WHAT IS WUSHU?

Wushu is a National sport in the People's Republic of China. Our Wushu program is primarily geared towards children and young adults looking for an athletic and challenging sport to pursue.

Wushu is the Chinese term for "martial arts" and is governed by the International Wushu Federation, and in Canada by the United Wushu Federation of Canada. The sport is officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee and is set to become an Olympic event in the 2008 Olympics.

Wushu is a combination of traditional Chinese martial arts and acrobatics, developed to increase the flexibility, stamina and physical ability of all practitioners. The sport of Wushu is made up of two categories, namely the "taolu" (routine) and the "sanshou" (free fight) categories. The routines in Wushu are focused on hand sets, weapons sets, and choreographed fighting sets, all which are commonly seen in movies and television. Wushu routines possess the flare and excitement found in other performance sports such as gymnastics and figure skating. Focus is given to speed, power, expression, balance and difficulty when practicing the routines in Wushu. There is no particular style of "kung fu" in Wushu as commonly mistaken. Wushu encompasses all the traditional Chinese martial arts styles, by revising the movements and adding levels of difficulty to them. Competition routines are developed by the IWUF and are practiced worldwide in over 80 countries. These routines are compulsory routines taught only by several schools in Canada.