Virtuoso Punk

I'm a bit confused. I know for these modern wushu competitions you do the compulsory forms and modern stuff that some governing body has made into the sport (nanquan, changquan, etc.) So does this mean that those of us doing some sort of traditional wushu, like hung gar or something, have no place at these sorts of competitions? I mean, let's say I show up and do some Shaolin form. They won't know how to judge it, right? Even if it has a bunch of typical modern wushu moves in it (jump inside kick, butteryfly, etc.)? Sorry if I'm rambling. I'm really not sure how to construct this question properly. I guess I'm worried about whether or not my school is actually preparing me well for competitions if I ever want to do them.

Modern wushu here.

I don't think anyone was saying that Yoga was a form of gungfu, nor did anyone mention doing the two together. We were just wondering what martial arts come from India and if you could possibly consider ancient/traditional yoga one of them. I doubt it, though, since I haven't found any evidence of it being used for combat (hence "martial"). But that is not to say that certain aspects of yoga NEVER played a role in the development of martial arts (maybe proper breathing or something?). It's almost impossible to keep a cultural entity completely isolated from any and all influence.

So THAT's where the chackrum comes from! I used to wonder about that. Very interesting... Would you consider yoga a fringe martial art maybe? I mean in its in its more traditional form, and not what you see at the local fitness center. I think that originated in the area now known as India as well.

Yeah, a lot of the slipper-style MA shoes have the sole narrower than the width of your foot, so it's easy to wobble on either side of it. You really notice it if you balance on one leg. Anyway, I think researching martial arts is a good idea, too. To use focus102's term, there really are a lot of McDojo's around, and they stay in business because enough people don't know any better that they can make enough money to stay in business. I wonder if you could have some sort of body that reviewed martial arts schools in general and evaluated them for quality of training (you prolly can't incorporate stylistic judgments because that would get too complicated). I was thinking maybe this could be a way to at least help distinguish "certified" schools from McDojo's, kinda like how restaurants can display their Health Board approvals and awards from renown food critics, etc. Just a thought...

I got the Otomix pair they called the "Slider" model ($49). They're pretty durable and don't grip so much that I can't sweep. I also plan to check out the Discipline Footwear shoes. They seem quite superior if what their website says is all true. It's just that they're a bit more expensive ($65 plus shipping). Maybe, if they truly are superior, I'll just use them for competition so they will always look nice and new for the judges (and the ladies...lol ). Shoes I've had bad experiences with: Tiger Claw - just not too durable, and they don't fit snugly like a sock they way I like them to, but at least they are relatively inexpensive That one brand that is just Chinese characters - horrible; after 2 weeks I was literally leaving pieces of sole all over the school's floor. Feivue - getting popular among wushu forms competitors I think, but the rubber smells REALLY bad (like dead fish), and they have a bit more sneaker-like sole, so I can't "feel" the floor quite right.

There is all kinds of stuff in my area. Pretty much all the major Japanese disciplines are represented, especially if you want to study at one of the colleges, which is the cheapest way and also good if you want a teacher that is somehow in line with some larger governing body (like JKA for karate, etc.) There is a Copoiera school downtown that is getting really popular, too. As for Chinese arts, there is Tai Chi everywhere, but I don't know how good a lot of them are. There are about 10 major wushu schools within 40 minutes drive of my house, and a handful traditional gong fu ones, as in they don't teach any of the competitive modern wushu and you actually learn to fight and stuff. Up in San Francisco it's interesting.... you find schools that are devoted to one animal style. So yeah, I had a lot to choose from, and I chose my martial arts instead of them choosing me. However, there are a gazillion cheesy places around here that care more about your money than anything else. They usually say "Cardio Karate" or simply "Martial Arts" or something like that. The only hard thing to find is good martial arts shoes. They all have the run-of-the-mill ones, but when I wanted some really good shoes that would last and were like the ones I see in competitions, I had to go on the web and just pray that they'd fit when they arrived.

It's Ayumi Hamasaki, a Japanese pop musician. I grew up living the life or a concert musician, classically trained, so after my teenage years, I guess most of my interest in pop music died out. Then all of a sudden I discovered J-Pop (well, actually almost just Ayumi), and all of a sudden I'm back into pop music and rock on both sides of the Pacific. Hehehe. Maybe I'm having a second adolescence. lol Yes, I know she is cute.

Haha. Yeah, that would be... um... interesting. Of course, it might seem a bit strange if the karateka was already Japanese. lol Geez... In this case, might as well use the theme from Beverly Hills Ninja. lol

I've always wanted to do a form to an Ayumi Hamasaki song, like "Trauma." When I listen to her, I can actually see the form unfolding in my mind. Hehehe. But that is just me. Ok, perhaps I'm being a bit eccentric. I grew up training to be a concert musician, so I could offer some suggestions from that realm if you like. Try John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine. You could prolly find it on iMesh or KaZaA, and it would certainly be.... um.... unique and new. Hehe. Disclaimer: This poster does not condone the infringement of copyright made possible by the use of peer-to-peer software. Lol!

Hahaha.... there's this wushu school near me. Every time I walk by there, I hear that one song from the soundtrack coming out of there. I think it's "Sandstorm" or something. LOL! I guess the little kids like it and get "pumped up." I dunno...

Ah... that's kinda what I was thinking. Thanks, folks. That really helped. On another note, what is this governing body you mentioned? Did you mean the USAWKF? Or maybe some entity in China? I know the sport of wushu has in general not been able to enjoy much worldwide agreement on standards, rules, etc.

Thank you, all! *starts stretching and warming up*

As my recently posted introduction suggests, I'm no wu shu master yet. Hehehe. So, does anyone know what exactly wu shu athletes mean when they say "compulsory"? I mean, I know the dictionary definition but not the definition in a wu shu context. I hear it all the time: "spear compulsory form," "long fist compulsory," etc. I even know a few compulsory forms myself. But what exactly does it mean?!??! My sifu is from China, and his English is weak, so he's unable to explain properly. I speak Chinese, which is how I can train with him, but not well enough to understand a definition of a trade-specific term. I've searched the web for info, but all I find are examples of compulsory forms at best. Any help would be extremely appreciated!

Hello, all. I've been reading posts on this forum for a while and I must say this place is pretty cool. So.... here I am! A little about me: I did about 4 years of Shotokan-ryu Karate and then tried out some Wu Shu, which only lasted about a year. Due to the excessive time commitment of finishing my education, I then had to take two years off from martial arts altogether, unless you count the one semester of judo. Anyway, about a year ago, I got back into Wu Shu and am quite serious about it now. In fact, if it ever became a professional sport or something, I'd consider making it a career change. Looking forward to hearing from you all soon! (Btw, I just posted a question in the Chinese Arts forum. )