Chinese martial arts training consists of the following components: basics, forms, applications and weapons; different styles place varying emphasis on each component. In addition, philosophy, ethics and even medical practice are highly regarded by most Chinese martial arts. A complete training system should also provide insight into Chinese attitudes and culture. Moreover, many Chinese
martial arts styles integrate traditional medical practices into their training. This includes the understanding of meridians, pressure points, and
herbal remedies, as well as exercises that promote health,
vitality, and longevity. The holistic approach to training seeks to cultivate both internal and external strength, promoting overall well-being and balance. Furthermore,
Chinese martial arts serve as a vessel for preserving and transmitting cultural values and attitudes. Respect for teachers, dedication, discipline, and perseverance are instilled in practitioners, fostering a sense of community and loyalty within martial arts schools and lineages. Chinese martial arts also often incorporate cultural elements such as music, costumes, and rituals, further deepening the connection to Chinese heritage and traditions. Overall, Chinese martial arts encompass not just physical techniques but a comprehensive system that encompasses philosophy, ethics, medical knowledge, and cultural appreciation. It is this holistic approach that distinguishes Chinese martial arts as not just a means of self-defense but as a way of life, promoting personal growth, cultural understanding, and the pursuit of harmony and excellence.
Basics The
Basics () are a vital part of any martial training, as a student cannot progress to the more advanced stages without them. Basics are usually made up of rudimentary techniques,
conditioning exercises, including
stances. Basic training may involve simple movements that are performed repeatedly; other examples of basic training are stretching, meditation,
striking,
throwing, or jumping. Without strong and flexible muscles, management of
qi or breath, and proper body mechanics, it is impossible for a student to progress in the Chinese martial arts. A common saying concerning basic training in Chinese martial arts is as follows: Which translates as:
Stances Stances (steps or 步法) are structural postures employed in Chinese martial arts training. They represent the foundation and the form of a fighter's base. Each style has different names and variations for each stance. Stances may be differentiated by foot position, weight distribution, body alignment, etc. Stance training can be practiced statically, the goal of which is to maintain the structure of the stance through a set time period, or dynamically, in which case a series of movements is performed repeatedly. The
Horse stance (; ) and the
bow stance are examples of stances found in many styles of Chinese martial arts.
Meditation In many Chinese martial arts,
meditation is considered to be an important component of basic training. Meditation can be used to develop focus, mental clarity and can act as a basis for
qigong training. Through
meditation,
martial arts practitioners learn to regulate their breath, relax their bodies, and enter a state of deep focus. This kind of
concentration helps them to stay present in their movements and
techniques, enhancing their responsiveness and physical coordination. Meditation also cultivates the ability for introspection, enabling practitioners to become more keenly aware of their bodily sensations, energy flow, and inner state. Meditation is also closely related to
qigong. Through the concentration and adjustments achieved through meditation, martial arts practitioners can better perceive and direct the internal energy (known as "
qi" in
qigong). They learn to manipulate the flow of
qi through deep breathing and visualization exercises to promote bodily balance,
harmony, and health. Therefore, meditation, as a part of foundational training, offers Chinese martial arts practitioners a comprehensive approach to cultivating both the internal and external aspects. It assists them in developing various aspects of their body, energy, and mind, thereby enhancing their technical skills.
Use of qi The concept of
qi is encountered in a number of Chinese martial arts.
Qi is variously defined as an inner energy or "life force" that is said to animate living beings; as a term for proper skeletal alignment and efficient use of musculature (sometimes also known as
fa jin or
jin); or as a shorthand for concepts that the martial arts student might not yet be ready to understand in full. These meanings are not necessarily mutually exclusive. There are many ideas regarding the control of one's qi energy to such an extent that it can be used for healing oneself or others. Some styles believe in focusing
qi into a single point when attacking and aim at specific areas of the human body. Such techniques are known as
dim mak and have principles that are similar to
acupressure.
Weapons training Most Chinese styles also make use of training in the broad arsenal of
Chinese weapons for conditioning the body as well as coordination and
strategy drills. Weapons training (; ) is generally carried out after the student becomes proficient with the basic forms and applications training. The basic theory for weapons training is to consider the weapon as an extension of the body. It has the same requirements for footwork and body coordination as the basics. The process of weapon training proceeds with forms, forms with partners and then applications. Most systems have training methods for each of the
Eighteen Arms of Wushu (; ) in addition to specialized instruments specific to the system.
