Wushu (sport) explained

Wushu
Aka:Kung fu, CMA, WS
Focus:Striking, Grappling, Throwing, Performance Martial Art
Country:China
Famous Pract:See:
Sport
Union:International Wushu Federation
First:China
Country/Region:Worldwide
Contact:Dependent on type of Wushu
Team:Individuals or Team
Mgender:Yes
Category:Martial art
Venue:Taolu Carpet or Lei Tai (fighting arena)
World:inaugurated 1991
Olympic:(Unofficial Sport) 2008
T:武術
S:武术
L:"Martial arts"
P:wǔshù
W:wu3-shu4
Bpmf:ㄨˇ ㄕㄨˋ
Suz:vû-zéh
J:mou5-seot6
Y:móuh-seuht
Tl:bú-su̍t

Wushu, or kung fu, is a competitive Chinese martial art. It integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern Chinese martial arts, including Shaolin kung fu, tai chi, and Wudangquan. "Wushu" is the Chinese term for "martial arts" (武 "Wu" = combat or martial, 術 "Shu" = art), reflecting the art's goal as a compilation and standardization of various styles.

Wushu is practiced both through forms, called taolu, and as a full-contact combat sport, known as sanda.[1] [2] It has a long history of Chinese martial arts and was developed in 1949 to standardize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts,[3] though attempts to structure the various decentralized martial arts traditions date back earlier when the Central Guoshu Institute was established at Nanjing in 1928.

In contemporary times, wushu has become an international sport under the International Wushu Federation (IWUF), which holds the World Wushu Championships every two years. Wushu is an official event at the Asian Games, East Asian Youth Games, Southeast Asian Games, World Combat Games, and in various other multi-sport events.

Etymology

The word (武) means "martial" and is composed of two parts: “walk” or “stop” (止; zhǐ) and “lance” (戈; gē). The term wushu being used for 'martial arts' goes back as far as the Liang Dynasty (502–557) in an anthology compiled by Xiao Tong (蕭通), (Prince Zhaoming; 昭明太子 d. 531), called "Selected Literature" (文選; Wénxuǎn). The term is found in the second verse of a poem by Yan Yanzhi titled: Huang Taizi Shidian Hui Zuoshi (皇太子釋奠會作詩).

The term wushu is also found in a poem by Cheng Shao (1626–1644) from the Ming dynasty.

The earliest term for 'martial arts' can be found in the Han History (206BC-23AD) was "military fighting techniques" (兵技巧; bīng jìqiǎo). During the Song period (circa 960) the name changed to "martial arts" (武藝; wǔyì). In 1928 the name was changed to "national arts" (國術; guóshù) when the National Martial Arts Academy was established in Nanjing. The term reverted to wushu under the People's Republic of China during the early 1950s.

History

In 1958, the Chinese government established an organization for martial arts training. The Chinese State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports led the creation of standardized forms for most of the major arts. During this period, a national wushu system that included standard forms, teaching curriculum, and instructor grading was established. Wushu was introduced at both the high school and university level. This new system sought to incorporate common elements from all styles and forms as well as the general ideas associated with Chinese martial arts. Stylistic concepts such as hard, soft, internal, and external, as well as classifications based on schools such as Shaolin, tai chi, Wudangquan, and others were all integrated into one system. Wushu became the government-sponsored standard for training in martial arts in China.[4] [5] The push for standardization continued leading to widespread adaptation.

