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Kung Fu: History And Basic Principles
The Term:
Historically, the term "Kung Fu" is not really featured in any
ancient texts. It was first coined by a Frenchman named Jean
Joseph Marie Amiot, a missionary who lived in the 18th Century,
in reference to Chinese martial arts. Kung Fu is also called
Gongfu, Wushu, or Kuoshu, and originally denotes expertise in
any skill, and not exclusive to martial arts.
Brief History:
The practice, philosophy, and concept of Kung Fu can be traced
back to ancient Chinese texts such as Zhuang Zi, Dao De Jing,
and Sun Zi Bing Fa (Art of War written by Sun Zi), all written
between 1111-255 BC. These texts contain passages related to the
practice, propagation, and principles of Chinese martial arts,
or Kung Fu as it is known today.
One theory regarding the first written history of Kung Fu
suggests that the Yellow Emperor, who reigned from 2698 BC,
wrote the first treatise on Chinese martial arts. Others give
credit to Taoist monks for introducing an art form that resemble
modern Tai Chi around 500 BC. Then in 39-92 AD, Pan Ku included
"Six Chapters of Hand Fighting" in his discourse on the history
of the Han dynasty (Han Shu). As the popularity of martial arts
progressed, a physician named Hua T'uo also wrote his own
treatise entitled, "Five Animals Play" in 220 AD.
Kung Fu had become a common word in the West beginning in the
late 1960s, popularized by martial arts movies and TV series.
The Western world today has also seen an immense upsurge in the
creation and production of martial arts movies starring great
actors/masters such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
Basic
Principles:
The concept of Kung Fu revolves around three basic principles -
Motivation, Self-discipline and Time.
According to experts, the real motivation behind learning Kung
Fu is inspiration and not force, which should come from an inner
craving to learn and develop the mind and body. Motivation here
is the fundamental driving force. There is no external or
worldly gain for the learner, and the only reward is that of
knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom.
In Kung Fu, discipline is complementary to motivation.
Discipline puts motivation into deed and action. A learner has
to make an effort into what he has been motivated for, and
self-discipline helps him get started and guides him to achieve
that goal. Therefore, without discipline, motivation is just a
dormant state of mind.
Time is the path to perfection in martial arts. Once motivation
and self-discipline have set in, a learner has to spend a
considerable amount of time putting mind and body into practice.
A truly inspired learner does not have the privilege to waste
time, stay idle or indulge in fruitless activities. Everything
done by him/her should reflect real motivation and
self-discipline.
Variants and Styles:
With the passage of time, numerous variants and styles have come
up in martial arts, or Kung Fu. Some of the more popular ones
include Karate, Escrima, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do,
Shaolin, White Crane, T'ai Chi Ch'uan, and Bagua Zhang.
About the author:
Martial Arts HQ offers
articles, tips and tricks about different martial arts.
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