Wushu (武術)
Wushu is the modern version of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts (TCMA) now practiced in China. It was created to nationalize the practice of TCMA and is a distillation and application of various martial arts into more modern arenas that is gaining rapidly in international popularity. Since fighting for one’s life is no longer a day-to-day necessity, the philosophies and movements of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts have been used to create the two distinct competition disciplines that make up Wushu. These competition styles are Taolu which focuses on forms and Sanda, sometimes called Sanshou which is more akin to MMA fighting or Muay Thai kickboxing. Taolu forms have been making a move towards aerials, 720º kicks, and acrobatic maneuvers that require an incredible amount of athleticism whereas Sanda/Sanshou is a brutal fighting competition whose training relies mostly on intense sparring. Taolu can be either external or internal and hard or soft depending on the form, but hardness and softness do not really apply because it is mainly for display competitions. It is mainly artistic. Sanda/Sanshou are external and hard and mostly self-defense oriented.

Students of Wushu should expect a physically exhausting workout that will quickly increase agility, athleticism, speed, and strength regardless of Taolu/Sanda/Sanshou specialization. The emphasis is on speed and perfect execution.

Taolu is available at the UW Club, but unfortunately, due to the violent nature of Sanda/Sanshou, we as a club are not allowed to practice it at the IMA facilities. It is still practiced at the main campus of the Seattle Kung Fu Club, see the join page for more details on how to get involved with Sanda/Sanshou.

<back>