Traditional-Fist

Killing a bull might not make him a great fighter, if he is as you would say, just strong, eventhough I don't think just strengh would cut it. But, if it is a martial arts expert who is killing the bull, such as Oyama was, then he just might be a great fighter, don't you think? That is not a fact, it is only your opinion.

Without complicating the issue further. Once again, I disagree with your above statement. It is not just a question of only strength. Oyama or whoever who faces a bull and defeats it will need fighting ability and not just strength. And yes, skill is involved, together with the other "attributes", and that WAS my point, it is not just a matter of being strong. There are other strong people and fighters in the world, some of whom you have just mentioned and believe that could kill a bull. Wether they would fight a bull bear handed has to be seen to be believed.

My understanding is that Wing Chun was not just "invented" by someone but an art that evolved during many decades and that certain characters were involved in that evolution.

Don't attributes and skills come through practice? Isn't finishing a fight with one blow a skill? Isn't effectively avoiding an opponent (or a raging bull) also a skill?

Less than 1/5 of chi sao training.

So the fact that one has the courage to face you in combat; and, has the skill to avoid and take everything you throw at him and has the power to send you to hospital,or worse, with one blow, is irrelevant because those "attributes do not make fighting skill"? I am not talking about the attributes of Martial Arts but MARTIAL ARTISTS. When you have a martial artist who has the COURAGE to face a bull; the skill and the speed to avoid its attacks; and the POWER to kill it with one's fists (one blow, in a few cases), then this martial artist CAN fight.

Bah, I read that and wasn't impressed. Is it possible that the story is true? Maybe, I haven't read the book he's referring to. But the author of this webpage hypes up taiji like it's some great mystical art that can't be used in real fighting unless you're some crazy mystical guy, and then it's an unbeatable art. Taiji is not mystical, and it's not for superhumans. Anyone can use it as self defense, but simply having it doesn't mean you're unbeatable. Side note, though, I like how he actually uses pictures of some decently well known taiji people (some are actually good), including grandmaster Feng. I haven't read the book either, but there is a good chance that the story is true, eventhough it is best to read the Mas. Oyama's biography first, before making a final judgement. All I can say is that I believe that if Tai Chi is practised and mastered the way it is meant to be practised or mastered then it is a formidable art. My own sifu holds very high regards for this art and is of the same opinion.

I would say I spend less than 20% of my chi sao practise using a blind fold.

I train it and it is useful. It will eventually help develope or improve your sixth sense. On the other hand you can't just stick to just one type of Chi Sao, you need to combine it to normal Chi Sao practise to get the full benefits.

I didn't base it on one tape , and i DO respect Tai Chi but don't belive in it's effectivness . Here is something about Tai Chi that you may find interesting. https://www.crane.50megs.com/index6j.htm

All the things that I mentioned were mentioned in the MARTIAL CONTEXTand not in footsball or other atheletics context.

My knowledge of Tai chi is limited but from what little I know, I would guess that once a competent Tai Chi exponent puts one on the ground chances are that one is too hurt to ground fight.

Killing a bull with your fists does not only constitute strength but also speed, timing, courage and POWER. When Oyama hit you, that was it. You would go down with broken bones and this did apparently happen to some of his opponents that included muscle bound wrestlers as well.

I would be hardpressed nowadays but there are schools of karate whose training is hard and bareknuckle brutal and some of these people would make mince meat of your average and not so average boxer. Now, there are not that many such schools as we both know, but they exist.

Traditional Karate HAS low kicks and it also has takedowns as well as headbutts. Add that to the the fist, open hand, finger, elbow and knee strikes then you can see the potential superiority of karate to boxing. The trick is to find the right school with the right sensei and to train with dedication.

I have seen the videos a while back. I saw little, if any, Wing Chun in those fights. There was also a definite lack of intent from ALL of the parties involved, including the Kyokushinkai fighters. In one of the encounters one of the kung fu guys seems to grab the leg of the Kyokushin fighter and lets go immediately and apolegically. Another of the encounters where the kung fu guy seemed to be doing quiet well was stopped quickly or may even have been edited, I don't know. I believe that all this may have been a publicity stunt to promote the name of Kyokushinkai. Even the kyokushinkai fighters did not seem to have any urgency about them and did not even use the usual aggressive hand techniques that one expects from them in Knockdown tournaments. It was basically all kicks from the kyokushinkai side and mainly hands from the kungfu side. The kung fu guys on the other hand did not seem to grab or want to grab the kicking legs etc. and this is something that might be expected in this type of confrontation. Anyway, that was my take on it. P.S. Kyokushinkai is a style of karate that I admire and respect. My comments are solely in reference to the videos that I saw.

I am not talking about preventing a takedown....I am talking about delaying it.

I see your point however, and I have seen this myself, many criminally inclined people do not want to be anywhere near the police if they can help it and if someone else calls the police, these subjects will want to get the encounter over with as soon as possible, i.e. not press charges etc.

That is my problem with many of these people. They can "label" themselves whatever they want but they are what they are....Jack of all trades. KungFu is not a label. It is an art that takes many years of dedicated practise to master. It is not a system which one should "throw in a pile" with a half a dozen other MA's just to enhance his curriculum. There is no problem in training another art as well as kung fu as long as one has mastered his kung fu first, and I am very sorry Jason Delucia is no kung fu master. Deep rooted KUNG FU stance means that one will not be easilly uprooted/takendown,etc...i.e. The takedown will take a little longer to accomplish, if at all. It also means that a powerful (kung fu) blow can be delivered by the exponent during the "delay" that will occur during a takedown attempt. In traditional kung fu schools one does not advance unless one has mastered the stances. Exponents use kungfu stances to fight and you would be surprised at how mobile they can be. and because Jason did not do much when he was standing either. Certainly nothing that looked like Shaolin Five Animales kung fu. I did not see any Tiger Claw techniques nor any Snake, Crane, Leopard and certainly not Dragon. Only the mysterious Bouncing Kangaroo style. Of course I am not forgetting that Royce Gracie is a fantastic fighter. He may be a good fighter but certainly not a good Kung Fu fighter, that is my only point

Try NOT calling the cops and just leave your assailant in a bad state, making sure that he has learnt his lesson. You will find that a lot of these punks will not call the cops, as they are criminal types themselves. If you do call the cops, then just to defend themselves they will probably make counter accusations of violence against you and thus complicate the situation, legally speaking, that is.

Depends on who he is and how he attacks you. If he is some drunk who can't help himself then he deserves LITTLE mercy. If he is attacking you to hurt and maim you for pleasure then I believe that he deserves NO mercy, .

Thanks for the info. Good luck with your training as well. TF

martial way, You are at a good age to learn any system of martial arts. At your age you will have the energy and the ability to absorb techniques and methods solidly. The only potential problem would be the tendency for many people of your age to be distracted by other things such as girlfriends, school, family obligations, parties etc. However, if you are dedicated and focused then you will advance solidly and become a potent martial artist when you are older. Good luck!

Hopefully he will pick on the wrong person tonight.

The way you practise Shotokan has surprised me very positively. Are these concepts taught in your dojo as a part of Shotokan and if so what lineage (if it applies here) or association of Shotokan do you practise/belong to? I like to know because I find this area of training very interesting, specially when it comes to karate. I have seen your site and it is very good. The kata is performed some what differentely-but nicely- to what I have seen so far in Shotokan and again this is probably due to association/lineage. About you KO-ing this guy. He was more embarassed than you, believe me.