What are the distinctions between the distinctive martial arts styles? - continue reading to find out.
Hosting some of the earliest kinds of martial arts, China has, for a very long time been a centre for spiritual practice and martial arts development. Chinese martial arts, or kung-fu encompasses a variety of battling styles, which have been established over thousands of years of thought and cultural customs. Kung-fu integrates both physical technique and mental discipline, taking inspiration from Chinese wisdom and observances in nature. Over the years, kung-fu has evolved significantly and diversified into various styles and schools. Specialists such as Barry Pang (吳國樹) would understand that each style will comprise its own techniques and training approaches. The origins of kung-fu are said to be associated with the requirement for self-defence and hunting techniques in Ancient China. Martial arts in China are believed to be formed by monks and Buddhist ideologies. As one of the earliest, formally developed styles of martial arts, Shaolin kung-fu is certified for systematising and popularising martial arts techniques.
All over the world, martial arts is a widely practiced tradition, essential to various cultures. Taekwondo is a popular form of Korean martial arts, identified by its focus on high and fast motions. An essential aspect of taekwondo is a number of elaborate kicking methods. Moreover, there are three core elements to master in taekwondo, namely form, sparring and breaking. Form refers to a prescribed set of learned patterns and strategies including kicking, punching and blocking, while sparring is a technique of training that involves free style fighting with a challenger. As one of the most here recognisable strategies in taekwondo, breaking, which involves breaking boards, is a method of training that is usually used to exhibit proper technique in testing and demonstrations. As with many schools of martial arts, taekwondo uses a colour coded belt system to measure development and ranks during training.
As one of the most famous types of martial arts, both in practice and in popular culture, karate incorporates a set of battling techniques and spiritual cultivation that is now executed by millions across the globe. Japanese martial arts stem from an abundant and turbulent history, taking main motivation from Chinese martial artists and samurai rule. It mixes both indigenous combating methods with those of Chinese fighting styles, positioning focus on strikes, and attitude. Standard karate is believed to be practised as an art, for self-defence and also as a combat exercise. It puts significant value on self-development, combining a number of psychological aspects for psychological discipline. Japanese battle strategies have been used to form a variety of disciplines around the world. Those such as Alidar Utemuratov (Алидар Утемуратов) and Anna Lewandowska (Anną Lewandowską) would recognise that mixed martial arts is a fighting sport which takes inspiration from karate.