karate, wu shu or won hwa do?

Question

Hi, could you please tell me more about these martial arts, mainly wu shu and won hwa do? Ive never heard about these two. I have opportunity to join training of one of these 3 martial arts, but i dont know which one would be most suitable for me? Im 18 yo girl, slightly plump and short and im NOT used to hard physical activity. Id like to learn some martial art which is not only about fighting but involves philosophy as well . I decided i will start some sport and i already do yoga and occassionally swim, but i feel i need something different as well. I dont like aerobic or gym and im not a fan of collective games because im terrible and i dont want others to be angry at me when i dont catch the ball :-) So could you please tell me which of these would you recommend to me?

Answer 1

well, wu shu is a chinese art that stems from the family of kung fu. it often relies on intense momentum and speed to carry out its strongest techniques, but if those moves are successfully countered or blocked, often the attacker loses all balance and is left wide open for attack.

i'm not familiar with won hwa do, so i cant really offer too much insight there. sorry.

as far as karate, that is a more fundamental japanese art, its hard to say if that school is a good one though, as karate has been bastardized in the US for a long time. let me explain:

karate was the first art that came to the US, and americans really watered it down to fit their liking. i've seen many schools that focus more on the patches on your gi (karate outfit) and the colors of your belt than they do on personal development. often parents want a schedule of when their kid will test for promotion, and they take the promotion as a given. it shouldnt be. the right answer should be "the promotional test is scheduled for -whatever date-..... your child will promote to the next rank WHEN HE EARNS IT". but many parents want to know when junior will be a black belt, and want a solid answer... its not right.

also, the idea of colored belts was something that was instated when americans started studying. that way they could all know what rank everyone is at all times, and knew where they were in the pecking order. originally, you were a white belt all the way until you were a blackbelt.

the style i studied for several years is "Goju Kai Karate Do".
that essentially translates to "the hard and soft way of the open fist". no pads, no mats, no headgear, class held in a room with a hardwood floor, all the commands given in japanese, and you need to learn what they mean.

for every hard attack, there is a swift block, for every powerful movement, there is a graceful recoil. the art focuses on balance and well roundedness, and if a student wants to focus more intently on a specialized area from there, they can pursue it, but only after they have a strong foundation in all areas of unarmed combat. we studied a little of every thing. close combat, long range combat, punches, kicks, blocks, grappling, etc.

also, all the sparring we did was without pads, without headgear, without mats, on a hardwood floor. we focused on control, trying to penetrate the enemies defenses, but not actually strike them. only when you reach higher ranks and more experience will you try to spar at a full contact level. and children cannot test as often as adults, they dont have the maturity to handle the rapid rank gain, and a person cannot become a black belt until they are at least 16. after you earn your blackbelt, you cant test again for promotion typically more than once a year, sometimes not even that fast, and you have to go to san francisco to train with the headmaster of the entire style. my sensei had studied since he was a teen, and was a tri state champ in full contact competitions for years. when i started to train under him, he was in his late 40's. now he's in his later 50's, and he's a 5th degree black belt in our style (the highest is 8th degree). so, if someone is under 30 and they say "i'm a * degree black belt", ask how many degrees there are, and how often you can promote as a black belt. at that level, there should be a lot of personal development in between promotions, which usually means a good amount of time in between tests.

so, i did my best to research a school that was going to teach everything as closely as it was taught when these arts were created (minus the warlords, assassins that try to burn down my village, etc. lol.).

so, rather than deciding which style is best, focus on the individual schools. make sure they arent watered down (look for lots of colors of belts, if theres more than 4 or so.... thats usually very americanized, lots of patches are meaningless, especially if they expect you to buy them all, 11 year old black belts, thats usually a good sign that the school promotes ppl that arent ready.) and before you sign up for a class, look at the name, and check out what all those words originate from. stay away from arts that have one japanese word, one chinese word, etc... thats a bad sign too.

good luck finding a school thats right for you!!

Answer 2

I don't know about won hwa do but wu shu may not be for you. It more acrobatic and doesn't have much to do with self defense, its more of a for show martial art (like the stuff you see in the Jet Li movies). Its not realistic. You say are slightly plump and short, while that isn't a favorable body image, it tells me that you may not be good at wu shu and might stop taking it ( I'm the same way). Try something like Kempo Karate. It will give you physical endurance and would be something an 18 yr old girl should learn for her own protection. Good Luck.

Answer 3

A lot of people have recommended systems other than the three you have mentioned, and others go on to toot their own horns over how hard-corp they are...

