White Crane practice benefits

 

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hite Crane is possibly the oldest martial style that exist in a form that traditional martial arts are recognized today and it shaped development of almost all other martial styles from Fujian and Guangdong provinces and heavily influenced development of northern martial arts. White Crane has traditionally been practiced for multiple purposes, including self-defense, mindful nurturing of well-being, and fitness enhancement. For hundreds of years the Chinese have enjoyed many benefits that White Crane is believed to offer. Today, people of all ages and backgrounds from around the world are discovering what the Chinese have known for a very long time: that long-term sustained practice of Zonghequan leads to positive changes in physical and mental well-being.

Self-defense: The essence of the traditional martial arts is self-defense. With regular and diligent practice you will develop practical skills that you may need to use to defend yourself one day in an extreme situation. As unlikely as this potential situation might be in this day and age, surely it’s preferable to be able to protect yourself and your loved ones than face the alternative consequences. There are hundreds of martial arts available today but all of them may not be a good choice. At the time of its creation White Crane was something revolutionary new. It brought new concepts of using human body, training approach weapon usage and fighting principles. It was so advanced that influenced directly or indirectly development of almost all martial arts in Southern provinces of China. In almost every single style at least some White Crane influences are quite obvious. White Crane was first style that focused on “internal” training, relying on universal physical characteristic of the human body which allowed everyone to learn it and become a good fighter. Instead of brute physical strength which is not easy to develop, and which decreasing due to ageing process, White Crane focuses on internal alignment and training which makes people better and stronger over time regardless of their age. In general, martial arts before White Crane required rigorous and extremely hard training process and many people simply could not practice martial arts because their physical deficiencies. White Crane revolutionized training approach and martial training became available and possible to everyone. Saying that White Crane is the best martial art today would not be correct, but it certainly was at the time when it was created and even today is the best and for some people the only option for self-defense training. White Crane does contain a lot techniques that are designed to be practical in almost every situation, it combines foot techniques, hand techniques, joint lock techniques and weapons training. White Crane Kung Fu is a complete self-defense system that uses hands, feet, knees, elbows, shoulders and hips in its arsenal of striking techniques. The style is renowned, however, for its rapid hand techniques, short and low kicks strikes executed in conjunction with grabs and effective pressure point attacks, mixed with close quarter trapping and control methods. When mixed with punches, elbows and knees up close they can be devastating. The kicks tend to be low hence don't require any stretching, are fast (direct) and with shoes on can be painful.  White Crane Kung Fu combines defense and attack and uses both soft and hard power. It also emphasizes firm, extremely fast yet evasive footwork. It stresses empty-hand as well as weapons training, two-person sets, self-defense drills and free-sparring. The style's fierce pressure point attacks combined with rapid footwork and a no-nonsense approach make it a particularly effective, complete, and beautiful martial art. White Crane is not focused on out-muscling the opponent but on protecting yourself by redirecting or diffusing the opponent’s energy. The art is based on the main principle of following the opponent. Instead of attacking, White Crane practitioners closely mirror the moves of the aggressor, effectively diffusing their energy. The system eliminates unnecessary moves making it an effective combat system even for cramped spaces. The economy of movement is stressed upon to generate maximum force with minimum effort. Apart from being practical and adaptable, White Crane is especially effective in combat against stronger opponents because it is a combat system based on tactile reflexes. Instead of physical strength or speed, the focuses more on body structure, alacrity and practice. 

