Martial arts

Wushu is a Chinese term which is basically built of two word combinations “wu” which refers to martial and “shu” which stands for arts, so it generally refers to any type of martial arts on the globe . Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do, Defendo, Krav Maga, Kombato and more. Unlike kung fu, the term wushu is topically dedicated to what it refers to, while kung fu on the other hand, literally means a skill, just any skill. For example you can say of a doctor or a teacher “he has a good kung fu” which means skill, if he is talented in his field, but you can’t say he has a good wushu. Though nowadays wushu refers to the recent sport, namely “wushu sport ” and also called “contemporary wushu ” or “modern wushu ” which was created by People’s Republic of China after 1949, which is a combination of traditional Chinese martial arts.

Wushu’s earlier development was to enhance the opportunity of living, like killing animals for food, combat against others, live tough situations and more. There are still a lot of wushu styles in china which can be generally divided into few branches in terms of geographical region and in terms of methods. Geographically, wushu is categorised as northern style wushu and southern style wushu which basically refers to Northern Shaolin temple and southern Shaolin temple, although in the modern meaning of wushu, the term encompasses any style that originates either from the south or the north. The basic difference between this two styles is that the southern wushu style emphasizes hand skills, tough arms and a steady, ingrained stance and footwork. However, the northern style focus more on jumps, kicks and rapid movements.

Some examples of the northern Chinese wushu styles include Changquan, Tanglangquan, Chuojiao, Bajiquan, Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Bayingquan, and Yingzhaoquan and some of the southern styles include Hung Gar, Wing Chun, and Choy Lay Fut.

In terms of methods, wushu can be divided into internal soft styles like Taijiquan which focus on the balance of body energies, control of movements and the concept of QI and External or hard styles which are topical fighting styles focusing on speed, strength, deep explosive power and vigor. External styles include all other types of Wushu, except for, Liu He Ba Fa, Baguazhang ,Xingyiquan, and Taijiquan.

Most of these styles and other Chinese martial arts have practical applications which are known as forms, or “taolu” in Chinese. Forms are series of techniques and movements which are to be performed alone or with one or more partners. This form is divided into two parts; forms that are performed by one parson and “sparring” forms which are performed by two or a group of people.

The other side of the training are “basics” which include exercises for strong and flexible muscles. such as various exercises for strengthening the body, and regular stretching for flexible muscles. Most of Chinese martial arts also uses weapon training normally chines traditional weapons like Changsuijian (Long-Tasseled Sword) Shuangshoujian (Two-Handed Sword) Jiujiebian (Nine Section Whip) Sanjiegun (Three Section Staff) Shengbiao (Rope Dart) Dadao (Great Sword) Pudao (Pu Sword) Emeici (Emei Daggers) Shuangdao (Double Broadsword) Shuangjian (Double Sword) Shuangbian (Double Nine Section Whips) Shuanggou (Double Hooksword).

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Martial Arts

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People love debate! Some will argue over anything and everything; just to be difficult. I’m one of them! One debate I hear continuously is what is the most effective combat martial art?

No simple answer to this question exists, but depending on your goals almost any art will suffice. The most effective art is the one you enjoy and will stick with.

There are some things to consider when you are thinking about beginning training in the martial arts, or switching from one art to another.

THE ART OR THE ARTIST

It is my belief that the heart of the person who studies a martial art is more important than the martial art itself. This is especially true if you are studying martial arts to use in a real world combat scenario. A dangerous man is a dangerous man, no matter what style he has chosen to study.

I have seen black belts who were practically unable to defend themselves when confronted with a violent attacker. They were mentally unable to apply the moves they had studied. They were awesome in the dojo, but were helpless in the real world.

Conversely, I have seen people with little formal training defend themselves effectively. What did these people have that the black belts didn’t? They had the mental toughness needed to respond aggressively to their attackers.

REALITY-BASED TRAINING

The best way to overcome this inability to apply a technique in an actual situation is to use reality-base training.

Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall, the U. S. Army’s official historian, discovered only 15 percent of soldiers actually fired their weapons with the intent to kill the enemy.

As a result, the U. S. Army altered its training methods. They changed from traditional bull’s-eye targets to popup targets. In this new training the soldier is trained to engage the target as it appears. Since the target is available for a short time, soldiers must quickly identity and engage the target. This conditions them to engage targets that mimic human shape.

Using this type of training the U. S. Army increased combat effectiveness from 15 percent, to over 55 percent in Korea and an astounding 95 percent in Vietnam!

REALITY-BASED MARTIAL ARTS

Many martial arts are so grounded in the past that they are unable to adapt to modern combat situations. This doesn’t mean they aren’t worth studying, but you need to know what you are getting.

For instance, Tae Kwon Do is a wonderful art form. But it just doesn’t translate well into street situations.

