Wushu Needs Name Rectification

[JaguarWarrior]

I've been training just over 2 months now at a kung fu gym in South Korea. My sifu is part of the "Korea Wushu Association". He has told me he teaches Praying Mantis style, how do I know if I am doing real combat kung fu? (I'm not interested in learning a dancing style, I want to know that I am learning the real deal.) It isn't as easy as just asking because his english isn't great. But he does explain and show me the combat uses of the form he has taught me. He makes me train very hard and was talking today about me finally doing a combat situation with another student.

I train everday, here's what I am doing presently.
1) 8 basic stances
2) kicking practice
3) punching drill practice
4) the only form I know so far
5) I finish off by practicing 4 different jump kicks

He also likes to get me doing other things to toughen me, like holding the horse riding stance with a barbell over my shoulders, or climbing ropes across the ceiling of his gym. He tells me I have the body type to be a champion.

Maybe he is part of the wushu association more just to be certified, but teaches the praying mantis style traditionally. I'm not sure yet, but I really hope I'm learning a real combat oriented kung fu.

I know he has been training in kung fu since he was 5, and he is now 42. He was taught by a Korean Sifu(who may have been his father...) who was taught by a Chinese Sifu.

I guess I need to find out more to know for sure. I have, since begining training, felt it was traditional, before I knew there was a difference. But... now having read this wushu mess I'm uncertain.

[JaguarWarrior]

I have some questions...
1) What are the differences between modern wushu and traditional kung fu? How would one know which they are learning?
2) If someone is learning modern wushu, they don't learn or train any fighting?
3) If modern wushu is a sport what do they do, just perform their forms? Is there not a combat portion to sport wushu like judo or karate?

At my gym there is also a Brazilian Jujitsu trainer, and some Hapkido guys come sometimes. I think that I will eventually cross train in some jujitsu so I will have good grappling skills if I need them.

[JaguarWarrior]

I think that some schools do both the Wushu and the traditional martial art form they teach. I was thinking, wouldn't they need to be a "wushu" school to have a teaching licience? And then teach their traditional kung fu style to those that seek it.

My Sifu showed me his kung fu lineage on sort of a family tree sheet, that he is the last in his line, and wants me to carry on his Praying Mantis style.

Now when I add up everything he has been teaching me and showed me, there's no doubt that he is teaching me traditional kung fu. He also bought up that I could cross train with the Brazilian Jujitsu just as I had been thinking about. I think they would make a deadly combination.

[MasterKiller]

I've been training just over 2 months now at a kung fu gym in South Korea. My sifu is part of the "Korea Wushu Association".

I know he has been training in kung fu since he was 5, and he is now 42. He was taught by a Korean Sifu(who may have been his father...) who was taught by a Chinese Sifu.

JaguarWarrior,
Check your Private Messages. I have some questions about the kung fu scene in Seoul.

[KungFuFuGirl]

I searched the archives, but couldn't find it---does anyone have it that could send it to me. We are always being asked by parents, visitors and others at competitions.

[GeneChing]

We have an alphabetical listing of all our archived e-zine articles at the very top of our e-zine page. Wushu Need Name Rectification was by An Tianrong, at the very top. Also, I'm sure it was posted earlier on this thread.

[JaguarWarrior]

I got the oportunity to talk to my Sifu's teacher, Grand Master Hong. He is 61 I believe, and started training in Praying Mantis when he was 16 back in 1960. His teacher was Chinese and fled to South Korea from China in 1945 when the Government was changing.

Here is my summary of what he told me:
Grandmaster Hong said he was disappointed in what has happend to these arts, in China many styles have been mixed and turned into wushu. He said they are pretty much training in gymnastics, they have lost the original motions of the moves to make them look more smooth and pretty. He told me that he has visited many schools and few of them live up to his standards. He thinks no one practices enough anymore, even my Sifu. It's very important to him that he gets to pass on the highest parts of his style before he passes away.

I hope to learn as fast as I can to be able to train under him before he does pass away.