Kung Fu

What is Kung Fu?

Kung Fu, also written as gongfu, is a commonly used collective term in the West for Chinese martial arts. In Chinese, gongfu originally means skill built through time, effort, and practice. Wushu is the broader Chinese term for martial arts and is also used today for the modern, regulated sport format.

There is no single Kung Fu style. It encompasses hundreds of systems, families, and schools, each with its own techniques, training methods, philosophies, and historical lineages. Wing Chun, Shaolin, Hung Gar, Tai Chi, Bagua Zhang, Xing Yi Quan, Praying Mantis, and modern wushu can differ greatly from one another while still falling under the same broad umbrella.

Traditional Art and Modern Sport

Traditional Chinese martial arts can combine self-defense, partner work, forms, weapons, conditioning, meditation, and cultural values. Modern wushu uses standardized forms and competition rules. Sanda, also called Sanshou, is the full-contact discipline featuring punches, kicks, clinch work, takedowns, and throws. These forms are connected, but they should not be presented as the same training system.

• Traditional Styles often emphasize transmission, forms, applications, and the identity of a school.
• Wushu Taolu focuses on standardized and judged movement routines.
• Sanda uses a competition format for Chinese striking, clinch work, and throws.

Early history

Chinese martial arts developed out of various needs: self-defense, hunting, military training, physical exercise, and competition. Ancient sources describe wrestling, weapons training, and unarmed combat, but the precise origins of many modern styles cannot be established.

Legends sometimes link Chinese martial arts to the Yellow Emperor, Bodhidharma, or the Shaolin Temple. Such stories are important to the culture and identity of certain schools, but they are not automatically historical evidence. Documented sources on methods, competitions, and training practices become clearer mainly from later historical periods onward.

Shaolin and the formation of traditions

The Shaolin Temple on Songshan in Henan was founded in the late fifth century. Later historical sources describe monks, staff training, and the temple’s role in armed conflicts. The familiar claim that Bodhidharma invented the entirety of Shaolin Kung Fu emerged much later and should be treated as a legend.

From the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries onward, more sources describe Shaolin monks and their weapons training. The staff became an important symbol and practical skill. However, these sources do not prove that there was one unchanging Shaolin style from which all contemporary systems originated.

Philosophy and society

Chinese martial arts were influenced by Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist ideas, as well as by military strategy and health practices. Concepts such as balance, discipline, timing, relaxation, and self-control acquired their own meanings in different schools.

During the Republican period, Chinese martial arts became accessible to a broader public. Organizations, manuals, demonstration teams, and the Central Guoshu Academy helped with standardization and dissemination. After 1949, the Chinese government also developed modern wushu as a regulated sport with standardized forms and competition events.

From Guoshu to modern wushu

In the first half of the twentieth century, terms such as guoshu, meaning national art, were used to connect Chinese martial arts with national identity. Schools, associations, and examinations made transmission more systematic. At the same time, family and teacher-student lineages remained important for traditional styles.

From the 1950s onward, wushu was further standardized in China as a sport and form of demonstration. Taolu uses fixed movement sequences that are judged on factors including posture, speed, balance, power, and execution. Sanda developed as a controlled full-contact discipline featuring Chinese striking and throws.

Global spread

The Chinese Civil War and the political changes after 1949 led many masters to move to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries. Through Chinese communities, new schools, films, and international competitions, various styles spread around the world.

Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and other film and wushu personalities brought Chinese martial arts to the attention of a global audience. Films are entertainment and often use exaggeration, but they did contribute to international interest in the sport and the culture.

Tradition versus competition

Modern wushu and traditional kung fu are not opposites, but emphasize different aspects. Competitive wushu rewards standardized execution, while traditional schools may place greater value on stylistic identity, forms, applications, weapons, or a specific transmission lineage. The quality of a system cannot be judged solely by its acrobatics or solely by its competition results.

Training in Kung Fu

A complete Kung Fu training begins with fundamentals. This includes body posture, footwork, punches, kicks, blocks, turns, falls, mobility and conditioning. Repetition builds not only technique, but also timing, coordination and the ability to maintain good posture when fatigued.

The four building blocks

• Fundamentals and stances form the structural foundation for balance, strength and movement.
• Forms are sequences of movements that train posture, rhythm, breathing, memory and technique.
• Applications connect techniques with partner work, resistance and a specific competition or self-defense scenario.
• Weapons train range, coordination, footwork and control when this is part of the style.

Forms are not fighting in themselves

Taolu and traditional forms can contain practical movements, but a solo form is not proof that a technique works under resistance. For that, partner drills, dui lian or dui da, controlled sparring and realistic applications are needed. A good school makes clear what purpose an exercise serves.

Meditation, breathing and qigong are included in some schools as part of developing focus, relaxation and body awareness. Qi is a traditional Chinese concept with different meanings. Claims that qi is a measurable supernatural energy are not compatible with modern scientific knowledge of physiology and physics.

