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STUDENT AREA: INFORMATION AND CULTURE

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THE ART CULTURE SPORT SCHOOL

Origin of the school

The Art Culture Sport school, created in 2014 is an association whose main objective is to develop the initiation and teaching of Chinese martial and energetic arts, initially by the organization of Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong or Kung Fu Shaolin, but also through the establishment of the Vittel martial arts gala.

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Very quickly, Tai Chi Chuan and Qi Gong lessons were set up, followed by Kung Fu, Self Defense and Sanda Boxing lessons to give the current school. Today, nearly fifty members are trained in the different arts of Wushu in the Vosges and Haute Saône.

Lydie Brégier, founder of the Art Culture Sport association, is the current president.

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Professors

The various disciplines of internal and external arts taught are provided by Stéphane Brégier, sports educator and Jimmy Ladine, federal instructor, both black belt from Wushu with a long career in martial arts. They are also trained to take care of patients with pathologies such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on prescription.

In order to give the best lessons, the teachers of the Art Culture Sport school continuously train themselves with great national teachers, world champions and masters of the Shaolin temple.

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School influences

Wushu being a very vast art with several hundred different styles, Art Culture Sport refocuses on the teaching of Shaolin styles of which some notable people, met by our teachers, have helped to define the style of the school.

Among these people, we can find:

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The warrior monks of the Shaolin Temple , in particular the Masters Shi Heng Yé, Shi Heng Chang, Shi Heng Fa or even Shi Heng Chun who regularly travel to France in order to lavish their art.

Roger Itier , 7th Duan master, he is a State graduate, several times champion of France and Europe, vice-world champion, medalist in Youth and Sports, author of numerous articles on martial culture, he is the author of the "Big book of Kung-Fu Wushu" published by De Vecchi. He is one of the few experts in France to teach all aspects of Wushu.

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Virginie Gatellier , 3rd Duan, world champion in Tai Chi Chuan, vice-champion of Europe and triple champion of France. She is a competitor at heart with more than eighteen years of experience in the arts of Wushu and current secretary general in charge of communication at the French Federation of Karate and Associated Diciplines.

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Mohamed Rahim , 5th Duan, Federal Graduate Instructor, 3 times French Champion, French Champion of Sanda, 2 times Vice Champion of France, former member of the French Kung Fu team, International Champion with over 18 stays at the Temple of Shaolin.

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Aziz Terchague , 5th Duan, State Diploma teacher, Federal Diploma Instructor, 3 times Champion of France, 3 times winner of the
Coupe de France, invited to the Shaolin temple since 1991.

Florence Burlet , 2nd Duan, State Brevet graduate, socio-educational assistant, 5 stays at the Shaolin Temple, 1 stay at the Wudang Temple.

The term Shaolin is formed from 少, shào, “young”, which refers to shàoshi, name of one of the mountains of the Mount Song massif, and 林, lín, “wood, forest”. With 寺, sì, “temple”, the translation of 少林寺 would therefore be: “temple of the wood-of-mount-Shaoshi”.

Some French-speaking authors sometimes translate Shaolin, literally, as “young forest”.

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The Shaolin monastery was built at the end of the fifth century, in honor of the Indian monk Batuo who had preached Theravāda Buddhism in China since 464 and became the first patriarch of the monastery. In the year 477, according to The Biographies of the Eminent Monks (645) of Daoxuan, which locates this temple on the north face of Shaoshi and attributes to Emperor Xiaowendi the origin of its construction. The Register of Buddhist Monasteries in Luoyang (747) by Yang Xuanzhi, and Ming Yotonhzhi (1461) by Li Xian confirm this location and attribution. But it is the year 497 which is retained in the Jiaqing Chongxiu Yitongzhi (1843).

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The Shaolin quan style is generally considered to be the first institutionalized martial art. According to legend, Boddhidarma would have taught this martial art in the fifth century to the monks of the Shaolin temple, to help them defend themselves from the animals and brigands who prowled around the monastery. However, the earliest evidence of Shaolin monks' participation in fighting is a stele dating from 728 which attests to a defense of the monastery against bandits around 610, and the later role in Wang Shichong's defeat at the Battle of Hulao in 621. There is no document attesting to Shaolin participation in the battles between the 8th and 15th centuries. Nevertheless, between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, some forty sources appear which attest not only to the practice of martial arts by the monks of Shaolin, but also that this practice has become an integral part of monastic life that the monks justify by the creation of new Buddhist legends.

