Home | Search | Store | Survey | Tidbits | Articles | Videos

Archive for the ‘Art’ Category

« Older Entries

A Popular Sport - Tae Kwon Do

Saturday, August 28th, 2010
sunshine02 asked:


What do you do after you’ve finished your homework? Want to try an activity that is healthy, fun and exciting? Try tae kwon do. The World Tae Kwon Do Championships are going on in Beijing now. Watch and you"ll learn something about this popular sport.

Tae kwon do is a martial art. It comes from South Korea, but is popular around the world.

In Korean, tae means "to kick or strike with the foot"; kwon means "fist, or to strike with the hand"; and do means "way". So, tae kwon do can be seen as "the way of the foot and hand". Tae kwon do mixes everything together: skills, self-defense, sport, exercise, fun, and philosophy.

Tae kwon do is a really popular sport. It has millions of followers in nations all over the world - both kids and adults, men and women.u

Tae kwon do was formally named in 1955. It became an Olympic sport in the year 2000.

Tae kwon do bases itself on eastern philosophy. It puts harmony in human life in first place. This can be seen in the tae kwon do costume.

Each part of the costume has a special meaning. The trousers mean the Earth. The belt stands for man. The upper clothing means heaven. The belt - a circle - means the circuit of human life between heaven and earth. The clothes" white color stands for purity of heart and peace.

There are many belts in Tae kwon do training. Do you know what the belts mean?

1. White: This is the belt worn by beginners.

2. Yellow: This is the color of the sun. It stands for the birth of new energy in a learner. The learner is getting to know some of the basics of the sport.

3. Green: This is the color of living plants. This belt shows that the learner is making progress.

4. Blue: This color refers to the sky. It means that the learner is reaching higher, like a plant growing towards the sky.

Black: Black is the opposite of white. It means that the learner has great skills. It also says that the learner will never be beaten by darkness.

5. Red: It is the color of danger. The learner should keep in mind that tae kwon do is for staying healthy and for self-defense, not for attacking others. He or she should learn to control his or her movements in practice.

6. There are nine Dan degrees for learners wearing black belts.



Who Is The Best Martial Artists All Time?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

About Chinese Kung Fu

Monday, July 5th, 2010
sunshine02 asked:


Have you ever watched movies about Chinese Kung fu? Do you like it? It is a miracle, which has a history of thousands of years. Shaolin, Wudang, E-mei, Kunlun, Kongtong, Qingchen-numerous schools create the mystery of martial arts. Till now, Chinese martial art has become an overwhelming sport for keeping fit and self-defense. How much do you know about it?

Chinese Kung fu is a precious treasure that belongs not only to China but to the whole world. Anyone who has seen classical Chinese Kung Fu movies will be deeply impressed by the Chinese Wushu, which is called Kung Fu or Chinese martial arts in the west.

In China today, Wushu is the preferred word to describe Chinese Martial Arts. The word Kung Fu was first used by a western Jesuit Missionary named Pere Amoit after witnessing exercises and training regimen in China. He called it "Cong Fou" in his personal journals. The term "Kuo-Shu" was popular in China until about 1930. This term has since been popularized by the Taiwanese Government to describe Chinese Martial Arts.

Chinese Martial Arts known as Chinese Kung-fu by most foreigners is a traditional Chinese physical activity with thousands of years of history. As a precious element of China’s cultural heritage, Chinese Kung fu has also won its name all around the world for its broad and deep meanings and its Oriental features, which cover it with a mysterious veil.

The origin of Chinese Kung fu, according to some historical records and antique discoveries, can be dated back even to prehistoric times. Survival back then meant scrambling to take or protect food from others and animals. Kicking, boxing and blocking were a part of daily life. In the later primitive societies these skills began to appear at ceremonial rituals where they were combined with dance to represent their heroes, thus forming the earliest series of Kong-fu moves and performances.



Who Is The Best Martial Artists All Time?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

Chinese Kung Fu

Saturday, June 26th, 2010
sunshine02 asked:


In early time when man became skillful in hunting and warfare, they would change their moves for entertainment. They imitated various animal movements; hence there appeared monkey dance, bird dance and so on. There also appeared the dance with shield and battle, which was a martial dance and demonstrate the early relation between dance and fighting skill. And the soldiers at that time practiced a competitive wrestling-butting with horns, which had been taken as a training method.

During the Han Dynasty, unarmed combat contest became popular. Unarmed combat was a skill which was highly developed by the end of this period. This skill consists of many attack, defense, counter-attack and feints.

In the Han Dynasty, in the feast, many dance performance would be shown in the form of sword dance. During that time, kung fu was developed further. And the element of sport and dance is now becoming more apparent.

