Brief History and Background of Kung Fu

Firstly we need to mention that the term Kung Fu (Kung=energy and Fu=time) also known as Gung Fu, really embodies the majority of the numerous different Chinese Martial Arts that go back many thousands of years of Chinese history. These martial arts have been created and developed from various legends, general defence, exercise needs and even as an entertainment and also through religions (Shoalin being the most popular).

During the mid 20th century many Chinese martial arts masters started to spread their knowledge and with more movies being produced featuring martial arts it’s popularity has grown considerably since.

A list of the types/styles used in Chinese martial arts may include the mimicking of various animals, being in a drunken state, based on a philosophy or legend and may also have specific region or family traits etc. In fact there are so many different styles, I would need another website to list them all. Please also see separate articles on Wing Chun, Tai Chi and Jeet Kune Do.

Kung Fu in sport is popular and is known as Wushu. In 1958, the government established the All China Wushu Association as an umbrella organization to regulate martial arts training and an organised teaching and standards system was setup. In 1979 the State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports re-evaluated the teaching and practice of Wushu and in 1986 the Chinese National Research Institute of Wushu was established as the central authority for the research and administration of Wushu activities in the People’s Republic of China.

Kung Fu Training

As mentioned above there are numerous different styles of Kung Fu and they will all have their own way of training, which can consist of basic training, forms, application, weapons training and even cultural philosophy insight.

Training usually starts with simple basic moves, stances and conditioning exercises to strengthen the body internally as well as externally and may even include meditation.

Training will then move onto more complicated moves, where flexibility, speed, coordination, presentation and precision become more concentrated. You may also start practising acrobatics, gymnastics and weapons training.

It’s important to also understand that depending on the school teaching, you may be taught a competitive/sports orientated style and/or a more fighting based style.

Kung Fu Equipment/Gear Used

As with many martial arts the uniform worn can vary quite considerably from one school to the next. Some will have you wear just tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt, others will have the familiar black suit (with or without coloured cuffs/collars/buttons etc) or even colourful silks.

Other items can include:
Kung Fu shoes
Sashes
Training dummy (normally wooden)

Weapons used in Kung Fu

Here are just some of the many variety of weapons used

Dao/Jian/Nandao/Taijijian/Butterfly/Hook sword – Various knives/swords
Nangun/Gun – Various sticks/staffs
Qiang/Halberd/Mao/Pu dao/Hu Chua – Various spears/axes/forks/maces/hammers
Sheng Biao/Meteor hammer – Rope dart/weighted chain whip
3 Sectional Staff – Usually 3 lengths of long sticks with chains connecting them together.
Nunchucks – Also known as a Nunchaku.  Nunchucks are a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at one end with a short chain or cord/rope. The sticks themselves can be made from wood, various alloys/metals, various plastics and also a foam covered plastic tube for safe practise.
Fan – often wooden/metal
Wooden Bench – Normally a A frame style bench

Celebrity Kung Fu Practitioners

Jet Li
Jackie Chan
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo
Chia Hui Liu
Donnie Yen
Michelle Yeoh
Bruce lee
Robert Downey, Jr.
David Carradine
Mark Dacascos
Cynthia Rothrock
Wesley Snipes
Don Wilson
Scott Adkins
Bolo Yeung

Just a small selection of the many Movies featuring Kung Fu

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