Baguazhang is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice (or nèijiā gong). Bāguà zhǎng literally means “eight trigram palm,” referring to the trigrams of the Yijing (I Ching), one of the canons of... more »
Baji chuan (eight extremes fist/boxing) is a Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow strikes. It originated in Hebei Province in Northern China, but is also well-known in other places today, especially Taiwan. Its full name is kai men baji quan, which means “open-gate eight-extremities... more »
Cha chuan is a Chinese martial art that features graceful movements and some acrobatic aerial maneuvers. Cha chuan also includes a large range of weapons. Cha chuan falls under the classification Chángquán (literally “long fist”), a general term for external Northern Chinese martial arts, which are known for their extended, long movements. Cha chuan... more »
Changquan (Long Fist) refers to a family of external (as opposed to internal) martial arts (kung fu) styles from northern China. The forms of the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by appearance would be considered a long-range fighting system. In some Long Fist styles the motto is that... more »
Chuojiao (poking foot) is a Chinese martial art that comprises many jumps, kicks, and fast fist sequences. The fist and feet work in unison and strike continuously forward, like “falling meteorites”, never giving the opponent a moment to recover. The qing gong portion of this style’s training involves a practitioner jumping against a wall... more »
Cynthia Rothrock (born March 8, 1957) is an American martial artist and actress specializing in martial arts films. Rothrock is five-time World Karate Champion in forms and weapons between 1981 and 1985. These categories are not combat-oriented, being displays of fluidity of movement rather than fighting, and are therefore not segregated into male and... more »
Ditangquan, (ground tumbling boxing) is a category of martial art that originated in the Shandong Province of China during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The major characteristic of ditangquan is the ability to perform tumbles, falls, turns, somersaults and aerial acrobatics using those techniques for both offense and defense. Since the time of its origin,... more »
Fanziquan (Rotating fist) is a Chinese martial art that emphasizes offense and defense with the hands. Its movements have been described as: Two fists are fast like the falling rain drops, and fast like a snapping whip. Fānziquán routines are usually quite short and very fast. It is a source of many other modern... more »
Houquan (monkey fist), is a Chinese martial art which utilizes ape or monkey-like movements as part of its technique. Traditional houquan as taught in Mainland China includes running on all fours (i.e. the hands and feet), various difficult acrobatic movements such as flipping sideways in the air, front flips, back flips, back handsprings, hand... more »
Huaquan (Hua Fist/Boxing) is a style of Kung Fu which is believed to have originated in Jining in Shandong Province. It is said that during the Kaiyuan reign of the Tang Dynasty there existed a Mount Hua knight named Cai Mao, who was famous for his prowess in combat and swordplay. Apparently Cai Mao... more »
Li Lian Jie (born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese martial artist, actor, film producer, wushu champion, and international film star who was born in Beijing, and has taken up Singaporean citizenship in 2009. After three years of intensive training with Wu Bin, Li won his... more »
Nanquan (southern fist) refers to those Chinese martial arts that originated south of the Yangtze River of China, including Hung Kuen, Choi Lei Fut, and Wing Chun. The contemporary Wushu event Nanquan is a modern style created in 1960 derived from martial arts derived in the Chinese provinces south of the Yangtze River and... more »
Paochui (cannon punch) or Sān Huáng Pào Chuí (literally “Three Emperor Cannon Punch”) is a Chinese martial art attributed to the Three August Ones: Fuxi, Shennong, and Gonggong. The spread of Pào Chuí was due in part to its early association with Shaolin. Pào Chuí was one of the earliest styles to be imported... more »
Piguaquan (chop-hitch fist/boxing), also known as Piguazhang (chop-hanging palm) due to its emphasis on palm techniques, is often practiced along with Bajiquan and is a style of wushu (Chinese martial arts) that features explosive, long-range power. It originated in Hebei Province of North China, but today is also well-known in other locales, including Taiwan.... more »
Sanda (Sanshou) literally “free fighting”) or an “unsanctioned fight” is a Chinese hand-to-hand self-defense system and combat sport. Not seen as a style itself, rather it is considered as just one of the two components of Chinese martial arts training and is often taught alongside taolu (forms) training. However, as part of the development... more »
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery. Of the tens of thousands of kung fu and wushu styles, several hundred might have some relationship to Shaolin; however, aside from a few very well known systems, such as Xiao Hong Quan, the Da Hong... more »
There are several Chinese martial arts known as Snake Boxing or Fanged Snake Style (Chinese: shéquán; literally “snake fist”) which imitate the movements of snakes. It is a style of Shaolin Boxing. Proponents claim that adopting the fluidity of snakes allows them to entwine with their opponents in defense and strike them from angles... more »