American Wu Shu Society

If you want to see Wu Shu in the Olympics - Go to the website in this post!!!

I received an important letter from my friend Raymond Smith - President of the European Wu Shu
Federation and VP of the IWuF:

To ALL Wushu lovers and friends.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,
As we are now approaching the final stages of the IOC selection process to decide which sports and which city shall be included in the 2020 Olympic Games many things are happening to influence the decision making. Most of these aspects are outside the control of the average sports person. BUT here is an opportunity for each and every one of you to have some chance to affect the future of our sport WUSHU.

Please go to the link below and take the survey and VOTE FOR WUSHU.

Get every person you know that loves WUSHU to VOTE. Imagine EVERY member and friend of every Wushu federation votes THAT WOULD BE BIG!

China's new compulsory routines for 10 events

Last night I spoke to friends of mine at IWuF headquarters in Beijing. I heard rumors of their being new compulsories that were introduced during the Junior competition this year. The DVD contains 10 new compulsories: Nanquan, Nandao, Nangun, Changquan, daoshu, jianshu, qiangshu, gunshu, taijiquan and taijijian. The IWuF is giving a copy to all IWuF members of the Federation. It has not yet been decided if these new compulsories will become mandatory at WWC events. They will make more copies that can be purchased through CWA (China Wu Shu Association)

Wu Shu possibilities for 2020 Olympics

A letter from the President of the International Wu Shu Federation to the President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge about the possibilities of Wu Shu to be considered among the sports for the 2020 Olympics

The Virtues of Martial Arts

The term "Wude" is a combination of the words Wushu and Daode.
Wushu refers to all Chinese martial arts, and Daode may be translated with virtue.
Wude therefore signifies the virtue of martial arts.
The concept of Wude includes elements from Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.

Everybody who is willing to learn Chinese martial arts should be concerned about understanding the virtue of martial arts (Wude) and to act accordingly. Whoever does not comply to these virtues, will never be a true master of the martial arts. She or he will at most be an athlete copying certain movements without understanding the true sense of wushu exercise. Learning Chinese martial arts goes beyond learning the bare movements, it does in fact require a certain attitude in life. Exercising Wushu thus ideally becomes an important part of one's life. Those who do not strive to reach this level of learning, will always remain more or less superficial in training martial arts. Learning martial arts is like any other attempt to master some skill: it requires patience, endurance, a strong will and a good teacher. Wushu is not about overcoming an adversary, it is about overcoming oneself. Wushu is not only a sporting activity, but a training of one's character and mind. Every student of Wushu should use regular Wushu exercises and compliance to the principles of Wudu to elaborate the own character and to cultivate the body. In China, this is called "Xiuxing yangshen" or "Wude xiuyang" (literally: "to correct the character and to cultivate the body" or "correct and cultivate with the virtue of martial arts").

The saying "Xuequan yi wude wei xian" is widely known in China: it means that a student may be talented and and hard-working, but without showing the readiness and ability for virtue and responsability, no true master will be willing to truly teach the martial arts. Following the ancient Chinese tradition, a student had to prove being dignified of learning the martial arts. An other saying, "San nian zhao, san nian kao", means "a student searches for years to find a good teacher, and a teacher will examine the student for years before really teaching her or him."

According to the ancient Wushu tradition, the main criteria in choosing a student are the following:
being devoted to martial arts, being willing to learn wholeheartedly
being ready and willing to "eat bitterness" (chi ku), that is to endure hardship
true humbleness
wit and courage
patience and endurance
sincerity, because only those with a true heart can reach true understanding
helpfulness and readyness for a friendly exchange with others
standing up for one's teacher and fellow students and being ready to subdue the own ego to the group
respect and loyality in the first place towards the teacher, but also towards all other students and people, the ancestors and all other martial arts
following certain rules and principles and to know the common forms of conduct

Wu Shu in Olympics to be announced in Argentina IOC meeting 2013

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed today the inclusion of ski slopestyle (men and women), snowboard slopestyle (men and women) and snowboard parallel special slalom (men and women) on the sports programme of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

The decision was taken by the IOC Executive Board (EB) ahead of the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, South Africa, and follows the inclusion in April of ski halfpipe (men and women), womenâ��s ski jumping, biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event and luge team relay.

