Wu Shu Kwan

Wu Shu Kwan originated in China, roughly translated, it means a 'practical form of kung fu'; also known as Chinese Kickboxing.

C.K. Chang developed the Wu Shu Kwan system in the 1960s after many years studying the techniques of traditional training, then fusing them with modern 'sports-science' (knowledge of physiology).Fact|date=September 2008 The resulting system aims to enable a practitioner to maximize their body's physical potential, irrespective of age, sex or present fitness condition.

Practitioners of Wu Shu Kwan hold two Guinness World Records: for the 'highest jumping kick' and 'breaking the most wooden boards in 2 minutes'.Fact|date=September 2008

History

Chinese Kickboxing had been practised by the Chinese for many thousands of yearsFact|date=September 2008 and served as military and serious survival requirements at that time. The Shaolin Temple in China played a part in the development and spreading of Chinese Boxing.

Kung Fu, or Chinese boxing, is the oldest name used by Westerners to describe the systematic Chinese martial arts when they encountered it.Fact|date=September 2008 Chinese Boxing is a traditional martial artFact|date=September 2008, unlike Western boxing.

The aim of Chinese Boxing is to acquire skills for self-defence.Fact|date=September 2008 Advanced students who have already acquired a solid grounding may train with weapons.

Translated from the Chinese language, Wu means martial or fighting; Shu means the art, the way or the method; and Kwan (or Guan in Chinese pinyin system) means a centre or an association. Put together, Wu Shu Kwan therefore means Chinese Boxing Centre, i.e. Academy of Martial Art.

The term Kung Fu is more common than Chinese Boxing, both these terms describe more or less the same thing; however, Kung Fu (meaning skill or time in the main) this often refers to the flowery, piecemeal and sometimes irrelevant type of Chinese martial art on the screen.Fact|date=September 2008

Wu Shu is not Wu Shu Kwan: the former is a dynamic dance-like demonstrative art, whereas the latter is a style (or school) practising martial arts for fitness and self-defence.

Training system

C. K. Chang collected the essential traditional principles and techniques and aiming to weed out the impractical and repetitive ones, organised them in a progressive order and merged them with sports science to establish a system of training that would be widely assessable.

All Wu Shu Kwan instructors are qualified black belt holders.Fact|date=September 2008

External links

* [http://www.wushukwan.com/ Official website]