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Style:
Kung Fu (pronounced kuhng-foo)
Meaning: "Human effort" or "Skill" Country of origin: China |
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Kung Fu lies, perhaps, the foundation of all East Asian fighting systems.
Some authorities date its beginnings all the way back to 3000 B.C.,
others claim it was brought to China from India along with Zen Buddhism
by a man named Bodhi Dharma around 500 B.C. The Shaolin temple in China was the centre of martial arts development for hundreds of years. It was from the Shaolin temple that Kung Fu spread throughout southeast Asia and branched into the Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Philippenese, and Indonesian styles that we see today. Kung Fu itself has fragmented incredibly, with as many as 1500 styles being practiced today. The styles primarily focus on life energy and circular techniques. The use of hands is more dominating with more stress on use of muscular force to combat the enemy. The Taoist philosophy also teaches the artist to use healing arts to his advantage. |
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