Shane Lee asked:


This article is about the kung fu martial arts and you can find some useful information in it if you are a fan of the kung fu martial arts.

Enlai Zhou is the first prime minister of P.R.China. Every Chinese people knows that he is a handsome gentleman and is very nice to other people. But I found a big surprise about this famous prime minister of China. Enlai Zhou was the minister of the Central Military Commission and the leader of Central Special Department (like the CIA of U.S.). He was acting as a military officer, not a civil officer for a long time. After the establishment of P.R.China (in 1949), he became the first prime minster. Lots of people knows that he only sleeps for 3 or 4 hours a day, but still in a very good physical condition every day. Actually, what makes him so special is the Chinese kung fu martial arts.

Enlai Zhou is like a kung fu master in the Chinese Communist Party. His kung fu martial arts supervisor is the famous Zuanxia Han. Mr Han is the Number 1 kung fu master in the notable Chinese kung fu movie – Wulinzhi (means “history of the Chinese kung fu martial arts” in Chinese language). He is as famous as Yuanjia Huo (Jet Li’s movie Fearless is about him) in the history of China. When Enlai Zhou was studying in the Nankai University, Tianjin, China( 1913 – 1917 ), he was interesting in both the Communism theories and the kung fu martial arts. Zuanxia Han was running a kung fu martial arts center in Tianjin during this period of time and Enlai Zhou learned this first kung fu martial arts course here. What Zuanxia Han is good at is the famous “Xingyi Bagua” kung fu, he defeated a lot of kung fu martial arts fighters using this “Xingyi Bagua” kung fu. He even killed a big Russian fighter in the boxing ring and this event made him very famous in China.

In the famous Whampoa Military Academy, Enlai Zhou was the minister of the General Political Department. He invited Zuanxia Han to be the chief kung fu martial arts supervisor of this military academy. When they met again there, Mr Han continued to teach Enlai Zhou the kung fu martial arts. In this school, Enlai Zhou learned a lot about the “Xingyi Bagua” kung fu martial arts from Zuanxia Han. Mr Han learned a lot from Enlai Zhou too. “Enlai Zhou is ambitious and aspiring youth. I teach him the knowledge of the kung fu martial arts and he teaches me how to be a honest and upstanding man.” Mr Han said.

One thing I found very interesting is that Enlai Zhou established the Central Special Department (like the CIA of U.S.). In this mysterious department of the Chinese Communist Party, he was acting as the supervisor for all the secret-service agents. His good knowledge of the kung fu martial arts helped him a lot in this special position. ( the tasks of the Central Special Department are: ensure the security of the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, collect secret information, kill the traitors, rescue the prisoners from the enemy, establish the secret radio stations )

Enlai Zhou is both the kung fu martial arts teacher and the kung fu master in this special department. He rescued the prisoners for several times and executed traitors like: Jiaxing He, Bingshi Dai, Xing Bai. He even helped the Chinese Communist Party to kill the Kuomintang’s secret-service agents – Bing Wang and Shaowu Ma. Because of these, Enlai Zhou was called “Wu Hao” ( means “kung fu martial arts” and “high aspirations” in Chinese language ) during this period of time. All his special actions are named “Sword of Wu Hao”. He is such a good kung fu master and even the leader of the Kuomintang’s secret-service agents said this: “If we caught Enlai Zhou, the whole Chinese Communist Party will collapse.”

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Kristen

Leslie T asked:


Chinese martial arts is generally called Wushu, where Wu means military and shu means art, thus Wushu means the art of fighting. It is an important and unique component of Chinese cultural heritage. Being a complex art form, Wushu combines Chinese philosophy, meditation, aesthetics and physical exercise. It is definitely a highly demanding sport that trains one’s physical ability, health, willpower and mental discipline. Owing to its popularity, Chinese martial arts is not only practiced by the Chinese men and women, but also people around the world!

 Some of martial arts fighting styles that are still practiced in present-day are types of Kung Fu including Bagua, Drunken Boxing, Eagle Claw, Five Animals, Hsing I, Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Monkey, Praying Mantis, White Crane, Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan. Some styles are copied from the movements of animals; while others are inspired by Chinese philosophical thoughts, myths, and legends.

 Chinese Martial Arts always emphasize a basic skill, such as strength training, staff sparring, fencing, and eight methods of Shaolin. All of these methods are very effective to be an expert in Chinese Martial Arts. According to some Chinese experts, the martial arts of China are the ancestor of all types of martial arts practiced in Japan, Korea, and Tibet. Many different techniques derived from the arts of China.

 Chinese Martial Arts have produced many eminent martial art practitioners. All of them had important contributions to make the art popular throughout the world. Some of them are NG Mui, Wong Fei hung, Huo Yuanjia, and Ten tigers – all of whom have had a strong influence in the culture and society of China.

