Kajukenbopr

to my knowledge, kung fu works better than most other styles, however it is really hard to find a teacher in america that teaches: 1. practical figthing applications- self defense, etc 2. all the aspects of the art Take a look at the curriculums of the style in China and compare them to the ones in America and you will be surprised.Too much of a lack of material: groundfighing(yes, they have groundfighting in China), applications, fighting drills(which are different from sparring), chin na techniques(or other grppling method)...etc this is not the case with every teacher, but you do find them often As for the time it takes for someone to be able to fight well I have to say that its a method of teaching- you teach the art then you teach the fighting, its how they are taught in China, not because it is not a good way to fight, but because they are taught that way.

go to the doctor if its the joints- glucosamine supplements but im no doctor. go see one

See if you can get your hands on a copy of Yang Jwing-Ming's "Tai Chi Martial Applications." It's a pretty good book on the breakdown of some of the martial applications of Yang style tai chi. As for going up against a MT/BJJ guy, I think it would be possible, just not likely. The amount of martial training required for the tai chi stylist to be able to hold their own would be far greater than their opponent. Then to top it off, you'd need to find an instructor with the amount of knowledge necessary for a bout with someone in another art. this would be doable in China hardly in another part of the world...

not bad...

At this point, you are splitting hairs, and negating the points of your own arguement as to internal/external/hard/soft. However, I don't think your statement holds to be true. The thrust would liken to the hard, external straight strikes of TKD, Karate, etc. The cuts would liken to the soft, linear strikes of the Kung Fu, Aikido types. Also, I would like to say that I don't view a slash, or cut, as a "soft" style of strike. Perhaps a parry would be, but I don't think a slash would be. you know me, anything to keep an argument going there's always been leaks between styles. That is my very point of this discussion: a Karate guy(external) teaching Internal mechanics to his students. Guess he got tired of trying to figure it all out for himself- decided to make it easy on his students too

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. the mechanics are still different- take for example a bagua strike- the muscles in the arms are secondary, and they do not tense. the legs are rooted but loose, the torso muscles do not tense up with a strike, nor does a hard exhalation come with striking or kicking. I Study Kajukenbo full time- I know what Chuan Fa is, and the way it is taught, your arm mucles should be tense while striking, you push out your breathing with strikes forcibly, the leg positions train the legs to be in tension throughout the technique to ensure explosiveness and resistance against strikes. I'm not saying one is definitely better than the other. I think a happy medium is better. As for meditation, it is helpful to meditate once in a while so the mind can take a rest, even better when you are into ur martial arts- you learn to be in the moment, but your mind doesnt suffer from nervous shocks as much. It is specially easy if you can take some time to think about areas in your body or thoughts that are affecting you: sore mucles- body / sadness or stress- mind. what you do is you dont just linger in these thoughts, but you find a way to alleviate the symptoms- you relax the muscles, you let go of your worries.

the styles you mentioned are complimentary to one another, so unless u find conflicting martial arts, u have found a lot of material to grow on. however, u will most likely get martial arts that are not completely pure- ex. a linear pakua, a soft xing yi, etc. its not bad just because its not pure, but it will be a little bit different from other schools- their own "flavor"

Even a thrust can be circular though, same as a slash be linear. I also like movement, not every meditation is sitting down in a comfortable position and thinking deep thoughts I have meditations standing up, mental exercises coupled with movement, etc.

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. Yes, I am talking about being too tense. most external styles as are taught to move around while being soft and to tense up when striking back at the opponent. Breathing is taught a certain way too when practising external martial arts. systems like jujitsu or judo are often seen as internal (well, jujitsu would be a medium, as it also works strikes) in their lack of tensing up for them to work, they rely on body mechanics instead of striking as hard as they can as fast as they can. it could also be applied to hard versus soft though if i do say it like that a lot of people will say that every style is a mix, and that discussion will lead nowhere fast. --no style uses no muscles at all, just the amount of strain they put on the muscles vary--

I'm finding a lot of Karate, TKD and other style instructors that are looking for answers that their teachers did not even begin to answer for them. The place where they are looking for those answers- Chinese, Indian, Russian Martial Arts (which share a lot of concepts in common). I'm not bashing on styles like Karate, they can be pretty effective when properly taught and properly trained for- I have a background of Karate myself, but it is not the only training I want for myself.

i usually think of internal arts as default Chinese internal arts. but im biased in this belief- I know there are more styles that are internal; aikido, judo, jujitsu, hapkido, some karate training can be considered internal,etc. you practise the happy medium- correct body mechanics and energy manipulation and train to get strong muscles.

well, i'd say he is onto something: though some styles like to be as lineal as they can, like Karate, KEnpo, and others, this puts strain on the muscle and skeleton. Circular movement has less impact on the body as it allows more flexibility and easier to meet range of motion(as well as the swinging motions). Also, styles that talk about energy, will usually work with circles to either explain or train it. however, the circular or lineal part of the discussion would be another discussion. Whats your view on internal and external martial arts? --just to be clear, I think a happy medium. Its all good and well to know correct body mechanics, pressure points, etc. but if you dont have a body that can take a hard punch or a hard kick, you will be knocked down-- what do you think?

