Wushu basic skills are the foundation for beginners and the key to Wushu teaching. Through the practice of basic movements and skills, all parts of the body can be comprehensively trained, and the specialized physical fitness for Wushu can be rapidly developed, laying a solid foundation for learning forms and weapon routines and improving technical levels.
I. Content and Teaching Essentials of Wushu Basic Skills
(I) Main Content of Wushu Basic Skills
The content of Wushu basic techniques is very rich, mainly including flexibility basics, strength basics, striking and anti-strike basics, etc. These are the fundamental training methods for improving practitioners' Wushu ability. They are very important daily practices for Wushu athletes and professionals. There is a folk saying: "Practice Wushu without practicing basics, and you will accomplish nothing even when old." The forms of basic skills are simple and highly selective; some contents are easy to learn but difficult to master. In current school Wushu textbooks, the main content of basic skills is leg flexibility training.
There are many rich methods for leg flexibility training in Wushu. The ones commonly used now mainly include leg pressing, leg holding, leg lifting, leg kicking, and leg controlling. Traditional training methods for leg flexibility also include leg hanging and leg tearing.
To improve leg flexibility as quickly as possible, making legs both flexible and resilient, the principle of "combining dynamic and static training" must be observed in the various training methods mentioned above. Combine stretching exercises such as leg pressing, leg holding, and leg lifting with speed and strength exercises such as leg kicking and leg controlling. At the same time, special attention must be paid to not making the training volume too large in one session to avoid muscle strains. Leg flexibility training must be carried out "step by step" and "persistently" over a long period. Before practicing leg techniques, warm-up exercises must be done well to avoid muscle strains.
(II) Teaching Essentials of Wushu Basic Skills
The Wushu basic skills content in school physical education textbooks mainly includes shoulder pressing, front leg pressing, side leg pressing, forward waist bending with leg press; front kick, side kick, outer swing kick, and inner crescent kick. These contents are simple in form but easy to learn and difficult to master. Please note the following points during teaching:
1. Do not teach all the above content in one class. It is best to teach 2-3 types with a small amount of time in the first class; in later classes, after the warm-up, use a small amount of time to review and teach new content, teaching 1 new type each class. Continue like this until all are taught.
2. In each class, after the warm-up, always use a small amount of time to practice the Wushu basic skills that have been learned, and continuously raise the requirement for movement amplitude.
3. The content of Wushu basic skills is practiced repeatedly by students individually. For teachers, the selectivity is strong and organization is easy. Teachers can use competitions on times (such as number of leg presses), height (such as height of kicks), and distance (such as distance between forehead and toe tip) to raise students' enthusiasm for practice.
4. When students practice Wushu basic skills, they have obvious physical pain and fatigue feelings. Teachers should take the opportunity to conduct willpower quality education.
II. Content and Teaching Essentials of Wushu Basic Movements
(I) Main Content of Wushu Basic Movements
1. Basic Hand Forms and Techniques
Hand forms and techniques are the hand shapes (hand forms) and arm movement methods (techniques) when attacking and defending in Wushu techniques. They belong to the richest category among the "four attacks (kick, strike, throw, grapple)" techniques in Wushu. Wushu hand forms and techniques vary by boxing style and school, with many methods and ingenious variations.
(1) Basic Hand Forms: Hand forms can be divided by shape into fist, palm, hook, claw, etc. All hand forms require standardized shapes.
(2) Basic Techniques: Techniques can be divided by function into attacking and defending. Attacking techniques mainly attack the opponent's head and torso, etc. By basic movement form they can be divided into: linear forward striking techniques, such as punch and push palm; curved side striking techniques, such as cross punch and whip punch; upward techniques, such as uppercut and lifting palm; downward techniques, such as chopping palm and hammer punch. Speed and power of striking are emphasized. Defending techniques mainly block the opponent's attack. By basic movement form they can be divided into: inward patting block; outward parrying block; upward raising block; downward pressing block; and blocking with shoulder or back, etc. Timing and accuracy of defending are emphasized.
All techniques require rapid striking and accurate force points.
