What is Ancient Chinese Martial Arts?

The history of Chinese martial arts is fascinating, obscure, and steeped in mystery. For anyone who is serious about studying the fighting arts, the trial eventually leads back to the ancient Chinese martial arts. After all, the Chinese were the ones who first pioneered the martial arts systems which have since spread to every corner of the world. It was the Shaolin Monks, an ancient Chinese Buddhist sect, which developed and refined Kung Fu training techniques centuries ago.

Apparently, they did a good job of it too; Shaolin Kung Fu is still practiced to this very day.

One of the important things about ancient Chinese martial arts that every student must realize is that they evolved around the use of ancient weapons. Ancient melee weapons like swords, spears, and axes could be parried and dodged, unlike modern weapons like guns and explosives. As such, intense training of the mind and body could really give a soldier an intensive advantage over an enemy.

The weapons of ancient Chinese martial arts evolved from things that farmers and peasants would have readily available. Staffs, shovels, pick-axes ?basically anything long, hard, or point ?could be wielded as an impromptu weapon. To this very day, the martial arts teach people to take careful account of their surroundings and always be ready to take advantage of unexpected advantages that might present themselves. Even a hat or a shirt could be a weapon, used to distract an opponent so a more effective attack could be launched.

A lot of people get into the ancient Chinese martial arts as a way to learn ancient fighting secrets. There are many martial arts that claim to be able to kill with a touch, and their secrets are sought after all over the world. Although it can be interesting to research and study these traditions, it is important to keep in mind that the goal of modern martial arts students should not be to kill an enemy, but to effectively incapacitate him without causing overwhelming damage.

The ancient Chinese martial arts evolved in a much more lawless world where personal self-defense counted for a lot. In this world, you rarely have to kill or be killed. Nonetheless, knowing the ancient Chinese martial arts and their secrets really can give you a boost of confidence. They can make you understand your own body and surroundings in ways that you were never able to before.