Iron Arahat

Canadian here.

Plain and simple. Yes, you can get sued. Especially if you are the (and I used the term loosely) "organizor". If you bring people together, you ae responsible for their saftey, formal club or informal club.

Crane is typically not conducive to a stalky build.

I will always use dit da jow when training. I will not give out the recipe or give out training information for any "iron" training. There have been many threads on this, but the making of the medicine and the raining should only be done if understood properly.

That's a fairly common ideal, but there's a difference between studying history and understanding it. You can't put it any better than that. Niel sounds like you are just doing karate kata in your class. Yes there may be a Chinese influence, but they are very different. Shorin Ryu claims a direct link to shaolin, but it is very different from Shaolin Kung Fu. However you can see the influence; however, so slight.

It is funny that you say it is worthless and trhen state that in JKD that you fight in every range. It is quite possible you were either in Shaolin for a very short time, or that you had an inadequate instructor. Shaolin also teaches all ranges of fighting, the four weapon classes, as well as groundfighting. You forget your roots, Bruce Lee learne Wing Chun originally, a Shaolin system derivative taught by a Buddhist Nun. JKD can be good in its own right if taught by the right person, but be carfull. Guys like Paul Vunak (JKD Guru guy trained by Dan Insanto) does thinks like this (from http://www.fighting.net/training.html): "Private, One-on-one Personal Training/Instructorship Program. The price for a two-day personal training instructorship program is $2,000.00. If you wish, you can still bring up to four training partners to split the cost. (This could equate to five people each paying only $400.00!) Paul will teach you (and your group) exclusively for the entire two-day program." If there are two day instructors out there teaching JKD, BUYER BEWARE.

I'm just curious what style/system do you study, and what animal styles have you been training for a few months. "Becoming the Animal" is exactly what I do not want my students to do. Too often you see prectitioners overact. Train like him? I don't think anyone would train like a monkey, groom their friends, eat lice, and swing in trees all day long. Nor would would we train like a dragon, which is how exactly I'm not sure as they are a fictional being. It is true that many Chinese martial arts emulate animal movements or styles, and yes they are condusive to body types (not saying that you have to be a certain way to learn, anyone can learn any style), they blend better with people. I am just saying not to be "trapped" (pun intended). Most systems (assuming that they are complete, and not an animal based system) will not see a student learn animal styles for 1 maybe 2 years. Generally, it takes my students 2 years before we even look at animal systems. I have people come to me and ask, I want to learn "tiger" or "dragon" or "snake". People are generally not interested when they find out about what kind of commitment. People are very attracted to the "mystical" and "exotic" philosophy of the animal styles, quite often more than the training itself, as it is extremely hard work. THe sad thing is that many martial arts schools have added "animals" or teach "animal styles" because they are t they see as popular, and want to attract more students. For example a local TKD instructor talked about animal styles in TKD to the local newspaper, and talked about Bruce Lee, and how his association was named after Bruce Lee the TKD practitioner (scary but true). To probably everyone here this would raise alarm bells because they have greater knowledge on the subject than 'Joe Public'. However, very few people have the same understanding of animal systems, and can easily be misled (I'm not saying that I am by any stretch I know everything, but am well versed within a tradition style with a well known and established lineage).

I'm personally a little skeptical about this site, especially when I found the colour sash videos, and instructors tapes. Some of the information is good, alot of the animal infomation (how to put this politically correct) is marketing and flash appealing to the exotic side of CMA. Animals & Elements has alot more to do with Chinese Horoscopes, that martial arts. You see some elemental "philosophy" in Hung Gar. In reality if you focus on animal styes, you loose the essence of the kung fu. People often "mimic" animals when they learn a style and lose the essense of the kung fu itself. When I teach an animal style I never tell a student what he is learning, until much later, as not to influence his mind when training, ie. acting like a monkey. Learn the basics, forget about animal styles until later.

Hard to find, anything "legit" these days

Nobody here mountainbikes?

