External Martial Arts and Wushu
The External Martial Arts are what people typically associate with Chinese Martial Arts, or Chinese Kung Fu or Wushu. These are the exciting and powerful movements that one may have seen in movies (think Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, or Jet Li). In fact, there are hundreds of styles of Chinese Martial Arts, each with their own characteristics and usage.
Contemporary Wushu is an exciting new form of wushu that is performance based. It combines martial techniques with dance and acrobatics and the result is an explosive performance of running, jumping, kicking and punching.
Traditional Wushu is the older family styles from China, dating back hundreds and thousands of years. These are martial systems developed by people in the olden days of China when one's life and protection depended on his or her ability to fight. As a result, some powerful and deadly practical martial arts have emerged. Bak Mei Wushu can be considered a traditional wushu, as well as Cha Quan, and Mien Quan.
Baji Quan is also known as the body guard style. Literally translated as the 8 ultimate fists, this style was used by the bodyguards for the emperors of China many times. This style relies on fast inside fighting, with hard hits designed to quickly incapacitate your opponent, with elbows, kicks, punches, and body hits.
Wushu Weapons are included in the Chinese Martial Arts and Wushu practice. From swords, to spears, to chains and exotic weapons, these are a joy to learn and to watch, with every technique having a martial application, much like the empty hand forms. To see a demonstration of wushu sword, please click here.