In 1979, China's State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports created a special task force for teaching and practice of Wushu. In 1986, the Chinese National Research Institute of Wushu was established as the central authority for the research and administration of wushu activities in China.[6] Changing government policies and attitudes towards sports in general led to the closing of the State Sports Commission (the central sports authority) in 1998. This closure is viewed as an attempt to partially de-politicize organized sports and move Chinese sports policies towards a more market-driven approach.[7] As a result of these changing sociological factors within China, both traditional styles and modern wushu approaches are being promoted by the International Wushu Federation.[8]

Taolu

Wushu events are performed using compulsory or "individual routines" or taolu in competition. Throughout the 1990s until 2005 for international competitions, athletes competed with routines that were choreographed by IWUF assigned coaches or athletes. In November 2003, a major revision in the taolu competition rules occurred: deduction content was standardized, judges' roles were organized and expanded, and the degree of difficulty component, also known as nandu (難度; difficulty movements), was added. This category is worth 2 points of the 10 total. The quality of movements category is worth 5 points, and the overall performance category is worth 3 points. These changes were first implemented at the 2005 World Wushu Championships, and individual routines have become standard where an athlete creates a routine with the aid of his/her coach while following certain rules for difficulty and technical requirements.[9] Only the age group C and B athletes at the World Junior Wushu Championships still compete with compulsory routines at an international level. All junior events including group A athletes (which compete with individual routines), all traditional events, and all non-standard taolu events (ie. Shuangdao, baguazhang, etc.), are judged without the degree of difficulty component.

In addition to events for individual routines, some wushu competitions also feature dual and group events. The dual event, also called duilian (對練), is an event in which there is some form of sparring with weapons or without weapons. The group event, also known as jiti (集體), requires a group of people to perform together and smooth synchronization of actions is crucial. Usually, the group event also allows instrumental music to accompany the choreography during the performance. The carpet used for the group event is also larger than the one used for individual routines. The 2019 World Wushu Championships was the first international wushu competition to feature such an event.

Barehanded

Short weapons

Long weapons

The majority of routines used in the sport are new, modernized recompilations of traditional routines. However, routines taken directly from traditional styles, including the styles that are not part of standard events, may be performed in competition, especially in China. Many of these styles though are events in the World Kung Fu Championships, another IWUF-run event that is exclusively for traditional styles of wushu. The more commonly seen routines include:

Traditional weapons routines

There is also a traditional weapons category, which often includes the following:

Sanda

See main article: Sanda (sport). The other major discipline of contemporary Chinese wushu is known as sanda, yundong sanda (运动散打; yùndòng sǎndǎ, Sport Free-Fighting), or jingzheng sanda (竞争散打; jìngzhēng sàndǎ, Competitive Free-Fighting). Sanda is a fighting method, sport, and applicable component of wushu/kung fu influenced by traditional Chinese boxing, of which takedowns and throws are legal in competition, as well as all other sorts of striking (use of arms and legs). Chinese wrestling methods are called Shuai jiao and other Chinese grappling techniques such as Chin Na. It has all the combat aspects of wushu.sanda appears much like Kickboxing or Muay Thai but includes many more grappling techniques. Sanda fighting competitions are often held alongside taolu or form competitions. Sanda represents the modern development of lei tai contests but with rules in place to reduce the chance of serious injury. Many Chinese martial arts schools teach or work within the rule sets of Sanda, working to incorporate the movements, characteristics, and theory of their style.

Chinese martial artists also compete in non-Chinese or mixed combat sports, including Boxing, Kickboxing, and Mixed Martial Arts. Sanda is practiced in tournaments and is normally held alongside taolu events in wushu competitions. For safety reasons, some techniques from the self-defense form such as elbow strikes, chokes, and joint locks, are not allowed during tournaments. Competitors can win by knockout or points which are earned by landing strikes to the body or head, throwing an opponent, or when competition is held on a raised lei tai platform, pushing them off the platform. Fighters are only allowed to clinch for a few seconds. If the clinch is not broken by the fighters, and if neither succeeds in throwing his opponent within the time limit, the referee will break the clinch. In the U.S., competitions are held either in boxing rings or on the raised lei tai platform. Amateur fighters wear protective gear.

Amateur Sanda allows kicks, punches, and throws. King of Sanda, a competition held in China, is held in a ring similar to a boxing ring in design but larger in dimension. As professionals, they wear no protective gear except for gloves, cups, and mouthpieces, and "Professional Sanda" allows knee and elbow strikes (including to the head) as well as kicking, punching, and throwing.