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Shaolin Temple official website: http://www.shaolin.org.cn/en/index.aspx

THE ORIGIN OF SHAOLIN'S ART

A martial or warlike practice by the monks is attested from the Tang dynasty, without any specific fighting techniques in Shaolin being attested. The monks participated in particular around 610 in a defense of the monastery against bandits, and in 621 in the Battle of Hulao which marked the defeat of Wang Shichong. These events are evidenced by the inscriptions on a funerary stele dating from 728. As a reward, Emperor Tang later enlarged the monastery and allowed the monks to pursue a military career.

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The monastery has been destroyed and rebuilt several times.

In 1641, Li Zicheng's anti-Ming rebel troops sacked the monastery due to the monks' support for the Ming dynasty and the possible threat they posed to the rebels.

The most famous story of the destruction of the monastery is that of an alleged destruction by the government of the Qing dynasty, on the grounds of anti-Qing activities. This alleged destruction or fire would have taken place in 1647 under Emperor Shunzhi, or in 1674 under Emperor Kangxi, or in 1732 under Emperor Yongzheng. This destruction is believed to have contributed to the spread of Shaolin martial arts across China, through the legendary five fugitive monks. There would also have been a legendary Southern Shaolin Monastery (南 少林寺), located in southern China and destroyed under the Qing dynasty, instead of or at the same time as the Henan monastery. The historicity of its existence, its alleged affiliation with Shaolin, and its exact location are controversial.

Although this supposed destruction is common among martial arts practitioners, and often serves as accounts of the origin of different martial styles, their accuracy is questionable.

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In 1800 , the monastery was rebuilt.

In 1928 , General Shi Yousan burned down the monastery for 40 days, which destroyed 90% of the buildings and manuscripts in the library.

In 1966 , the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution attacked the monastery and imprisoned the monks after having humiliated them in public. The government leaves the place abandoned for years.

In 1972 , US President Richard Nixon visited the monastery.

From 1972 to 1980 , martial arts groups around the world donated to restore the monastery; sculptures at the entrance are dedicated to it. In 1976, the film The Temple of Shaolin was inspired by the attack on the Manchus.

In 1981 , the monastery officially reopened. A demonstration of Shaolin Kung fu takes place there. In a few years, the Shaolin Quan style is restored. From that date, the monastery gained worldwide popularity thanks to demonstrations of great technical perfection. To prevent Shaolin art from being badly copied, the monastery teaches in surrounding schools.

Martial demonstrations are organized by monks around the world; the first tour took place in the United States in 1996 . Every two years, a “Shaolin festival” bringing together martial demonstrations, dances, concerts, etc. is organized in China by the government, in order to promote Chinese culture and encourage economic investment in China.

In 2004 , the monastery welcomed two million visitors.

In March 2006 , Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to visit the monastery since it reopened.

SHAOLIN THROUGH HISTORY

the term "wushu" can refer to:

  • the transcription without accent of the simplified Chinese characters 武术 (traditional 武術), transcribed in pinyin by wǔshù pronunciation in Mandarin, and literally translated by the French expression “martial art”, without explicit reference to a Chinese origin. This term can designate in French all the traditional and modern Chinese martial arts, also popularly designated by "kung-fu"

  • a contemporary competitive sport, regulated from 1949 in the People's Republic of China, also referred to more precisely in French as “modern wushu”.

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Examination of the characters that compose it shows that the Chinese term has a general meaning:

  • 武 (wǔ): this sinogram (pictogram) represents the radical 止 "stop" under 戈 a "halberd".

  • 術 or 术 (shù): the necessary means come under the Shu ideogram, know-how, multiple knowledge (medicine, art of combat, art of war, weapon techniques, diplomacy, etc.). Here, the term "art" is to be understood in its old sense: that (the craftsman) who by a long and rigorous apprenticeship has a trade.