Physical Health benefits: Literary millions of people practice traditional martial arts for the health reasons. Heath benefits of traditional martial arts, physical as well as psychological are scientifically proven facts. Even more, a lot of people in fairly old age actively exercise on daily basis. White Crane can be practice as low impact activity and puts minimal stress on muscles and joints, making it generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. In fact, because it is a low-impact exercise, it may be especially suitable if you're an older adult who otherwise may not exercise. In China, it is believed that White Crane can delay aging and prolong life, increase flexibility, strengthen muscles and tendons, and aid in the treatment of heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, digestive disorders, skin diseases, depression, cancer, and many other illnesses. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a good deal of scientific evidence to support all these claims. On the other hand numerous studies have shown that traditional martial arts improve muscular strength, flexibility, fitness, improve immunity, relieve pain and improve quality of life. Muscle strength is important for supporting and protecting joints and is essential for normal physical function. Flexibility exercises enable people to move more easily, and facilitate circulation of body fluid and blood, which enhance healing. Fitness is important for overall functioning of the heart, lungs, and muscles. In addition to these components, White Crane movements emphasize weight transference to improve balance and prevent falls. A growing body of carefully conducted research is building a compelling case for White Crane and other internal arts as an adjunct to standard medical treatment for the prevention and rehabilitation of many conditions commonly associated with age. An adjunct therapy is one that's used together with primary medical treatments, either to address a disease itself or its primary symptoms, or, more generally, to improve a patient's functioning and quality of life. Some research suggest that White Crane practice enhance quality of sleep, can help with chronic spine and joint problems, improve symptoms of congestive heart failure. The focus on proper breathing techniques makes White Crane incredibly beneficial for sufferers of asthma. Proper breathing with slow movement of White Crane forms help regulate high blood pressure and helps with some forms of heart diseases. White Crane practice also enhances and maintain the fine motor movements. At the end, unlike many other sports or physical activities, martial arts, especially internal styles can be practice by people with physical disabilities. This is extremely important for many people with disabilities because their overall health situation and quality of life can be significantly improved.

Mental Health: General mental well being of White Crane practice involves areas of life such as feelings of satisfaction, optimism, self-esteem, having some control over one’s life, having a purpose in life and a sense of belonging and support. Evidence of the effectiveness of martial arts in producing effective, cognitive and behavioral benefits has come from a number of studies. Improvements in self-esteem a more positive response to physical challenge, autonomy, emotional stability and assertiveness and reductions in anxiety and depression have all been associated with martial arts training. Also White Crane practice shows a reduction in stress. Breathing, movement, and mental concentration required of individuals who practice White Crane may be just the distraction someone needs from hectic lifestyle. The mind-body connection is one that deserves special attention, as it has been reported that breathing coordinated with body movement and eye-hand coordination promote calmness, it is creative and physically active way to improve how people mentally and physically respond to stress. Traditional martial arts were and still are a subject of various research studies which cover vast of array of topics. One of the things shown in those studies is a positive effect of traditional martial arts on decrease of aggressiveness, violence prevention and overall positive effect on other forms of antisocial behavior. Even more, traditional martial arts are used as a therapeutic method to improve overall social and cognitive skill of kids with different kinds of social and cognitive developmental problems. Self-discipline is a challenge for everyone. The surprising thing about Kung Fu is that help people to achieve self-mastery by disciplining their bodies and minds in the quest for enlightenment. Kung Fu truly is an art form, and can adapt to your changing needs and abilities over time. Many people begin their practice in childhood and continue throughout their lives into their 70’s, 80’s and beyond. Low self-esteem takes a toll on mental health. Physical activity, particularly martial arts, helps raise a person’s self-esteem. Building strength of mind and spirit also start to build confidence. This type of confidence is particularly helpful when it comes to martial arts and depression. Through martial arts, people discover that they are capable of so much more than they thought they were – physically and mentally. This mindset will carry people over to other aspects of life, and they often find themselves taking on new challenges and conquering new obstacles. 

