As in other sports, high scores in wushu contests depend upon a high level training at ordinary times and good performances at the moment of competition.

    First of all, full attention should be paid to the training of basic skills, with every movement done up to standard, so as to lay a solid foundation for fine performances in competition. That is to say, all routines -- whether long-range, Southern-style and taiji boxing or exercises with the sword, broadsword, spear or cudgel -- must be done according to requirements provided in technical codes.

    The time-honoured Chinese martial arts of wushu has branched into different schools, each consisting of many predetermined movements simulating attack and defence and pre-arranged in different patterns -- some in advance and others in retreat, some swift and others slow, some soft and others hard, some graceful and others vigorous. Indeed, there are so many different styles that we can hardly use a single yardstick to evaluate them. Yet there must be unified regulations and standards for judgement in wushu competitions. There are, for instance, five basic stances, namely, the bow, horse-riding, crouch, seated and empty steps, which must be performed with proper exertion of force, a good sense of balance and a steady posture and must be well coordinated with the hand and body movements and even with the expression of eyes. The whole set must be reasonably composed and executed with virtuosity, continuity and fluency in the connecting parts and unison between the physical and mental aspects, between the external and internal work. All these are important factors in evaluating wush performances.

    It often happens that an athlete who has achieved a fairly high technical level in training fails to get high scores at major competitions, simply because he is out of form and cannot give of his level best, committing one error after another and losing his usual rhythm in movements, which lead to deductions of points. This shows that he should have intensified psychological training.

    For better results in competition, a contestant should be well prepared technically, physically and mentally. Technically, he should perfect the whole routine of movements with regard to harmony, fluidness, mentality, guidance by consciousness, coordination with respiration and uniqueness of style. To this end he must improve his physical qualities as a pre-requisite for technical training. Pre-competition conditioning should be arranged scientifically with due regard to consumption of energy and load of exercise in different phases and workouts. Mental preparation is essential throughout the training process, especially for doing difficult movements and balance parts, in which any mental imbalance will result in low scores in competition. In a word, a strong competitor must have a strong physique, a high technical level, the ability to resist interferences, and a strong will to win.

Related Story

• China's Sheng Lihao wins 2nd Paris Olympic gold with men's 10m air rifle victory(08-29 19:31)
• Olympics | Day 13: Chinese diver defends Olympic title, weightlifting debutant claims gold(08-09 16:50)
• Olympics | Chinese weightlifters Hou, Li retain gold at Paris 2024(08-08 14:26)
• Olympics | Day 12: Chinese weightlifters retain Olympic golds, artistic swimming team make history(08-08 14:23)
• Olympics | Chinese diver Quan defends women's 10m platform title at Paris Games(08-07 22:37)