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In other words, Wushu refers to all the Chinese martial arts: Shaolin kung-fu, Wudang kung-fu, Hung-Gar, taijiquan, qi gong, wing chun, keet kune do, sanda, ... to name only one than the most famous among several hundred different styles and schools.

WUSHU - MARTIAL ART

THE KUNG FU SHAOLIN (OR SHAOLINQUAN)

Definition

Kung Fu (or Gong Fu) is a Chinese term which literally means “effort” or “moral practice”. In Chinese, Kung Fu, designates the achievement of man through the practice of Martial Arts.

Kung Fu is therefore a martial art of the external type (Waija) of the Shaolin temple.

It requires a lot of energy in the practice of basic exercises but also in the realization of taos with or without weapons (forms of combat against one or more imaginary adversaries).

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"If your heart is good, your Kung Fu is good"

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The Benefits of Kung Fu

The practice of Kung Fu allows you to develop not only your physical, but also mental faculties, awareness of your own body in carrying out complex actions improves ease and develops sensory activity: self-confidence, will, energy, concentration ...

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“This martial art requires great diligence and intense and repeated training. "

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History of Kung Fu

Kung Fu is a Chinese martial art. It was created over 1500 years ago. It was at Shaolin Temple, in the Hénan region, that the roots of this form of combat were formed. Kung Fu is the source of all martial arts. The monks of the Shaolin monastery observed the animals and realized that nature had endowed them with effective defenses. They therefore applied these animal techniques and resulted in magnificent sequences called "Taos": the path in Chinese. These Taos allow you to develop both physical work and concentration technique. Thanks to these Taos, the technique of Kung Fu has been transmitted from generation to generation. Each Tao: tiger, dragon, praying mantis has a specific meaning. That of the dragon evokes power and strength, that of the monkey, cunning and that of the snake, speed.

TAI CHI CHUAN (OR TAIJIQUAN)

Definition

Tai-chi-chuan or tai chi or taiji quan (Simplified Chinese: 太极拳; Traditional Chinese: 太極拳) Literally translated as "taiji boxing" or "supreme ridge boxing", also pronounced in Japanese taikyoku ken, is a Chinese martial art called "internal" (neijia) often reduced to gymnastics of health. It can also have a spiritual dimension. Its object is the work of the energy called "qi".

Tai Chi is of Chinese origin and its fundamental objective is to learn to relax.

In this sense "to relax" does not mean to soften, but rather to use your body as efficiently as possible, without muscle tension.

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“For that, you first need to adopt a good posture, to be firmly planted on your legs, with supple shoulders and straight back. "

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Tai Chi includes Qigong exercises that prepare for deep breathing, increased blood flow, and physical exertion.

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The Benefits of Tai Chi Chuan

- Helps to maintain inner calm

- Increases muscle flexibility and body mobility

- Provides health for body and mind

- Reduces stress through relaxation methods

- Reduces tension by developing inner energy and peace of mind

- Strengthens the ability to concentrate and pay attention

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History of Tai Chi Chuan

The origins of tai chi chuan are still poorly understood and are the source of much controversy. To better mark its origin, it should first be distinguished from other older Chinese bodily practices, whether or not related to Taoism. Several hypotheses then exist, some stemming from myths and others better founded historically.

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The myth of Zhang Sanfeng

Some legends attribute the invention of tai chi chuan to the semi-legendary Taoist Zhang Sanfeng, around the beginning of the Ming dynasty (13th-14th century). The Complete Book on Tai Chi Chuan Exercises, written by Yang Chengfu (1883-1936), reports that Zhang Sanfeng created tai chi-chuan towards the end of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and then transmitted it to Wang Zongyue, Chen Zhoutong, Zhang Songxi and Jiang Fa. Earlier, Li Yishe (1832-1891) wrote in his Brief Introduction on Tai-chi-chuan: “Tai-chi-chuan was founded by Zhang Sanfeng of Song. Zhang created the inner school (内 家) by a neo-Confucianist syncretism of martial arts of Shaolin Monastery Chan Buddhism and his mastery of Taoist daoyin (内功). He settled in the temple of Mount Wudang, Hubei province, to teach his discipline.