Application Application refers to the
practical use of combative techniques. Chinese martial arts techniques are ideally based on efficiency and effectiveness. Application includes non-compliant drills, such as
Pushing Hands in many internal martial arts, and
sparring, which occurs within a variety of contact levels and rule sets. When and how applications are taught varies from style to style. Today, many styles begin to teach new students by focusing on exercises in which each student knows a prescribed range of combat and technique to drill on. These drills are often semi-compliant, meaning one student does not offer active resistance to a technique, in order to allow its demonstrative, clean execution. In more resisting drills, fewer rules apply, and students practice how to react and respond. 'Sparring' refers to a more advanced format, which simulates a combat situation while including rules that reduce the chance of serious injury. Competitive sparring disciplines include Chinese
kickboxing Sǎnshǒu () and Chinese
folk wrestling Shuāijiāo (), which were traditionally contested on a raised platform arena, or
Lèitái (). Lèitái were used in public challenge matches first appeared in the
Song dynasty. The objective for those contests was to knock the opponent from a raised platform by any means necessary.
San Shou represents the modern development of Lei Tai contests, but with rules in place to reduce the chance of serious injury. Many Chinese martial art schools teach or work within the rule sets of Sanshou, working to incorporate the movements, characteristics, and theory of their style. Chinese martial artists also compete in non-Chinese or mixed
Combat sport, including boxing, kickboxing and
Mixed martial arts.
Forms (taolu) Forms or
taolu () in Chinese are series of predetermined movements combined so they can be practiced as a continuous set of movements. Forms were originally intended to preserve the lineage of a particular style branch, and were often taught to advanced students selected for that purpose. Forms contained both literal, representative and exercise-oriented forms of applicable techniques that students could extract, test, and train in through
sparring sessions. Today, many consider
taolu to be one of the most important practices in Chinese martial arts. Traditionally, they played a smaller role in training for combat application and took a back seat to sparring, drilling, and conditioning. Forms gradually build up a practitioner's flexibility, internal and external strength, speed and stamina, and they teach balance and coordination. Many styles contain forms that use weapons of various lengths and types, using one or two hands. Some styles focus on a certain type of weapon. Forms are meant to be both practical, usable, and applicable as well as to promote fluid motion, meditation, flexibility, balance, and coordination. Students are encouraged to visualize an attacker while training the form. There are two general types of
taolu in Chinese martial arts. Most common are
solo forms performed by a single student. There are also
sparring forms — choreographed fighting sets performed by two or more people. Sparring forms were designed both to acquaint beginning fighters with basic measures and concepts of combat and to serve as performance pieces for the school. Weapons-based sparring forms are especially useful for teaching students the extension, range, and technique required to manage a weapon.
Forms in traditional Chinese martial arts The term
taolu (套路) is a shortened version of
Tao Lu Yun Dong (套路運動), an expression introduced only recently with the popularity of modern wushu. This expression refers to "exercise sets" and used in the context of athletics or sport. In contrast, in traditional Chinese martial arts alternative terminologies for the training (練) of 'sets or forms
are: • lian quan tao (練拳套) – practicing a sequence of fists. • lian quan jiao (練拳腳) – practicing fists and feet. • lian bing qi (練兵器) – practicing weapons. • dui da (對打) and dui lian (對練) – fighting sets. Traditional "sparring" sets, called
dui da (對打) or
dui lian (對練), were an essential part of Chinese martial arts for centuries.
Dui lian means to train by a pair of combatants opposing each other—the character
lian (練), refers to practice; to train; to perfect one's skill; to drill. As well, often one of these terms are also included in the name of fighting sets (雙演;
shuang yan), "paired practice" (掙勝;
zheng sheng), "to struggle with strength for victory" (敵;
di), match – the character suggests to strike an enemy; and "to break" (破;
po). Generally, there are 21, 18, 12, 9 or 5 drills or 'exchanges/groupings' of attacks and counterattacks, in each
dui lian set. These drills were considered only generic patterns and never meant to be considered inflexible 'tricks'. Students practiced smaller parts/exchanges, individually with opponents switching sides in a continuous flow.
