fallen_milkman

Yes, he has a lot of interesting things like that. I think he sometimes feels he was TOO dedicated to the art, because he always is saying things like "If there is a choice between a big party with your friends and training that night, GO TO THE PARTY. You have your whole life to master this." So even someone as dedicated as him questions their motives, Mantis. Besides, you don't have to stick to JUST your arts. If you see an interesting move or technique in another style, think of how you can adapt it to your current one. I know I have a few interesting aikido moves mixed in with my kuntao, even at this early stage in my training.

Don't feel bad. We all question life's choices now and again. Do what feels right to you. That is the best any of us can do. Even my teacher, who has been in the martial arts for 30 years, still smiles every once in awhile while throwing a punch and says, "I have dedicated my life to this. Why?"

Point made, I guess.

I was only calling him knowledgable to assure you he wasn't a sucker taken in by a charismatic Shaolin Do teacher. He must have had a good reason for taking it. His main art is and always will be kuntao, which he is a 5th degree master (7 being Grandmaster) in ranking. He has blackbelts in a few other arts, but I wouldn't call him an eclectic. Any wrong information is my own, based on internet research (obviously on the wrong sites). I appologize for the way I came off, I just wanted to clear up the fact that Oom Yung Doe and Shaolin Do were two separate systems, because another member claimed they were one and the same. I never really asked my teacher much about Shaolin Do because the system is not all that interesting to me, mostly because their forms bore me. As for Shaolin Do claiming to be kuntao, that is upsetting. I hate when arts take advantage of uninformed people.

I have only read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. What else would you recommend by him?

Actually, my teacher has had two kuntao teachers. One leads back to Willem Reeders, master of the Liu Seong Royal Gong Fu system. Grandmaster Kinkead is his teacher in Shaolin Kuntao, as well as the founder of American Fighting Arts where I study. I am unsure of where he learned the system, if I have ever been told. I am more interested in learning the actual system than lineage at this point but I will try and make a note of asking and get back to you, if you like. I don't know anything about his Shaolin Do teacher, other than it was neither of those men. He practises quite a few other styles of martial arts as well. He is a very knowledgable man, which is why I have trouble believing there is no value in Shaolin Do despite its shady lineage.

I'd say Goju, because conditioning will help win a fight a good amount of the time. If your opponent is dead tired, and you're just warmed up, it doesn't matter how big or tough he is. He is going down.

I understand completely where you are coming from. What I have read of Oom Yung Doe infuriates me. And I hear a lot of trash talked on Shaolin Do, which doesn't bother me, since I don't study it or even have any interest in studying it. I don't know enough to call it hokey, because from what I learned of its lineage, it IS an Okinawan art, brought there by Chinese fleeing the Communists. I also don't know enough NOT to call it hokey, because my teacher usually only teaches it to very young children(most less than 7 or 8 ), who shouldn't be learning the kuntao he teaches anyways. I am not disputing what you said, except one thing. What I am saying (and I may have just missed something in one of your links, admittedly) is that I don't believe Shaolin Do and Oom Yung Doe are the same artform. Does anyone have any reliable source linking them?

Ok...but none of those links Oom Yung Do to Shaolin Do, like elbows and knees claims. From what I've read, this is definitely a bad martial arts system. But it sounds nothing like the art my teacher knows, Shaolin Do. I am thinking the arts are two different things.

Ovine King, I think almost everyone must think that. I can't fathom how someone learns forms without applications, myself. I have a lot of trouble if they say "Move like this" rather than "Move like you're doing this to this attack on a person standing so." Learning exactly what you are doing helps you visualize and fine-tune your forms.

The Shaolin-Do I have seen is far from flowery. Elbows, can you find a site calling the style by both names? I really can't find anything at all. If they are separate, I know nothing about the style, but if Shaolin Do is the same art form, I think there must be widely varying arts of the same name.

$40 a month, flat. No additional fees.

