Is Wushu detrimental to CMA?

[East Winds]

In competition, you are of course performing to a prescribed set of rules and of course you will be judged on how closely your performance adheres to these rules. This is exactly why 48 and 88 step taiji routines were introduced. (To standardise competition routines). These forms will also be in a different category to the traditional Chen, Wu or Yang routines. Adding your own postures to a routine will lose you marks. (No matter how good or martially effective these postures may be). So strickly speaking, adding modern Wushu techniques to a traditional form would be disastrous in terms of marks in a competition.

Very best wishes

 

[CuongNhuka]

Before I start I would like to apologize if I have stuck my nose were it doesn’t belong. Or if I start to bore you. I’ll start my thought process with a little story (it’ll help explain my point of view).
In Coung Nhu it is possible to but tee shirts that advertise the style, training camp, or a single school. I have two and wear them to school a lot. Because of that I get a lot of people trying to get me into giving them a demo. For the most part I just -blank-, and moan, and groan, and try to weasel my way out of it (stuff like the ancient technique “black belt hands out his sensei’s business card”). And if they manage to talk me into it, I normally to about 10 minutes of Q&A after doing Sui Nim Dao. So I’ve been have thinking that at the next training camp I go to I’ll see about learning one of the advanced forms that looks cooler to the outsider. And if I can’t do that, or I wont be able to go to training camp for a while, I could make my own.
If I do, I plan on taking lots of time and using techniques that are actually martial, not JUST aerobic. And of course to make it look good I’ll use a lot jumping and spinning strikes. And if I can’t come up with a REALISTIC application, scrap the move. No matter how cool.
So my thoughts, it’s ok to learn some of the flashing, looks really cool stuff, but make sure you have some reason to. A few good reasons are (but not limited too):
· Tournament (though I guess that the main back round topic)
· Demos (to attract more possible students)
· TV. /movies (like demos)
You may or may-not agree with me. That is not quiet my point. My point is there are reasons to learn flash.

Sweet Brighit Bless your Blade,

John

 

[jdinca]

Before I start I would like to apologize if I have stuck my nose were it doesn’t belong. Or if I start to bore you. I’ll start my thought process with a little story (it’ll help explain my point of view).
In Coung Nhu it is possible to but tee shirts that advertise the style, training camp, or a single school. I have two and wear them to school a lot. Because of that I get a lot of people trying to get me into giving them a demo. For the most part I just -blank-, and moan, and groan, and try to weasel my way out of it (stuff like the ancient technique “black belt hands out his sensei’s business card”). And if they manage to talk me into it, I normally to about 10 minutes of Q&A after doing Sui Nim Dao. So I’ve been have thinking that at the next training camp I go to I’ll see about learning one of the advanced forms that looks cooler to the outsider. And if I can’t do that, or I wont be able to go to training camp for a while, I could make my own.
If I do, I plan on taking lots of time and using techniques that are actually martial, not JUST aerobic. And of course to make it look good I’ll use a lot jumping and spinning strikes. And if I can’t come up with a REALISTIC application, scrap the move. No matter how cool.
So my thoughts, it’s ok to learn some of the flashing, looks really cool stuff, but make sure you have some reason to. A few good reasons are (but not limited too):
· Tournament (though I guess that the main back round topic)
· Demos (to attract more possible students)
· TV. /movies (like demos)
You may or may-not agree with me. That is not quiet my point. My point is there are reasons to learn flash.

Sweet Brighit Bless your Blade,

John

I don't think learning flash is an issue, provided it's appropriate to the style and has a purpose. I have to admit, as much as I don't like some of the modern wushu moves added to traditional forms, they sure look awesome when done correctly. But often they are out of place with the style, form and movement of the form. I think you're approaching it the right way.

 

[CuongNhuka]

Thanks Jdinca. mmm... then I guess I have nothing else to say.

John

 

[jdinca]

Thanks Jdinca. mmm... then I guess I have nothing else to say.
John

:rofl:

 

[brothershaw]

As it is alot of the true training and skill is disappearing, wu shu further takes away from that since the younger generation will tend to gravitate towards it and most wont move onto other chinese arts that are taught in a more traditional way. Even the karate guys are having to add wushu ( they call it extreme) to thier karate to keep the kids and the money coming in.
The odds are incredibly stacked against cmas- find a good teacher who actually knows his stuff, who can actually afford to keep a school of some sort going. It is so much easier to find a decent karate, jujitsu or X art school. And I love cmas and respect the time the wushu people put into thier training.

 

[AceHBK]

Very interesting topic.
I have someone who teaches me northern and shaolin kung fu. He took wushu and was on a wushu team and quickly poits out to me that u really should know kung fu before u go and learn wushu.
He told me that most people today only want to do the flashy stuff and dont understand the roots of it. He went onto say that to the trained eye a person can tell who has solid kung fu training to go with their wushu as opposed to someone who just has wushu training.

 

[jdinca]

Very interesting topic.
I have someone who teaches me northern and shaolin kung fu. He took wushu and was on a wushu team and quickly poits out to me that u really should know kung fu before u go and learn wushu.
He told me that most people today only want to do the flashy stuff and dont understand the roots of it. He went onto say that to the trained eye a person can tell who has solid kung fu training to go with their wushu as opposed to someone who just has wushu training.

You have a good teacher. What he said is absolutely true. As has been pointed out though, this refers to modern wushu and not the traditional art.

 

[tshadowchaser]

As others have said if you are only learning the "mordern" you may learn flexability, sped, etc. but you miss out on what these moves derived from.
Some of the "new" forms are beautiful to watch and some fighting aspects may be learned from them but again with out the "old" (knowledge) added you miss part of the picture

 

[LeShin]

Hi guys, new to Martialtalk and new to the chinese martial arts in general would be grateful for your opinion on this:

I've recently started a wushu class as I've been fascinated by the look of some of the techniques. Actually it was witnessing someone in my area doing 5 consecutive butterfly kicks in my street that prompted me to look frantically for a wushu class (that, and watching Iron Monkey numerous times )

Anyway, I really like the class, even though my legs felt pain they had never witnessed before in their life after the first lesson as i'm not exactly what you would call flexible as i didn't really need to be when I did Ninjutsu a few years back.

The thing is, i've researched all over the internet and in books and I've realised i am learning the modern version. I really would like to learn the combat aspect of traditional wushu as a main and also have the acrobatic kicks and leaping of modern wushu. My main focus in learning martial arts was to be able to balance speed, some acrobatic flexibility and power . I have come to understand that traditional wushu instructors won't necessarily put in some of the "flamboyant moves" from modern wushu.

So my question is: Would i have to cross train in both modern and traditional wushu to get what I want? or are both versions just to similar to cross train in (i.e. i would be learning the same martial art twice)

I apologize in advance if that is a stupid question, but like i said, i'm sort of new to the whole wushu and chinese martial arts in general.

Also if anyone could point me in the direction of a traditional wushu class in London, England, i would be very grateful!

 

[InvisibleFist]

If you're enjoying what you're doing, I say stick with it. Modern wushu is a ton of fun, and it will be great traing for traditional if you want to switch later. Wushu is like kung fu on steroids. After the deep stances you'll learn in contemporary, learning traditional will be a snap.