Some Sanda fighters have participated in fighting tournaments such as K-1, Muay Thai, boxing, and Shoot Boxing. They have had some degree of success, especially in Shoot Boxing competitions, which is more similar to Sanda. Due to the rules of kickboxing competition, sanda fighters are subjected to more limitations than usual. Also, notable competitors in China's mainstream Mixed Martial Arts competitions, Art of War Fighting Championship, and Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation are predominantly of wushu background. Sanda has been featured in many style-versus-style competitions. Muay Thai is frequently pitted against sanda as is karate, kickboxing, and Tae Kwon Do. Although it is less common, some sanda practitioners have also fought in publicly viewed American Mixed Martial Arts competitions.

Competitions

See also: List of international wushu competitions.

Major international and regional competitions featuring wushu include:

Wushu is not a Summer Olympic sport; the IWUF has repeatedly backed proposals for wushu to be added to the Olympic program, most recently as one of eight sports proposed for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. However, it failed to reach the final shortlist, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ultimately voted for the re-inclusion of wrestling instead. Wushu was formally introduced into the Olympics as an exhibition sport in Berlin, in 1936, under Chancellor Hitler's request. In March 2015, IWUF executive vice president Anthony Goh stated that the Federation was planning to propose wushu again for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[10] [11] [12] As part of new IOC rules allowing host committees to accept proposals for new sports to be added to the program (allowing the addition of sports of local interest to the Olympic program under an "event-based" model), in June 2015, wushu was shortlisted again as part of eight sports proposed for inclusion in the 2020 Games in this manner.[13] However, it did not make the final shortlist of five.[14] On 8 January 2020, it was announced by the IOC that Wushu will be added to the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics (which has been rescheduled to 2026).[15]

Owing to its cultural significance in China, the IOC allowed the organizers of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing to hold a wushu tournament in parallel with the Games as a separate eventthe first time that the IOC has allowed such an event.[16] [17] [18]

Wushu was also a demonstration sport at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics at Nanjing, which featured events for Group A athletes who qualified at the World Junior Wushu Championships earlier that year.[19] Wushu was also part of the 2014 Nanjing Sports Lab along with skateboarding, roller skating, and sports climbing.[20]