Looks like I am in the minority, and I don't blame anyone for doing what they feel they need to do at the time. However...I would wait to see the weapon. I would rather not kill anyone, even if they might kill me. Even once a weapon is pulled, I would avoid the killing blow until I absoultely must kill or be killed, even if I end up more injured than if I had killed them straight out before all is said and done. Death can usually be avoided by handing over a wallet or cooperating. Besides, if you play it cool and wait for a good opportunity, maybe you can diffuse the situation without anyone being injured.

Hm. Never heard of that claim. I can understand why it would put a lot of people off. Like I said, I don't care much for the art myself. However, I have a very strong suspicion these are very different lineages of Shaolin-do if they are even the same art form. I can find nothing linking the two on my own.

Yeah, I've been looking over the website a bit more thoroughly for the last few minutes. It is a school specifically designed to help women protect themselves from rapists. So...uh...definitely not for me. Also, I realize this is only my opinion, but learning an actual martial art would probably help a lot more than taking a course with that specific an objective. On a side note, while I don't think much of how they teach MA, I definitely approve of their rape prevention and awareness activism outside of their school. So there is definitely some positive things in what they do. Here is the URL. http://www.streetsmart.50megs.com/

Well, we have 3 or 4 TKD schools I can remember off the top of my head, so I've say we have one or two more I am forgetting. I have never heard anything good about any of them, but that could be prejudice. We also have about five Goshin Jutsu schools, of varying quality. There are teachers of Shotokan and Tuite, but they don't advertise and can be difficult to find. Then there is that Tai Chi school I have heard good things about. There used to be a TSD school in our YMCA, but I have no idea if it is still there. There is at least one fencing school here too. My school teaches Aikijutsu, Shaolin-Do, and Kuntao. The Grandmaster of our branch of Kuntao teaches at my school, but I can't make his classes. My teacher also is a boxing coach. Pretty good amount of MA for such a small town like Erie. We also have some place calling their art "Chinese Kung Fu Karate Self Defense: a mix of Kun Tao and Shotokan Karate." I won't go into that, because I honestly am not too sure about it. I have my suspicions, but never even heard of them until I Googled it.

Very cool outlook and story Warlock. My teacher is exactly the same way about sharing knowledge freely. I have always liked this philosophy. Also, one of my dad's friends taught an old Korean man how to speak English in return for martial arts lessons. He was eventually known as one of the best "double chuckers" in my area. Sounds like something out of a bad movie to me, but it would be really cool to make a deal like that. I'll have to keep training and see what cool things I can trade my knowledge for!

THAT trick I am familiar with. Doing the movements with them is key to getting people out. I can't believe how many kids will punch with you even if Sifu didn't say...

Haha that is mean, but funny! We just used "Sifu Says..." for whoever was running it, possibly to avoid this confusion.

Ah! If we stray into the realm of comics, I must add Lone Wolf and Cub, Samurai Executioner, and The Walking Dead to my list!

Ahhh, that takes me back to my days of Sifu Says. It worked just like Simon Says, but with Kung Fu practise in there. It was lots of fun when I was a young'un. I'm sure the Japanese teachers of you could adapt it to "Sensei Says". The last one in got to be the "Simon" of the next game, a prodigious honor!

I'm looking forward to it. Always great to have another knowledgeable teacher around!

Kali actually does do a good bit of open hand work. Also, all the weapon techniques apply to hand techniques, so you're learning them right from the beginning. I chose Kali, because a knife is very easy to carry in a self defense situation, and easy to use.

Ah! Cool, nice to meet you, at least on the ol' web. Master Doyle, if I remember the name? I've only heard the Philly school mentioned once or twice and I'm bad with names, so forgive me if I misremember. But anyways, I trained with Sifu Matt at the Neighborhood Arthouse when he taught there, and when he left I got away from MA for awhile. Finally, one day I got a book from a friend who takes martial arts and decided to look Matt up. Been going ever since. I test for yellow sash in November.

I agree. There is no excuse for his actions. Talk to whoever is his superior before things get out of control.