Benefits of wu shu

I would like to state the benefits of practicing modern or contemporary wu shu. Modern wu shu has been under a lot of critisism but I feel that it does have some merit. I would first like to say that in order to do wu shu you have got to be in really good shape. By this I mean have good cardio endurance. A wu shu routine is non stop continuous movement/running/martial technique/acrobatics. A wu shu player is probably got better cardio than any other martial art stylist. Second wu shu people IMO probably have better basics such as stances, kicks, and hand strikes than other martial art styles. Have you ever looked at a wu shu persons ma bu or thier front satnce or their hand strikes. There stances are extremely low and their hand strikes are fast but clean and crisp. Wu shu teaches people to have self confidence. Teaches them how to set goals and how to achieve these goals. For these reasons I think wu shu is a good martial art sport to take up.

Now for the negative aspect of wu shu, It's fighting practicality. I would say that wu shu is not responsible for the bad fighters that are out there doing wu shu. It's the person themselves that are responsible for being bad fighters. If a person wants to fight and do wu shu then he or she must or should take up another art that is more combat oriented in addition to the wu shu training. But some people do martial arts for other reasons other than for fighting. Some like the idea of competition, some want to loose weight, some do it as a hobby, and some do it to get in better shape, and some even do it to help their self confidence.

I guess what I'm trying to say is just because wu shu isn't your cup of tea doesn't mean it doesn't have anything to offer people. Thats all I have to say about that.

One more cool advantage of wu shu is the comfy silk uniforms.

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Mark
Liberalism is a mental disorder. -M. Savage

I wouldn't mind learning performance Wu Shu. It looks hella cool and it's good for my body.

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“	Originally Posted By: KungFuMan I also learned a praying mantis fist style from watching the actual insect itself. This was before I actually learned some seven star mantis.	”

I find Wushu performances empty, hollow, and ugly. Their form is tailored to looking pretty over practical positioning or sound structural integrity.

Without a doubt, the people who practice Wushu are athletes who can put on impressive physical demonstrations. If I view it as a physical demonstration I can applaud...I can't applaud when it is billed as a martial demonstration. To say that a Wushu practitioner has better cardio than any other martial artist is misleading. Your body adapts to the pressures that is placed on it, so remove the Wushu from their environment and they will strain, just as if you remove a boxer from their element.

As per usual, my stance is for people to do what they enjoy and enjoy what they do. However, don't promote it as something its not.

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"You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet"- Iron & Silk
"I see no virtue where I smell no sweat"
"Arm yourself because no one else here will save you" - Chris Cornell

Reality: 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Modern Wu Shu: -9999999999999,9999999999999999999,9999999999999999 99999999,9999999999999999999999999999,999999999999 99999.95



Why?

Learning real martial skills whoops any pretty dude wearing pretty silks training to twirl a pretty ribbon

For anyone truly wondering why Wraith dislikes Modern Wu Shu so, I suggest you read here

I hate Wushu...

“	Originally Posted By: Mei Hua Reality: 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Modern Wu Shu: -9999999999999,9999999999999999999,9999999999999999 99999999,9999999999999999999999999999,999999999999 99999.95 Why? Learning real martial skills whoops any pretty dude wearing pretty silks training to twirl a pretty ribbon	”

But it looks good if a hot chick is doing it.

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“	Originally Posted By: KungFuMan I also learned a praying mantis fist style from watching the actual insect itself. This was before I actually learned some seven star mantis.	”

So does oil wrestling

I approve.

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“	Originally Posted By: KungFuMan I also learned a praying mantis fist style from watching the actual insect itself. This was before I actually learned some seven star mantis.	”

“	Originally Posted By: Mei Hua So does oil wrestling	”

Only if I get to oil wrestle with a cute blonde female with 34c's.

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Mark
Liberalism is a mental disorder. -M. Savage

The primary benefit of contempory wushu is people can get a warm fuzzy glow about how much they know about "real combat applications" by slagging it on the internet...

“	Their form is tailored to looking pretty over practical positioning or sound structural integrity.	”

I'd say that is down to the performers and not the style. A lot of what gets labelled "fluff" or "wushu" is in fact solid shaolin basics which, done correctly, emphasises structural integrity and correct movement, and builds anaerobic endurance, body awareness, aerobic endurance, and fast twitch power. Take cartwheel kicks - do them correctly and they're a fantastic plyometric workout that will only make a person a better delivery mechanism for more practical techniques. The problem is people who think they can achieve the aesthetics without following the underlying principles rather than realising that a truly aestheticly pleasing result can only come from rigorous dedication to the principles.

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Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

Like I state before, wu shu is good for developing the basics such as stances, kicks, and hand strikes. I've not seen anyone that does wu shu have bad stances. They are always good low solid stances. As for hand strikes I have neve seen a hand strike done by a wu shu player that is flimsy and weak looking. They always appear to be fast and powerful. Kick always look fast and poweful (weather they are practicle or not is up for debate). I'm just stating that wu shu instills good basic on which you can build on. Once you have the basics mastered then a person can continue on in wu shu and/or start a more combat oriented art. Unless your main purpose is competition (forms). Then wu shu is the best choice. But if you like wu shu why not just continue with wu shu and start another class that is geared more for fighting?

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Mark
Liberalism is a mental disorder. -M. Savage

You haven't been seeing common Modern Wushu then, I've seen tons of horrible and improper stance work that is designed to look good, but lacks fundamentals and solid core.
I've seen lots of poor work that lacks the same.

Any art designed solely to look pretty, score points and for flash and performance, will not equal up to a style whose main goal is actual usage and fighting skill

years ago l had a grandmother bring me her grandson to become a disciple as her brother had done pak mei in h.k. back in the 60s. l asked why me and why not wu shu as it was popular then . she looked at me and said whu shu bull**** she was about 80 from china. its worse now.

“	Any art designed solely to look pretty	”

I'm not sure about the "any". There are a lot of dancers out there that understand movement far, far, better than the average martial artist, and would make far better delivery systems for martial techniques if that is what they chose to focus on. This despite the fact dance is primarily about appearance. Of course, there are lots of dancers who have no idea but there are lots of people training "practical, effective" martial arts who have no idea either.

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Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you
High mountains are a feeling
I don't need to sell my soul, he's already in me

“	Originally Posted By: john100 I'm not sure about the "any". There are a lot of dancers out there that understand movement far, far, better than the average martial artist, and would make far better delivery systems for martial techniques if that is what they chose to focus on. This despite the fact dance is primarily about appearance. Of course, there are lots of dancers who have no idea but there are lots of people training "practical, effective" martial arts who have no idea either.	”

I'm sure a dancer has no idea how a cross or a roundhouse works.

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“	Originally Posted By: KungFuMan I also learned a praying mantis fist style from watching the actual insect itself. This was before I actually learned some seven star mantis.	”