Kung fu is a general term that could refer to any of the various Chinese martial arts. Shaolin monks study, organize and systematized Chinese kung fu. Considering the origin of the Chinese kung fu, it is not strange for Shaolin Kung fu to include many animal styles such as Crane, Dragon, Monkey and Snake.

Actually, the West prefer using the term kung fu, which means skill and ability. But in China, Wushu is the favorable word to describe Chinese Martial Arts.

A western Jesuit Missionary named Pere Amoit firstly use the word kung fu. He got a chance to witness exercises and training regimen in China and then he called it "Cong Fou" in his personal journals. The term "Kuo-Shu", popular in China until about 1930, has since been popularized by the Taiwanese Government to refer to Chinese Martial Arts.



Read Kung Fu Articles

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

Martial Arts And Self Defense

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
sunshine03 asked:


There is a serious, even deadly problem in the world of martial arts and self defense.

Most people assume that if someone has their black belt or competes in martial arts competitions that they already know how to defend themselves, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Having a Black Belt in any martial art does not mean you’re ready to protect yourself in the real world.

Over the past three decades there have been a lot of changes in martial arts and self defense, but none as unfortunate and dangerous as right now. There’s always been the “my style of martial art is better than your martial art” debate, but the problem goes much deeper than that. The critical issue is not about what martial art or self defense system is best, it is how martial arts and combat sports are perceived as self defense.

Due to the increasing popularity of martial arts on TV, in movies, more and more people are becoming interested in the martial arts, but at the same time, more and more people becoming confused about the subject of self defense. Every form of traditional martial art and martial sport has their place. They both build character and get you in great shape, but can they save your life in an attempted rape or homicide?

The benefits of studying the martial arts are legendary. Traditional martial arts like Karate, Aikido, Kung fu and combat sports like Mixed Martial Arts, Judo, Wrestling, Tae Kwon Do, Thai Boxing, Boxing and Brazilian Jujitsu will all give you life long benefits and are worthy endeavors, but will they give you the self defense tools you need to survive an all out, knock down, drag-out street fight? Do you really have to spend years and countless dollars studying a martial art to learn only the essential, proven self defense?

There is no argument that martial arts and martial sports develop character and get you in shape, but when it comes to self defense, you’ll discover they fall drastically short under the stress of real combat.



Watch Tae Kwon Do Videos

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

Three International Federations Of Tae Kwon Do

Friday, June 4th, 2010
sunshine asked:


Tae kwon do is a martial art and combat sport originating in Korea. It aims to achieve modesty, perseverance, self control and indomitable spirit. Through devoted training one can gradually attain mental and physical fitness. By practicing and repeating each step to perfection, we become more patient.

Self-confidence is attained through the power of one’s body and the knowledge of how to use it at any place and in any situation. Sparring helps us build humility, courage, alertness, and accuracy and develops self-control. By doing patterns, we increase our flexibility, grace, balance and co-ordination.

Through discipline and interaction with others, we learn co-operation and mutual respect. Prejudices are not welcome and we soon learn that racial barriers only stand in the way of our training. Along with developing a healthier, leaner and more flexible body, we also increase endurance through a typical training regime. The health-related effects of training are numerous. Taekwondo has been under constant evolution for over several thousand years.

 However, it was not until the 1950s that Taekwondo was standardized and organized by Gen Choi Hong Hi and the sport was brought outside the Korean borders, at first to Vietnam and the US, and later to the rest of the world. Today, Taekwondo is organized in three international federations: the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), with headquarters in Seoul, Korea; the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), with headquarters in Austria; and the Global Taekwondo Federation (GTF) with headquarters in Korea.

Taekwondo has recently been declared an official Olympic sport with the first competitions held during the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, in 2000 WTF Tae kwon do is a full contact sport where it is allowed to kick to the head (throwing punches to the head are not allowed), it is not very dangerous to practice Tae kwon do. During competition, full protection is used to protect the competitors.

To avoid head injuries, a competitor is not allowed to participate in a competition for three months if one was knocked out by a kick to the head. If the same incident happens again after these three months, you’re not allowed to participate for half a year. Another K.O. to the head after this half year period results in a permanent exclusion of competitions. ITF Tae kwon do is so-called semi-contact. It is not allowed to attack the head with full force. However, it is allowed to throw punches to the head, by using the so-called "killing-blow", stop just an inch before the target.

To avoid injuries, ITF uses gloves at sparring-competition. Tae kwon do is known for its dramatic flying and spinning kicks. The player should learn the fundamentals of tae kwon do through choreographed sequences of combative moves, the breaking of boards or other materials, and two-person controlled sparring. They also receive instruction in principles such as courtesy, integrity, perseverance, and self-control.



Tae Kwon Do Phat Stuff

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

Kung Fu Films

Thursday, March 11th, 2010
sunshine01 asked:


Chinese Martial Arts known as Chinese Kung-fu by most foreigners is a traditional Chinese physical activity with thousands of years of history.

