Wushu - Shaolin - Kung Fu

Jet Li is possibly the most famous wushu practitioner in the world. He started Wushu as a competition sport and gained fame, taking the National Wushu Champion of China title five times, as an original member of the Beijing Wushu Team. He was later selected to demonstrate his Wushu on the silver screen along with many of his teammates.

Literally translated, the term Wushu means martial arts. During the last thirty years, Wushu in China was modernized so that there could be a universal standard for training and competing. Much emphasis has been placed on speed, difficulty and presentation. Consequently, Wushu has become an athletic and aesthetic performance as well as a competitive sport, while "kung fu" or traditional Wushu remains the traditional fighting practice. Taichi is a major division of Wushu, utilizing the body's internal energy or "chi" and following the simple principle of "subduing the vigorous by the soft."

Modern Wushu builds on traditional forms to include more difficult forms, more stringent physical requirements and better competitive and entertainment values. It enhances the content and form of this sport and makes it more standardized and scientific. Modern Wushu has been organized and systematized into a formal branch of study in the performance arts. It reigns as the most popular national sport in the country of 1.1 billion people, practiced by the young and old alike. Its emphasis has shifted from combat to performance and it is practiced for its method of achieving heath, self-defense skills, mental discipline, recreational pursuit and competition.

In Wushu, every movement must exhibit sensible combat application and aestheticism. The wealth of Wushu's content, the beauty of Wushu movements, the difficulty factor and the scientific training methods are the elements that set Wushu apart from other martial arts. In short, Wushu is the most exciting martial art to be seen, felt and ultimately practiced. Although still in budding stages in many countries, Wushu is an established international sport. In 1990, Wushu was inducted as an official medal event in the Asian Games. Since then World Championships have taken place with 56 nations participating. Wushu is also vying for the Olympic Games in the 21st century. For more information, check out www.newyorkwushu.com.

INSTRUCTOR Luis Herrera began training at the age of sixteen in Traditional Shaolin Kungfu under the tutelage of Sifu Albert Pollard, longtime student of Grandmaster Alan Lee. He trained with Wushu Master Edward Aguirre, grasping firm basics, clean techniques and a strong foundation. He later advanced his training under the instruction of Sifu Chen Ying, former member of the Professional Fujian Wushu Team, enhancing his knowledge, abilities and understanding of body mechanics. He trained in China at the Wubin (coach of Jet Li) Ditan School, competed in the Wu Bin Invitational Tournament in 2002 and is a 3 time national gold medalist at the USWU Nationals.

This dynamic and fun class, enjoyable for people of all ages, will introduce Wushu in it's purest form. From the basics to advanced level training, this class will focus on learning practical defense techniques as well as the performance aspects of Wushu. It encompasses a wide range of offensive and defensive techniques, consisting of forms and building a stronger physique, enhanced willpower, improved skills and enlightened spirit. Students will learn proper stretching technique, body conditioning, posture and form.