KungFuMan

Glad that you have re-motivated yourself and hopefully before long you are in the upper belts of your chosen style of karate. Good Luck. KFM

TheDevilAside, I would go with Oyama too. Not only did he kill bulls but apparently he also hopitalised various wrestlers and boxers. KFM

wcnavstar, Agreed. You don't need 10 to 30 years of trainning to become a teacher. Eventhough three years to become an instructor is also a little too much going the other way, especially in kung fu styles that are inherently complicated and long term. This is not to say that one can't assist the instructor in his school during the classes. I do also believe that to really UNDERSTAND the style and 'become it`one has to study 10 + years. I also agree that teaching MA's will take your understanding of your chosen style to a higher level. As for the question of wether there is a complete chinese system the answer is yes. Most if not all major kung fu styles are complete, in that their training covers hand, foot, joint manipulation and grappling techniques. Of course how much each area is emphasized will depend on the individual style and (the knowledge/authenticity of?) the instructor. KFM

Masutatsu Oyama (at his prime)Vs. Ken Shamrock (at his prime). KFM

ddpc, Drunken boxing is shall we say an "unorthodox" style of kung fu. Here, the exponent of this art will stumble and will seem in constant imbalance while attacking and defending himself. If you ever face a real "drunken master" you will be in for a really difficult time because of the unpredictable nature of the Drunken exponents. By the way, there are varous styles of drunken boxing, including drunken fist, drunken immortal and drunken monkey. As in most kung fu styles you will need to commit time and dedication to get anywhere in this art. You will not find progress as fast as in Muay Thai. As for schools in Arizona, unfortunately I can´t help you there because I am very far away from that location. Good luck in your search. KFM

Well done. I bet you needed a litre of Dit Dai Jow after that demonstration.....lol KFM

Raging Squirrel, Thankyou for the link. KFM

I believe if he can find access to an instructor, he can learn some basic meditation techniques, nothing too advanced, and continue to develope them through practice as a supplement to her karate training. It never hurts to have a head start. KFM

I admire your selfcontrol and I am glad that the situation did not escalate. KFM

Thaegen, Oh yes, Shuai Chiao, Referred to as Chinese wrestling but it also contains locks, Chin-na and striking techniques. It is a practicle style of self defense whose history goes back to around 5000 years. But if you have the patience, stick to your kung fu if not try out Shuai Chiao. KFM

Hey maybe he can elbow the guys knees Seriously though, one can use elbow techniques on the body of the opponent if the fight has become very close range. It all depends on the situation. KFM

Thaegen, You are welcome. KFM

47MM, No it is not exclusive to the Shaolin arts. But because I practice kung fu, I used the Shaolin arts as reference. Many japanese MAs use this concept as well and if I am not mistaken it is through zen meditation. I believe that this concept of "being" is the highest level one can achieve as a martial artist where one no longer is using karate or kung fu techniques but he/she `becomes` or `ìs` those arts and techniques. KFM

Dijita, I will have to agree with the poster who recommended meditation. In the Shaolin arts meditation plays a vital role when it comes to training, fighting and indeed life. Practiced regularly it will help calm your mind and eventually you will feel very little if any anxiety and nervousness. Actually, the ultimate aim of this is for you not to feel anything but just BE. It is difficult to explain, but try to find access to meditation that is more relevant to martial arts and try it out for a while and then you yourself may feel the difference. KFM

Elbows are effective fighting tools in the close range but of course practice, practice and more practice before you use it in a real situation, remembering tht if you are in your opponents face and close, then so is he and may make you pay if you miss. KFM

Thaegen, Wing Chun/Tsun is one of the most practical styles of kung fu. If of course by practical you mean relatively quicker to master. Unfortunately, quicker does not make it necessarilly easier, because as you know by now, some of the postures and movements can seem quite unnatural in the beginning. But when you stick to it you will see that there is a reason for everything in kung fu. In my opinion most styles of kung fu (not modern wu shu) are practical for combat. The problem sometimes is that take a relatively long time to learn and master and of course you will need a good sifu. Once you do master it than you will see really how practical and efficient kung fu can be even compared to other systems. Another style that is also regarded as "simpler' is Bajiquan a practical style that if I am not mistaken was at some stage practiced by Government or Royal bodyguards in China. At its base are the animals the bear and the tiger. It contains extremely powerful and devastating punching techniques. Again as in Wing Chun the training is very hard if not harder, where a lot of attention is given to the bases. Praying Mantis is another "practical" style of kung fu. That is practical in combat sometimes on the lines of Wing Chun. Actually it is not one style but several styles and are divided into northern and southern. Some of these southern schools apparently share similarities with Wing Chun. Again, this style will en general contain ackward stances and movements, but I am afraid that as far as I know there are no kung fu styles that are simple to master. But of course, there are modern varients of kung fu that are more sport/ring oriented that probably use more "natural" stances and movements. But wether this is kung fu or just sport it is another story. Even so I believe one can gain selfdefence abilities in a relatively short time with these type of ring martial arts. I hope that the info was useful.