KungFuMan

Here is my list: 1. Wing Chun Kungfu 2. Baji Quan / / 3. Southern Praying Mantis 4. Shaolin Five Animales 5. Tai Chi (if you have the time and the patience). 6. Xing I 7. Five Ancestor Fist 8. Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate 9. Shorin-Ryu karate 10. Kyokushinkai karate There are many other styles of kung fu and some karate styles that I could have included in my list but we are supposed to name 10 only. Kung Fu Man

I believe as a martial art karate (and kung fu for that matter) is far more superior to boxing. When I say karate I am referring to real traditional karate training not Mcdojo karate and/or commercialized "get your black belt quick" hybreeds. I do agree with a previous posters comment that karate takes longer to master or be effective at. But once you are effective at a real traditional karate style then you should have no trouble in desposing of a an effective boxer. Traditional training in karate is "blood and guts" training and this type of training is not the exclusive only to kyokushinkai(a style that I admire and respect). The trouble with karate is that it has been watered down and this applies to even some of the tougher schools. Most "anti-traditionalists" will use Mcdojo karate when making comparisons with boxing, bjj or MMA's, where of course the Mcdojos would loose out and deservedly so. KungFuMan

Sorry let me say it again: the chinese name for dojo is kwoon. KungFuMan

The chinese name is for dojo is Kwoon. KungfuMan

I got that from what my sifu who told me about the Dragon concepts and who also demonstrated some Dragon movements. Having said that, I have read about the Dragon in various magazines and would like to read more about this style. Please name me the book, and tell me if you think it is worth buying. KFM

I got that from what my sifu who told me about the Dragon concepts and who also demonstrated some Dragon movements. Having said that, I have read about the Dragon in various magazines and would like to read more about this style. Please name me the book, and tell me if you think it is worth buying. KFM

Might as well go for the highest level one in the list and that is the Dragon. The Dragon exponent possesses incredible internal energy and can "disappear" and "appear" before you (complex and advanced footwork) and then he will hit and that will be THE END. KFM

MenteReligeuse, To go back to the thread, kung fu is effective in street fights if you are training in the right school with the right instructor and of course if you put the right effort and time into it. Obviously there are different styles with different emphasis which gives them distinct flavours and characters; weakness and strenghs and so on. In most styles of kung fu though, for you to be able to defend yourself, you may need a lot more than six months of training. However, the wait will be well worth your while. An important point to remember is that all of these styles were created as MARTIAL arts for FIGHTING. And if you hear someone say that kung fu does not work in a real fight it only proves that there are many people - "experts" included - who do not understand anything about kung fu. KFM

Siufeifei, Thank you. I will have a web search for that school. Do you know of any good Shaolin Five animal schools. They don´t have to be in West london either as I will be visiting them once or twice only, just to see their training and enhance my knowledge. KFM KFM

I believe TKD practice is irrelevant for someone who practices Goju-Ryu Karate. From what little I know Goju has everything that TKD has and a lot more. If I were you I would focus on my karate for now, that way your progress will probably be faster and less confusing. KFM

Hudson, Thank you. I know about Shaolin Wahnam and I believe them to be a good school and I will be checking them out soon. I believe that at the present they have not confirmed their kung fu classes but I will have a quick look at their site later to see if there are any new developments. siufeifei, I am in West London. Actually I need the info for research purposes as I already have a place where I train, so wether there are schools close to me or not is not very significant. Of course I will prefer to be informed of good schools closer to where I live whenever possible, as I always visit schools to look at their training as part of my research. KFM

Hello, Can any of the Uk members of the forum recommend any good schools of Praying Mantis (any style) and Shaolin Five animales in London? Thank you in advance, KFM

There are many styles of kung fu that fall under the title of shaolin. I would say that most, if not all, are practicle when mastered, after all they were all created for combat in the first place. To make these styles "practical" one must dedicate years of hard practice with, and here is the key, a QUALIFIED sifu (and there are not many around, believe me), who knows and understands the style and the concepts that he is teaching. KFM

