by Sanaa Kamal
GAZA, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Aboud Zayed, a 12-year-old Palestinian from Gaza city, showed his skills in Wing Chun Kung Fu, winning the applause of his master and colleagues.
Aboud and 40 other students are learning Chinese martial arts at the Palestinian Cultural School of Wing Chun Kung Fu, based in the northern city of Beit Lahia in Gaza Strip.
The school, Palestine's first school teaching various forms of Chinese Kung Fu, was opened in 1989 and has witnessed an increasing number of students in the past few years.
"I joined the school four years ago, in an attempt to control my hasty actions and to be able to control my reactions in a way that suits all situations," Aboud told Xinhua during a short break at school.
Through sport, Aboud said he was able to rely on his inner energy, rather than on violence, adding that this sport changed his character from a violent to a calm one.
Aboud, together with his colleagues, receive practical Chinese martial arts lesson three times a week for two hours each time.
The boy, whose idol is Ip Man, teaches his colleagues some Wing Chun basic techniques and combat skills. He said he is willing to become a professional master in the future.
Wing Chun is a concept-based traditional southern Chinese Kung Fu style and a form of self-defense that requires quick arm movements and strong legs to defeat opponents. It is the only martial art that was created by a woman.
"Wing Chun is based on developing the inner capabilities of a fighter," Wing Chun master Alaa Zayed told Xinhua.
"Through Wing Chun, which is a spiritual martial art, a fighter can control his opponent rather than destroying him," he added while observing one of his students showing newly learned techniques.
More than 60 percent of the Palestinians suffer from depression and psychological pressure, Mental Health Organization in Gaza said in a recent report, noting that this has been caused by the difficult economic and political conditions.
Wing Chun students have to pass several stages, Zayed said, adding that they learn about patience, endurance and inner strength.
"The students also learn combat techniques as well as controlling fingers with high efficiency," he said.
The master added that students learn martial art styles that depend on the strength stemming from relaxation rather than violence.
"At the advanced stages, the students learn how to fight with a cudgel, practice on a Wing Chun wooden dummy and finally we teach them how to fight using the Butterfly Swords," Zayed noted.
Meanwhile, Walid al-Nazli, another Wing Chun master who is currently training 15 students in Gaza city, said Wing Chun provides practitioners with self-confidence and the ability to control all their deeds.
Al-Nazali emphasized that the students must be "patient and wise" to master Wing Chun greatly, noting that the Chinese martial arts are used as "a real remedy for many psychological problems."
"I hope more Chinese martial art schools would be opened in Gaza to serve as cultural bridges between Palestine and China," he said.