Building up safely

Start with mobility, control and simple partner exercises. Weapons, hard conditioning, high kicks and intensive sparring should only be included in training once technique, supervision and protective equipment are in place. A good teacher adjusts the training load to age, experience and ability to recover.

Kung Fu worldwide

Chinese martial arts are practiced worldwide in traditional schools, wushu associations, universities, competition teams, and recreational gyms. The international scene encompasses many different styles and organizations, so the name Kung Fu does not automatically refer to the same curriculum or ranking system.

Wushu and Sanda

Modern wushu mainly consists of Taolu and Sanda. Taolu uses standardized solo and partner routines with empty hands or weapons. Sanda is a competition format that combines punches, kicks, clinching, takedowns, and throws. Both disciplines are connected to Chinese martial arts, but they have their own rules and training objectives.

Culture, film, and hip-hop

Wuxia literature, Chinese opera, and Hong Kong action films have strongly influenced the visual language of Chinese martial arts. Bruce Lee became a global icon in the 1970s. His films and the popularity of kung fu movies in New York also influenced early breaking and hip-hop culture, including movements, battles, and imaginings of confrontations between masters.

That influence was important, but not exclusive. Hip-hop and breaking emerged from multiple musical, social, and dance cultures. Kung fu cinema provided inspiration and visual language, not a single explanation of their origins.

Kung Fu in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, Kung Fu is practiced at traditional schools, modern wushu associations, and broader Eastern martial arts centers. The options vary by region, and the content differs greatly from school to school. One location may focus on Wing Chun or Hung Gar, while another emphasizes Shaolin, Tai Chi, forms, weapons, Sanda, or competitive wushu.

Common styles

• Wing Chun with short techniques, direct lines, partner drills, and self-defense-oriented training.
• Shaolin Kung Fu with forms, stances, physical training, weapons, and sometimes qigong or Sanda.
• Hung Gar with strong stances, powerful hand techniques, and influences from animal systems.
• Modern wushu with Taolu and Sanda as separate competitive disciplines.

Where can you train?

There are examples of schools and associations in Amsterdam, Haarlem, Utrecht, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Groningen, among other places. Apeldoorn is mentioned in Dutch sources as a location for federation activities. Always check the current class schedule, the style, the level, and whether a school focuses on recreational, traditional, or competitive training.

Wushu Bond Nederland and Verenigde Kungfuscholen Nederland are examples of Dutch organizations representing different parts of the field. Broader martial arts organizations may also offer Kung Fu variants. No single school or federation represents all Chinese styles.

A good trial lesson

During a trial lesson, ask exactly what is trained: forms, applications, sparren, weapons, Sanda, or a combination of these. See whether the teacher considers safety, respect, and clear explanations important. The right school is not automatically the toughest or most spectacular, but the place where the training goals are clear and you can learn sustainably.

Style families and classifications

Chinese martial arts are often divided into families, schools, or styles. Other classifications consider region, religious or philosophical influence, animal systems, lineages, or the difference between internal and external training methods.

Northern and southern styles

The north–south classification is a useful historical tool, but not a hard rule. Northern styles are often associated with larger movements, mobility, and high kicks. Southern styles are often associated with strong stances, short-range power, and hand techniques. In practice, many systems contain both elements, and the differences have blurred through exchange between regions.

Internal and external

Internal styles such as Tai Chi, Bagua Zhang, and Xing Yi Quan often emphasize relaxation, structure, body connection, and redirecting force within their own traditions. External methods more often emphasize physical conditioning, strength, and direct technique. The terms do not mean that one style is only soft and the other only hard: virtually every complete system works with multiple qualities.

Animal systems use characteristics of animals such as the tiger, crane, snake, leopard, dragon, monkey, or praying mantis as training imagery and tactical metaphors. This does not necessarily mean that a style literally tries to imitate an animal.

Wushu, Taolu and Sanda

Wushu is the modern sport form that was further standardized in China from the twentieth century onward. Taolu consists of judged sequences of movements performed with empty hands or weapons. Judges evaluate factors including posture, balance, speed, power, precision, and execution. Some modern routines include spectacular jumps and spins that are primarily associated with the competition format.

Sanda is the contact discipline. It combines Chinese boxing techniques and kicks with clinch work, kick catches, takedowns, and throws. Sanda has its own rules for protective equipment, rounds, clinch duration, and scoring. It is related to traditional applications and lei tai, but is not identical to every traditional Kung Fu style.

Forms versus application

A solo form trains rhythm, posture, breathing, coordination, and memory for techniques. Partner routines, dui lian, and dui da add timing and reaction. Only with controlled resistance and sparren does it become clear how a practitioner makes decisions under pressure. Good training therefore uses forms and application alongside each other.