As far as I know both India and Egypt are still considered East. KFM

SevenStar, We have to agree to differ on the opinions each of us has presented. However, about the relevance of the depth, to the formidability of Chinese martial arts, I would say that if after what seem to be years of MA experience you don't know this, then if I answer, you will either not understand or not agree. Either way, this will lead to a prolonged discussion that will not go anywhere, as I have seen it happen with you and others, in other threads. So I think if you are really interested in the real depth and formidability of chinese martial arts then find a GOOD master and train with him for many years. That is the best way to find out. I suspect however that you won't do that because, one, your belief system is not "geared" for deep studies of CMAs, and two, you are very happy and satisfied with your current training that better suits your personal mindset and beliefs. KFM

Jerry Love wrote, "kung fu " isn't "hard work"' it is "skill acquired through hard work". That is why I wrote, "Martial arts [kung fu] require hard work". KFM

47MM, Two colored sashes. Simple white T-shirt but we do have the kung fu slippers of course. KFM

Generally speaking it is better, safer and more effective to use low kicks in a real combat situation. However, there are times that a high kick can be effective if your opponent is not expecting it. If he is used to combat in fist fighting range and is not expecting an attack when he is in kicking range the element of surprise will be enought to win you advantage in that particular combat scenario. Also a high kick to the face can be used against a weakened opponent who may almost be out on his feet. However, when in doubt or if you come up against a skilled fighter it is better to stick to lower kicks - if you are proficient in them of course. KFM

At least with the sifu that I train with, I don´t have to worry about tournaments, belts and nor gradings. He keeps things quite traditional. KFM

IE. Martial arts require HARD WORK. KFM

Sun Ti, Interesting post. I know where you are coming from and I know that your post was a general reaction to the way TMAs are misunderstood and even undervalued nowadays. Shorin Ryuu, Great post. That was a great parallel you made with jazz music. Many people have the misconception that TMAs are rigid "do this or do that" systems and as a result go on to fall for the marketing hype of "adaptable", "new and improved" and "updated" styles of MAs. They miss the very important point that all of the improvement, adapting and even updating comes AFTER one has mastered his chosen TMA and not on the first day in the dojo. Also any further trainning would be relevant as the practitioner would have built a solid understanding of martial arts. KFM

"depth can be overated" "Overated" by you maybe, and others - who have never gone deep enough to judge - but not by me and many others who are on our way. I suppose it comes down to the individual and where he or she places his or her own particular emphasis. I do understand why there are people who do not want to commit a lifetime to a single (and/or related) art(s) to really experience its/their "depths". After all you can learn so much self defense in a relatively short period of time in your local Krave Maga, BJJ or Kick Boxing school - all of which, have by the way, been greatly influenced by Eastern martial arts whose influence is ever present in many "modern" western selfdefense systems as well. So, for many people and the reality in which they live, the "depths" are irrelevant and that is fair enough. However, the fact is that the depths EXIST and make many oriental martial arts formidable once mastered and it is irrelevant if there are a million more bjj masters than there are Praying Mantis ones. If one cannot see "real reasons" for the existance of certain forms or training methods, it does not mean that these reasons do not exist. And here is why I made references to "experts". Also, I believe that there are a lot more "experts" in the West than in the East....just look around at the plague of Mcdojos. Of course, they exist in the East as well, but nothing like you get here in the West. Also, martial arts have been in existance in China for far longer than the Shaolin temple, for at least 5000 years and probably a lot longer than that. Most of what I refer to as depth has its origins in China and of course India which is still considered East rather than West. KFM

That was ".......have not been UNDERSTOOD by many so called martial arts experts". KFM

The East's contribution has been greater. Even today the real meaning and depth of the oriental martial arts have not been by many so called martial art experts. KFM

gcav, I think that by "pretty good legs" he means that if your Snake finger strikes don't work you will need "the pretty good legs" to run from your adversary Or maybe he just meant "pretty legs", to distract the opponent while you deliver the Snake finger strikes . Seriously though all of the kung fu styles that I know about, without any execeptions, need you to have strong bases and hence "pretty good legs". KFM