Wushu

Hello everyone, it is time to talk about another Asian martial art. In the next 2 or 3 posts this blog will be about wushu, the descendent of the ancient Chinese martial art. The old Chinese discipline is known in other countries as wushu but it is also a term to refer to the modern exhibition and full-contact sport developed since 1949.

The legend says that the Chinese martial arts originated 4000 years ago in the Xia dynasty and it was the Yellow Emperor Huangdi who introduced the earliest fighter style. This is like the mother of many of the martial arts practiced nowadays.

The modern wushu is divided in two disciplines that are taolu and sanda. Taolu is a performance of a serial of wushu moves, where the competitors exhibit their skills making those techniques; these are difficult forms of kicking, jumping, punching, balancing and others specific moves that are judged and if it is well done, the competitor receives points.

Sanda is the full-contact mode of wushu. Sanda is a combat between two competitors using similar the techniques of taolu and it is not a routine that the participant made before as happens in taolu.

Today I made my first video trying to learn the basics of wushu, but before you can watch it I have to edit it, so you have to wait until next week. I have to say that if you look out in you tube for wushu videos; you might be not very impressed. You have to see a real life performance to appreciate the work behind the fights.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wushu_%28sport%29