Can you play martial arts in China?

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Author: Qin Lang

Link:/question/20452972/answer/19827583

Source: Zhihu.

There is no doubt that China Wushu has the ability to fight. No matter in China, Shaolin Wudang, as long as this person learns real kung fu, he has basic fighting ability, and many martial arts fighting ideas are still very advanced. But why do some people say that martial arts is fake and ostentatious? Personally, I think there are several reasons for Wushu itself.

First of all, Wushu training pays too much attention to routines and ignores actual combat practice. Routine is of course composed of offensive and defensive actions, but only practicing routine means only simulating actual combat training and being divorced from reality. Then once you encounter a real fighting scene, it will inevitably be very different from the usual practice, so it is naturally impossible to use what you practice. It's like a swimmer who only breathes, stretches his arms and kicks on the shore, but never goes into the water. Once such a person enters the water, the result can be imagined. Although all factions have some training methods of simulated fighting, such as Shaolin Boxing, the pusher of Taiji Chuan, it is still different from real fighting. As for many old boxers who are used to being only a "spokesman" (let you straighten your hand and say "Now you hit me, I'll tell you how to break it"), it is even more divorced from reality.

Secondly, Wushu ignores the training of anaerobic exercise. China Wushu has its own unique health preserving theory, one of which is that it is most beneficial to keep a gentle breath when practicing boxing. In storytelling, it is often heard that someone praises him for "not changing color or getting angry". Therefore, when practicing routines, the design of movements is also based on aerobic exercise, especially internal boxing. But the real fighting scene consumes a lot of physical energy, and professional boxing Sanda athletes regard physical training as an important compulsory course. This lack of martial arts is another reason why many people get down as soon as they get started.

Third, the myth of excessive self in Wushu. Although China Wushu has some shortcomings, its fighting theory and system still have advantages, but some boxers' myths about Wushu are another reason why Wushu is regarded as fake. There are two common self myths in Wushu. First, popularize some technologies with similar special functions beyond common sense. Lightness Skill and hitting people from a distance all belong to this category. Second, promote China's idea that martial arts is the best in the world. This self-myth usually flaunts that Wushu is ten times better than boxing Sanda, and will say that the shortcomings of Wushu mentioned above are the reasons why Wushu is better than western fighting techniques. For example, "Running and muscle training are harmful to the body, and the routine is health preservation", "I retired from boxing at the age of 40, and I can still play martial arts at the age of 100" and so on.

Having said that, in fact, martial arts and Chinese medicine are a bit like each other, both of which have their own functions, but they both like to belittle western science to raise themselves. Moreover, such a theory can often attract more supporters. What is the reason? To put it bluntly, firstly, in our society, citizens' scientific spirit is not yet available, and some mythological theories that transcend science are often more easily accepted. The second is that the excessive praise of martial arts and Chinese medicine can satisfy populist ideas. A theoretical basis of Wushu and TCM is that "the wisdom of ancestors will be far superior to that of modern people and westerners". In fact, Western medicine and boxing have a history of thousands of years. The difference is that westerners are always developing and evolving, while China people always make the past serve the present, believing that the ancients are better than modern people. Therefore, the theoretical system of Chinese medicine and martial arts is not much different from that of thousands of years ago. In fact, any knowledge and technology thousands of years ago must be outdated today, so the decline of Wushu can be understood.