Future of Kung Fu?
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hoshin1600
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maybe its just me but i dont see the Chinese as inclusive. maybe the people are open to new things but the government is very closed. the government seems to back traditional Chinese nationalism, i dont see them allowing much in the way of outside influence like MMA.
Not unless its primary proponents try to keep it stuck in the past. If the proponents of any reasonable art pursue what their forbears did, as their forbears likely would have had they access to the information and opportunities currently available, the art will evolve, grow, and possibly flourish.
Anarax
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Chinese martial arts has already spread throughout the world. It has a strong presence in the UK, various other European countries and in the US. There was a major shift after the boxer rebellion failed in China and many of the masters were required to stop teaching real kung fu or leave the country. That aided in it spreading all over the world
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China isn't the only place to learn traditional Kung Fu. There are places outside of China that teach reputable and effective Chinese Martial arts.
To be honest I think within 20 years or less the only place to really learn functional Chinese Kung Fu will be outside of China. The Chinese government and the majority of the Chinese population has no interest Kung Fu as an effective fighting system and they expressed as much when the MMA guy beat up the "Tai Chi" Master. However there are people out side of China that are keeping the TMA systems alive and functional.
Xue Sheng
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10 years ago in Bejing there were marital arts schools teaching Muay Thai, MMA, Kendo, and even Yoga schools. There was still one heck of a lot of folks doing traditional martial arts. But all across the board, be it Chinese marital arts, or Japanese martial arts or MMA, there are fewer folks training martial arts in China than there use to be. People do not have the time and the government is pushing Sanshou and modern Wushu. There are also reasons that some of these arts are, sadly, going away. There was an issue, also in Beijing, with Baguazhang. Old masters were getting old and were not passing on what they knew. Either they were stuck in thief old ways of choosing a predecessor and none were measuring up or they just did not have any students who had the time to dedicate to it or they simply cold not afford to be injured and be out of work.
It is a lot more complicated than the influx of non-Chinese martial arts.
It is a lot more complicated than the influx of non-Chinese martial arts.
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Just a thought it seems WC is the only modern form of Kung Fu that is growing. Is that accurate in your opinion? WC seems to have a bright future, although some will say it's lack of success in MMA is hurting it.
Xue Sheng
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I don't know if it is the only one growing, but it does appear to be the most popular (thanks to the movies). But then, by definition, Sanda/Sanshou is also Kung fu and it seems to be growing as well. There are an awful lot of styles of kung fu (Wushu) and since I do not follow all of them I cannot say what style is growing and what style is not
chen yaolong
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From what I see, living here over the last decade, is that it is still fairly popular in poorer regions up north. There's less distractions, and stronger family values (ie a teacher's kid will feel obliged to learn). Bigger cities people tend to be attracted to TKD, Muay Thai and other "modern stuff" where you just get a gym card and train once a week to keep fit.
Shanghai (where I live now) used to have a lot of TMA, but it seems to be in massive decline now, the older teachers just hang out in parks with a small group of also older students. There are some "traditinal schools" opening, but generally seem to be fairly low quality.
From what I've seen a big part of the problem IMO is the generation gap, and lack of effort to bridge that. Old teachers are stuck in the old ways, and think potential students should come to them, and earn the right to learn, and are unwilling to reach out to the younger generation or make classes more engaging.
Shanghai (where I live now) used to have a lot of TMA, but it seems to be in massive decline now, the older teachers just hang out in parks with a small group of also older students. There are some "traditinal schools" opening, but generally seem to be fairly low quality.
From what I've seen a big part of the problem IMO is the generation gap, and lack of effort to bridge that. Old teachers are stuck in the old ways, and think potential students should come to them, and earn the right to learn, and are unwilling to reach out to the younger generation or make classes more engaging.
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I've seen this even in the U.S, as some traditional schools. It drives me nuts. That logic just won't work these days because there are so many options for martial arts. If one teacher doesn't want to train a student then the student can and will most likely go to another school or another teacher.
I've seen this even in the school where I train. I'm not like that but there are some in the school who are.
That is becoming less reputable every day. From the behaviours of it's stars, promotions continuing to give fights to people who have been banned for being a drug cheats or arrested for breaking any number of laws, to "experts" spotting YouTube video's teaching just about every part of even the most basic techniques incorrectly.
I think MMA will start to die out unless they find a way of stopping:
-Their stars from taking drugs.
-Their stars from turning each others brains into mashed potatoes.
-Their management from selling them out.
I think Kung Fu will die out unless they find a way of stopping:
-Unqualified people from teaching
-Schools that do Forms and Weapons but no Sparring (Wushu).
-The whole "I don't need grappling, I'll just punch him." argument.
-Their stars from taking drugs.
-Their stars from turning each others brains into mashed potatoes.
-Their management from selling them out.
I think Kung Fu will die out unless they find a way of stopping:
-Unqualified people from teaching
-Schools that do Forms and Weapons but no Sparring (Wushu).
-The whole "I don't need grappling, I'll just punch him." argument.
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