Dui lian were not only sophisticated and effective methods of passing on the fighting knowledge of the older generation, but they were also essential and effective training methods. The relationship between single sets and contact sets is complicated, in that some skills cannot be developed with solo 'sets', and, conversely, with
dui lian. Unfortunately, it appears that most traditional combat oriented
dui lian and their training methodology have disappeared, especially those concerning weapons. There are several reasons for this. In modern Chinese martial arts, most of the
dui lian are recent inventions designed for light props resembling weapons, with safety and drama in mind. The role of this kind of training has degenerated to the point of being useless in a practical sense, and, at best, is just performance. By the early Song period, sets were not so much "individual isolated technique strung together" but rather were composed of techniques and counter technique groupings. It is quite clear that "sets" and "fighting (two-person) sets" have been instrumental in traditional Chinese martial arts for many hundreds of years—even before the Song dynasty. There are images of two-person weapon training in Chinese stone painting going back at least to the Eastern Han dynasty. According to what has been passed on by the older generations, the approximate ratio of contact sets to single sets was approximately 1:3. In other words, about 30% of the 'sets' practiced at Shaolin were contact sets,
dui lian, and two-person drill training. This ratio is, in part, evidenced by the Qing dynasty mural at Shaolin. For most of its history, Shaolin martial arts was mostly weapon-focused: staves were used to defend the monastery, not bare hands. Even the more recent military exploits of Shaolin during the Ming and Qing dynasties involved weapons. According to some traditions, monks first studied basics for one year and were then taught staff fighting so that they could protect the monastery. Although wrestling has been a sport in China for centuries, weapons have been an essential part of Chinese wushu since ancient times. If one wants to talk about recent or 'modern' developments in Chinese martial arts (including Shaolin for that matter), it is the over-emphasis on bare hand fighting. During the Northern Song dynasty (976–997 A.D.) when platform fighting is known as
Da Laitai (Title Fights Challenge on Platform) first appeared, these fights were with only swords and staves. Although later, when bare hand fights appeared as well, it was the weapons events that became the most famous. These open-ring competitions had regulations and were organized by government organizations; the public also organized some. The government competitions, held in the capital and prefectures, resulted in appointments for winners, to military posts.
Practice forms vs. kung fu in combat Even though forms in Chinese martial arts are intended to depict realistic martial techniques, the movements are not always identical to how techniques would be applied in combat. Many forms have been elaborated upon, on the one hand, to provide better combat preparedness, and on the other hand to look more aesthetically pleasing. One manifestation of this tendency toward elaboration beyond combat application is the use of lower stances and higher, stretching kicks. These two maneuvers are unrealistic in combat and are used in forms for exercise purposes. Many modern schools have replaced practical defense or offense movements with acrobatic feats that are more spectacular to watch, thereby gaining favor during exhibitions and competitions. Historically forms were often performed for entertainment purposes long before the advent of modern Wushu as practitioners have looked for supplementary income by performing on the streets or in theaters. Documentation in ancient literature during the Tang dynasty (618–907) and the
Northern Song dynasty (960–1279) suggests some sets, (including two + person sets:
dui da also called
dui lian) became very elaborate and 'flowery', many mainly concerned with aesthetics. During this time, some martial arts systems devolved to the point that they became popular forms of martial art storytelling entertainment shows. This created an entire category of martial arts known as
Hua Fa Wuyi. During the Northern Song period, it was noted by historians this type of training had a negative influence on training in the military. Many traditional Chinese martial artists, as well as practitioners of modern sport combat, have become critical of the perception that forms work is more relevant to the art than sparring and drill application, while most continue to see traditional forms practice within the traditional context—as vital to both proper combat execution, the Shaolin aesthetic as an art form, as well as upholding the meditative function of the physical art form. Another reason why techniques often appear different in forms when contrasted with sparring application is thought by some to come from the concealment of the actual functions of the techniques from outsiders. Forms practice is mostly known for teaching combat techniques yet when practicing forms, the practitioner focuses on posture, breathing, and performing the techniques of both right and left sides of the body. ==Wushu==