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British Aikido Board National Nepotism Seminar
The British Aikido Board Disastrous National Nepotism Seminar 2004 – 99 Students By Henry Ellis ( BAB Founder member - now resigned ) For many years The British Aikido Board ( BAB ) have shown no interest whatsoever in the true history of...
The Aikido Biography of Sensei Henry Ellis
The Biography of Sensei Henry Ellis
5th dan
Henry Ellis and Derek Eastman - 2000
Henry Ellis was born May 3rd 1936 in a tough coal mining town in the County of Yorkshire, North of England. This was pre-war Britain, and growing up as...
The Benefits of Martial Arts Training
As any martial arts practitioner will tell you, there are multiple benefits in martial arts training. Of course, the most obvious benefit is a knowledge of self defense which is one of the major reasons why the martial arts were developed in the...
The Biography of Sensei Derek Eastman - Part 1 of 2
I have known Sensei Eastman for some 12 years and during those years I have heard so many stories about both Sensei Eastman and Sensei Ellis and their dedication to the early promotion of UK Aikido, some of the history highlights their hard...
The Reality Factor
Looking around at different martial arts and the practitioners there is one thing that surprises me very time. Many, may people don't have an R-factor in their training and techniques You see people who get almost punched in their face and they...
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Kung Fu: History And Basic Principles
The Term:
Historically, the term "Kung Fu" is not really featured in any
ancient texts. It was first coined by a Frenchman named Jean
Joseph Marie Amiot, a missionary who lived in the 18th Century,
in reference to Chinese martial arts. Kung Fu is also called
Gongfu, Wushu, or Kuoshu, and originally denotes expertise in
any skill, and not exclusive to martial arts.
Brief History:
The practice, philosophy, and concept of Kung Fu can be traced
back to ancient Chinese texts such as Zhuang Zi, Dao De Jing,
and Sun Zi Bing Fa (Art of War written by Sun Zi), all written
between 1111-255 BC. These texts contain passages related to the
practice, propagation, and principles of Chinese martial arts,
or Kung Fu as it is known today.
One theory regarding the first written history of Kung Fu
suggests that the Yellow Emperor, who reigned from 2698 BC,
wrote the first treatise on Chinese martial arts. Others give
credit to Taoist monks for introducing an art form that resemble
modern Tai Chi around 500 BC. Then in 39-92 AD, Pan Ku included
"Six Chapters of Hand Fighting" in his discourse on the history
of the Han dynasty (Han Shu). As the popularity of martial arts
progressed, a physician named Hua T'uo also wrote his own
treatise entitled, "Five Animals Play" in 220 AD.
Kung Fu had become a common word in the West beginning in the
late 1960s, popularized by martial arts movies and TV series.
The Western world today has also seen an immense upsurge in the
creation and production of martial arts movies starring great
actors/masters such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li.
Basic
Principles:
The concept of Kung Fu revolves around three basic principles -
Motivation, Self-discipline and Time.
According to experts, the real motivation behind learning Kung
Fu is inspiration and not force, which should come from an inner
craving to learn and develop the mind and body. Motivation here
is the fundamental driving force. There is no external or
worldly gain for the learner, and the only reward is that of
knowledge, skill, strength and wisdom.
In Kung Fu, discipline is complementary to motivation.
Discipline puts motivation into deed and action. A learner has
to make an effort into what he has been motivated for, and
self-discipline helps him get started and guides him to achieve
that goal. Therefore, without discipline, motivation is just a
dormant state of mind.
Time is the path to perfection in martial arts. Once motivation
and self-discipline have set in, a learner has to spend a
considerable amount of time putting mind and body into practice.
A truly inspired learner does not have the privilege to waste
time, stay idle or indulge in fruitless activities. Everything
done by him/her should reflect real motivation and
self-discipline.
Variants and Styles:
With the passage of time, numerous variants and styles have come
up in martial arts, or Kung Fu. Some of the more popular ones
include Karate, Escrima, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do,
Shaolin, White Crane, T'ai Chi Ch'uan, and Bagua Zhang.
About the author:
Martial Arts HQ offers
articles, tips and tricks about different martial arts.
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