Fitness benefits: White Crane offers a wide variety of exercises that are excellent for fitness! White Crane is a high-aerobic activity that utilizes virtually every muscle group in your body and provides a full-body workout that targets improvements in cardiovascular capabilities, muscular toning, and stamina. White Crane is not just a fighting art but also helps practitioners to rapidly transform the whole body. During a high-intensity class, practitioner is constantly moving. Through the training, heart rate will be raised significantly, which means that calories burn will be increased in the process. One of the most significant benefits of White Crane is the effect it has on cardiovascular system. Training works on major muscle groups of the human body. The practice will improve heart rate as well as increase oxygen intake. The most distinct and beneficial aspect of consistent training in any martial arts style is its effect on coordination and muscular communication. As practitioner grows in experience, more and more movements and techniques will require and develop greater general coordination as well as hand-eye coordination. Research has demonstrated that by practicing martial arts, practitioners not only significantly improve their reflexes in the specific martial activity but also during daily activities, such as driving. By participating in White Crane,  tone and the amount of muscle mass of the entire body can be increased. White Crane develop a healthy, strong and powerful body. Training not only increases muscle, but it also builds functional strength, power, and muscular endurance in a way few other training methods do. Since White Crane provides a full-body workout, it will naturally increase overall stamina and endurance. Practicing lots and lots of repetition will help increase endurance of the whole body and will also improve breathing capabilities. Increasing stamina is essential for a healthy lifestyle as it can help lower the heart rate, blood pressure and help burn fat. Generally, a White Crane class includes about 15 to 20 minutes of warming and stretching exercises before every session.  Stretching, kicking and other movements will help to increase muscle and joint flexibility so that practitioner can do various postures, exercises and movements better over time. Agility is a fundamental attribute to any martial art. Through the practice of various exercises, practitioner will develop the ability to move quickly in several directions. Proper execution of any White Crane techniques can't be done without balance. Balance and mobility are undoubtedly two fundamental attributes that White Crane movements depend on. Training forms, single movements, push hands, as well as sparring are a great way to develop balance and mobility. The better sense of balance becomes, the more in tune with his body practitioner will be, and the more effective he or she will become. 

Spiritual benefits: As people learn Kung Fu they find that the practice is more than just kicking and punching.  For many people the true value in studying the martial arts lies not in the learning of the technique or system itself, but in the acquisition of particular internal qualities that are developed through the learning process. The physical exercises are the concrete examples of abstract philosophical principles. Footwork systems teach the student about the qualities of energy, ebb and flow, and both creative and destructive potential. Handwork patterns teach the student about balance, dynamics and the intuition of natural spirit. The actions of blocking, deflecting, striking, breaking and throwing all contain concepts that can be applied to the human spirit. As people progress through an art they learn the basics, the principles, the forms, the exercises, the applications, but all of these are really a study of oneself. It is the person who is doing the movements, and in time it may become much more than something practitioner “just” do. The understanding gained from long term practice becomes part of who practitioner is.

Religious practice: Belief in a supreme being plays an important role in the life of most human beings. Religious beliefs have even been shown to promote good health in the faithful. In the martial arts, religion has an important role in the historical development of many arts, and it continues to dictate the ways in which many students think and act during practice sessions. More than a few Western students have converted to an Eastern religion simply because their martial art grew from that spiritual tradition. White Crane specifically is a part of some specific brunches of Taoism and some followers of Buddhism also train White Crane as a part of their religious practice.

Social benefits: There are many social benefits that can be achieved through practice of White Crane Kung Fu and traditional martial arts in general, especially when we talk about developing social skills in children. One of the things on which martial arts in general have in general is increase of empathy, even when we talk about the most brutal ways of training. Martial arts might seem like an individual activity but that is not actually true. To train martial arts practitioner will always need a group of reliable teammates that not only train and spar with him but motivate and cheer each other on as well. This will develop necessary skills to work in group. Through long and hard training process practitioner will be become aware of all the obstacles someone can meet during training and will learn to recognize when training partners or teammates meet same obstacles. Hence, practitioner will be able to understand their frustrations and spur them on during bad days, while also celebrating their victories alongside his own. This increased empathy will then enable practitioner to be a better friend to other friends outside the gym as well. It was noted before that martial training increase production of dopamine and endorphin, which make people happier. If people are constantly stressed out and in a bad mood, then they might appear unapproachable to others! When people release these feel-good chemicals in their brain, they not only they are turning bad day around but also boosting energy levels. Hence, they will radiate positive energy and other people will enjoy their company much more. Students show respect to each other, their instructor, and even to their school upon joining each class session. Sometimes it’s a simple bow, in other styles it’s a salute of some kind. The gesture encompasses several messages: gratitude, for the learning the student receives, and respect, an acknowledgement of the other person’s abilities. Regardless of the ritual, almost all martial arts teach students to value age, rank, expertise, and experience. Martial arts practice helps people to connect to others who share same interests and values and expand social circles.