From the 1930s, Tang Hao, pioneer of historical research on martial arts, demonstrates the absence of historical foundations concerning the creation of tai-chi-chuan by Zhang Sanfeng. Its conclusions were taken at the same time by Xu Jedon, and are still validated today by contemporary historical research.

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Wang Zongyue's hypothesis

Wang Zongyue, who is said to have lived in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), occupies an important place in the history of tai-chi-chuan. Its influence has been recognized by masters of different eras. His Treatise on tai-chi-chuan (太極拳 論) has greatly contributed to the theoretical understanding of this boxing. However, doubts remain about the real identity of the author of this text. It could in fact be Wu Yu-hsiang, who claimed to have found this manuscript in Beijing in the mid-19th century.

Despite everything, this is the hypothesis adopted in the Manual of Taijiquan (太极拳 谱 / 太極拳 譜) by Shen Shou (沈 寿 / 沈 壽), published in 1991 by the Chinese Wushu Association. According to this book, he would have been the first to expose the theory and techniques of tai-chi-chuan in a systematic way. Administrative documents would attest that Wang Zongyue transmitted tai-chi-chuan to Jiang Fa and then that the latter distributed it to Chenjiagou. It is this set of practices that would have been finally transmitted to Yang Luchan.

The hypothesis of the village of Chenjiagou

The first historical traces really appear with Chen Wangting towards the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). They are notably derived from work carried out by Tang Hao and Gu Liuxin, practitioners and historians of wushu (武术 / 武術). Tang Hao supports this hypothesis as a result of investigations carried out in Chenjiagou Village, Wenxian District, Henan Province, and by referring to the District Annals and the Chen Family Genealogical Register. According to this record, Chen Wangting was "Chen-style boxing expert and founder of the sword and spear game." The various contemporary schools of tai-chi-chuan (Yang, Wu, Sun) are said to have originated or inherited from Chen-style boxing, although the principles of this boxing predate the name tai-chi-chuan.

Another register (whose authenticity is not entirely proven) discovered very recently would show that the original place of Tai-chi-chuan would not be the village of Chenjiagou but rather Tang Cun (Henan), village of the Li family.

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The main styles:

QI GONG

Definition

Qi gong or chi kung (气功 / 氣功) is a traditional Chinese gymnastics and science of breathing which is based on the knowledge and mastery of the breath and which combines slow movements, breathing exercises and concentration. The term literally means "realization or accomplishment (gong) relating to qi", or "mastery of the breath".

The two words (Qi and Gong) are combined to describe systems and methods of energy cultivation as well as the manipulation of the intrinsic energy of all living organisms. In everyday language, we translate qi gong by energy work.

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The Benefits of Qi Gong

There are several branches of qi gong, which span hundreds of different styles: health and wellness qi gong (preventive), martial qi gong, medical qi gong (healing), sexual qi gong, and spiritual qi gong.

The claimed effects of regular qigong practice range from increasing the ability to prevent and cure disease and injury, maintain good health, increase quality of life, increase longevity, from self-development, even to the development of gifts of healing and self-healing, of superhuman strength and supernatural powers

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History of Qi Gong

The roots of Qigong go back thousands of years and are inseparable from the Taoist tradition. The work on the breath and the internal energy was already practiced by the sages of antiquity, so there are Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian schools of Qigong, which greatly influenced the development of traditional Chinese medicine. Transmitted in a most often private and secret way between masters and initiates, the practice of Qi gong has grown in popularity in the 20th century, both among the Chinese population and outside China, in particular thanks to contacts. Western societies which are increasingly interested in it from the 1960s.

The father of modern qigong is Liu Guizhen (1920-1983), an executive of the Chinese Communist Party. After being treated for an ulcer by a master who taught him a method of meditation and breathing control while standing, he was instructed by his superiors to develop this technique of breath control, but stripped of its religious elements. .

