Vietnamese Martial arts

[Firehawk4]

Vietnam Art Cuong Nhu ?

I m not sure what to make of this Martial Art .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDtuN...eature=related

[cerebus]

Modern combined martial art based on its founder's experience in Shotokan Karate, Wing Chun Kung Fu and Tai Chi. One of the things I like about them is that I've never seen them espousing some made-up "ancient" lineage. They are what they are...

[Lucas]

question.

is the gentleman in the video the developer of that kata? if so i am missing the connection to the vietnamese culture reference. if its wing chun, taiji and shotokan put together by a white guy...am i missing something here? or is he just a teacher/instructor under this style.

pardon my ignorance.

[Tensei85]

Actually I studied Cuong Nhu for a few years.

The system was created by Ngo Dong and is made up of as mentioned before but it also containes Vovinam and Judo. The core set are made up of the Pinan forms, followed by Tambo, Bo, Tonfa & Sai for the colored belt ranks. And as far as I know they start incorporating Wing Chun via Sil Lim Tao as a Nidan requirement and the CK & BG are incorporated later in b.b. ranks. Also for the brown belt they start the Vovinam snake kata as they call it & incorporate more Judo etc...

[Tensei85]

Link: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuong_Nhu

[Lucas]

Vietnam seems to be a pretty good melting pot for martial arts. The MAist ive met from there seem to have a varied background.

[GeneChing]

Here's a nice pictorial on Vovinam. I'm only posting two of the ten pix. Follow the link if you want to see the rest.

Gallery: Cool martial arts moves by Muslim schoolgirls
Calgary Herald March 8, 2011 9:03 AM


Indian Muslim schoolgirls perform "Vovinam", the Vietnamese martial art at Saint Maaz High School in Hyderabad on March 8, 2011, on the occasion of the International Women's Day. Some 40 students encouraged by their parents and school officials are learning the art of self defence by using swords and sticks during school hours. This year is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day since its creation.

Sure looks like wushu to me.

[Syn7]

its nice to see muslim women portrayed in a more realistic manner... usually in the west when we talk about them its always about how horrible they are treated, which is largely bullsh!t... glad to see some news comming thru that sheds a more positive light on them...

[Lucas]

it annoys the hell out of me the way 'most' people think about muslims.

[Lucas]

does anyone know much about this style Vovinam?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H2KbP3sIgo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSo7...eature=related

[GeneChing]

Last update 29/01/2012 08:04:00 AM (GMT+7)
Martial arts maketh the man

Ngo Xuan Binh has devoted his life to bringing the Vietnamese martial art Nhat Nam to the world.

The fierce screams of martial artists break the quiet afternoon at a club on the outskirts of Moscow as a class of young Russian men decked out in traditional Vietnamese clothes practise under the guidance of a middle-aged man.

They are practising Nhat Nam, a martial art known for being 100 per cent Vietnamese.

In the early 1980s, martial artists in Ha Noi were surprised to see the appearance of a new school, called Nhat Nam.

Martial arts master Ngo Xuan Binh, 55, the school leader, explains that the name means the discipline is unique to Viet Nam.

During the 1980s, the movement developed strongly in Ha Noi, Nghe An and other northern provinces.

Binh's book Nhat Nam Can Ban (Basic Techniques of Nhat Nam) was awarded the "Most Valuable and Beautiful Sports Book" prize at an exhibition for publishing houses from socialist countries, held in Poland in June, 1989.

"In the ancient lands of Ai and Hoan, now known as the provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, existed a martial art used by the local people to fight wild beasts and enemies," says Binh.

"This martial art is based on nature. Ancient people studied the attributes of both flora and fauna, and their natural surroundings."

Binh says in spring 1789, when Emperor Quang Trung led his army to the North to fight the invading Chinese Qing troops passing through Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, they employed many local martial artists.

"Many of them fought bravely and sacrificed themselves for the Motherland. To commemorate the ancestors, our school chose the day of Emperor Quang Trung's Victory of Ngoc Hoi - Dong Da on the fifth day of the first month in the lunar calendar."

But the school also faced bad times. When the Tay Son dynasty of Quang Trung fell, King Gia Long decided to kill people who collaborated with Tay Son and many martial arts schools were closed and their masters killed.

The survivors had to operate secretly, but the Ngo Xuan family from Vinh City in Nghe An Province are some of the descendants of ancient martial artists. But through the passage of time, their heritage is gradually fading.

Born into a traditional martial arts family, Binh has practised martial arts since he was a little boy.

Having inherited basic techniques from his family, Binh also devoted his time to studying with martial arts masters in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.

When he was a student at the Ha Noi Fine Arts College, Binh taught his classmates fighting skills and created a martial arts movement to improve their health. After graduating from the college, he nurtured his passion for researching and practising martial arts.

At the age of 24, Binh had already made extraordinary accomplisments in his martial arts career. He managed to unite different schools of Het (Screaming) martial arts in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, and named it Nhat Nam.

Nhat Nam School was officially established on October 23, 1983 in Ha Noi. At that time, Binh was an art teacher at the Ha Noi-based Central Music and Painting Teachers' Training College.

Based on the small frame of Vietnamese people, Binh has developed fighting techniques for their movement, such as avoiding blows, striking swiftly and exposing vulnerable spots on the body of the enemy that can incapacitate them with high effectiveness.

From 1983 to 1990, Nhat Nam developed quickly in Ha Noi and northern provinces, attracting many young people. Many of them have became famous for their exploits in the ring, and Binh's best students have continued his mission to spread the art throughout the country.

