Posts made in November, 2020

You probably have heard of Kung Fu, unless you have been avoiding media for the last couple of decades or living in the middle of nowhere. Possibilities are you have seen Kung Fu portrayed on TV or in films.  

If you are planning to enroll in a Washington DC Chinese martial arts, here are a couple of Kung Fu facts you should know: 

A Kung Fu School Owner Can Create His/her Own Belt Ranking System 

There’s a correction there since Kung Fu utilizes silk sashes instead of a belt, they can create their own sash systems. When it comes to Kung Fu, there isn’t any central governing body. This means that there are no stern regulations for what colors to utilize or how many levels there has to be. Usually, the regular order is white, yellow, orange, gold, green, blue, violet, red, brown, and black. Though it is also popular for head instructors to wear a gold sash to represent their position. A couple of Kung Fu schools do not even utilize a sash system.  

The Various Forms Are Based on Animals 

Perhaps this is a very obvious fact. You may even know the 5 primary forms. Dragon, snake, crane, leopard, and tiger. There are also other alternative forms, such as mantis, monkey, snake, crane, and tiger. All of these forms have distinct and particular elements derived from the name of the animal. Monkey has a primate-like and hunched stance, snake concentrates on whiplike and fast movements, and much more.  

What you might not have known is that there are more forms outside the primary ones. There are a lot of them. You can even learn Chicken Kung Fu, Centipede Kung Fu, and much more. This includes dog, duck, horse, frog, and elephant.  

Kung Fu Might Not Be from China 

Well, at least the founder of Kung Fu might not be of Chinese origin. The truth is that Bodhidharma, an Indian monk, was the one who started Kung Fu around 527 AD when he moved to a Shaolin temple in China. According to stories, he took a single look at the Shaolin monks and said that they’ve got to get in shape. After that, he started teaching them the workout principles that we know today as Kung Fu.  

However, this is not a proven story. Other components of the legend appear questionable, historically speaking. For instance, there’s a part of the story where the monks did not allow Bodhidharma to enter the temple at first. Thus, he meditated inside a cave for 9 years until he burnt a hole in the rock using his stare.  

Kung Fu is Not Simply a Martial Arts Name 

If you translate the characters utilized to write Kung Fu, it will say “Work” “Man”. This can be translated into the achievements of a man. Thus, Kung Fu is anything you work on to become accomplished in.  

But, you can perhaps expect to get a couple of confused looks if you tell someone that you have been practicing your Kung Fu.