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Then these practices are prohibited and repressed as feudal and superstitious practices during the Cultural Revolution. However, qigong continues to be transmitted clandestinely between masters and disciples.

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From the 1970s, qigong resurfaced and was practiced collectively in Beijing's parks at the initiative of a certain Guo Lin who believed that she had cured her uterine cancer thanks to qigong. In 1979, the latter was encouraged by several leaders who saw qigong as a free means of improving the state of health of the population.

In the late 1970s, the popularity of this new qigong from charismatic masters received a significant boost in China thanks to the "supposed 'scientific discovery' of the material existence of qi." “In the late 1970s, well-known scientists working at established universities and research institutes actually carried out experiments claiming to prove that the qi emitted by a qigong master could be measured by scientific instruments. "

At the beginning of the 1980s, in the spiritual vacuum of the post-Mao era and in a context of economic relaxation, shortly after the first liberal reforms and the first appearance of unemployment, the country experienced a veritable "qigong fever", millions of Chinese, mostly urban and elderly, become practitioners of one of the various varieties or schools of qigong, led by charismatic masters, many of whom become national celebrities. In stadiums, in front of thousands of enthusiasts, paying lessons are given by the master dispensers of qi and miraculous healings, like the master Yan Xin, who is supposed to emit an external qi that can change the molecular structure of a sample of water two thousand kilometers away. The China Qigong Scientific Research Society, a national body that brings together qigong associations, was established by the state in 1985 to oversee the movement.

The authorities, who see qigong as a way of highlighting Chinese culture, participate in its promotion through health fairs dedicated to it in Beijing in 1992 and 1993.

LEGITIMATE DEFENSE - LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Use of defensive gestures acquired during lessons

Anyone practicing a martial art may have to use gestures seen in lessons to get out of a situation of aggression, this is what we call self-defense.

However, the law strictly regulates the use of self-defense, whether one is a martial artist or not.

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Definition

Self-defense is the legal authorization to put an end to aggression against oneself or against others by means in other prohibited cases. This concept applies to individuals as well as to States.

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In France, to act within the framework of the self-defense of people, aggression against oneself or others must be:

- current: the danger is imminent

- illegal: aggression is prohibited

- real: the aggression must not be putative (the legal nature of which cannot be called into question, it is not only a matter of good faith)

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A retaliation against a law enforcement officer is illegal and cannot be justified by self-defense

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At the same time, the defense must be:

- necessary: ​​there is no other way to escape danger

- concomitant: the reaction must be immediate, for example, one cannot act out of revenge or to stop the fleeing aggressor

- proportionate to the aggression: there must be no excess in the response.

Self-defense also applies to damage to property. The conditions of application are the same, with the exception of intentional homicide which is in no way legitimized in the defense of property.


If concerning the defense of individuals, the law has a presumption of proportionality in favor of the victim of the aggression, it is up to the person requesting the benefit of the legitimate defense of property to prove that his response was well measured against to aggression.


Self-defense can only be accepted in matters of damage to property when the purpose of the act committed is to interrupt the execution of a crime or an offense.

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In all cases, it is justice that confirms whether or not an act falls within self-defense, even if the accused person declares to have acted within this framework.

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Article 122-5 of the penal code

The person who, in the face of an unjustified attack on himself or others, performs, at the same time, an act ordered by the necessity of self-defense of himself or of others, is not criminally liable, except for 'there is a disproportion between the means of defense employed and the seriousness of the infringement.
The person who, in order to interrupt the execution of a crime or an offense against property, performs an act of defense, other than intentional homicide, when this act is strictly necessary for the aim pursued, is not criminally liable. provided that the means employed are proportionate to the gravity of the offense.

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Article 122-6 of the penal code

Whoever performs the act is presumed to have acted in self-defense:
1 ° To repel, at night, the entry by break-in, violence or ruse into an inhabited place.
2 ° To defend oneself against the perpetrators of theft or pillaging carried out with violence.

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Article 122-7 of the penal code

The person who, faced with a current or imminent danger which threatens himself, others or property, performs an act necessary to protect the person or property, is not criminally liable, unless there is a disproportion between the means employed and the seriousness of the threat.

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