| For those of you whom have stayed around long | | | | will get into some type of self defense situation |
| enough to figure out the differences, there still | | | | or you could look at some woman and children |
| may be some of you who do not know what this | | | | being physically assaulted. Most likely you will |
| title means. After many years of research, study | | | | never need kung fu skills to defend yourself. For |
| and first hand experiences I have found a lot | | | | the most part, today's society is gun happy and |
| about the reasons for training and what styles to | | | | you can not effectively use martial arts against |
| train under. Why are we taking any type of self | | | | firearms. |
| defense course? Why do we train in this style of | | | | Anything that has to do with an older, more |
| Kung Fu? Why not just join the armed forces? All | | | | original way to do something can be considered |
| of these questions and many others will be | | | | “traditional”. In that respect, kung fu |
| answered in this article. | | | | styles that use older more original forms and |
| Kung Fu or Wu Shu? | | | | techniques could be considered traditional. |
| There have been many students that asked me | | | | However, due to the destruction of all the old |
| “What is the difference between kung fu and | | | | records and manuscripts, it is virtually impossible |
| wu shu?” Let us first go into the translation of | | | | to correctly know if a kung fu style is |
| these words from Chinese into English: “Kung | | | | authentically “Traditional” or not. Many |
| Fu” = Time and Energy. Then “Wu | | | | kung fu teachers claim to be teaching traditional |
| Shu” = War like Technique. Neither of these | | | | styles but, are only using this ploy to lure |
| two words separately can be translated onto a | | | | prospective students into their schools. There are |
| fighting style or some type of self defense. | | | | also many teachers who may not actually know if |
| However, placed together they represent | | | | their style is traditional or not, they just teach the |
| generalized Chinese martial arts. | | | | kung fu that was taught to them by their teacher |
| Kung Fu: A term normally used in the Chinese | | | | or father. |
| language for anyone who gains a skill through time | | | | For most people here in India, modern or |
| and effort. A carpenter would have good kung fu | | | | traditional may not even matter. Our society is |
| in laying carpets, a tailor would good kung fu in | | | | relatively peaceful in nature. There are no civil |
| sewing clothes, a fighter would have good kung fu | | | | wars going on right now. Our government is not |
| in defending himself. | | | | an evil tyrannical regime that constantly thwarts |
| The term “Kung Fu” got it’s | | | | the people at every turn. So the need for all |
| connection with martial arts and Shaolin in the | | | | people to be at their top kung fu skill just to stay |
| 1960’s when Bruce Lee and other movie | | | | alive is practically none. So this peaceful society |
| actors used the phrase: “Your Kung Fu is | | | | usually leads most people to martial arts, not to |
| good” which actually meant that there skill | | | | stay alive, but to get in shape or to get some |
| was good, not to say that kung fu was there | | | | self defense in. For parents, kung fu can build |
| style. From that point onward most average | | | | confidence, discipline for their children. |
| people thought kung fu meant a type of fighting | | | | Fighting Art / Performance Art |
| style like karate or tae kwon do. | | | | I have heard many say “I wish to learn a art |
| Kuo Shu: Kuo = National and Shu = Technique. | | | | form”. An Art Form can be anything from |
| National Technique, a term used starting in early | | | | dancing, opera, gymnastics or Kung Fu. As we |
| to mid 1900’s by the Chinese government. | | | | look at kung fu, the art form most people see is |
| They were trying to unify the martial arts into a | | | | the “Form or Pattern”. This Form are |
| public sport. Later the term Wu Shu would replace | | | | techniques linked together to create a pattern or |
| Kuo Shu as the term most of us recognize. | | | | sequence. Older more traditional forms are more |
| Wu Shu: A modern term used for the martial | | | | practical, but still are beautiful and graceful to |
| sport popular in China today. Wu = War like and | | | | watch. Newer forms such as in the style of Wu |
| Shu = Techniques. War Techniques or Wu Shu | | | | Shu are a bit more gymnastic / acrobatic in |
| became popular in the 50’s - 60’s and | | | | nature. The practitioners of Wu Shu look |
| China has now made an application for Wu Shu to | | | | spectacular as they do a dazzling array of jumps, |
| become an event in the 2008 Olympics. | | | | flips and aerial kicks. There are those who say |
| Modern / Traditional? | | | | that Wu Shu is just a performance art and not a |
| There are plenty of arguments of what is | | | | real kung fu style. That is a wrong assumption. As |
| considered modern and what is considered | | | | most of us go to competitions or demonstrations, |
| traditional. The only difference between the 2 | | | | we tend to see the modern Wu Shu player as |
| should be: Something made or developed long ago | | | | only doing the “Form” and not fighting or |
| or Something made or developed recently. | | | | sparring at all. If taught correctly and with |
| Modern kung fu or martial arts seam to focus on | | | | traditional fighting values, Wu Shu can be an |
| the needs of the people today. Which for the | | | | effective and devastating kung fu fighting style. |
| most part is health and fitness and a little bit of | | | | Just because something looks beautiful does not |
| self defense. There are very few hard core | | | | mean it is not deadly. |
| individuals interested in the brutish power and | | | | No matter what reason you think you are |
| aggressive nature needed to become proficient in | | | | supposed to be taking kung fu, whether it’s |
| any type of worth while street defense. | | | | for self defense or for the “Art Form” or |
| If you look at everyone on a whole, 75% of us | | | | just to get into shape. Just take kung fu because |
| will never get into a fight or need martial arts in | | | | you enjoy what you are doing. Keep training hard |
| our lifetime. There is a 25% chance that some of | | | | and don’t worry about anything else. |