spinninggumby

Yea I would have to agree that modern karate (and especially karate schools which prepare students for kata as well as kumite competitions) has acquired more focus on fancy jumping/flying/spinning etc. kicking techniques not too much unlike that of tkd. Also I think that many many other styles do contain and teach flying or spinning kicks as well, but it is most often in sport-oriented karate and tkd where it is emphasized and practiced most.

Everybody moves differently and views everything differently because everyone is built differently in both body and mind. Therefore the potential for each practitioner is different in both volume and constitution. I think it is great that many schools and/or styles encourage the adaptation of one's body to the movements/forms/ techniques as long as the retainment of the basic ideologies is still present.

I strongly oppose the idea of challenging another school. The urge and intention of challenging another institution stems from none other than pride, insecurity, and thirst for victory and domination and/or a need for self-reassurance. I can accept that people practice martial arts for fun and pleasure. I can accept that people practice for health or personal interest. I can accept that people practice so that they can defend themselves and their loved ones. But no matter how open-minded I am, I cannot accept the fact that people continue to practice in order to prove their superiority to others. We all have a little bit of that inside us but challenging another school is going too far, friendly or not. That is also the difference between sport competition and a challenge. Sport is supposed to be a game, and to me it is supposed to be fun. Often times these challenges are not meant to be games.

Glad you approve! (one BS post deserves another )

Well I would say that the grappling that I've been taught doesn't really fall under any particular category but one thing we do emphasize is the conservation of energy and not to overexert or expend it when it is not needed. Slow and methodical, though, seems to be a generally good way to go if you have been on the ground for a while. However, that does not mean that once you see an opportunity or opening that you should not take it with blinding quickness. A groundfight can be very physically demanding so you may need to call upon your reserves to carry out sudden bursts of strength and/or quick and fast physical demanding motions/maneuvers (strategic maneuvers into more advantageous positions I would assume). We also emphasize tucking the chin close to the chest so that the opponent cannot achieve a headlock. Ironically, this is because we are taught to try to control the head because when the head is under control, the body is under control. Just my 2 cents

Wow, 3 hour + test. That is some hard-core stuff hehehehe It is also important to treat every day and every moment you train as if you are being tested

Yeah, even if your school doesn't emphasize sport and emphasizes real life application, you're kind of not supposed to go full force in sparring class and stuff. If you put somebody in a coma or kill them or destroy every joint in their body, the chances of them returning to class the next day in a good mood and willingness to learn are quite slim.

It might be a long time before China supports traditional kung fu competition in the Olympics. Communist rule has resulted in the modernization and derivative and/or mix of traditional combative movements (both open hand and with weapons) and in the end we get pretty beautiful modern wushu, which is more martial dance and poetry than anything else. I have read that it is easier to find a good traditional kung fu school in the U.S. or other parts of the world than it is in China! Bummer....I wonder if this is really true

Yea, I used to watch Step by Step when I was little/younger. I admit it. It was corny but for some reason I still found time for it on my lonely Friday nights. Guess I'm just a corny guy

Thanks Angus I aim to please

I also read in a book once that a man tried to kill his cat for some reason so he took the animal in one hand and shot through the poor thing but also the bullet passed through and hit his hand. :uhoh:

Ahhhh, a trip down memory lane :smile: Thanks Yoda I always thought He-Man was the ultimate. Then later they canceled his show and replaced it with Silverhawks and Thundercats! gaaaaaaaaah hehehehe

Well I agree with you Yoda. While training for conflictual or threatening situations, you should train to react exactly as you would in real life, or vice versa (you will react exactly as you train). Maybe my words the first time around were all screwed up and wrong, I guess I was just saying that the horse stance and basic techniques, some of which may not have as much practical potential as other later techniques, are necessary at first to train the inexperienced mind as well as the inexperienced body when beginning on their martial arts journey. For example a low horse stance would put you in a very disadvantageous position (in most real life circumstances) but it is still an effective (perhaps not the best but still of somewhat merit and value) way of strengthening the legs and encouraging discipline. When training for a marathon obviously you will not be spending a lot of time walking, because you will cover ground by running in the actual contest so your body will excel at what it is exposed to or put through during training. However, everyone has to learn how to walk first before they learn how to run and perfect or refine the art of running (i.e. energy conservation, etc.).

