paolung

i disagree... they may have some of the same building blocks (punches, kicks, joint locks, etc) but they can be vastly different in my experience.

hi... just to clarify, i am NOT Master Lacey, I just have a quote from him at the bottom of my posts I can't recommend any schools in your area, i only did some searching on the internet... good luck

i may step on a few toes here but i'm with kle1n on this one. how many folks here can name a single good (living) fighter who does only taiji? one of the reasons taiji is scoffed at is because alot of the taiji today IS for relaxation, it IS devoid of combat usage, and it IS taught that way. whether or not the "hippies" took the viciousness out of it, the fact remains- there are few (if any) proponents who can wipe the floor with a good fighter if they are only using taiji. i'm sure there are a few out there who can, but they are few and far between. there's even plenty of debate on how to use the apps, or if taiji is really a super-effective dim mak art, or whatnot... as for it's being "debased" or whatnot, compared to when? It's not like taiji ever "dominated" that i'm aware of....sure, chen village was famous for it's cotton fist fighting, and we all know stories of yang chen fu etc... but even one of the most famous neija masters, Sun Lu Tang, ended up creating his own synthesis of the 3 "sisters"...sun style taiji... which includes elements of xingyi etc....

shorin = japanese for shaolin that's what i was told...

i haven't found any aiki-jujitsu schools there, but i have found a few hapkido schools. hapkido's founder studied aiki-jujitsu extensively from the same guy as Ueshiba (founder of aikido), but incorporated more strikes and kicks so as to make it very well rounded. you might be interested in that, as it incorporates much aiki-jujitsu in it's curriculum (as well as other things).

i too would like to know where the "hi-yaaa" sound came from. i've never heard any actual MA use a kiai that had that particular sound...

couple points/questions: 1) systems/styles aren't "slow", PEOPLE are slow. 2) what about Kenpo? I had always heard it was great for SD apps. 3) personally I believe some systems ARE inherantly better than others for the purposes of SD. isn't this what the topic was about? so generally speaking i'd say yeah, the shootfighter is better prepared for a SD scenario than the wushu proponent. keep in mind, i said "generally speaking"... there will be exceptions to any rule. 4) referring to #3, i'm not saying that the system makes the fighter, because it doesn't. many factors contribute to effectiveness in fighting, including what kind of fighting (NHB/Ring? street mano/y/mano? street gang?), the physical condition of the fighter(s), general proficiency with techniques used, mental conditioning (a factor often overlooked), size (yes it DOES matter), strength (not just muscular force but all kinds),speed (there are many kinds of speed), endurance, the list can go on and on.... but yes i do feel system is a factor as well. just as some cars are designed better than others FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES, systems are designed the same way. for example, Krav Maga is famous for it's ability to teach normal folks to defend themselves in a variety of commonly experienced attacks in a relatively short amount of time. however, Krav Maga may not be your choice if you're looking for a system that has traditional substance, protocol, or perhaps a long history. BJJ is well known as one of the grappling systems at the "top" of it's game, so to speak. But if you're on a street with broken glass facing multiple opponents, would you rather use BJJ techniques or perhaps some quick striking to escape the situation? just a few thoughts... by no means am i saying BJJ is ONLY limited to one person and CAN'T be used on the street, just that it may not be the primary choice for certain scenarios. NO ART OR SYSTEM IS 100% EFFECTIVE FOR EVERYONE IN EVERY SITUATION, INCLUDING SHOTOKAN.

four hours of what? instruction? or practice? BIG difference.

if you are Dr "Sijo" Sanders, you can earn them all in about the span of a year or so (each)! he's "earned" FIFTY THREE of them since age 8... http://web.sijo.org:5555/FAQs.htm http://www.sijo.org

there's a good article here about the whole scenario. while i haven't researched this matter thoroughly, i will say that this person's arguments make sense to me. http://bullshido.tv/article_read.asp?id=153

uhh yeah but most of what you saw in the movies was not authentic hung kuen

the 7* Praying Mantis system is the most common form of "mantis" gungfu out there, and i believe is considered the 'original' form of tong long devised by Wong Long. there are other systems such as 8 step, 6 harmonies, etc. the mantis guy here in Austin teaches 7* and he's very into flexibility, calisthenics, etc...

bak mei or "white eyebrow" gungfu is considered a pretty devastating system... some characteristics being the 'tiger back', a short-range type of explosive fajing called "scared power", and an almost exclusive reliance on the phoenix-eye fist. it is also relatively rare and uncommon. my sifu always said that if he had another lifetime, he'd learn bak mei.

don't be so quick to down the school because you haven't learned a full syllabus of techniques. i personally know of one guy who wasn't taught more than a few stances and a single punch in a year's time. it's the quality of instruction that matters, not the quantity. this guy didn't know alot of different techniques but he didn't have to, he was so good with what he knew because he drilled and practiced it daily.

shaolin animal style vs hung gar? you do know that hung kuen has the 5 animal styles in it and it was originally derived from tiger system?

it's actually not even considered the same as the most common meaning in some systems. allow me to explain- in the system i study, a 'style' is sort of like a drill so to speak... so for example, you could have a punch/block combination drill and it would be called a 'style'. so the common meaning of 'style' can easily be confused... which is why i try to substitute the word 'system' instead.

yeah sounds like it has innosanto's name all over it... aren't those the systems he is famous for?

if you truly feel defrauded, you don't have to honor the contract. read it very closely... you may have legal recourse.

G95champ summed it up.

seems like quite an atheletic feat

chen style taijiquan is one of the more reknowned systems of taiji fighting, but you must train hard to become proficient in ANY system. taijiquan systems traditionally have a relatively long curve for skill, meaning they usually take a while to be usable in a real fight. books are good for reference material, not really good to "learn" a system persay but perhaps to see other perspectives and refine what you know to some extent.

99% of the time if someone says they learned xyz style from some obscure monk somewhere, it's bogus... i would be EXTREMELYsuspicious if i were you...

any martial art can be both soft and hard, depends on how you play it.

it's not about how much instruction you get really... back in "the day" you were lucky to get shown more than a few moves a year! and those were the 'legends' of their time! it's about how well you do with what you have. train hard. too much instruction = jack of all trades, master of none.

if you stay with hung kuen and train hard, you won't be sorry.