China has always held its own when it comes to martial arts. In fact, most consider china to be the pioneers in this field. They have a whole range of styles and forms in this arena and some that are not so well known but just as good. The most commonly known ones are Kung Fu and Tai Chi. But there are others like Hsing-I and the Shaolin style. China has been regarded as the founder of the martial arts for centuries now and they have brought about the concept of martial arts as a very dominant means of self defense, which ironically also teaches you how to live peacefully. Japan does have its own merit in this field but China is given the status of founder nation by most.
Hsing-I is an internal part of the Kung Fu style of martial arts. Chinese medicine and the Chinese perception of nature have played an important part in influencing this form of martial art. Here, the stress is on teaching the students to create powerful movement while using minimal energy to subordinate the body. This is not very well known but is very common in China and one finds it practiced in a lot of schools or ‘dojo’s’ as they are known in China. This style is closely related to Tai Chi and focuses on the five elements - earth, fire, metal, wood and water and the blows that are part of the Hsing-I style come from these five elements. The dance like movements is complex in nature and is adapted from the range of motions seen in animals and those who practice this art have amazing endurance and physical skills. The training is very demanding and calls for immense physical and mental strength.
Tai Chi promotes flexibility along with strength and stamina and is defined as an energy exercise. This art has slow calm movements, balanced and exact which are performed when the person is in a state of complete relaxation. It looks more like a slow dance but the performer is fully aware of what his body is doing despite giving the impression of being sleepy. But this state of relaxation aids the emotional and spiritual well being of the performer and helps him reach his optimum level of peace.
Kung fu is considered the best of all the martial arts in China and there are many different styles that have originated from it. The Shaolin style is yet another form of Chinese martial arts. This involves five different Kung Fu styles as well as the five animal system which is quite famous. This system is very powerful, very popular in China and is recognized by its devastating techniques when used in combat. All these forms of martial arts aid the students in endurance training and increase their flexibility. It also boosts their physical and emotional abilities which rise very often to the level of unmatchable.
Andy Jenkins is a staff writer at http://www.sports-gazette.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.outdoorsportsenthusiast.com
Tags: kung fu, martial arts, tai chi
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