, barehand or with a weapon, and they are given a score for their performance based on difficulty, speed, power, martial spirit, etc. “San shou” is free fighting under controlled conditions utilising practical wu shu technique against an opponent - punches, kicks, sweeps and throws are used to score points or knock out the opponent. Weapons are not used in san shou! Wu shu athletes usually specialise in either taolu or sanshou for competition, although some do both.
It has now been confirmed that wushu will not be an official Olympic sport in 2008. But all is not lost, it has also been confirmed that there will be a wushu competition held the same time as the Olympics in Beijing which will be organised by the IOC (Internatonal Olympic Committee). Winners of this competiton will receive medals but these medals will not be counted towards the final tally for the represented countries. This will hopefully give wushu good worldwide coverage and move it a step closer to becoming an official Olympic Sport.
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