A part of the holistic Oriental Civilization, Chinese Kung-fu is effective both in battle and in building physical strength. In addition, it unites with the traditional medicine concepts of human’s main and collateral channels, Qi and blood. To conclude, as a crystallization of the wisdom gathered in the ancient Chinese lands, it allows people of any age to build up their bodies.

In modern times, Chinese Kung-fu was first introduced abroad to the United States by Chinese-American Kung-fu master Bruce Lee, whose agile movements in a series of his great movies swept American audiences off their feet. Thanks to the giant influence of the American movie industry, it soon swept across the world. The entire globe was enchanted by the magic act, starting the upsurge of interest in Chinese Kung-fu. From then on, Chinese Kung-fu learners can be found everywhere. Now, Lee’s followers, Jacky Chan (Cheng Long) and Jet Lee (Li Lianjie) carry the baton pushing themselves to novel heights.

Kung fu films have popularized traditional Chinese martial arts throughout the world. Films such as “crouching tiger, hidden dragon”, “kung fu hustle” “hero” and “house of flying draggers” have excited Hollywood, scored big at the international box office, and have made a splash at awards ceremonies and film festivals around the world. And from these movies, Chinese kung fu stars Bruce Lee, Jacky Chan and Jet Lee have been hero in people’s mind.

Veteran Hong Kong director Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 2001. It won four, which was a huge international breakthrough for the Chinese film industry.

“Kung Fu Hustle”, directed by and starring Stephen Chow, was the highest grossing, limited release film in North America. It raked in US$293,025 on only seven screens over its opening weekend. That averaged around US$41,816 per screen, far outpacing any other movie. It held the No 5 position in the United States for two weeks, and was eventually shown on 2,503 screens.

“Hero” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” each averaged about US$9,000, or 41,450 per screen, during their first week of release on North American screens. This kung fu wave has inspired several Hollywood filmmakers and studios to cash in on its popularity. Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” tells the story of a young woman who studies kung fu in order to get revenge on her enemies. Disney’s animated feature “Mulan,” adapted from an old Chinese story, was also released to international acclaim. Coming up to date, Chinese Kung-fu has become something of a necessity in movies.

The Chinese mainland’s first kung fu film, “Shaolin Temple” (1982), contributed to the popularization of kongfu schools connected to the monastery. Millions of people from across the globe have studied in these schools, and it has been a huge boost to the economy of central china’s henna province, where the temple is located.



Watch Jackie Chan Videos

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

Korean Martial Art - Tae Kwon Do

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
sunshine02 asked:


Tae Kwon Do is a Korean Martial Art best known for its advanced kicking techniques. As the world’s most popular martial art in terms of number of parishioners, it is now an official Olympic sporting event. It is now one of only two Asian martial arts that are included in the Olympic Games. It is also practiced by the Korean military as a part of its routine training.

Just like many other martial arts, Tae Kwon Do is about self-defense, sport and exercise. It also relates to meditation and philosophy.

Over yeas, Tae Kwon Do has changed lots. Traditional Tae Kwon Do is not for competition. It attached great emphasis on offense. Modern Tea kwon do, tends to emphasize control and self-defense.

Tae Kwon Do is known for its emphasis on kicking techniques. Training generally consists of a system of blocks, kicks, punches, and open-handed strikes.

As a sport and exercise, it is welcomed by many people, regardless of sex and age. It is practiced in 188 countries with over 70 million practitioners. Tae Kwon Do can enchance your flexibility, balance and stamina. You will feel full of energy after training.

Tae Kwon Do offers a basis for life-long fitness, including strength, flexibility and endurance. And at Ultimate Tae Kwon Do, the best part is that you’ll feel like a part of the family!

We base our instruction on high moral standards and we stress the five Tenants of Tae Kwon Do in each class in our daily lives: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit.



Read Tae Kwon Do Articles

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

Bruce Lee

Friday, September 11th, 2009
sunshine02 asked:


Bruce Lee was a Chinese American martial artist and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century.

Bruce Lee blazed across movie screens with charisma and lightning speed, introducing martial arts to mainstream America and changing the way Asian American men were portrayed in films. Using his background in dance, Ti Chi and Gung Fu (commonly called Kung Fu), he broke down the rigid structures of traditional martial arts and added philosophy, western boxing, and fencing to craft Jeet Kune Do, a style that concentrated on "practicality, flexibility, speed and efficiency".

Speculation and controversy surrounded Lee’s untimely death as it did for most of his career. He frequently faced opposition and criticism for his unconventional style of martial arts -often being challenged to duels and even rumored to being targeted by the Triad, a powerful Chinese gang. Bruce Lee lives on as one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century and a Chinese American icon.

