What Is Wushu Combatives? Traditional Kung Fu That Actually Works

Traditional Kung Fu has a reputation problem. Search for it online and you'll find no shortage of flowery demonstrations, questionable self-defense claims, and techniques that look great on video and fall apart under any real pressure. It's enough to make a serious martial artist dismiss the entire tradition.

That's a mistake — and our Wushu Combatives program is proof of why.

What we actually teach

Our Wushu Combatives program is rooted in 7 Star Praying Mantis Boxing — one of the most direct, practical, and combat-tested styles within the Chinese martial arts tradition. We're not going to pretend every Kung Fu school out there is teaching something useful. Many aren't. But Mantis Boxing has always been built around what works — fast, efficient movement, close-range striking, and real application behind every technique.

We keep the depth of the tradition without the nonsense. If it doesn't work, we don't teach it.

"Mantis Boxing was built for fighting — not performance. That's the version we teach."

Unarmed and armed — a complete system

What sets Wushu Combatives apart from most martial arts programs is the weapons curriculum. Students train traditional Chinese weapons — including the straight sword (Jian), saber (Dao), spear (Qiang), staff (Gùn), and short stick — not as museum pieces or choreography, but as a genuine study of armed and unarmed self-defense principles.

Weapons training develops attributes that transfer directly to empty-hand fighting: timing, distance management, body mechanics, and an acute understanding of how an armed opponent thinks and moves. It's one of the most underrated aspects of a complete martial arts education — and one of the rarest things you'll find taught seriously in Tucson.

Everything gets pressure tested — including the weapons

This is where we part ways with most traditional martial arts schools entirely. At BRMA, nothing stays in the realm of theory. Unarmed techniques are pressure tested through sparring with resisting partners. And the weapons work is no different — we train live weapons sparring using HEMA-level sparring gear and purpose-built training weapons, the same standard used by the most serious historical European martial arts practitioners in the world.

That means students aren't just learning how to swing a sword or wield a staff in isolation. They're learning how to use those weapons — and defend against them — against an opponent who is actively trying to hit them back. There is simply no substitute for that kind of training if your goal is genuine skill rather than the appearance of it. It's an experience you won't find at virtually any other martial arts school in Tucson.

"Anyone can look good swinging a weapon alone. We find out if it actually works."

Who is this program for?

Anyone curious about traditional martial arts who wants the real thing — not a watered-down performance art. Whether you're brand new to martial arts or have a background in other styles, Wushu Combatives offers something genuinely different. It pairs naturally with our Sanda Kickboxing and American Jujitsu programs, rounding out a complete system that covers striking, grappling, and weapons.

Come see what traditional Kung Fu looks like when it's taught the way it was intended.