Notable practitioners

Criticism

Wushu has faced criticism as a competitive sport. It has been criticized by some traditional martial artists for being too commercialized, losing many of its original values, and potentially threatening old styles of teaching. Such critics argue that contemporary wushu helped to create a dichotomy between formwork and combat application.[31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Liu . Melinda . 2010-02-18 . Kung Fu Fighting for Fans . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080830054431/http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/beijingolympics/archive/2008/08/23/kung-fu-fighting-for-respect.aspx . 30 August 2008.
  2. News: Wren . Christopher . 1983-09-11 . Of monks and martial arts . The New York Times . 2010-08-11.
  3. Book: Fu, Zhongwen . Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan. . Blue Snake Books . Louis Swaine . 2006 . 1-58394-152-5 . Berkeley, California . 1996.
  4. Book: Lorge . Peter . Chinese Martial Arts From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century . 2012 . Cambridge University Press . Cambridge . 978-0-521-87881-4 .
  5. Web site: Jiuyou .
  6. Book: Wu Bin. Li Xingdong . Yu Gongbao . 1992. Essentials of Chinese Wushu. Foreign Language Press. Beijing . 7-119-01477-3.
  7. Book: Riordan, Jim. 1999. Sport and Physical Education in China. Spon Press (UK). 0-419-24750-5. p. 15
  8. Minutes of the 8th IWUF Congress. iwuf.org. International Wushu Federation . 9 December 2005 . 2008-08-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070614182537/http://www.iwuf.org/Meetings/8thCongress/minutes.htm . 2007-06-14.
  9. Web site: IWUF Rules of Taolu Competition 2005 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200331141033/http://www.iwuf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rules_of_Taolu-English.pdf . 2020-03-31 . iwuf.org .
  10. Web site: The Summer Olympic Sports of the Future. Fetters. Ashley. 13 August 2012. The Atlantic. 19 May 2015.
  11. Web site: Wushu eyes slot for 2024. The Jakarta Post. 19 May 2015.
  12. Web site: IOC drops wrestling from 2020 Olympics. Staff. 14 February 2013. ESPN. 7 March 2013.
  13. Web site: Olympic Games: Snooker misses out on 2020 Tokyo place. 22 June 2015. BBC Sport. 23 June 2015.
  14. Web site: Olympics: Skateboarding & surfing among possible Tokyo 2020 sports. 28 September 2015. BBC Sport. 29 March 2016.
  15. Web site: Baseball5 and wushu added to Youth Olympic Games programme at Dakar 2022.
  16. News: Kung-fu makes Olympic showcase debut. Madrid. Michael. 21 August 2008. USA Today. 19 May 2015.
  17. News: Rogge says wushu no "Olympic sport" in 2008. 19 May 2015. Xinhua. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20061128201652/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-10/16/content_3621265.htm. 28 November 2006.
  18. News: Slower, lower, weaker: Wushu contest cuts a dash at the same time as Beijing Olympics. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/2522116/Slower-lower-weaker-Wushu-contest-cuts-a-dash-at-the-same-time-as-Beijing-Olympics.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. Baker. Andrew. 8 August 2008. The Telegraph. 19 May 2015.
  19. Web site: 2014-08-25. Nanjing 2014 Youth Wushu Tournament Takes Place Alongside the Youth Olympic Games. 2020-10-30. www.businesswire.com. en.
  20. Web site: 2016-07-21. Wushu joins the Nanjing 2014 Sports Lab. 2020-10-30. International Olympic Committee. en.
  21. News: Ray Park and Martial Arts: Part 1. Reid. Craig. Kung Fu Magazine. 2010-02-24. 15 March 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100315123252/http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=258. dead.
  22. News: Ray Park and Martial Arts: Part 2. Reid. Craig. Kung Fu Magazine. 2010-02-24. 12 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131112084821/http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=278. dead.
  23. News: GI JOE – YO JOE, The Snake Has Returned. Reid. Craig. Kung Fu Magazine. 2010-02-22. 10 June 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110610050738/http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=833. dead.
  24. Web site: Wu Bin. US Wushu Academy. 2023-11-04.
  25. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0943104/bio Jacky Wu's Bio
  26. Web site: Donnie Yen Biography. Biography. Starpulse. https://web.archive.org/web/20121008062212/http://www.starpulse.com/Actors/Yen,_Donnie/Biography/. 8 October 2012. dead. 2009-04-02.
  27. Web site: Donnie Yen: The Evolution of an American Martial Artist. Berwick. Stephan. 23 December 2000. Kung Fu Magazine. 11 May 2015.
  28. Web site: Donnie Yen: The Next Martial Arts Icon . Goldsea Asian American . 21 September 2012 . 11 May 2015.
  29. Web site: China's Brightest Star . Kung Fu Magazine . Burr, Martha . 2012-03-01 .
  30. Web site: Welcome to KungFuMagazine.
  31. News: China Gets the Gold!. Ching. Gene. Kung Fu Magazine. 2010-02-22. Ching. Andy.
  32. News: Salute to Wushu. Borkland. Herb. Kung Fu Magazine. 2010-02-22.
  33. News: The Tradition of Modern Wushu. Ching. Gene. Kung Fu Magazine. 2010-02-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20130314193627/http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=749. 14 March 2013. dead. Gigi. Oh.
  34. News: Where Wushu Went Wrong. Ching. Gene. Kung Fu Magazine. 2010-02-22. Gigi. Oh. 2 March 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100302160559/http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=679. dead.
  35. News: Wushu Needs Name Rectification. tianrong. An. Kung Fu Magazine. 2010-02-22. Aiping. Cheng.
  36. News: Chinese Martial-Art Form Sports Less Threatening Moves . The Los Angeles Times. 1998-10-16. 2010-11-25. Anthony. Kuhn.