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Exploding the Myths of Martial Arts
by Chen Lei

Entertaining as they are, fight scenes in so-called kung fu movies are largely the stuff of fantasy. Four-time China national wushu champion Chen Lei puts the reality of the martial arts genre into perspective.

Chinese martial arts, or Wushu is becoming increasingly popular throughout the world. As a result, more and more people have become interested in studying Chinese martial arts on a deeper level. Unfortunately, because of a lack of well educated teachers outside of China, and inaccurate portrayals of Chinese Wushu on television many westerners have developed incorrect and often misguided ideas about this beautiful ancient martial art. This is often the result of outrageously unrealistic folklore, and movies that commonly portray Wushu artists flying through the air. Chinese Wushu is not only a form of martial arts, but also the essence of the ancient Chinese culture. In order to experience the full benefits of Wushu, it is necessary to not only perform the movements correctly, but to also understand their relation to the Chinese culture. It is only then one will be able to fully grasp the essence of Wushu.

Outside of China, the simple definition of Chinese martial arts often carries with it an unreasonable amount of confusion. In China, the proper term for describing martial arts as a whole is wushu, which, when literally translated, means "martial arts". This is contrary to many westerners' belief that "Kung Fu" implies Chinese martial arts. In actuality, the term "Kung Fu" refers to the skill acquired through rigorous practice over a long period of time. It is true that one could have Kung Fu in Wushu, but it is also equally true that one could possess Kung Fu in cooking or driving a car. It does not specifically refer to martial arts as the more proper term Wushu does.

Wushu, on the other hand, encompasses all Chinese martial arts, regardless of intention, method or application. For example, Shaolin Boxing, Taiji (Tai Chi) Boxing, Preying Mantis Boxing, Chinese wrestling, kickboxing, weapons and grappling all qualify as styles of wushu. For the prospective student of Wushu, it is important to decide which style best suits the needs of the practitioner, as it would be impossible to undertake the study of all these styles, at once or individually. Moreover, some styles may not suit the practitioner's personality, or may not provide the practitioner with an adequate means of accomplishing their desired goal. For example, if the prospective student seeks to gain flexibility and speed while learning to perform gymnastic like kicks with grace and poise, Longfist Boxing might suit them best. However, if the prospective student seeks a relaxing form of exercise that can be done well into their later years, Taiji Boxing might be the best choice. Ultimately, the prospective student will be most successful in the style that is a combination both their preference for movement, and whether or not that specific movement is suitable for their body type.
In addition, Chinese martial arts, as well as other forms of martial arts from around the globe, have been considerably affected by the introduction of the firearm. Regardless of where you are, how diligently you practice, or what style you practice, no one is faster than a bullet. China has understood this, and embraced it as a means to allow their native martial arts to develop in a conceptually unique way. Martial arts in contemporary China, as a whole, have more or less shifted its emphasis from self-protection to an approach of preserving culture and improving one's health. Therefore, the recognition of Wushu as a national sport occurred after the establishment of New China and in doing so, created a cultural phenomena. Furthermore, China has recognized the potential of Wushu to be practiced as a traditional sport, the focus of Wushu not only lies within the movements, but within expression. It is the aim of every Chinese Wushu coach to encourage his /her students to express the true sprit of the individual and of the form. It is here where the true beauty of Wushu lies. Complete with regulations, tournaments, and referees, Wushu is as standardized as any other Olympic sport. In fact, it was confirmed earlier this year that China will be hosting the 2008 Olympics and although the world of Wushu are still awaiting formal confirmation, the main organization are already modifying forms to suit all participants.

Along with understanding how Wushu is conceived of in China, it is also important to understand how martial arts relate to Chinese culture. As with many arts in China, Wushu integrates many elements of Chinese culture such as philosophy and religion, medicine, military practice and other arts together to attempt to express themselves completely as martial artists. For example, Taiji Boxing draws its inspiration for movement heavily from philosophy of yin and yang. It incorporates the theory of the Five Elements of cosmology and the principles of the Bagua ("Eight Trigrams") together with motion, creating a continuous flow of movement that reflect the ideas behind these ideologies. Shaolin Boxing, as the name implies, originates from the renowned Shaolin Temple in Henan. Because of the obvious, it is influenced heavily by Buddhist philosophy. Many westerners are also very familiar with "animal" styles, or systems of boxing in which the practitioner imitates the fighting movements of animals like tigers, snakes, birds and even mystical animals that are meaningful to Chinese culture and tradition such as the dragon and the unicorn.

A common problem that many westerners confront when first beginning to study Wushu is the level of difficulty that is required to perform the movements, basic or advanced. Furthermore, many Wushu teachers believe that a westerner's success in wushu lies in the continuous repetition and execution of the movements precisely like China's greatest Wushu athletes. These two factors combined lead to the students' inevitable loss of interest and eventual decision to quit altogether at a relatively early stage in their training. In order to promote wushu to provide the world with a means of understanding this critically important aspect of Chinese culture, I suggest that Wushu teachers consider implementing a different approach to training westerners. For example, most western students not of Asian ancestry are relatively larger than their Chinese teachers or contemporaries. As a result, many of the movements must thus be adapted to suit the body type and the interest of the typical western student. Also, most forms of Wushu require a level of flexibility of small joints such as the ankle and wrist that many westerners don't possess. This taken into consideration, complicated hand movements and deep, low stances that might be easier for a native Chinese student to perform might be relatively difficult or even impractical for the typical western student. On the other hand, the typical westerner's reach might be longer than his native Chinese counterpart, making such extended movements more suitable.

All students, regardless of background or body type, must diligently study the basic standardized movements that are prerequisite for understanding all of the styles that Wushu offers. Without an understanding or a reasonable proficiency of these standardized basic movements, most, if not all, styles of Wushu will be beyond the typical westerner's grasp. Prospective western students must also understand that their own development as a martial artist will probably never reach that of their Chinese counterparts, who have, in large part, trained daily since youth under the watchful eye of a qualified teacher. To perform Wushu proficiently, commitment is required of the student, and often times impatient western students become frustrated when their ability has only increased slightly after only studying two days a week during the short span of a month. To really see progress, daily study over a long period of time is essential.

Regardless of this, the western student must remain undaunted. Most commonly, wushu is practiced through a series of pre-choreographed movements called taolu that, when practiced correctly, provide the student with an attitude that expresses the meaning of the style being practiced. This is best demonstrated to westerners through the "animal" styles of Wushu. During practice of the Eagle Claw style, the student should possess the attitude of an eagle soaring gracefully through the sky, and stealth fully stalking its prey on the ground below. Regardless of background, this attitude, or spirit of awareness, of Wushu can be attained by any student.

In my opinion, it is the correlation between the movements of Wushu and the acquisition of this spirit that is most important to the development of the western student as a martial artist. It is therefore, my advice to western students is to concentrate their training around basic movements such as standard Wushu kicking and stances and, to gain a basic knowledge of the relationship between culture and Wushu to express the true sprite of Wushu.