Any fellow freeride mountainbikers out there? Where ya from where do you ride? Where would you like to ride? If so post your ride...mine 2002 Norco Launch

If anyone has seen the MASUCCESS magazine ( http://www.masuccess.com/ ) distributed by Century equipment, I personally am scared for where martial arts schools are going. While the magazine may offer some good advice for teaching on occassion, but generally it's how to get more students, and make lots of more off your school. They show how to set up tournaments, seminars, and other "income generating" programs. The scary thing here is that any school that orders from century gets the magazine for free! If the magazine represents where martial arts is going in North America I am deeply saddend.

I find that whatever you take is good, as long as you know what the job entails. I teach Shaolin, I work in Law Enforcement. It works very well, why? Because I am able to draw from experience and the knowledge of the job, the legal issues involved, and extrapulate the usefull and justifiable techniques, and apply it to actual situations. Generally speaking unless you are getting instruction from someone who is a qualified martial arts instructor and works in law enforcement, you probably are not getting the best training out there. I'm not saying that the training is not good, but lacks a specific knowledge base from working in the field. I had gone to a studio once, and the instructor proceeded to tell me that many of his students wanted to be police officers, and that they helped them getting the job in writing reference letters, because they were highly respected by the police. It was a load of bull, a selling point. Don't get sucked in by sales pitches. Bottom line the best style is the style that you enjoy and will go and practice on a regular basis. One that teaches you self awareness, and has practical street application (not just a sport school). If law enforcement is a line of work you are involved in or wish to get involved in, you will be able to extrapulate through experience, what you can and cannot use.

Yes, I still study and teach Shoalin Wushu, for well over a decade now. Not on as much here as I used to be, and had problems for quite a while trying to get on. Guess Patrick had some hostig problems

Hmm...a little sterotypical. The thing here is that in the past the Chinese did not set up chains of schools (commercialize). It is more like family. Many Chinese Masters care about the quality of student, and their ability to maintain the integrity of the system, and lineage. It's about trust, not race. Animal styles are typically sub-systems of kung-fu, a small part of a larger art. Beware of those who just teach "Tiger" as a whole system. People will have their specialties though. In larger Kung-fu systems you will often see people learn an animal style that suits their persona, and body type.

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Society, and in this particular case America creates it's own demons too often.

Just for the record San Shou = Free Fighting. San Shou is not the style. I do Shaolin Wushu, San Shou or "Free fighting" is the forum in which we compete. San Shou is a set of rules. Just because someone fights in the UFC does not mean that they study UFC.

Just for the record San Shou = Free Fighting. San Shou is not the style. I do Shaolin Wushu, San Shou or "Free fighting" is the forum in which we compete. San Shou is a set of rules. Just because someone fights in the UFC does not mean that they study UFC.

People who expect that watch too much Jean Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport and the Quest. Proabaly expect to go to Muay Thai Island to learn from the original home of Muay Thai as well!

32 studying martial arts for over 20 years now...

I find it hard to believe that they were "solid". To loose 40lbs like that they must of lost a huge amount of stregth and muscle mass. I have heard guys up to 20lbs, but never more that that...

That's really a generalization. If they punched, kicked or thrown thee opponent if they study kung-fu they used kung-fu. What are people expecting, tiger style, matis pose, monkey? (rhetorical question). The ringsport also involve gloves, hence restricts techniques. Anyways to answer the original question, classes will be dependent on the style of Chinese Boxing. Chinese boxing is just a label like Kung Fu.

That's really a generalization. If they punched, kicked or thrown thee opponent if they study kung-fu they used kung-fu. What are people expecting, tiger style, matis pose, monkey? (rhetorical question). The ringsport also involve gloves, hence restricts techniques. Anyways to answer the original question, classes will be dependent on the style of Chinese Boxing. Chinese boxing is just a label like Kung Fu.

Mine was a rear naked choke. My opponent was on the ground stretched out hiding his face, and holdting his lapel, thinking that way I couldn't choke him.