 Chinese Martial Art influenced other parts of world too. In the USA, it has been very popular since the 1960’s and it’s popularity continues to increase. increasing. Several Television shows were aired based on Chinese Martial Arts. There isn’t a country in the world, where a Chinese Martial Arts training center doesn’t exist.

 China has one of the longest histories of continuously recorded martial arts tradition of any society in the world. There are styles that mimic movements from animals and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies, myths and legends. Some styles put most of their focus into the harnessing of qi energy, while others concentrate solely on competition and exhibition. Each style offers a different approach to the common problems of self-defense, health and self-cultivation.



Jeffrey

GuBu asked:




Martial Arts For Children

These days, martial arts are something that everyone should know.  With crime at an all time high, knowing how to defend yourself is essential.  For the children, martial arts can mean a lot of things.  Even though martial arts is great for adults to know and practice as well, it is also a great way for children to stay in shape and learn how to defend themselves from attackers.

Although martial arts can teach children how to defend themselves, it will also teach them self control and self confidence as well.  If your child has a bad temper or low self esteem, learning a martial art can actually help them to get back on the right path.  Martial arts will help children with life in general – which will take them a lot farther in life.

The first thing you will need to do when getting your child involved in martial arts is pick a style that they will enjoy.  With several different styles to choose from, it can be a very difficult choice to make.  Among the most popular for children are Karate, Taekwondo, Judo, Muay Thai, and Jiu-Jitsu.  When making the decision, you should go by what your child has interests in, such as punching and kicking, or ground grappling and submission.

Once you have a style in mind, you’ll need to start checking out the local martial arts centers and dojo’s.  If you live in a big city, you’ll have a lot more to choose from than those who live in smaller areas or rural towns.  Those who live in smaller towns or rural areas may be very limited on the choices available for themselves and their children.

Rural and smaller towns are limited in choice, although what they offer is normally among the best styles of martial arts.  The instructors are black belts and above, with the highest ranked students helping them instruct classes.  If the classes are small in attendance, the instructors and student teachers can spend a lot of hands on time with the kids to help them improve in their weakest areas.

When you decide to enroll your child in martial arts, you should always check out the dojo or classes first.  You don’t want your child to be in a class that isn’t goal focused, nor do you want them to have a teacher who doesn’t know what he is teaching.  The environment is also important, as you want to be sure that the dojo and equipment are clean, and that everything is up to the latest and greatest standards.

Even though a martial art may be beneficial to your child, it won’t do them any good unless the facilities and the instructors are good.  You want to make sure you get the best available to you, which is why it always pays to look around.  If you look at all of your available choices, you’ll normally be able to find the best for both you and your child.

When it comes to children and their future, martial arts is a great way for them to start.  Martial arts can help them improve in many different areas, not just self defense.  A martial art can help a child develop a lot of essential areas, including self control and responsibility.  The longer a child studies a martial art, the more goal oriented and responsible they will become.  Martial arts are a great investment for parents and children – which is why they are so very popular.

www.swordsmartialarts.com



Kristen

Madison Greene asked:


There are millions of people all across the world who practice martial arts. Some are masters of the arts while others are first-time students, but one thing that all martial arts pupils share is a respect for its history. This is because they respect how spiritual and sacred all forms of martial arts are.

The history of martial arts goes back thousands of years. Its history is one that is full of various different martial art styles and techniques, one in particular being Tai Chi Chuan.

One of The Oldest – Tai Chi Chuan

Better known in its short forms, Tai Chi, or Chinese boxing, it is one of the most ancient, historical, and distinctive Chinese forms of martial arts. This art focuses on the importance of breathing techniques and non-aggressive self defense techniques. Its masters can effortlessly fend off attackers by using graceful movements that redirect the energy or force of the attacker. But be aware it takes years to master just the breathing techniques of Tai Chi.

Tai Chi is specifically designed to provide relaxation in the process of body conditioning exercise, which teaches its students the mental power and peace of meditation. This is why Tai Chi differs so greatly from so many of the other martial art forms.

Any history lesson in martial arts needs to include Tai Chi because it was one of the very first art forms to be accepted and practiced worldwide. It closely resembles kung fu in that it may be used with or without weapons.

Kung Fu

When talking about the history of martial arts one can also not forget kung fu, a martial art that focuses on exercise and a spiritual transcending. The various different movements that are employed in this martial art form are mostly imitations of the fighting styles of animals, and have such names as:

* Dragon

* Horse

* Snake

Kung Fu is spectacular to watch in action. If you ever get a chance go watch a sparring tournament.

Karate is another of the martial art forms that needs to be included in the history of self-defense arts, and karate can be considered as a form of self defense, a form of physical fitness, or even a way of life. It is one of the most commonly practiced self defense tactics in the world, and there are basically three main components that are included in typical karate training, which are:

* Kihon

* Kata

* Kumite

Karate classes can be great for kids and adults alike who are interested in getting in shape, learning discipline and respect. If you have that competitive edge you can also enter sparring tournaments to test your skill against other karate students.

