SevenStar

aren't those the new wtf forms? forms of the sport art? yeah, that's probably correct - you will find the same thing if you compare traditional forms with modern chinese wushu forms - they are for performance and don't have any real applicability. You will find the same with XMA kata. If you look at some classical korean forms, like from tang soo do or kuk sool won, you'll see more applicability.

Like I said, break them down into individual techniques and drill them. You WON'T use the entire form in a fight. A form is just that - a form. It's a catalog of your style's techniques that makes it easier to remember and learn them all. The way they are put together should teach you footwork - how to transition from one technique to the next, and should teach you the principles of the system - various concepts, prinicples of motion, etc. The forms teach you how to move usiing your style, not how to fight. take each individual movment and drill the application of it with a partner. NOW you are learning how to fight.

okay - you spend a year in the mountains. I spend the same year in the gym, working with a coach, lifting weights, running, etc. Do you REALLY think you'd have more power than me when we met up again? If so, why? There's not one power building exercise you can do in the mountains that I can't do in the gym. The only real advantage to seclusion is that you would have nothing to do other than eat and train, but many of us train constantly already. for example, I'm in class several hours 5 days a week and I'm also in the gym hitting the weights and doing cardio every day. I think that cuts into the advantage a lot, as I have access to more and better training aids than a person stuck in the woods. So what if you don't spar as well when you get back, think of everything else that would be better. like? but what's stopping you from achieving those things now? exactly - it's a nice change of scenery...something different to do - a new experience. No real advantage, just something seemingly cool that you haven't done before.

Now, doing that would be AWESOME. much better than training in seclusion.

bit torrent, kazaa, etc.

if you want to hit harder, I wouldn't use either of those. one looks like a type of upper cut bag, and the other like a kick shield. For power, you want a heavy bag and / or thai pads. One of the sites you linked sells heavy bags. Here's a pic from the site: http://www.rudex.nl/images/product_img.php?k=Mjc3L3Byb2R1Y3QuanBn&width=100 Here are some thai pads from that site: http://www.rudex.nl/images/product_img.php?k=NjczL1N0b290IHRyYXBrdXNzZW5zIEtpbGxlciBCZWUgVEtQIDMgNF9pbWcuanBn&width=100

break them down into individual movements and drill them repeatedly. Not all of them are applied exactly the way they are done in the form - ask your sifu to show you the applications. IMO, this is something that should be done from the first day you begin to learn a form.

of course it's self defeating. that's basically my point - that his statement has no merit. why? your technique may get better. you can increase your stamina too. these things don't have direct effect on sparring though. timing, distancing, etc. various things that you can only really work with a resisting partner. lol, if you really wanted to spar, or if you really had a death wish?

I don't buy the "my style isn't for pins or points" thing. If you understand the principles of your style, then it's used for whatever you want to use it for. Anyway, give him what he wants - spar with him. It will be good experience for you both. He will eventually begin to respect TMA, and you will learn that it's a lot harder than you may think to hurt a wrestler.

In this respect, you can really see how modern and traditional schools of thought differ. In our classes, we are respected (coaches) but we are in no way "king" we are treated pretty much as equals both in and outside of class, as several of us hang out outside of class.. The respect we have is on a brotherly basis - we are for the most part all friends, and for the most part we all get in the ring. we respect eachother as friends and fighters, not as "teacher" or "king". I fully agree in respects to the coach / child relationship, however.

