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 »
Bassai dai is a very old Okinawian kata of unknown origin, the name Bassai or Passai translates to “to storm a castle” It was originally removed from the kyokushin syllabus in the late 50ies, but was reintroduced into some kyokushin factions after Masutatsu Oyama‘s death and the resulting fractioning of the... more »
Bassai Dai is a Karate Kata (form) that literally means “to extract and block off” but this is taken to mean “to storm (penatrate) a fortress”s. Bassai dai is one of the variations of the Passai Kata that is practiced in many Karate styles including Shito Ryu, Shotokan and... 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 »
Cheonkwon is a Taekwondo form. “Cheonkwon” literally means ‘sky’. In the pumsae, the sky symbolizes the ruler of the universe. According to belief, it is mysterious, infinite and profound. The motions of Cheonkwon are full of piety, vitality and reverence. [From Wikipedia. Original page is... more »
Choi yong is a 45 movements Taekwondo form (hyeong). It was named after General Choe Yong, Premier and Commander-in Chief of the armed forces during the 14th century Goryeo Dynasty. Choi Yong was greatly respected for his loyalty, patriotism, and humility. He was executed by subordinate commanders headed by General Yi Seonggye, who later... more »
Chon ji is a Taekwondo 19-movements form (hyeong). Literally, Cheon-Ji (or Chon-Ji) means “heaven and earth” and refers to the creation of the world or the beginning of human history, and thus is the initial pattern learned by the beginner. It consists of forearm low blocks and punches in the first part to represent... more »
Choong jang (or Chung-Jang) is the pseudonym given to General Kim Duk Ryang who lived during the Yi Dynasty, 14th century. This pattern ends with a left hand attack to symbolize the tragedy of his death at 27 in prison before he was able to reach full maturity. [From Wikipedia. Original page is... more »
Choong moo is a Taekwondo 30-movements form (hyeong). Choong moo (Chung mu) is the name given to the great Admiral Yi Sun-sin of the Yi Dynasty. He was reputed to have invented the first armored battleship (kobukson) in 1592, which is said to be the precursor of the present day submarine. The reason this... more »
Chul gi is a 25 movements Taekwondo form. Chul-Gi literally means Iron Horse and stresses techniques performed in a horse/riding stance. Chul-Gi is Japanese in origin and practiced by many martial arts styles. Chul-Gi is known as Naihanchi in Okinawan Karate and as Tekki in Shotokan Karate. (This pattern normally resides between Hwa-Rang and... more »
Example applications of Wing Chun’s Chum Kiu form. Chum Kiu focuses on coordinated movement of bodymass and entry techniques to “bridge the gap” between practitioner and opponent and move in to disrupt their structure and balance. Close-range attacks using the elbows and knees are also developed here. It also teaches methods of recovering position... 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 »
Dan gun is a 21-movements Taekwondo form (hyeong). This pattern is named after the holy Dangun, the legendary founder of Korea in 2333 BC. Unusually for a teul, all the punches in Dan-Gun are high section (at eye level), symbolizing Dangun scaling a mountain. [From Wikipedia. Original page is... 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 »
Do san is a Taekwondo 24-movements form (hyeong). Do san is a pseudonym of the patriot Ahn Chang-ho (1876-1938). The 24 movements represent his entire life, which he devoted to furthering education in Korea and the Korean independence movement. [From Wikipedia. Original page is... more »