Wu-Shu

The sport of wu-shu is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. It was developed in China after 1949, in an effort to standardize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts.

The term Wushu is Chinese for “martial arts” (武 “Wu” = military or martial, 术 “Shu” = art). In contemporary times, Wushu has become an international sport through the International Wushu Federation (IWUF), which holds the World Wushu Championships every two years; the first World Championships were held in 1991 in Beijing.

The forms comprise basic movements (stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps, sweeps and throws) based on aggregate categories of traditional Chinese martial art styles and can be changed for competitions to highlight one’s strengths. Modern Wushu competitors are increasingly training in aerial techniques such as 540 and 720 and even 900 degree jumps and kicks to add more difficulty and style to their forms.

Master Jin Oh was 1st place in Southern Fist Form, 1st place Spear weapon division and 1st place – 75kg Sparring division in 1992 and he served in the Seoul National Team.