waveform striking is a form of striking that comes from correct body mechanics to execute the strike without much strain and will develop the greatest amount of strength you can create. If it is similar, and I think it is, to how Chinese Styles teach it, it is mostly how the feet are used when aligning the body just before, and during the striking(with the hands). look it up at youtube.com , tell me what you think

I cant get a website to EXPLAIN the techniques to you. But you can look through youtube by their names and you will find pretty interesting videos. Also, their official websites, though they dont TEACH or tell you HOW the technique is done: http://www.russellstutely.co.uk/index.php http://www.valriazanov.com

I recently found out about 2 intriguing figures: Val Riazanov and Russell Stutely. The reason I mention these 2 is because they are bringing concepts to the world of western martial arts, never before seen: Val Riazanov- Ballistic Striking- can make strikes even from a lying on the ground position, be charged with enough strength to keep in the fight and possibly win. Not to mention, enhanced stand-up striking without straining the muscles. Rusell Stutely- his work is amazing. Using a shotokan background, he found a way to use Waveform hits- no straining of the muscles, the hits use your maximum strength. Also, his knowledge on pressure points make his art EXTREMELY effective. What called my attention to these 2 martial artists is how they are revolutionizing western martial arts. I say western martial arts because the concepts and applications, while not as readily shared with practicioners are present in chinese styles like Tai Chi, Xing Yi and BaguaZhang. It turns out that these internal arts of martial arts where right all along-Natural Body Movements- relaxation of the body, proper body mechanics, striking certain points on the body,keeping balance and taking balance away from the opponent. would anybody care to comment on this or go more into detail on this?

i had severe problems with my knees, although I am only 21. I looked up and bought health supplements that helped loosen and repair the joints- that, combined with exercise has greatly reduced any problems i had. With the kicking. it might be a problem of body alignment, look for books, videos, or other instructors that can help you develop it more, i know u are 45, but it is never too late to try something new. As to the original question, yes, I have modified my training routine so it looks more like Tai Chi or Bagua instead of MMA- it helps me develop muscle control more easily, I dont get tired from workouts as easily, and it helps me not hurt myself( I want to train until I am old). Also, in executing self defense techniques, I have modified them to fit my body type and abilities.

how big is the ring where you will fight? think walls and space: if they cant get behind you, its harder to just grab you. if it was street self defense- make a run for it- first one to get to you gets to fight you first(should fight for 3 seconds, tops) then keep running. Also, if it was street self defense, a narrow corridor helps. Again, walls and space. all that has been said so far should help. I'm just putting my little grain of salt.

my feelings exactly

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. its a bit extreme to say that anyone would let their children die. they would probably however, avoid having to kill the person: knocking out or crippling the opponent is a better outcome for them than killing an attacker

If my questions are a problem, in any kind of way, it's probably in this way. I am not thirsty for new ranks. I'm thirsty for new techniques. I can see how that problem with getting sloppy basics, like Stances, can become the results of this. But I have always been in a hurry to learn this and that in things that interest me a lot. Such as MA . But I also learned from most of the schools I've been in, that if you dont take your training into your own hands (such as asking for more) you might end up advancing very very slowly. As an example of this is in the Shaolin school I was in a while ago. I saw some students who had been training in there for 3 years and they still hadn't learned the second form of the style. They were the ones that didn't ask questions. sloppy teaching, not sloppy learning. if you need to constantly ask questions, u were probably taught wrong. as for techniques- ask for new techniques when you are completely sure you have a pretty good understanding of the techniques that you have already learned. Kajukenbo as I am taught has a lot of self defense techniques, as you progress, you get more techniques. Ive seen people asking for more techniques because they felt they wanted to go faster in their learning; their basics were lacking, the postures were horrible,etc, although they had a basic idea of the technique, they didnt fully understand them or practice them how they should.

Bunkai is the application of kata or other forms in actual sparring, fighting, or analysis. It is where you demonstrate or show why a form is the way it is - the combat application of it. bunkai = applications got it. well, all tai chi forms have applications, however, not all teachers teach the applications, specially if its a Tai Chi class for people who only want to exercise

3 years kajukenbo self defense 2 years zhan zhuang 5 months baguazhang im currently practising the 3 at the same time

internal training is not religious aspect of the art- their concept of chi does have relation with their taoist(ethical religion), granted, but the training of Chi is not a training of Faith but of hard work for the body to work in a different way. Taichi trains correct body usage, u can incorporate "external" training, but only if u want a form that is not entirely pure. the body mechanics are not the same for internal and external.

what is bunkai??

Depends on your teacher- if he teaches forms only, it wont be good for fighting. if he teaches forms, the applications, push-hands, and sanshou(sparring) you could become an awesome fighter. However, taichi power comes to those who can wait for the results and can train hard without questioning the methods.