Drunken Monkey

i'm one of them boring farts who's currently reading 'life of pi'.

um.... jackie chan does not do wushu....

well, i have a friend who currently works there. might have something to do with the interview.... but i need more than luck. maybe a qualifed archi draftsman to do my portfolio for me!

er, should we ask how much you pay for a grading?

..well, i did say it was from the classical writings..... anyway. i dug up the book and i remembered it wrong. the diagram actually points to the point where the temporal (the one i was thinking of earlier) parietal and frontal bones meet... but i can't really tell cos its a bad diagram. mayeb i should dig up a proper medical dictionary cos i'm sure the diagram's missing a bone (thought there were 4 bones at that point) anyway... one of the 'death touch' points is the 'tai yeung yuet wai'.... when i mentioned this, i was trying to show what the old things might have been trying to say. i'm pretty sure i've mentioned somewhere here my views on these things anyway. dammit, why am i so defensive???

cos i can't be bothered to start a new thread just to point out a useful link.... here is something that some guys will find interesting regarding the relationships between the old masters as well as beig a damn good reference site. http://www.wingchunkuen.com/who/ancestors/index.html

It looks like you are practicing a REAL style of karate again with the obsession with 'real'.....

*edited a severe typo* ....i've always held the belief that yes, there are points on the body that you can hit to do more than normal damage to a person BUT there is no 'touch there and you die' thing. one of the 'death touch' points is the 'tai yeung yuet wai' which is basically the bone (plate?) that sits right behind that little dimple on your temple. old clasical writings have said that striking (note it says 'striking', not 'touch'...) at this point can cause death. why? because it is a 'weaker' point in the skull. there is another point that is approximately at the base of your neck. i wonder why striking here could cause severe damage....? striking organs is one thing but striking singular nerves for a delayed 'fatal' effect. i'm not so sure...

organised as in well structured. class has a clear hierachy as seen in students' placement in the room. the dojo has a clear layout. proper bowing in and out. 'ceremony'. organised as seen in the forms with their progressive nature (it is almost the same but with an added or variant move). the typical chinese class does not have such rules as seen in the typical japanes karate class. bowing is more relaxed and more often than not, ommited (unless you're part of a class that bows to kwang yee but that is a totally different matter...). the forms aren't as progressive compared to to the japanese katas. as i say, this is mainly beacuse of the basic teaching methods of both cultures. in the japanese culture, the sensei really is a teacher. whereas in the chinese culture, the student is more of a son to the sifu who guides. like i said, i was ignoring the actual training involved because well, like i said: take any two styles and there will be differences, even if they are from the same country.

y'know, in chinese tradition, it is the student's (or who-ever it is about to leave) obligation to treat EVERYONE to dinner. but that doesn't mean that you, as his teacher, shouldn't get him anything....

i've noticed more u.s guys who do or have done shorin ryu. can any of you guys here give me a quick run down on what shorin ryu schools are like, is it a 'rare' style within karate, how close is it to its chinese origins, etc etc? thanks in advance. oh, on a job front. got a second interview with another archi firm looking for design/draftsman. but rumour has it that it's quite a boring place.... but still an interview is an interview and a job is a job.

many people reach a certain color rank and think they're good but they still suck but is this better or worse than the guy who has no real training who thinks he can take on someone who has spent some time to gain a black belt?

ignoring such variable as techniques and theories (cos well, any two styles no matter the country of origin are going to haev differences) the biggest difference between a chinese class and a japanese class is in the structure of the class. with the exception of jujutsu, the japanese styles i have seen run in a very organised fashion with lots of little 'customs' and a clear structure/syllabus. the chinese classes are more 'free' (organic might be a better word) that has an idea of what you should be learning but not a clear teaching strategy. i can't explain it but i feel more relaxed in a chinese class (not teaching little ducks style) but that might be because of my background. i guess the basic/simple reason for the clear distinction between the two is because they have their base in vastly different cultures. it's kinda like asking why iado and fencing don't mix.

whoa... what do you mean nope to us being shorts people? hmm, maybe up your neck of the woods. down here, us southern pansies are in shorts at the first hint of sunshine. rain or shine or through galeforce winds; as long as there is sunshine, shorts it is! it might be a london thing....

...i have no issues with what i train in and what i have trained in. in fact i am pretty happy with what i know which is why i don't feel the need to embelish the name of the style in which i am most fluent, with any superfluous tags. the reason that I describe my style as traditional wing chun because IT IS well, that i would say, is purely opinion. i could argue that there are versions of wing chun and by that i mean certain lineages, that are more traditional. thereby rendering your style, a modern variant. and that is the point i am trying to make. traditional isn't a fact when it comes to wing chun. i would say that traditional wing chun would be the techniques and forms that cheung ng (the recognised and historically documented originator of wing chun) taught to the people on the red junks. everything that came afterwards is a modernisation. i am beginning to get tired of this. you are time and time again, stating things as facts with no real basis. all i have been doing is pointing to 'flaws' in the things you say and you time and time again take them to be personal challenges, using the same 'stated facts' as counterpoints. i.e there is no progression. you really should control the tone of your posts. as the topic has continued, you have progressively gotten more insulting. if i had been the same towards you i can accept it but i haven't. as many others before me have said, i do not know you and you do not know me. that does not mean that i do not have to show you the respect accorded to you.