As an exceptional martial artist, Lee’s ability to synthesize various national martial techniques sparked a new trend in unarmed combat martial arts films. His talent shifted the focus from martial arts director to martial arts actor. Since 1973, the year Bruce Lee died and his famous motion picture Enter the Dragon was released, movies have been the single most influential factor behind the growing popularity of martial arts.

In death Bruce Lee became legendary. Today, he is not a simple movie star. It can be said that he is a hero to the people to this very day. Continuing to this day, his legendary skills are often seen on TV, in movies, and in dramas. Many actors and films emulate his style, and the style in itself is always easily recognizable. In bookstores, his new biography is being sold. What made him a hero were not only his Kung Fu skills, but also the historical background that his works represented. He often played a character fighting against the Japanese or White society, therefore triumphing the Chinese people over their enemies.

Lee’s cinematic success spawned a global industry of the martial arts, and schools opened and flourished worldwide. During the 1970s more students took up the study of martial arts than at any time before or since.



What is Bruce Lee into

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

The Earliest And Long-Lasting Sports - Chinese Kung-Fu

Friday, June 26th, 2009
sunshine02 asked:


Wushu is one of the most well known examples of traditional Chinese culture. It is a sport which utilizes both brawn and brain. It is probably one of the earliest and longest lasting sports which utilize both brawn and brain. Wushu not only includes physical exercise but also Chinese philosophy, meditation and aesthetics.

Wushu enjoys a long history and great popularity in China. It has developed as a unique combination of exercise, practical self-defense, self-discipline and art.

As a precious element of China’s cultural heritage, Chinese Kung-fu has also won its name all around the world for its broad and deep meanings and its Oriental features, which cover it with a mysterious veil. Wushu is captivating the attention of more and more people in other nations.

The theory of Wushu is based upon classical Chinese philosophy, while the skills of Wushu consist of various forms of fighting: fist fights, weapon fights, and other fighting routines and unarmed combats.

Wushu is not only a sporting exercise but also an artistic form. It is used to cure illness as well as for self-defense and is a comprehensive form of culture of the human body.

In the past, Wushu was developed for the sake of military prowess and physical well being. Wushu was seen as crucial to a soldier’s survival in the time of hand -to -hand combat. Today, military function has faded and it has been organized and systematized into a formal branch of study in the performance arts by the Chinese, while it’s physical welfare and athletic functions become dominant. Hence Wushu is popular among the whole nation of China, practiced by men and women, young and old alike. Today many people practice Wushu to pursue health, defense skills, mental discipline, entertainment and competition.

Wushu can be practiced solo, paired or as a group, barehanded or armed with ancient Chinese weapons. In centuries past, Wushu developed into many systems and styles. The most famous systems include Shaolin Temple system and Wudang Mountain System. Only the Shaolin system has hundreds of styles.

As one of the earliest and long-lasting sports, wushu has developed its own characteristics over time. Recently, Chinese Wushu has been modernized. Training and competing standard systems have been set up. Continuing its fighting function, Wushu becomes a more athletic and aesthetic performance and competitive sport.



What is Kung Fu into

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

Tae Kwon Do - When East Meets West

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
sunshine02 asked:


More than a thousand years ago, Korean warriors developed unarmed self-defense techniques to complement their skills with weapons. Martial art masters united the uniquely Korean schools into a single national sport; they called it Tae kwon do.

And in the last five decades it has become part of a world wide phenomenon. Known for its spinning kicks and potent hand techniques Tae Kwon Do literally translates into "The way of the hand and foot."

Tae kwon do’s global following led to its inclusion in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Master Cheon coached the American team to victory. Now his focus is to train the next generation of gold medalists. Training requires learning the graceful and powerful kicking, punching and blocking techniques practiced in traditional sets. Students must also become proficient in one-step sparring, short set sequences of attacks and counter-attacks.

David Kang who serves in the US Tae kwon do Center says fighting your classmates, or fighting in a tournament you’re going to be used to that type of situation and when you are actually encountered by somebody who wants to physically harm you-your mind will just click into that fighting mode and you’ll be ready.

Tampa, Florida is home to this year’s junior nationals, a qualifying competition for the national team. The competitors gear up for their matches, they’ll have just three rounds to try and outscore their opponents.

Stephen Lopez, the U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist says the way you make a point is to kick above the torso hitting the chest protector or to the face, which are both one point.

Tae kwon do matches are won with strategy and timing. It’s an aggressive sport. It’s also very technical. It’s kind of like chess, you can’t just go out there and fight and expect to win. This art has come to represent competition and winning. There is still a lifetime of learning in-store for the students of Tae Kwon Do.



Who Is The Best Martial Artists All Time?

Tags: , ,
Posted in Art | No Comments »

« Older Entries

Home | Search | Store | Survey | Tidbits | Articles | Videos