Martial arts course - China

Product Details

The martial arts you can train in during your course include; Wu Shu, Tae Kwon Do, Chinese Boxing, Karate, Wing Chun, Tai Chi, Shaolin and Xingyi.

Traditional Chinese martial arts are a mystical blend of physical and spiritual conditioning. Eastern martial arts are well-known for their fusion of strength and fitness training and instruction in self discipline, control, co-ordination and power. Some of the arts have a more dance-like style, while some are combat-based and some are focused around acrobatics.

From the ancient concept of qě or ch'i, the inner energy or 'life force' that flows through the body of every living being, to the flashy Kung Fu Moves of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li… This is the perfect opportunity to get a taster of the many different styles and varieties of ancient martial arts in their native land!

Course outline
The course takes place at an international Kung Fu centre in central Shanghai, and lessons are held every week night and during the day on Saturday and Sunday. You can sign up for a one-, two- or three-month course lasting for the duration of your placement or for just a portion of it. The beauty of this course is that once you are signed up all classes are open to you: you can go to as many or as few lessons as you wish, and there are a huge variety of martial arts you can choose from. This gives you an excellent opportunity to experience a variety of martial arts forms or concentrate on the style of your choosing.

Classes are taught in English and you do not need to have any prior knowledge of martial arts to take part as classes are geared at all levels - from beginner to advanced.

Tai Chi
Tai Chi is an ancient form of meditative exercise, used to improve and maintain good health, increase longevity and as a means of self-defence. It is practised by hundreds of millions of people around the world and can be recognised by its slow, captivating movements. The words can be literally translated as Tai - supreme, Chi - ultimate. Together they represent an expression of living life to its fullest and bending like bamboo in the face of the strongest winds. The origins of Tai Chi are lost in time. Although descriptions of individual practitioners and their principles have been found from records over 3,500 years old, tradition puts the creation of the first set of recognisable postures with Chang san Feng, a monk living in the mountains of China about 600 years ago. From his meditations and experiences he understood how in time, something that remains soft and pliant endures while something which is hard and rigid withers, as water and wind wear down even the tallest mountains. This resulted in a series of movements which follow natural principles and assist in the development of an internal understanding. These movements were arranged in a martial form to encourage participation and for practical benefit. In more recent times several styles have developed, the most popular of which is the Yang style, named after the Yang family.

There are many reasons for practising Tai Chi: to improve health, increase energy, as moving meditation to quieten and focus the mind, to understand one's nature and for self defence. Tai Chi is primarily practised for health reasons today. It's slow movements allow even the stiffest and most tense person the opportunity to relax and strengthen their body without risk of strain or injury. At its most profound levels Tai Chi leads to a greater understanding of all aspects of life: physical, mental and spiritual. Tai Chi Lessons are frequently preceded by Chi Kung (energy training): temple exercises to get chi flowing.

Karate
Karate is said to have a very long history, going back further than 500 AD on the western calendar. At that time Daruma, the founder of Western Buddhism, came to China. He brought Buddhism with him, But many of his disciples were unable to keep up with his demanding spiritual and physical teaching methods. Indeed, many of them would simply drop from exhaustion. So Daruma developed a new training system to make his followers stronger and to give them more endurance. He wrote a book (Ekkin-Kyo) about his system, which was the first book ever made about karate.

Daruma's teachings and Kung Fu both had a great influence on early Karate. Daruma's form of physical training and philosophy was taught in the Shaolin Temple as early as 500 AD. Shorin Kung Fu was popular in the south of China, and was a very dramatic martial art, with lots of kicks, jumps, and speedy movement. Shokei was primarily taught in the north and it concentrated on slow powerful movements. All of these teachings eventually migrated to Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa already had its own unarmed fighting style which was known as Okinawa-te, or Te. Over time Te merged with the important Kung Fu schools to form Karate. The fighters in Okinawa became especially skilled due to long periods where weapons were outlawed, leaving unarmed combat as the only option.

Basically modern Okinawan Karate developed from the the imported Kung Fu techniques combined with the pre-existing art of Te. This makes for a fighting art that was both violent and disciplined.

Tae Kwon Do
Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art that is over two thousand years old. These days it's most often thought of in terms of impressive-looking spinning kicks or shattering six or seven wooden boards, but the birth and original purpose of this powerful martial art have nothing to do with board-breaking or fancy-looking kicks.

