Chapter 6: Wushu Kung Fu Attainment Training

As we mentioned in the Introduction, the term Kung Fu or gongfu is more than just a term referring to Chinese martial arts. It is also a term meaning the attainment of a skill or an ability through a steady input of time and effort. When we use the term Wushu Kung Fu, it means the lasting ability or skill attained in Wushu training. In Wushu, a practitioner’s level of Kung Fu is the attainment of many different types of skills, including the ability to apply hard and subtle skills, Wushu Qigong, light and agile movements, etc.

A well-known saying in the Wushu community states, "When one practices Wushu without the Kung Fu attainment training, it will all be lost when one gets old ." This statement implies that if a martial artist only trains the routines and the techniques of Wushu movements without Kung Fu attainment training, their ability will be limited and won’t withstand the test of time and age. Wushu technical skills without Kung Fu attainment are only useful against people without martial arts or fighting training.

There are people that have learned many Wushu routines, but don’t understand the applications of the movements or have the ability to apply the techniques. These individuals are technically not training Wushu as a martial art. Their Wushu training is considered a sport and performing art, not martial art. A martial artist must do Kung Fu attainment training. Each and every style of Wushu, has their unique system of Kung Fu attainment training methods. The training methods we will be introducing in this chapter are all practical, efficient, and effective.

In the book, Qigong Empowerment, we already introduced the Intensive Iron Shirt training; plus many conditioning methods to withstand impact for the solar plexus, throat, armpits, head, legs, muscles, and groin. Please refer to it for additional training methods not included in this book. In the future, we will also introduce the rare Emei Dapeng Qigong training, an important training for increasing a person’s strength and power by increasing their internal energy. Dapeng Qigong is also a method of attaining the Golden Bell Cover ability to withstand impact to the body.

Our objective in this chapter is to familiarize you with the vast content of Wushu training, giving you a greater understanding of the extensive and long history of traditional Wushu Kung Fu attainment training. Much of the training we have presented in this chapter, provides direct challenges to the physical body, as well as, to the human psyche. The training is passed down from ancient times, yet concurs with modern scientific understanding, for fostering the development of the underlying potential of the practitioner.