Wude: martial morality

Many traditional Chinese schools speak of wude, or martial morality. The concept connects technical development with conduct. The virtues of action include humility, honesty, respect, justice, and trust, for example. The virtues of the mind include courage, patience, perseverance, and willpower.

Wude is not a universal seal of approval, and each school emphasizes different aspects. In practice, this means, among other things, that you respect your teacher and training partners, take responsibility for your technique, and do not use your skills to intimidate others.

Tradition and a critical perspective

Within Chinese martial arts, there are discussions about lineage, style claims, ranks, religion, nationalism, and which techniques were actually passed down historically. A name, title, or old legend is not automatically proof of quality. Good practitioners can respect tradition while remaining open to verifiable history, safety, and honest instruction.

Claims about invulnerability, secret powers, or qi as supernatural energy should also be viewed critically. Such ideas may have great cultural significance, but that does not make them scientifically proven physical phenomena.

Masters and influential practitioners

The history of Chinese martial arts includes historical teachers, competitive athletes, film stars, and legendary figures. Yang Luchan, Wong Fei Hung, Huo Yuanjia, Ip Man, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Wu Jing have each contributed to the visibility of Chinese martial arts in different ways.

In the Netherlands, Wong Kiu, D. Wachtberger, Kong Fan Wei, Chen Lung Li, Q.R. Zhao, and Earl Blijd are among those mentioned in connection with the spread of Wing Chun, traditional Kung Fu, Jing Wu, wushu, and Sanda. Earl Blijd, born in Curaçao and later based in Groningen, became known through Wushu Society Bao Trieu and his work with traditional styles, modern wushu, Sanda, and Chinese lion and dragon dance.

These names do not constitute a complete ranking of Dutch masters. Lineage claims, titles, and organizational roles should always be verified with the school, federation, or source concerned. Ultimately, a teacher's value is also reflected in safe instruction, clear technique, good guidance, and the development of students.

From training to community

Many practitioners see Kung Fu not merely as a collection of techniques, but as a long-term practice in which body, attention, discipline, and community come together. This creates room both for the traditional student who wants to deepen their knowledge of a style and lineage and for the athlete seeking forms, Sanda, or practical partner training.

Kung Fu in Film and Popular Culture

Films are not training manuals, but they have played an enormous role in shaping the global image of Kung Fu. The following selection combines classic Hong Kong productions, modern wuxia, historical fiction, and films that approach Chinese martial arts with humor or fantasy.

• Hero (2002) - Zhang Yimou's visually grand wuxia film starring Jet Li, Tony Leung, and Maggie Cheung, centered on loyalty, power, and sacrifice.
• Kung Fu Hustle (2004) - Stephen Chow's comedic and exuberant blend of gangster film, fantasy, and classic Kung Fu.
• Fearless (2006) - a dramatized film about Huo Yuanjia, focusing on honor, change, and the consequences of fame.
• Ip Man (2008) - Donnie Yen plays the Wing Chun master in a historical drama that combines fact with cinematic imagination.
• Iron Monkey (1993) - an energetic Hong Kong martial arts film by Yuen Woo-ping about a masked fighter, social inequality, and spectacular choreography.
• Shaolin (2011) - a war drama about power, loss, and redemption centered on the Shaolin Temple.
• Big Trouble in Little China (1986) - John Carpenter's American cult film uses Chinese martial arts, fantasy, and folklore in a deliberately over-the-top adventure.
• The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) - Gordon Liu plays a student who transforms into a fighter and teacher through rigorous training.
• The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984) - a historical action epic by Lau Kar-leung featuring family, loss, and intensive weapons training.
• Challenge of the Masters (1976) - a classic film about discipline, mentorship, and the long path to mature martial arts.
• Fists of the White Lotus (1980) - a revenge story about Shaolin students, secret training, and the White Lotus clan.
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) - Ang Lee's internationally acclaimed wuxia film connects swordsmanship, love, freedom, and duty.
• Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010) - a mysterious adventure combining investigation, court intrigue, and imaginative action.
• Dragon (2011) - Donnie Yen plays a man whose past is investigated by a determined detective, with martial arts action forming part of the mystery.
• Drunken Master (1978) - Jackie Chan combines comedy, discipline, and an unconventional training style in a Hong Kong cinema classic.

From Film to Music and Dance

Bruce Lee's films and the broader popularity of kung fu cinema also influenced early hip-hop culture. In New York, b-boys and other dancers adopted images of low stances, fighting movements, and the dramatic confrontation between two opponents. Breaking developed from multiple sources, but Kung Fu films provided a recognizable movement vocabulary and inspiration for battles.

View films as cultural interpretations, not as historical documentaries or evidence that a style is trained exactly that way. The most interesting similarity to real Kung Fu often lies in the emphasis on discipline, timing, character, and the relationship between teacher and student.