- ("tae") implies jumping or flying, and also means "to kick" or otherwise break with the foot

- ("kwon") means "fist" and implies breaking with the hand

- ("do") is "art" or "way" (as in "a way of doing something"), similar to the Chinese "dao"

Combining the three characters, one gets "foot-hand art" or, commonly, "the art of kicking and punching." However, many people will tell you that it's much more than just a martial art: tae kwon do also has a strong philosophical background, as well as a spirit that goes along with the techniques which cannot be explained or described, only experienced.

Tae Kwon Do places the emphasis on strength, accuracy and above all, self control, as no weapons are used. Through Tae Kwon Do you will learn your body’s capabilities and limits, as well as learning how to develop its many strengths and minimize and protect its many weaknesses.

Wing Chun
Wing Chun is the name of a system of martial arts developed in southern China approximately 300 years ago. Its originator, the Buddhist nun Ng Mui, was a master of Shaolin Kung Fu and used this knowledge to invent a way to take advantage of the weaknesses inherent in the other Shaolin systems. This new system was well-guarded and passed on to only a few, very dedicated students. Later, the style became known as Wing Chun, after Ng Mui's first student, a woman named Yim Wing Chun.

In 1949, Yip Man, who was considered to be the grandmaster of modern Wing Chun, brought the style out of China into Hong Kong and eventually to the rest of the world.

Wing Chun Kung Fu works better as a ‘size equalizer’ than many of the other styles and is an effective form of self defence close up for men and women alike. The basics of Wing Chun Kung Fu can be learned faster than some of the other Kung Fu styles and even many of the other Asian Martial Arts, and can quickly become an effective form of self defence.

Wing Chun is based on the Taoist principle of 'Take the Middle Road'. This implies that one should not go to extremes. No quality is the 'most important’ i.e. speed, strength, fitness. Success is based on balance this implies that if one is in the middle road you can see both left and right paths. If you go too far to the left or right you lose sight of the other side. This is can be seen in the fact that Wing Chun is a hard and soft style, the yin and yang. The 'Yin' (feminine) focuses on diverting the flow of energy, the 'Yang' (masculine) seeks to resist any opposing energy flow. Wing Chun Classes at the centre aim to build a strong body and give the traditional art a practical use.

Wu Shu
The Chinese word for Kung Fu is “Wu Shu”, which can be translated as “Martial Art” or “Martial Dance”. As an umbrella term it encompasses all styles of Chinese Kung Fu including sword, long stick and spear.

One of the styles practiced at the Centre is ‘Chang Quan’ – a form of Shaolin Fist. Chang Quan is known for its lightning fast moves, sudden halts and low stances which lead to dynamic jumping kicks. The balance and even development of techniques make Chang Quan stand out from other styles, and because of this it provides perfect training for the entire body and is the best way for a student to begin their study of Wu Shu. Chang Quan is great for overall health, strength and flexibility, and provides release of stress through self discipline and breathing.

Wu Shu ranks among the most popular performance arts in the world, and is slated to be an exhibition sport at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In a typical competition, participants compete in a minimum of four compulsory forms, two empty hand and two weapon sets. In standard men's competition, compulsory weapons forms are typically broadsword and staff forms. Women's competition, on the other hand, focuses on straight sword and spear forms. There are also myriad other forms that might be performed in competition, spanning the range of the Eighteen Arms of Wu shu.

Wu Shu currently holds more sway over modern action films than does any other single martial arts system. Jet Li, arguably one of the most famous modern martial artists of our times, began his career as a member of the Beijing Wu Shu Team. Similarly, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Iron Monkey, and a plethora of other Kung Fu movies derive a significant amount of style from modern Wu Shu.

Accommodation
Accommodation arranged for you will depend on which project you are doing in Shanghai. If you are teaching, your accommodation will most likely be on school campus, and you will usually share a building with other volunteers or Chinese Teachers. All rooms are clean and comfortable, but are basic rather than luxurious, although some may have air conditioning, internet access and a TV!

Sometimes you will share a room with another Travellers volunteer, or you might have your own room – if you have a particular preference please let us know and we can do our best to accommodate it. You may also be living in a hotel in short walking distance from the school you are teaching at. You will usually eat all your meals in the school canteen along with the students and other staff.

Other Shanghai placements
Travellers Worldwide run a number of gap year placements in Shanghai which you can do alongside this course.

Click here >> for their teaching project in Shanghai
Click here >> for their care project in Shanghai
Click here >> for their summer camp project in Shanghai
Click here >> for their journalism project in Shanghai