Hey Mr. Moderatorrrrrr, I don't think it is fair that Yoda posted the same info twice :razz: btw does this count as a post? hehehehe Hey it's all about the love of the game

I think that if anything, children have excellent potential (their minds are cleaner, less on the slate, their bodies more supple and flexible and more responsive to new influence and exposure to physical or mental training). However, due to their -2.3 second attention spans, it is hard (at least in the U.S.) to produce hard-core top notch martial art kids b/c you can't really beat them with a stick (b/c unless you do that they won't be able to stay attentive long enough, and it's not legal here or in many other places). So it is definitely possible to create an elite child athlete/martial artist (it obviously has been done), but children esp. need more discipline (b/c they don't have as much of a grasp of disciplining themselves) from the teacher.

C'mon c'mon, nobody here has even dabbled in Northern Shaolin?? I woulda thought that it is a fairly popular style of kung fu.

Wow I didn't even know that there were katas for the tonfa. My understanding was that the tonfa is a fairly modern weapon akin to the billy club or nightsticks that those security guards carry around. But then I watched Kenshin and then I realized otherwise

As far as I know (I might have to clarify with my parents), San Shou just means 'free/spontaneous/mixed hand' which is probably akin to 'freestyle combat/fighting'. Shaolin boxing I think refers to more of a specific style from the Shaolin temple (which probably branched off into several different styles). I am not qualified to answer this question in full though, I am sure many people on this forum know more and can give you more of a clear answer

Yeah a lot of the stuff like the horse stance training and punching (going through the whole range of motion from the hip) is great for beginners because it strengthens their whole body (or specific areas depending on the specific traditional technique/stance) and teaches effective bodily mechanics. I mean, if you fare well while fighting in a committed and not fairly mobile horse stance while throwing punches from the hip, imagine how quick and effective your sparring will be when you are in a much more practical sparring stance and you have a good understanding of how to channel power and speed

I have noticed a big thick book (endorsed or even written by one of the Gracies?) on the subject of BJJ in the local bookstore. It seems to be a very good source for both seasoned practitioners and beginners alike because it has big high-quality step by step photographs as well as step by step instructions and guidance. I forgot the name though, but maybe some of you have also noticed it

A lot of elite wushu performers are amazing and to me they are like the experts and epitome of martial poetry. You would be hard-pressed to even imagine or think of further or even more outrageous dynamic combative-derived movements. Taekwondo performers are excellent with their backflips/front flips and legs and fancy kicking maneuvers, but wushu people seem to use their whole body as instruments and metaphorical pens in which to compose their physical and kinetic verse.

Congratulations :smile: But remember that the most important and meaningful trophy is the big shiny one on the shelf inside your heart. awww......... :smile:

Rules are made to be bent! hehehe j/k But anyways in WTF sparring you can't push an opponent but lotsa times it's effective if you suddenly rush in with double fists and connect (in a sort of pseudo striking/thrusting/pushing) to the body. As they are reeling back from the slight 'shoving' effect, then you can throw your scoring kick Kind of cheap but hey it's sport so you can do anything as long as the rules allow it! hehehehe

Is anybody familiar with Yuen Wah? He has a really young-looking cameo in the movie when the Han guy throws up an apple and one of the women blows an arrow into it and then Yuen catches it (towards the beginning of the film when they have just arrived on the island and they are like participating in an orientation ceremony or sumthin )

My brother used to breakdance with a group of friends in high school. He was actually really good, and the training and diligence required on the way to becoming an elite dancer is actually comparable to many hard-core martial artists. We are talking many sore shoulders, sore backs, bumps, bruises, and floor burns (ouch! hehehe). Fun stuff and extremely kewlio to watch also. A lot of the moves also somewhat resemble and overlap with a lotta martial art trick moves and maneuvers (i.e. au batidos, flare, flips, aerials, etc.)