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Does Wahnam encourage its students to participate in competitions?
I wouldn't say encourage, but I wouldn't say discourage either. Some of the students favour competitions and some don't. Some of the instructors favour competitions and some don't.
To allow students to have the neccessary skills and training to enter such competitions successfully and honestly, the Warrior Project was formed. Not everyone who participates in the Project wishes to enter competitions, but the emphasis for the training is on rules-based sparring.
It would be great if it get accepted into the olympics.
Afraid I don't agree at all. It will, as has been said elsewhere, make people even more convinced that Kung Fu is demonstrative show dance form and not a genuine Martial Art.
I was wondering . If a genuine Kung Fu practitioner entered the Olympics , why would it not be possible to then demonstrate to the public what real Kung Fu is all about , by showing the demonstrative form for what it is ( not effective ) ?
If a genuine Kung Fu practitioner entered the Olympics , why would it not be possible to then demonstrate to the public what real Kung Fu is all about , by showing the demonstrative form for what it is
Hello everyone. I would like to share a little of what I know from my time training in Modern Wushu.
With Modern Wushu, the gymnastic overtones are so strong that it is hard to see the 'application' behind each movement. However, it is important to note that they are there (as Sifu has kindly pointed out on numerous occasions).
It is also to the credit of Modern Wushu that, while the weapons are light and even flimsy, they do allow the individual to develop great facility and coordination.
In Wushu circles these days, it is a well-known fact that there are two main divisions: Modern Wushu and Traditional Kungfu. Students can register to compete in either category. Taijiquan and styles of kungfu like Hung Gar, Eagle Claw etc., fall under the Traditional Kungfu group. So, if you were to go to a typical wushu competition, it would be easy to see certain students, having been well-trained by their masters, display genuine "gong" in their sets (Traditional Kungfu category).
Furthermore, I personally know more than eight Modern Wushu students who have received training in traditional kungfu (two of them were ranked in the top 5 in the World Wushu Championships for several years running; they were trained in genuine zhan zhuang).
No judge or spectator at a wushu competition would make the mistake of thinking that Modern Wushu was a replacement or representative of genuine tradtional kungfu. In fact, the majority of the judges and coaches of Modern Wushu are trained and well-versed in many other styles: faziquan, baguazhang, xingyi, taijqiuan, hung gar, wing chun, white crane, eagle claw, etc.
What is gained from Modern Wushu are the following:
superb physical coordination,
outstanding flexibility,
great stamina and focus,
impeccable sense of spacing and timing,
ability to remember complicated forms,
proficiency in weapons,
an experiential understanding of how to execute a series of moves without overexertion of the muscles.
The tendency for those who have only trained in traditional kungfu is to view each movement in a set as being separate from the next. It takes a long time before the understanding arises that all moves are merely transient captions on a reel of film. For a Modern Wushu practitioner, this is not an issue. Rather, he/she comes to view the movements as a 'flow' that alternately rolls forward, explodes, pauses, settles and rolls forward again.
I'd like to offer an analogy:
Some people might argue that the only way to sing 'authentically' is to sing opera. They might even go so far as to say that all other kinds of singing is a slight on the classical way of singing. Personally, I do sing opera, and personally, I do think that it is a genuine way to free the voice to make an authentic sound. But, I will not forget that I started out singing pop, the blues, then jazz, then musical theatre. These genres are all valid and have much to offer. Who would dare to call Louis Armstrong a fake? Who would dare to say that Diana Krall lends a bad name to genuine music? These artists, along with the various genres, have added much to the legacy of music.
Just as it is important for me to remember and acknowledge what each musical genre has taught me, it is equally important for me to stand up and say that Modern Wushu is valid and has its merits: it gave me excellent grounding in the vocabulary of kungfu.
If Modern Wushu does receive approval from the Olympic committee for the 2008 Games, I think that it would do a lot to further the wonders of kungfu and the world of martial arts. Every style serves a purpose: some may just be train stations along the way (like Modern Wushu), while others encompass the railroad itself (Shaolin Kungfu).
Best wishes,
Emiko
Last edited by Emiko H; 12 November 2004, 05:54 AM.
Thanks to all who have participated in this interesting thread. I enjoyed reading it!
Beausimon,
I've done Modern Wushu for about six years and maybe I can offer some input regarding Wushu and the Olympics. I haven't been in Wushu circles for some time now (about 4 years), but I hope to help to give some insight.
In most Wushu national and international competitions during the time I was still training Wushu, there are usually 11 or more events held. Here's a list of events that are usually mandatory:
As you can see, there's considerable number of events. I heard rumblings that the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, wanted to reduce the number of events in the Olympics overall. Thus, due to pressures from the IOC, rumours suggest that a number of events had to be combined or removed. It was a good possibility that the Sanshou event was to be removed and shift the focus on forms competition.
Please keep in mind that this information is about 4 years old now and things may be different now. However, I hope this post helps you to understand Wushu competitions.
And Emiko, thank you for sharing your Wushu experience!
Best Wishes,
Mike.
Last edited by YunXiang; 12 November 2004, 07:27 AM.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us.
I am curious to ask, out of all the various events in which you competed (and I believe you won numerous medals for them ), may I ask which category you enjoyed the most?
During my wushu competition days, I specialised in Changquan (Long Fist), Dao (Knife), and Qiang (Spear). Out of these three specialisations, I enjoyed Changquan the most. However, I did enjoy the rare occasion when I competed in Nanquan (Southern Fist) and Gun (Staff).
Sanshou is normally "lumped" into the agenda of Wushu tournaments, so it might wind its way into the 2008 Olympics. I was part of the audience in the 2000 World Wushu Championships in Hong Kong.
From what I've seen, participants use a mix of kick-boxing with throwing techniques. They wear boxing gloves and do not employ kung-fu stances. Competition was held on a square stage, raised slightly, with no ropes (so it was possible to be thrown or pushed off).
Thank you for the cearest explanation I have seen of the benefits to be gained through Wushu - I am reminded that (apparently) the best sports preparation for young children is ballet (one learns cordination, balance etc etc).
I have always been suspicious of this T/C/M/Arts X Good (for everything ) Y Bad type logic. Of course X might be better than Y for a specific purpose (bu then again Y better than X for a different purpose), but in practice if one does almost anything to a high level one will find great benefits.
Keep up your enhanced posting activity!
Mike
"If you realised how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought." Peace Pilgrim.
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), may I ask which category you enjoyed the most?
) Y Bad type logic. Of course X might be better than Y for a specific purpose (bu then again Y better than X for a different purpose), but in practice if one does almost anything to a high level one will find great benefits.
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