Wushu (
simplified Chinese:
武术;
traditional Chinese:
武術) is both an exhibition and a full-contact
sport derived from traditional
Chinese martial arts.
[1][2] It was developed in
China after 1949, in an effort to standardize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts,
[3] although attempts to structure the various decentralized martial arts traditions date back earlier, when the
Central Guoshu Institute was established at
Nanking in 1928. The term wushu is
Chinese for "martial arts" (武 "Wu" = military or martial, 术 "Shu" = art). In contemporary times, wushu has become an
international sport through the
International Wushu Federation (IWUF), which holds the
World Wushu Championships every two years; the first World Championships were held in 1991 in
Beijing and won by
Yuan Wen Qing.
[4]
Competitive wushu is composed of two disciplines:
taolu (套路; forms) and
sanda (散打;
sparring).
[5] Taolu involve
martial art
patterns and maneuvers for which competitors are judged and given
points according to specific rules. The forms comprise basic movements
(stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps, sweeps and throws) based on
aggregate categories of traditional Chinese martial art styles and can
be changed for competitions to highlight one's strengths. Competitive
forms have time limits that can range from 1 minute, 20 seconds for some
external styles to over five minutes for internal styles. Modern wushu
competitors are increasingly training in aerial techniques such as 540-,
720-, and even 900-degree jumps and kicks to add more difficulty and
style to their forms.
[6]
Sanda (sometimes called
sanshou or
Lei tai) is a modern fighting method and sport influenced by traditional
Chinese boxing, Chinese wrestling methods 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.
History
In 1958, the government established the All-China Wushu Association
as an umbrella organization to regulate martial arts training. The
Chinese State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports took the lead
in creating 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 seeks 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, external, as well as classifications based
on schools such as Shaolin, Taiji, Wudang and others were all
integrated into one system. Wushu became the government sponsored
standard for the training in martial arts in China.
[7]
The push for standardization continued leading to wide spread
adaptation. In 1979, the State Commission for Physical Culture and
Sports created a special task force to 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.
[8]
Changing government policies and attitudes towards sports in general lead 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
sport policies towards a more
market-driven approach.
[9]
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.
[10]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wushu_%28sport%29
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