One of the most important aspects when it comes to the healthy development of child’s personality is socializing, a process that can be essential during adolescence and arguably throughout one’s life. Martial arts practice help kids interact with other children belonging to their age group and through such an interaction they can shape friendships and relationships that directly help them expand their circle of friends, a thing that many children can have problems doing especially if they have a rather shy personality. In addition they help them develop a healthy sportsmanship, a quality that transcends blind competition and teaches them to respect the people that they interact with, something crucial in order to become a healthy member of any society. Intense physical training also promotes self-discipline and acute focus on given tasks, ensuring that during their more mature years they will manage to retain control even in dire situations and cope through difficulties in terms of studying, workload and personal crises.

Cultural benefits: The culture and history behind a martial art is one of the things that makes it unique and each has an advantage that should be known and highly regarded by individuals practicing the art. Students of martial arts should have pride in their style and preference of art and taking the time to learn history and culture will strengthen the student as well as connect them to the values that each discipline is built upon. Students who take time to reflect of the core values of the art they practice will be much more successful in our global society. White Crane had enormous influence on development of martial arts not only in China but also in Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Knowing the specific culture of White Crane style helps people to better understand other styles as well. One of the most important aspects of White Crane practice is that the style became international long time ago. Our world is filled with amazing, diverse people and cultures. White Crane helps all those people to connect and know each other. There is constant cultural exchange not only between Chinese and non-Chinese practitioners but also among various different cultures on all continents. Sharing common interest in martial arts people from all over the world interact with each other which  is one of the ideal ways of learning and understanding other people’s cultures. The advantage of attending international seminars and traveling to other places to learn and practice White Crane is that practitioners meet people from different countries and races. Not only do they learn about their culture, but you also teach them your culture. Being exposed to different cultures helps people to embrace and appreciate others that are different from them. Learn about other people and their different cultures breaks down stereotypes. Language is not the only player in communication. Culture can have effects on many different areas. Culture can affect speaking style, including speed, figurative language, details and more. It can also affect body language and gestures. Interacting with people from different cultures helps people to develop extraordinary communication skills. Meeting new people, learning about their customs and way of life, hearing their stories enriches everyone’s life and gives precious new experiences and memories. Lots of problems can arise from misunderstandings, especially because we live in a multicultural world. By learning and understanding different cultures helps to understand why people do things the way they do. When someone identify with other people, that person sympathize with their situation. This facilitates understanding and prevents misunderstandings. Learning about diverse cultures helps people to realize that there are numerous approaches to life. Many times, interacting with people from different cultures helps people to view life from a different perspective. When they learn about different cultures, they establish new ways of thinking and approaching and solving problems.

 

Morality and ethics: Considering the morality issue in Chinese martial art, it mainly embodies profound philosophy, a sense of human life as well as social values. This Chinese martial arts  emphasizes traditions, experience and rational knowledge. The idea of morality and ethics is not only an integral part of martial arts culture but actually one of the most important building blocks of many styles, especially of White Crane Kung Fu.  While morality and ethics is a universal thing across cultures, it is often overlooked in actual application. Wude is simply defined as “martial ethics”, or “martial morality” or “martial virtue”, and as its name suggest, is the idea of ethics and morality in the practice of martial arts. Wude teaches one how to become an upstanding and moral person. It is the criteria on how students are judged by their masters, and whether or not they are deemed worthy to be taught. Wude is formally divided into two categories; morality of deed, and morality of mind.  Morality of deed is defined as those ethics and morals which are directly applied to real life environments, such as interactions with other people and relationships, and morality of mind is defined by those traits developed inside oneself. Morality of deed includes: Humility, Respect, Righteousness, Trust, and Loyalty. Morality of mind is consisted of: Will, Endurance, Perseverance, Patience, and Courage.