There are several forms of unarmed combat that utilize reality-based training to enhance the ability of their students to apply the techniques. To qualify as a reality-based martial art, the style must spend a significant amount of time allowing its students to actually fight.

A REALITY-BASED STYLE

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the styles that utilize this kind of training. Practitioners of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu spend a significant amount of time practicing their techniques on each other. This practice is often at full speed, with the students stopping just prior to actually harming one another. Trust is important here.

When I studied Tae Kwon Do and Karate we sparred infrequently, and under very restricted conditions. Since these are striking art forms, I understand and approve of the tight control of the sparring bouts.

Unlike Tae Kwon Do and Karate, students of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can workout against each other every class. This enables them to learn to apply their techniques against live resisting targets.

This training allows them to develop a sense of what works in a confrontation. When they are forced into a situation where they need to defend themselves, there is a smaller gap between what they do in the gym and what they need to do on the street.

WHICH ART IS BETTER

We can debate over and over about which art is better. Simply put, the best art is the one you enjoy and can stay with long enough to gain mastery and achieve your goals.

Never forget that when it comes to self defense the heart of the practitioner is more important than the martial art itself.

***

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Being the author of several books on the martial arts and fighting, I am always looking for books of exceptional quality to add to my library. If I have a book in my library, it’s definitely worth owning. One such book is Marc “Animal” MacYoung’s, “Pool Cues, Beer Bottles, and Baseball Bats.”

As you may well know from my previous reviews of Marc’s books, one of the things that I absolutely love about his style of writing, is his no-holds barred direct approach to getting his point across. There is never any sugarcoating or politically correct terminology is his books. He simply tells it like it is, whether you like it or not. Marc’s method of writing reminds me of the comical rants of George Carlin. You may be offended by what he says, but by golly it’s the truth. And yes, sometimes the truth hurts.

Once again, Marc gives you a no-holds barred look at the reality of fighting and surviving on the street. This book focuses on the most common types of weapons you are likely to encounter during an altercation on the street. For the most part, Marc leaves out the two most common ones, guns and knives. The reason for this is because these two are deserving of book all of their own. One of which I know Marc has addressed, as that particular book is on my “To Do” list.

In the preface, Marc discusses the intent of his book, which is for you the reader to use the knowledge contained within to keep yourself safe and out of trouble. It is not intended nor implied for you to go out and start causing it. As I was making notes to do this review, it occurred to me that what Marc and others like him are trying to teach you is similar to what the late Steve “The Crocodile Hunter” Irwin was trying to teach all of us that watched him work with animals.

First, that these are wild animals (violent and unpredictable individuals) and need to be treated with respect. Secondly, if you know the “ins and outs” (what to look for when dealing with this type of person) of the animal, then you will be able to identify and avoid a possible dangerous confrontation.

This last part is strictly Marc’s and others like him, and is not Irwin’s by any stretch of the imagination.

And finally, when unable to avoid a confrontation, what options you have to inflict as much damage upon your opponent as you can while sustaining minimal damage to yourself.

In the first chapter, Marc talks about the vital importance of awareness not only of your surroundings, but also of yourself. He teaches you some of the subtle and not-so-subtle cues that people tend to give off when preparing to attack. He also goes into patterns of trouble, which are a series of events that seem to always follow one after another on a one way course to trouble. With you usually right in the middle of it. One of the ways to avoid these things is to be aware of it. Hence, the lesson to be learned in this section, taking the time to work on your awareness.

The next chapter deals with long range weapons you are likely to encounter. Things such as pool cues, staffs or poles, shovels, etc. The remaining chapters in this book are broken down into various sections that focus on a wide variety of weapons, such as swords, sticks. Marc also goes into quite a bit of detail on impact weapons such as; wrist pins, brass knuckles, rings, saps, etc. Marc even has a chapter dealing with flexible weapons such as chains and ropes. As with all of his books, and this one is no exception, Marc gives you a real good understanding of the principles behind the techniques that he discusses and demonstrates in his books.

Marc’s final chapter in this book deals with diversions and distractions that you are likely to encounter during a street altercation. Some of them are obvious, while others are not so obvious. As Marc is fond of saying (and completely right) awareness is the key to survival. Buy Marc’s books, read them, study them, learn from them, and then use that knowledge to stay safe and live longer.

Shawn Kovacich has been practicing the martial arts for over 25 years and currently holds the rank of 4th degree (Yodan) black belt in both Karate and Tae Kwon Do. Shawn has also competed in such prestigious full-contact bare knuckle karate competitions as the Shidokan Open and the Sabaki Challenge, among others. In addition to his many accomplishments, Shawn is also a two time world record holder for endurance high kicking as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Shawn is the author of the highly acclaimed Achieving Kicking Excellence

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