You've been given excellent information with regard to your question, as well, though, and I can only offer to expand a little on Wu Shu. "Wu Shu" is a generic term that encompasses all Chinese boxing; in fact "kung fu" is the same thing. I read one answer where the he actually broke down several different systems within Wu Shu, and while it was accurate, I do have to say that a lot of the "martial" in "martial arts" was taken out in Wu Shu. In fact, Wu Shu became the national sport of China and is sanctioned by the government. The idea from Chairman Mao was to make it such that no secret martial arts would thrive or rise up against the communist government. It is watered down. This is not to say, though, that a Wu Shu artist could not hold his/her own in a fight per se!

They take it very seriously. It is to this end that I would recommend against it for you, though! You see, most practitioners start very young, say 5 or 6, even younger in some cases. If you aren't concerned about competing or applicable street-style self defense then it is fine. I mean, should you do it for physical fitness, have at it. You'll work very, VERY hard in it!

Be sure to not only research the system of martial art you desire, but the schools and the teachers in your area as well! There are a lot of businessmen more interested in making money rather than train...

Good luck in whatever you choose.!

Answer 4

Wonhwado is a Korean Martial art much like Hapkido, that uses the full 360 degree motion of the joints particularly in the arms for a minimal degree of damage to an opponent, or subduing an opponent. but also uses kicks and some punching techniques wth rolling/tumbling, and throwing techniques.

Wu Shu is Chinese Martial Arts in general that is actually an incorporated 18 separate Martial Arts including: Bagua, Drunken Boxing, Eagle Claw, Five Animals, Hsing I, Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Monkey, Praying Mantis, White Crane, Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan.

Wu Shu may be better suited for you being you haven't had previous Martial Arts experience, and Wonhwado is a throwing and joint manipulation discipline, and you could wind up injuring yourself.

are these the only two Martial Arts available in your area? or are they just the two that you have decided studying?

but doing an areobic workout, or some weight training will help you more than you know if you start training in martial arts, as well as help you healthwise. heavy physicality doesn't have to be too strenuous.

good luck

Answer 5

Hi !

Karate : Japanese
Wu shu : Chinese
Won hwa do : Korean

Three martial arts = three different philosophies.

In what relate to me I prefer Karate because it is direct without fuss… (A Texan does not like to waste his time, it is known ! lol )

Chinese martial arts are too complicated and it takes many years before being effective.
Cheers

Answer 6

Quick Note: Kung Fu is a descendant of Wu Shu, actually Kung Fu is Wu Shu with Kungfutse (Confucious) philosophy applied to it, similarly to how Kung Fu has Tiger style, Eagle Style, etc. Every single one of them is fine, the only one I would not recommend for immediate effects is kung fu (explained below). It's just personal taste. As opposed as what the guy who said grappling was bad, it's not, if you learn how to control it, you can fight against various opponents and still make it with only a few scratches. Also flying kicks and flourishing is bad, also opposed to the guy who said that. Try to look like Bruce Li during a fight and you'll end up injured or dead. Why Kung Fu is not advisable for immediate effect Kung Fu is a very theatrical art, with many flourishes and flying kicks. It is easy to get beat when doing this at low mastery levels. I would only recommend using it at a high level of experience, meanwhile it's only good for exercising your mind and body. I guess your best choices are Ju Jitsu and Wing Chun. Remember to try as many martial arts as you can and find the one you're most comfortable with, never underestimate any of them as every one of them is strong or weak in different areas but nonetheless useful.

Answer 7

Won Hwa Do

Answer 8

Karate
Try Keichu Do Cajun Karate.

Answer 9

Well, i´m training eagle claw kung fu about 1 year and wushu is the aplications of the figth technics in the kung fu.
Kung fu isnt only acrobatics and jumps you learn how to atack and you`ll atack hard if you want, in the eagle claw particularly you learn a lot of grabs (107 to be exactly) and is a very complete martial art.
The other arts you mentioned i dont have knowledge to talk about.

Answer 10

I like karate.

By the way tell you some jokes, and the jokes goes:

-Doctor! I have a serious problem, I can never remember what i just said.
-When did you first notice this problem?
-What problem?

One more joke:

A guy calls his vet and says "What should I do with my cat?Vet says "What do you mean? Guy says "I had a leak in my lawnmowers gas tank and the cat drank the gas. Then the cat began to run around and around the yard, climbed a tree. then fell out of the tree stiff. Vet says "Is the cat dead? Guy replies "nope he ran out of gas.

Last of all just want to tell you that whatever you do, just don't give up. Also you must love and care for the people around you. In that way they will also show you the love that you show to them. Just be yourself and happy everyday. Wish you all the best and good luck!!

Answer 11

Learn HSING YI CHUAN. Trust me , you will drop a few pounds and any attacker after you learn the 5 fists and 10 animal forms
plus the 2 person forms. At a later stage ( 3 years ) learn TAI CHI CHUAN. CHI KUNG should be done 2 times a day.
Good luck Lady bug.