â��We are very pleased with the addition of ski and snowboard slopestyle and snowboard special slalom in the Olympic Winter Games programme,â�� said IOC President Jacques Rogge. â��Such events provide great entertainment for the spectators and add further youthful appeal to our already action-packed lineup of Olympic winter sports. We look forward to welcoming all the athletes to Sochi in 2014.â��

The Olympic Programme Commission (OPC) initially proposed the inclusion of the events to the EB in Acapulco in October last year. The OPC studied the proposal of the individual International Sports Federations and, at the request of the EB, compiled a detailed analysis of all candidate events at their respective world championships last winter. The decision was also based on an operational feasibility study undertaken by the organisers of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.

The EB also agreed on a shortlist of sports that will be considered for inclusion in the sports programme of the 2020 Olympiad. The sports are: baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, sports climbing, squash, wakeboard and wushu, one of which could be added to the 2020 sports programme to be voted on by the 125th IOC Session in Buenos Aires in 2013. The programme can include a maximum of 28 sports.

http://www.olympic.org/ioc?articlenewsgroup=-1&articleid=133067

Shaolin Temple Abbot Shi Yong Xin visits New York plus Demonstration

Monday May 23rd, 7pm at Asia Society - 725 Park Ave, 70th Street in New York City. For info call 212-517-ASIA

Coach Chen Suping visits New York

Coach Chen Suping is from Liuzhou, Guangxi Province. She is an Elite coach currently teaching in Shanghai, China. We look forward to working together in the future and helping Wu Shu grow. Coach Chen is on the far left.

China's Li Zhen coming to AWS - 2010

Mr. Li Zhen is born in LiuZhou of Guangxi Province China in 1982. In 1990 he began his martial art training, he was 8 years old.

I studied Wu Shu in the amateur sports school in Liuzhou, Guangxi province as a child. In 1995, I practiced Wu Shu in Shanghai University of Sport. In 1997, I practiced Wu Shu in Institute of Technology of Eastern China. In 1998, I practiced in China Wu Shu Association Shanghai Training Center. Entered the Technological Institute of Sports in Shanghai 2004, site where Shanghai�s Professional Wu Shu team practices

1996, The eighth sports game of Wu Shu championship in province of Guangxi, won First Place in Sword, Spear skill first prize, Duilian first prize, ChangQuan third prize. 1997, the National teenagers' Wu Shu championship, Sword first prize. 1998, the National Wu Shu hall school championship, NanQuan first prize. 1999, the National teenagers' Wu Shu championship, Sword is the first prize, Spear skill first prize, Duilian is the first prize, All-round is the first prize. 2002, National Wu Shu Championship, NanQuan second prize. 2002, National Wu Shu Championship, NanQuan sixth prize. 2003, Appraised as national master athlete. 2004, the Traditional Wu Shu Championship of china, won BaJi quan first prize. 2002, the Wu Shu Championship of the 12th sports games of Shanghai, won NanQuan first prize, Spear skill second prize, Sword is the third prize. Currently study in Shanghai University of Sport. 2009 Opened school in Guilin Guangxi Province.

Ukraine's Wu Shu Federation - Ms. Yuliya Vysoven in New York

Ms. Vysoven is a Champion from Ukraine coming to New York for 45 days to assist Grandmaster Edward Aguirre. She has 16 years of training. She is a very hard worker and loves Wu Shu. I am looking for a sponsor to bring her to NASKA's Battle of Atlanta and US Capitol Classics. This will be her first trip to the USA. Her classmates Andrey Koval and Aleksey Nosach will not be coming this time. It is through great mutual respect and a long time relationship with the leader of the Ukraine Wu Shu Federation - Master Oleg Chukanov that we can exchange student relationships between the Ukraine and the USA.

Specialties: Changquan, Jianshu and Shuang Jianshu

Superstars of Dance on NBC

Superstars of Dance Sunday January 4 at 9pm EST

I enjoy dance competitions very much but I must say that I was disgusted to see that representing true China traditional dancers were a bunch of Shaolin Monks performing as well. It is a dance competition not a performing arts competition.

I have been teaching 29 years focusing on technique and explaining form movements as it is applied to combat situations. I am bothered by ignorance that Wu Shu is a dance. If you type in english the words Martial Arts and translate to Chinese Characters you will see Wu Shu comes up. To see this nonsense on USA Television just makes my work go down the drain.

Worst of all as a judge there sits a Shaolin Monk who gives every performance an 8.0. This show will continue on Monday nights so if you missed it you can see it. Performers are actually dancing in their chosen crafts and along comes Shaolin kids performing Modern Wu Shu Skills and Iron Shirt demonstrations resting their bodies on Spear heads as they are elevated by 8 monks. This does not belong in this type of competition. Now I will hear how great Wu Shu dance is.