2. Basic Stance Forms and Step Techniques
Stance forms and step techniques are the technical foundation of all Wushu techniques. It can be said that all techniques of "kicking, striking, throwing, and grappling" in Wushu are completed on the basis of stance forms and step techniques.
(1) Main Content of Basic Stance Forms: Horse stance, bow stance, crouch stance, empty stance, independent stance. All stance forms require stability and solidness, with clear center of gravity.
(2) Main Content of Basic Step Techniques: Forward step, advancing step, retreating step, dodging step, preparatory step, insert step. Most attacking and defending are carried out during movement. During movement, the distance from the opponent is adjusted, and the best opportunity for attacking and defending is sought and created. Body movement during approaching the opponent and during confrontation is called "step technique."
3. Basic Leg Techniques
Leg techniques play a very important role in Wushu. There is a boxing proverb: "Hands are like two doors, all depends on the legs to strike people," indicating the important role of leg techniques in Wushu. Leg techniques are among the more difficult techniques in the "four attacks" of Wushu, therefore requiring leg flexibility training and sandbag kicking and other hardness training before leg techniques can reach a certain level. Leg techniques can be divided by movement form into: straight-swing leg techniques, such as front kick and outer swing kick; bending-extending leg techniques, such as snap kick and thrust kick; sweeping-rotating leg techniques, such as front sweep and back sweep; and striking-sounding leg techniques, such as foot clap and inner crescent kick with sound.
The main leg techniques are: snap kick, thrust kick, and side thrust kick.
4. Basic Jumping Movements
Jumps are movements where both feet push off the ground and jump, and the body completes attacking or defending moves while in the air. They are among the more difficult techniques in Wushu. Jumping techniques are not only "icing on the cake" movements in Wushu routines; they can sometimes achieve surprising attacking effects in actual combat.
Jumping techniques mainly include four categories: (1) Bending-extending and straight-swinging jumps (such as flying kick, etc.). (2) Rotating-body jumps (such as tornado kick, etc.). (3) Flip jumps (such as side somersault, etc.). (4) Far-leaping jumps (such as big leaping step, etc.).
Jumping movements are difficult techniques in Wushu and are "icing on the cake" movements in routines. Balance movements are movements that reflect the body's balance ability. Both require basic leg techniques, explosive power, coordination and other physical qualities, as well as self-control ability of body posture and movements after leaving the ground.
III. Content and Teaching Essentials of Wushu Combined Movements
Wushu combined movements are serial continuous practice of offensive and defensive movements combining two or more different Wushu basic elements such as hand forms, techniques, stances, steps, and leg techniques, performed by a single person or two persons attacking and defending. This kind of practice plays a very important role in helping beginners master Wushu basic movements, raising body coordination ability, and the ability to complete different movements continuously.
(I) Main Content of Wushu Combined Movements
1. Wushu single-person combined movements. 2. Wushu two-person attack-defense combined movements. The regularity requirement for Wushu combined movements is that each movement must be standardized; the connection of each movement must be natural and coherent, with a sense of rhythm. Paired practice must have realistic attack and defense.
(II) Teaching Essentials of Wushu Combined Movements
Movement combinations are practice combining several Wushu movements together. Before teaching, review the learned Wushu basic skills and basic movements; then on the basis of demonstration, explain to students in order: what complete movements the taught combination consists of; the structure and characteristics of each complete movement; whether there are any new movements not learned before; the connection of each movement, and whether there are direction changes, etc. During explanation, organize students in time for experiential practice. After explanation and experiential practice, quickly lead elementary school students to repeatedly practice and consolidate, so that students can master these basic contents as soon as possible.
(III) Teaching Essentials of Wushu Exercises (Wushu Cao)
Wushu exercises are combining several Wushu movements together and practicing in the form of exercises. Before teaching, you can organize students to practice and review learned Wushu basic skills and basic movements; or practice some regular movements in the Wushu exercises. Then teach students section by section. After students initially master one section of the exercises, the teacher should quickly use commands to direct students to do 2-8-beat practice, strengthening students' memory.
After students initially learn all the movements of the whole set of exercises, the teacher should lead the whole set of exercises and quickly organize students to practice with music, accelerating students' memory and mastery.