Teacher Dao Hoang Long from Nghia Lo in the northern province of Yen Bai has been training his pupils for the last 23 years. In that time, he has co-ordinated with the provincial Education and Training Department to put Nhat Nam on the school syllabus, and has attracted 4,000 learners.

With an eye on the future, Binh assigned his best students to manage the school in the early 1990s, and turned his attentions to developing this cultural heritage in Europe.

The year 1992 marked a milestone in his martial arts career. Binh left Viet Nam for Belarus (under the former Soviet Union) at the invitation of the Federation of Wushu and other Vietnamese martial arts schools. He organised hundreds of workshops on Nhat Nam Martial Arts School and trained many martial arts instructors and students from more than 40 cities in the former Soviet Union. This was followed by the establishment of martial arts clubs in Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine.

"In Moscow and other cities in Russia, Nhat Nam has become a part of life for some local people," says student Sergei Yurevich. "The clubs attract a large number of people from different walks of life. They love to practise Nhat Nam drills as it not only helps them feel more brave and confident, but also improves their heath and outlook on life."

After nearly 20 years abroad, Binh, president of the Nhat Nam Martial Arts Federation, registered to officially operate in those countries, is now promoting the establishment of the International Nhat Nam Martial Arts Federation.

In these countries, people do not only know about Binh as a martial arts master, but also a culturist. He is a poet, a lecturer of Oriental philosophy at a university in Russia, an acupuncturist and a doctor of Oriental medicine who has treated thousands of Russian people, including high-ranking leaders.

In October 2008, in Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature and the First National University of Viet Nam) in Ha Noi, Binh organised a specialised workshop on Nhat Nam Martial Arts School to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The workshop attracted more than 1,000 members from four large martial arts clubs.

Professor Pham Duc Duong, head of Oriental Culture Research Institute, says: "I feel proud of Binh, who rose up as a cultural symbol, honoured by many people in Russia and Western countries.

"I hope Binh, a special messenger of international friendship, will continue to bring into play the values of Nhat Nam across the country and among the international community."

Today, Nhat Nam has more than 32,000 followers worldwide.

Binh plans to establish the Nhat Nam Martial Arts Federation in Viet Nam in the near future. But this man still has another more important worry.

"What concerns me is that many young people are physically lazy. Another concern is that many do not care about national history and traditional virtues. So when the Motherland faces danger, what will happen?

"I think we should have a comprehensive plan to care for the physical and mental health of young people, especially students, and teaching martial arts is a good solution," says Binh.

Anyone know anymore about Nhat Nam?

[Zenshiite]

Originally Posted by Lucas

it annoys the hell out of me the way 'most' people think about muslims.

Me too. Worse yet, it annoys the hell out of me that I know for a fact many people I know personally think this way despite knowing me as a Muslim and my wife and my children. I don't know if it's a kind of blinder because we are converts or because they knew me before my conversion, but they never ask questions and yet subscribe to right wing thinking.

I remember seeing this Vovinam link a while ago. Great thread!

[mawali]

Not an expert on Vietnam martial arts:

While stationed at Algiers Naval Station (New Orleans, LA between 1978-82?) I met some Vietnamese who siad that there is a martial arts tradition but it was kind of lost until some Vietnamese who studied Chinese or Japanese traditions attempted to re-introduce that long lost treasure. There was always a strong Chinese presence in Vietnam and intermarriage tended to create a reconstruction of what was named NamViet Martial Arts, usually a product of the individuals who created this new reality.

[Lee Chiang Po]

Crap, like most things that come out of Vietnam. In 1968, the summer of, myself and a Korean Captain and two of his command were fighting behind the mess hall. There was about a hundred guys back there and we were taking challenges for money. All my Korean buddies were TKW black belts and I was the only Wing Chun fighter in all of Vietnam that I knew of. A south Vietnamese Captain of the Black Panther Division was there and challenged me. He had been told that in order to gain respect he needed to whip the biggest, meanest and the ugliest man he could find. There I stood. 210 lbs of muscle, and uglier than a terminal case of hemeroids. I beat that fool so bad I don't think he ever recovered. Had slurred speach for the next 3 months. He was a 6th degree black belt in some sort of Vietmanese crap just like that. More show than action. He didn't even have a clue as to how to defend against me.

[GeneChing]

Intriguing. I hope more surfaces on this on the web.

Int’l martial arts festival opens in Binh Dinh
Updated : Thu, August 2, 2012,2:02 PM (GMT+0700)

The fourth International Vietnamese Martial Arts Festival officially kicked off in the central province of Binh Dinh on August 1.

The opening ceremony was attended by many party and state leaders, representatives from sectors and localities across the country and thousands of domestic and foreign tourists.

Participating in the event, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in collaboration with the provincial People’s Committee, are 725 martial arts masters , instructors and athletes of 69 martial arts delegations from 27 countries and territories across the world.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said Vietnam ’s traditional martial arts always keep abreast with the country in the national defence and construction, contributing to developing the sporting tradition and the intangible culture of the nation.

He expressed his hope that this year’s event will contribute to preserving and promoting unique values of Vietnamese martial arts and that traditional martial arts training will be developed at schools in the province and the whole country in the future.

This year’s festival will see the establishment of the Vietnam International Martial Arts Federation, which is expected to help popularise the traditional martial arts of Vietnam all over the world.

During the event, martial arts competitions and performances will take place.

There will be also a workshop on enhancing Vietnamese martial arts and a photo exhibition of Vietnamese traditional martial arts along with arts performances and a folk singing festival.