But the forearm is a much bigger striking surface - your strike will have to be much harder in order to do the same amount of damage, no? a phoenix eye to a particular point would transfer more destructive energy than a forearm to the same point. this I agree and disagree with. alot of people are fed *. however, I don't think kata itself helps in the self defense situation - in many cases, the applications of them are performed differently than you perform them in the form. This is where drilling comes in...

your legs or your hips? your legs aren't really doing most of the work, unless you are throwing an uppercut.

bingo. A good example is the hook punch. I think angela is only taking straight punches into consideration.

shuai chiao in general does not train ground work. I wonder if you witnessed some sort of mixed class. The second instance does sound like sc, however.

in what respect did it look like that? In the clinch, yeah, most grappling styles will look similar. There should have been throws done, however, that you won't see in wrestling. Unless, the guys were only doing takedowns. What exactly did you see?

judo and shuai chiao actually are not related - shuai chiao and sumo may be, however. There are only so many ways you can throw a person, so judo and shuai chiao look strikingly similar. the shuai chiao double leg is not like the wrestler's double leg - I would much more prefer the wrestling double leg. There are variations of the single leg that I don't think shuai chiao has as well. It may not have every takedown wrestling has, but I do believe it has alot of them. I agree with pretty much everything else you said though.

The issue is not with traditional arts. The issue is with the training methods they employ. That applies to krav maga and all other arts as well.

actually, you don't know. Did you spar with him before his seclusion? Did you spar with him after? If not, then you really can't make that assesment. They may have suffered, but it wouldn't be noticeable to you if you hadn't trained with him beforehand. not really - nothing that I can't already get by training on my own.

I can see how it would work in theory - it would have a clothesline type effect. But realistically, I agree - he's on a horse and armored....I would think it would take more than a kick to unbalance him. In jousts, both guys are on horses and armored, and THEY weren't able to knock one another off on every attempt...

nah, it's not always that easy. There are a few people in my thai class that I am trying to work with, because they have similar issues. One of them has a great roundhouse, but he can only use it in sparring. during padwork, his kick is crap. on the heavy bag, his kick is crap. I don't understand it. Another student is the exact opposite. she's awesome on the pads, but can't do it in sparring. Different people's minds function in different ways...

his roots are in modern wushu - performance and acrobatic arts, basically. kiss of the dragon really isn't a great example...

several

I completely forgot about this post - I had meant to respond to it. that was my assumption. slim chance is still chance. you should prepare for the worst, no? Snapping a low kick out is what he wants....he will follow your limb back in afterward, unless your strike completely stops him. It's not hard for a wrestler to take someone down if they are determined - whether the opponent is trained or not. That why it helps to train takedown defenses against them - it will increase your chances of staying on your feet. I've worked security also, in a city with one of the highest crime and rape rates in the country... that doesn't matter, really. Sticking with the bar example, there are a few flaws with what you say - 1. things happen. plain and simple. bars are crowded, floors are wet, people fall. Will all fights end up on the ground in a bar? No. But the fact is that some of them will. when a 300 lb guy slips and drags you down, he's now on the floor with you, doing ground and pound. If you dont know how to get up, you're done. you're making the same mistake that alot of people make - you are assuming that grappling implies ground grappling. It does not. there is the clinch, standing locks and restraints, etc. If for whatever reason I need to restrain them on the ground, that's great, but grappling is not limited to that. you said yourself that they may put someone in a choke hold. Who would be more adept at that - the striker or the grappler? you may practice them, but what you do is nowhere near to the extent of how much a grappler trains them, obviously. I doubt it. the issue isn't the fighter or what style they train in. the issue is the method of training. that I do agree with.

It's a book - I have all the time I need. If alot of people are as picky as me, they will do the same. I really contemplate alot about the things I'm reading - I like authors who tend to have an idea of what they are talking about. I do that with movies as well. For example the movie "hackers" - good concept, but they knew NOTHING about hacking. as someone who really gets into hacking culture, I hated that about the movie. On the other hand, I absolutely LOVED "wargames". I agree mystery is good. But completely unverifiable can be completely unbelievable, unless more is revealed as time goes on, a la "the bourne identity", "point of no return", etc.

The thing with underground competition is that people can't really relate to them 1. as far as most know, they don't exist - if we knew about them, they wouldn't be underground, would they? 2. because we don't know about them, we don't know who is fighting in them - everyone in the circuit may suck - it could be full of people who aren't good enough to be pro. If I beat some generic underground champ, who would care? But, if I KO'ed someone like tyson or lewis, everyone would be able to visualize my skill level.