Cuong Nhu
Cuong Nhu is a martial art from Vietnam .
Cuong Nhu (Vietnamese: Cương nhu karaté - pronounced like Kü'ung Ny'u or Kü-ung Nyoo) is a synthetic martial art . It was developed in 1965 by Ngô Đồng from Vietnam at the University of Huế . He created a system that combines elements of Shotokan Karate , Wing Chun , Judo , Aikido , Taijiquan , Boxing , and Vovinam . Over time, elements of neko-ryu and various weapons were added.
Cuong Nhu means something like hard-soft. It combines hard and soft techniques. Students learn hard techniques first, like blocking, kicking, etc., then later soft techniques.
Cuong Nhu came to the USA with Ngo from Vietnam in 1971 . The headquarters were relocated to the USA in 1977, following the escape route taken by Ngo and his family. The first US dōjō was founded at the University of Florida in Gainesville . This soon grew to 67 dojos, most of which can be found in the USA, but also in other countries around the world.
Currently (as of 2005) the chief grandmaster is Ngo Quynh .
Simple katas teach the pupil stalls, blocks, punches, kicks. Even self-defense is part of the educational program. Cuong Nhu teaches more experienced students how to use weapons. They include the long stick Bō , the short stick Tambō , Tonfa , Sai , and Speer .