The Term: By History, the term “Kung Fu†is not actually mentioned in any ancient writings. It was first coined by a French named Jean Joseph Marie Amiot, a missionary who lived in the 18th Century, referring to Chinese martial arts. Kung Fu is also called Wushu, Kuoshu, or Gongfu, and originally denotes expertise in any ability, and not exclusive to martial arts.
Short Historical Account: The practice, philosophy, and concept of Kung Fu can be drawn back to early Chinese texts such as Zhuang Zi, Dao De Jing, and Sun Zi Bing Fa (Art of War written by Sun Zi), all written between 1111-255 BC. These texts contain passages related to the practice, propagation, and principles of what is known today as Kung Fu. One theory regarding the first written history of Kung Fu mentions that the Yellow Emperor, who reigned from 2698 BC, wrote the first documents on Chinese martial arts. Others credit the Taoist monks for introducing an art form that is close modern Tai Chi around 500 BC. Then in 39-92 AD, Pan Ku included “Six Chapters of Hand Fighting” in his discourse on the history of the Han dynasty (Han Shu). As its popularity progressed, a physician named Hua T’uo also wrote his own study entitled, “Five Animals Play” in 220 AD. Kung Fu had become a vernacular in the West beginning in the late 1960s, popularized by martial arts movies and TV series. The Western world today has also seen an notable increase in the filming of Kung Fu movies featuring great actors/masters such as Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
Fundamental Principles: The concept of Kung Fu revolves around 3 fundamental principles – Self-Discipline, Motivation, and Time. According to experts, the real motivation behind learning Kung Fu is inspiration and not force, which should come from an inner craving for learning and development of mind and body. Motivation here is the fundamental driving force. There is no external or worldly benefits for the learner, and the only reward is that of skill, strength, wisdom, and knowledge. In Kung Fu, discipline is complementary to motivation. Discipline puts motivation into deed and action. A learner should do an effort for what makes him/her motivated, and self-discipline helps him get started and guides him to achieve that goal. Therefore, without discipline, motivation is just a dormant state of mind. Time is the path to perfection in martial arts. Once motivation and self-discipline have set in, a learner has to dedicate a considerable amount of time putting mind and body into practice. A truly inspired learner does not waste time in useless activities.His/Her doings should reflect real self-discipline and motivation.
Variants and Styles: As time goes by, many other variations and styles have come up in martial arts Some of the more popular types include Tae Kwon Do, Shaolin, White Crane, T’ai Chi Ch’uan, Bagua Zhang, Karate, Escrima, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, and Judo.
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