ps1

I hate to say this but shotokan is as far away from kung fu as you can get..... Of couse I am only speaking in regards to Poekoelan Chuan Fa (Indonesian)and could never hope to speak for every kung fu system, but there are more similarities than you might think. Especially in terms of the crane and tiger systems. You'd never see it by watching the forms/kata, but the applications are very similar.

This is just a plain misconception. While I'll agree that breathing is taught differently from system to system, being tense while striking is not. If someone is tense while striking, they are just not a very skilled practitioner. Even in Shotokan, which is among the more linear of karate systems, relaxation is stressed. The only point of tension should be at impact, at which time just enough tension to maintain your strike/prevent injury to the wrist/elbow/shoulder ect... should be maintained. This is the same as in chuan fa. A huge difference in chaun fa striking is that we depended more on number of strikes at various angles as opposed to one or two definitive blows. Don't let people fool you into thinking that one martial art is super tense while others are not. People who tell you that are usually either inexperienced at the other martial arts or just trying to get into your pocket book. I will say I do like how you describe the meditative state. You speak more toward a type of moving zen as opposed to a strict mediatation. I do agree with that. It's kinda like being "in the zone" in sports. You reach a point where you don't really think of your actions, they just happen. That's always an awesome feeling. Of course, I usually don't realize it's happening at the time...I usually realize afterward. I think mediation is supposed to help you control these moments and make them more frequent however. Like I said before though, I don't do much mediation though. So I can't speak to its effectiveness beyond a relaxation tool.

What do you mean when you say "straining the muscles?" Are you talking about being too tense when striking? I'm not sure I'm following your point. I have never had anyone debate that the use of proper body mechanics and being relaxed are bad things or not the best way to do things. I think the usual argument against "internal" styles is in regard to the claims they tend to make about the use of chi/ki and pressure points. The usual agrument with "external" styles is people often feel they tend to be too tense (a huge misconception). I study Poekoelan Chuan Fa Tjimindi and Teii (both are soft styles). I study Shotokan (Kwanmukan to be most specific) Karate (hard style). I also study Daito Ryu Aiki Jujitsu and Brazilian Jiujitsu (mostly soft styles). I'm not exactly sure how to answer your poll however. Two are grappling systems which focus on being soft but do not rely on pain compliance, rather biomechanical destruction of the opponent. Two are soft styles but not internal (no major focus on meditation and cultivation of chi but they are big on pressure points however). Karate is hard style and I suppose it would be external although it has a huge emphasis on pressure points also. I do want to note that I'm not trying to be overly critical or argumentative here. I guess I'm just trying to get a better handle on what you consider internal vs. external. Is this interchangable with hard vs. soft? Also, I'll be the first to admit that my ignorance of the two individuals you mention hampers my ability to fully understand your point as well.

I don't propose to be an expert of any kind when it comes to TKD or any Korean martial art for that matter. However, I have found in 22 years of practicing other martial arts that the "advanced techniques" come from hard work, not a particular style. If you want strong kicks, you will need to practice them over and over in a variety of ways. It doesn't matter what system you practice, nothing will replace the years of hard work. Additionally, "advanced" techniques are nothing more than basic techniques strung together in combination with other things. For example: you can't expect to have a good jumping side kick if your standing side kick isn't good. You can't expect to have a good jump spinning back kick if your back kick is off balance. (I'm not saying yours isn't good, just making general statements here). I realize this doesn't really answer your question in any way. Sorry for that. It looks like everyone says it's gonna be tough to find Taekyon. However, if it's eclectic kicking you want, caporeia, certain chuan fa systems, and even xma schools all teach and contain some fancy kicking. Have you tried any of those?

Thanks for the info! I appreciate it. In WTF, did the Taegeuk forms replace the palgwe forms or are they both still taught?

Congratulations!!

I don't quite follow Is this a philosophical or actual training statement? Please explain.

