fallen_milkman

Well, I am pretty new to the art, but I have a bit of information. Your history is pretty accurate, although not all kuntao is mixed with filipino arts. As far as fighting is concerned, we are sorta similar to Southern Shaolin and Wing Chun but with Indonesian flavor. You can search my posts to see some other stuff I've written about it.

Hey gold dragon, I actually do train with Sifu Borczon and Sifu Holland. Wonderful teachers and people. I unfortunately can't make most of Grandmaster Kinkead (sp?) classes, but he has sat in on a few classes. Tried to kick me in the groin once while I was doing a form to make sure my low X block was good. I see you study kuntao and Aiki. Are you one of Grandmaster Kinkead's students?

Well put. I have a tattoo of a hornet on my left upper arm, and everyone thinks it is rediculous and usually kinda laughs. "Haha! You have a bee?!" is the most common comment. But it definitely means something to me. I have been friends with a guy since we were both just starting Boy Scouts. We met when 13 and I am now 20. That is a long time for a friendship. When he decided to move to Portland, we decided to get matching tattoos. Not completely matching, just one theme: hornets. We both thought back to our first memory as friends, and it was of knocking down a hornet's nest at summer camp. So we each designed our own hornet tattoo and got them. It means a lot to me, and almost nothing to those who see it. Just goes to show you, no matter how rediculous you think someone's tattoo is, it can be very personal for them.

Awesome. Always glad to help!

Actually, a master of many styles my teacher knows was helping us just the other day and gave us this method. Balance the gaurd on your fingers, blade pointing up along your arm. The tip of the sword should be around the same height where your jawline goes under your ear. So basically, the blade should be as long as the measurement from your fingertips resting at your side to the bottom of your ear.

*sigh* Animal rights activists need to learn to take a joke.

She didn't ask if women could be monks, only if they could train.

Too many to list, but I'll list at least a few. The Gunslinger, The Wheel of Time series, anything by Chuck Palaniuk, Stranger in a Strange Land, Blue Highways, anything martial arts related, The Hobbit, House of Leaves, etc etc. I guess it is a good thing I have a job at Borders, with all the books I buy.

I sometimes modify our empty hand forms to work with a broadsword. I like doing it a lot. jnpnshr411, I am curious as to how your form is coming. Let's hear an update!

I understand that, and I'm not saying I could compete in UFC and win, or even stand up for more than 13 seconds. What I am saying is I am under the full belief that someone fully trained in kuntao or any other well-rounded martial arts system who trained the strength and endurance to fight in the UFC would do much better than most give a single-stylist credit for. Kuntao does train ground fighting, and my friends and I practise it quite often. If other styles have ground fighting technique and they don't practise it that is their fault, not the style's.

A move with Jean Reno I've never heard of, eh? Crimson Rivers will be rented by the end of this week. Thanks much! I've always been interesting in some of the western martial arts anyways. Show me a good double-handed broadsword school and I'll sign up that very second. Savate would be cool to see as well.

Well said. Now, if you had asked WERE girls allowed to train at the Shaolin Temple, yes they were.

Man, congrats! It took me six months to get my white, and I might not even pass my next test for yellow in Novemeber, although after sparring for around an hour, even if broken up into 4 or 5 minutes of fighting and 4 or 5 not, makes me more confident I could last a half hour. Glad you're doing well!

Haha, no problemo. Definitely helps me kill time in the computer classes I am ahead in.

http://www.acifa.net/ It's in there. You can search some of my posts on here for more info too.

I would disagree with the fraudulent claim. My teacher is a blackbelt in Shaolin-Do, and a few other systems, and I have fought a few other Shaolin-Do blackbelts. I don't like the art as much as I like kuntao, but I definitely wouldn't call it a bad art. Unless you meant something else by fraudulent? Such as lineage or some such? I CAN tell you one thing. Many people believe it fraudulent due to a Japanese style belt system. This is only because it supposedly developed in Okinawa when Shaolin trained monks fled China. They adopted Japanese training methods to hide amongst them. Or so I have been told.

A complete kung fu system could definitely do it. The only problem is finding someone who teaches it. Most Chinese arts have a specialty, and don't focus on the other aspects of fighting. This is why I love kuntao. We cover everything. Ground fighting, China na, powerful strikes, etc. It is an amazingly rounded art for a Chinese system. Only problem is how scarce it is.

Weird you'd mention the 47 Ronin, I just learned about them today during one of my Answers.com adventures. I just search a topic that is very general and click the links in the article to see where they take me. I ended up seeing pictures of that very shrine, and an article about their story. Very cool stuff. On a side note, I know some very rediculous random knowledge due to these Answers.com adventures.

Depends on your city, and how much other schools charge. I personally would pay that if the instruction, or more importantly the instructor, was worth it. Better make sure your school kicks some serious behind! And I, too, plan on teaching one day, although I am not sure if I'll attempt to make a living on it.

Well, he is always first to tell you he is a fighting monk, not a religious monk. The two are very different. I understand what you mean, but not everyone is cut out for the life celibacy and such.

I guess I've just been spoiled by a master who chooses not to try and make a living from teaching, and just breaks even on expenses. Not that making money from teching is bad, he just chooses not to deal with it. I have a lot of respect for those who manage to make money teaching their art without lowering their standards.

Well, all valid points but one. Shaolin monks WERE allowed to drink alcohol.

What do you mean forsake his religious studies? What did he do?

And since when do Chinese styles use "belts"? I though most of them used sashes, aside from Shaolin-Do?

As far as aikido having ground techniques, it probably does. I know for a fact they at least practise fighting from a kneeling position.