There are many reasons why people can become interested in martial arts, and Chinese martial arts is no exception:

Self-defence, sport, the glamour of martial pursuits, captivation by martial arts heroes of the screen, and the great legends surrounding the figures of traditional martial warriors of past times and centuries, the amazing feats and powers attributed to those Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters. Or simply for the love and inspiration created by the courage and self-discipline with which traditional Chinese martial arts are rightly associated.

Others develop a genuine love and interest in the arts because they hope to learn and gain perfection in some of their more secret forms: some of these seek a way of making a connection with famous lineages, and some of these in turn are motivated by pleasure in asserting their own credentials to be ’Masters’ themselves.

The motivations for becoming a martial artist, are as varied as the types and temperaments of humankind itself.