I was watching some of the Taeguk forms on you tube. I noticed that some of them have stances that I can only describe as a walking stance. It's basically a person standing straight up and performing the technique. Is this a mistake on the part of the practitioner, or is it part of the form? In karate (specifically shotokan) none of the forms I've learned have such a relaxed looking stance. Her knees almost look locked as she performs the movements. I'm assuming that's not the case though. Here's the vid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLiWvNTUUgI Thanks, Bill

That's partly what I'm waiting for. The right school. There are three major TKD schools in my area. One is just terrible. It requires three year contracts and "guarntees" you a black belt in that time (not for me thanks). Another is an ATA school, which is fine but it's really geared toward kids. The last one is too similar to shotokan for me. The forms are virtually identical and I want to study a TKD system that has completely different forms. I'll probably be moving in a few years anyway and I'll wait till then. Besides, I'd like to earn my BJJ black belt before I start learning another system again. That's still at least another six years off.

That does seem kinda short to me too. We do 2 hour classes. Does the 45 to 60 minutes include the open mat time as well?

I don't think there's any arguing with your statement! MMA is a mainstream event and, if it continues it's current course, will be long lived.

Oh...that Rick Flair! I thought it was reference to something that actually happened:) My mistake!

I didn't even realize they changed brands in the US. That tells you how long it's been since I had to purchase a new one. I've had mine for about 6 years now I think. Thanks for the info.

Hopefully the video was not a complete waste. Were you able to learn some good things from it?

Poekoelan (pukulan) is missing from Indonesian martial arts.

Ok. I was wrong!

I couldn't agree more! Just try to pick up and read through a BJJ book written by anyone credible. All the Machado books, all the Gracie books ect... they all start with drills for the same reason. Those drills are the foundation for habits that will save your life.

Ok, thanks and good luck.

I'm embarassed to say I actually told the person to punch me in the face. He didn't think that the BJJ escapes from the mounted position work. To prove their effectivness, I had him mount me and told him to punch me in the face as many times as he could. He got me once and I escaped, took his back and locked on the RNC. I will say it opend up a nice cut under my eye and I looked bad for a while. I now just have the guys wear a boxing glove to do this. It doesn't hurt as much, doesn't leave marks, and still gets the point across.

I have a Kamikaze. It was less expensive and the quality is phenomenal!

Just go in and ask. Of course, you should offer some sort of compensation.

If being done for self defense, you don't let go of the opponent. This allows you to drive his/her head into the pavement. Letting go is done for safety specifically so the opponent can roll/breakfall and avoid injury.

First, who is Rick Flair? Second, I would probably think, "Wow! That really stinking hurts." Last, I would take him down and make him wish he didn't just poke me in the eye. Seriously though, because of the placement of the head, it's tough to poke someone in the eye there. You're controlling the attacking arm and the other arm can really just hold or push away. It's additionally difficult because there's no pause between attaining the position and the takedown. The reactions happen very fast. The way I perform it on the video is step-by-step, like one step sparring. In actual practice, it's very fast. But hey...nothing's fullproof. If they guy gets an eye gouge in then it could change everything! Just depends on how much damage he's able to cause!

In addition to what gzk mentioned, you'll probably learn omoplata, kimura, and americana. Maybe knee in belly position. Then you'll start working on combining them into combinations that flow together seamlessly. Good luck in your training. Welcome to the forums!

How does this work with teaching children? They don't know what they'll grow up to be or do. I don't know any good or high quality teachers that would disagree with getting out of a dangerous situation as the FIRST option. However, if that is impossible, and pressure points are known to be extremely ineffective in life/death struggles, how do you teach your students to cope with that situation? If a student's child's life is in danger, should they allow their child to be killed just to avoid breaking the code? If so, how is allowing someone to be killed/injured considered any different from doing it themselves? Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying your beliefs are incorrect. Quite the contrary actually. I think you have the a great moral standard I just wonder if it's realistic or applicable to a life/death situation. Also, I chose not to PM you on this because I think it will make for a great discussion. Hope you don't take offense to that.