STYLES - Definitions

Chang Quan

Changquan (長拳, Long Fist) refers to a family of external (as opposed to internal) martial arts 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. 

Chinese Military Gedou

Military Gedou (格斗, to fight/wrestle) includes techniques not allowed in sport Sanda. The PLA (People's Liberation Army) combat training includes the practice of armed and unarmed techniques. Basic training starts with empty hand & armed routines, followed by fighting applications to free fighting.

Kung Fu

The term kung fu or gung fu/gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) in popular culture refers to the practice of Chinese martial arts, also called Wu Shu (武 "Wu" = military or martial, 術 "Shu" = art). In reality “kung/gong” means to achieve/to accomplish and “fu” means effort. In short kungfu/gongfu can be used to describe any discipline or skill achieved through hard work and practice, not only martial arts. A carpenter, a plumber, an electrician, a doctor, a martial artist or any person who has developed a skill in their field has kung fu. 

Sport Sanda

Chinese style "kickboxing" is called SANSHOU or SANDA. The International Wushu Federation (IWUF) Wushu Techniques Textbook Series for International Chinese Education defines Sanda as follows:

" San Da refers to the modern competitive sport event in which two candidates execute unarmed combat using kicking, hitting, and wrestling techniques in Wushu. In San Da competitions, athletes are allowed to employ techniques from any school/genre of Wushu on condition that they violate no competition rules and regulations".

There is no submissions or ground fighting and the fight is stopped once any fighter touches down with anything other than their feet.  The use of knees/elbows is allowed only in professional divisions.

Professional sport SANDA in China currently is fought in a ring while for amateur bouts they are generally conducted on mats. The bouts will be on a mated raised platform (Leitai, 擂臺) at Worlds (see link); stepping off the mat is a loss of 2 points. Clinch is limited to about 2 seconds of inaction; otherwise match is halted if there is no progress or attack.

Traditional Chinese martial arts on the other hand start with the practice of routines, followed by applications of the movements contained in the routines to free fighting. The use of the term Sanda to describe free sparring first appeared in documents published by the Sports and Physical Culture Commission (Guo Jia Ti Wei, 國家體委) in 1978. 

Sanshou ( 散手, scatter fists) is a traditional and older term, it first appeared in Han Dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD) bamboo slips (居廷漢簡), where the following sentence was found, “Xiang Cuo Xu, Xiang San Shou/相錯畜, 相散手” (To raise [animals] on one another, To Scatter Hands on one another); this phrase depicts some type of fighting event or competition. The term was used to describe partner practice/free sparring (used prior and during the Republican period 1912-1949). The International Wushu Federation (Guoji Wu Shu Lianhehui, 国际武术联合会) used both Sanda and Sanshou terms interchangeably in publications and competitions both nationally and internationally and from 2015, only Sanda is used. 

Tian Shan Pai

The School of the Celestial Mountain (天山派 ) is an eclectic school of Chinese martial arts that includes forms taught/created at the Central National Arts Academy (中央國術館,  Zhongyang Guoshu Guan) at Nanjing during the 1930s. In addition it also includes traditional styles taught as part of the curriculum e.g., Lian Bu Quan, Bajiquan, Shuai Jiao, Xing Yi Quan, Baguazhang,  Yang Taiji Quan etc. 

Wu Shu

In modern times the Chinese language equivalent of "Chinese martial arts" is 中國武術 Zhōngguó Wǔ Shù.  In mainland China competition Wushu (Jing Ji Wu Shu, 竞技武术) is made out of two independent events, Sanda (散打, free fighting) and Taolu (套路, set routine). An important distinction in Competition Wushu there is no link between Sanda and Taolu.

Wu Tan

The Wu Tan Chinese Martial Arts Center (武壇中國武術推廣中心, Wutan Zhongguo Wushu Tuiguang Zhongxin) was founded in 1971 by Grandmaster Liu Yun-Qiao in Taiwan with the goal to organize, research, and promote authentic Chinese martial arts. Since then, Wu Tan has over 30,000 students and branches worldwide in countries such as USA, Canada, Japan, Venezuela, Spain, Switzerland, England, Malaysia, Belgium, Indonesia, Taiwan, and China. It is currently the largest Chinese martial arts organization in the world that promotes the Li Shu-Wen (李書文) lineage Bajiquan, Pigua Zhang, Ding Zi-Cheng (丁子成) lineage Liu He Tang Lang, and Gong Bao-Tien (宮寶田) lineage Bagua Zhang systems.

Xing Yi Quan

Xing Yi Quan (形意拳) is classified as one of the internal styles of Chinese martial arts. The name of the art translates approximately to "Form-Intention Fist", or "Shape-Will Fist". Xing Yi is characterized by aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power that's most often applied from a short range. Xing Yi Quan was taught to Chinese officers at the Central Military Academy at Nanjing in the 1930s for hand to hand, bayonet and saber combat training. There are three main school of Xing Yi Quan:

• Shanxi (including the Song- and Che-family sub-branches)

• Hebei (Most commonly practiced Xing Yi Quan, and the branch Yi Quan evolved from).

• Henan (an alternative name for Ma family's Xin Yi Liu He Quan).