Kung Fu: The Complete Exercise
 Fighting in today's battlefield is quite different than 100 years ago. Traditional Kung Fu does have self-defense value even in this era; however, for all traditional Kung Fu practitioners our daily practice of this martial art has a wider, more positive application. This would be a wholesome, unique and complete form of exercise. With it we can earn our health, prevent illness, create a better life, and reach for longevity.
The number and variety of exercise available to us today is staggering: baseball, basketball, water sports, aerobics, weight training, just to name a few. So why should we need or consider Kung Fu as an exercise program? The reason we need Kung Fu exercise, and it's important enough to repeat, is because it's hard to find an exercise that can top Kung Fu in helping us to maintain health, prevent illness, speed up recovery from illness or accident, and promote longevity.
Kung Fu is "yun dong". Dong meaning - exercise, sports, recreation, athletics, movement, action, mobility, and so on. Dong is motion-wave the arms, kick the legs, twist the body-all visible to the eye and executed alone with a partner, with a team or with equipment. Most forms of exercise or sports fit into dong. But still, yun is missing.
In Kung Fu, we never separate yun and dong. While dong generally deals more with muscle, tendon and bone, yun means "internal"- breath, circulation, mind control, focus, and more. Yun is more oriented to the organs, nervous system, brain, and feelings. For an exercise to be complete, internal and external must be balanced.
Written By Sifu Rino Côté
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