Regardless of which particular martial art form you are interested in practicing, the most important thing is that you understand the history behind martial arts in general, so that you can truly understand and respect the dynamics of the many ancient forms of martial arts. It will also give you an idea as to which art you would like to pursue next and why.



Grace

Phil Burney asked:


Many people are planning to start learning about martial arts nowadays but may not have taken into account the fact that they will need martial arts equipment to be able to practice this hobby or occupation. Here are some tips on how to get the best martial arts equipment you need:

1.Try to figure out which martial arts equipment you want to become proficient in. The uniforms in martial arts differ in design, color and use so you have to be specific about which uniform you wish to use. This also applies to your martial arts equipment since the martial arts equipment for one martial art may be unique to that martial art.

2.Find out what protective gear you need to be able to spar and train in your preferred martial arts. Protective gear as martial arts equipment is very important because the last thing you want is to get injured in a sparring session. Protective gear as martial arts equipment can be categorized either as head gear (like face masks and helmets), gear to protect your torso (like chest shields), gear to protect your groin (which is more for men than women, and may consist of a crotch guard or sports cup to shield your privates from being punched or kicked), shin guards to keep the shin area of your legs from being injured when you block a flying kick with your legs (since getting hit on the shin tends to be rather painful since there isn’t much flesh and muscle to shield your shin bone), feet gear (such as kicking boots, designed to keep your opponent from being critically injured if you should hit them with your legs or feet), and hand gear (such as punching mitts, used also to shield your opponent from the full force of your punches.) You need to invest in quality martial arts equipment as protective gear so you get the best protection possible.

3.You can also invest in practice martial arts equipment. This means getting punching bags (like those used in boxing), and martial arts dummies (which attempt to give you an idea of how to punch and kick a real human being.) Your punching bag can consist of either the teardrop bag or the bigger boxing-type punching bag. Martial arts dummies are basically like punching bags except they may be a bit bigger and shaped like human bodies. Though these martial arts equipment are no replacement for sparring and training with real-live opponents (because these practice equipment cannot dodge your blows or retaliate), they are very important to have around so you can get the feel for the sport.

4.There will be sports that require you to become proficient in certain martial arts weapons (which are also martial arts equipment.) However, you should always be careful when trying out such weapons in the first few sessions because you might hurt someone badly (such as yourself) if you don’t know what you are doing. If you are at the stage when martial arts equipment like weapons are necessary, then always pay attention to your instructor and learn how to master the weapons first. Often, such weapons were designed to maim your opponent and maybe even kill him so caution is always necessary in training with weapons.

Martial arts equipment were designed to work a certain way. Many martial arts equipment have a long history that can help you study how your preferred martial arts evolved. Study carefully how martial arts equipment are meant to be used and they can really help you become a better martial artist afterwards.



Carolyn

d.shokess asked:


I am looking for a martial art that has real world usage. I live in a rather rough area, everything has been cool so far. I think this has to do with my look, I am 30yrs old and rather muscular at 250lbs and 6′1″.
The avatar is not mine.

Margaret

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


For people who want to get into shape martial arts offers lots of opportunities. While this form of fighting is perfect for exercising there are various martial arts tips which can be utilized for greater effect. Since you will find many different types of martial arts available to the interested person there are many places where you can get the training that you need.

With the help of trained instructors you can make sure that you learn all sorts of helpful martial arts tips. These tips will help you to keep up with your training so that your body will be able to perform the various martial arts moves without any difficulties.

You will be instructed in the right martial arts movements so that you don’t cause yourself any serious injurious. When you are learning martial arts no matter what form it is there are many tips and tricks that you will pick up.

These martial arts tips can be found in your memory either by conscious hunting for or you will have seen these tips and stored them in your memory. You will have to understand that while these are just a few of the tips that can be used there are still many more.

Sometimes you will learn these other martial arts tips from experts in the field. These individuals will help you to advance in the field of your chosen martial arts by imparting various tips that you can use. There are books, articles, magazines and many other printed forms of martial arts instructions where you will get to find useful martial arts tips. By using these tips constructively you will learn more about the differences in martial arts.

Of course leaning the different martial arts tips is not the only way that you will begin to master your martial arts discipline. Besides letting you see the best way to advance in unarmed fighting these tips will provide you with ways of conserving your strength while you are practicing or fighting.

Additionally the martial arts tips that you hear about will be useful when you are learning how to compete in a tournament. While you will not be able to use all that you have learnt you will be given the chance to observe other tips which can be used at these times. With martial arts tips the world of this ancient fighting form can be utilized even better.



Nicholas