hmm, y'know, i don't think i've actually heard of this (at least i don't recognise anything from the english...) can you guys give me a little more info about 'temple taiji'. some names of people so i can go peruse the old text books? cheers. monkey.

ok... i'm going to revive my old thread.... i went and had a look at the class but unfortunately, the guy who normally teaches is on holiday so i didn't get a real feel for the class. i did get a good look though and well, i never thought i would, but i felt really akward in there. looked good though. the replacement instructor moved cleanly and precisely and does the 'annoying' looking at the class whilst taking you apar thing. really tempted. but on another front i've found a shorin ryu class on the other side of london. funny thing is, this is the first shorin ryu place i've found so far in the uk. is it really that rare?

...and because you are so insistant on defending yourself and arguing, you are totally missing the point of what i have been saying. i think the problem that warlock has with the things you say is because well, you don't actually know what is in your dit dar jow and what it actually does (beyond what you have been told). i can also see it being annoying that whilst you mention other people who use similar things (which may or may not bare any relation to the thing you use), you yourself do not actually have much knowledge of chinese medicines and related things. the problem with using tags like: traditional, classical, modern, real and authentic is that they are most often used by those who wish to differentiate their style and in doing so imply that it is better. after all, who can argue with 'real traditional kung fu'? i mean, doesn't it sound better? that's why i picked out the line from your previous post If you really do practice kung fu and if it is a real kung fu because it is implying that you are practicing something real where-as we are not.

...again with the condescending tone... don´t even list your MA style under your name, but what is that got to do with me well, mainly cos most people here know what i do and have done. and i don't like the way people judge you based on your style. which is why you are going to present your style, you shouldn't burden it with tags such as 'traditional', 'classical', 'modern', 'ulitmate', 'real' etc. my gripe is not with you per se, more like those who like to add things to the name of the style. wing chun is wing chun. karate is karate. the differences that do exisit are within the various schools. therefore, lee shing's wing chun, is different to jiu wan's wing chun, shotokan is different to isshinryu. like i said earlier and in case you missed it. you really should stop taking things so personally. these comments, whilst directed at you (because you are the one in the discussion), are also for anyone who reads this. someone asked for something to prevent/help injuries. you suggested dit dar jow. all i added was that you shouldn't put too much faith in the stuff. you have the benenfit of belonging to a school that 'has' experience in using the stuff. not everyone does and not everyone can get acces to one. i went on to point out that these things work or do not work according to people and their bodies. these are things people should be aware of. you presented dit dar jow as a singular thing being able to heal and prevent. the simple point is, it isn't.

from waht i gather, jackie chan has no insurance. and neither do the guys on his team. if any of them get injured, it all comes out of his very deep pockets....

...by grand-master i was talking about the accepted head of style (or actual name of style) i.e yip man, pan nam, lee sing, yip chi keung, gini lau etc with respect to sifu or hung fa yee, fut sau etc with respect to styles' given names. i'm surprised you are reluctant to do this, especially seeing as this is the 'traditional' way to talk of the style you are learning.... anyway. i was told that you prevent long term damage by doing the 'conditioning' exercises properly. the dit dar jow helps with the healing, which in turn means we can train more, which means we get 'faster' results, which means we get less injuries. however, the long term result isn't because of the dit dar jow. it is because of how we train. My sifu who has been doing hand and leg conditioning for many years has not suffered any crippling affects as a result my point (looking at things with a rational mind) is that because he has been using the stuff for a long time already, he doesn't actually know, and neither do you know, that if he hadn't been using it, he would have injuries on his hands.

..so um, how do you know that your dit dar jow (or anyone else's version) does indeed prevent long term injuries? also, what types of injuries does it prevent? or is this going to be an even bigger can of worms? um, this is a personal gripe of mine and i mean no offence but could you stop using the tag 'traditional' when you talk of your wing chun. for a start, 'traditional wing chun' is used to refer to a specific style: i think it has been 'trademarked/copyrighted' (what's the difference?). just cos it's from china doesn't mean it is any more or less traditional (even within yip man's school several versions of the forms were taught AND you have major differences between what he taught in futshan and hk). just 'wing chun' will do. if you want to be more accurate, giving the name of your grandmaster (or last recognised 'grand-fromage') would be enough.

how about the really bad 'generation next' (is taht what's called? i can't remember.... y'know, x-men kids) film. does robocop count (seeing it was frank miller at the helm....) don't forget 'the mask' and 'spawn' for the indie counts. how about 'elvira'? was that a film first or comic first? hehe, 'dennis (the menace)'....

Back then i was 13 and now I am 15.... I Studied various martial arts and have read many books .... I never stayed a schools for more than a month i still trained on my own at home.... I think I could have beaten him in a fight.... if i was paired with you during training, i think i would've said something worse than 'rookie'... sorry. i know it's mean of me to say that but it is just me being honest.

...wow.... someone used something i said in their posts.... i'm flattered. but really, i should point out that in some styles, body structure doesn't change that much during the 'fighting process'. as such, they don't have to actively think about being physically accurate (cos it is second nature). i.e it isn't an issue, whereas accuracy of techniques does. understand