Wushu, or Kung Fu, is a general term for Chinese martial arts. Wushu actually means martial arts in Chinese: Wu means military or martial, and Shu means art. The sport of wushu was developed from Chinese martial arts in the 1940’s. The goal was to standardize the practice of traditional martial arts.

Wushu is also a combination of performance elements and martial arts. Wushu focuses on striking, grappling, throwing, quickness, explosive power, and relaxed movement. Contemporary Wushu consist a lot of Chinese martial art styles.

Taolu is a combination of martial art styles and movements in which competitors are assessed and scored according to rules. Taolu consists of basic movements: stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps, and throws. Contemporary Taolu may be done with bare hands, short weapons, or long weapons.

Sanda (sometimes called sanshou or Lei tai) is a contemporary fighting style influenced by Chinese boxing. Sanda is more like Muay Thai, but it has grappling techniques.