Drunken Monkey

because if he wins the chinese martial art tag is going to be 'worth' more... 'traditional' styles especially of chinese origin have been noticeably absent from these events and when ever they show, they (especially for you) tend to lose. imagine the publicity/hype that can be gained from winning using a traditional martial art tag? before anyone snaps at me, i am not saying that this guy IS doing this. it is just my thoughts. kinda like greg rusedski (the canadian) representing great britain in tennis...

hmm, never really gave it much thought. i currently do sets of 15 then change hand positions. three hand positions so that's 45. then little break. i try for 3 sets of these but usually give up during the third. i guess about a hundred.... ...give or take ten....

what pic? and erm, who's arguing? and well, you can post pics here...

it all boils down to perspective. if you've only trained in one style then your perspective is going to be narrow. i've dabbled in a few styles and each time i had to 'unlearn' some wing chun instincts in order to learn the style. the biggest problem i see with wing chun is that they hardly ever train outside of their own style. all testing is with their own guys doing their version of a move from another style. the classic example is the 'hook' type drills where the partner just swings the arm wide (and slow compared to a real hook). while it is good for getting you to react to an incoming threat to a certain area, it doesn't show what a hook can be like at it's worse. i.e in close with forearm/elbow set at nearly 90 degrees(think elbow strike but hitting with the fist). it might move in a circular path but when the path it takes is shorter than your straight line, what will you do then? rely on being quicker by 200ths of a second? i love my wing chun. i have bled and have been bled on because of my wing chun. i don't pretend to be able to do anything amazing but i like to think i can defend myself. i am proud of wing chun and it really annoys me that because of the proliferation of wing chun related material, a lot of people can read and spout halfarsed theories, usually out of context and without reference to techniques that we use.

i wasn't aware that you guys in the states actually had acces to this program. well, i just have to tell you that if you work in an office and even if you don't, go and find this show. i think it's on your bbc channel. it's called 'the office' and it is painful to watch.... but you can't NOt watch... go ahead and let me know what you think. monkey out.

me? well, the other guy never actually mentioned what 'kung fu' he is now practicing. anyway. i'll just give a general wing chun type response. the straight punch as done in wing chun is used because it fits into how WE do things. the way we cover, clear and operate along our centre-line/plane means that the simplest and quickest way for us to punch, which also happens to be the best use of structure (for us), is to use the straight punch. there are some simple truths (or possible truths depending on how hard you train). the straight punch is faster. it might not have the same instant power of hook but then it isn't as commited as the hook is, which is what we want; the possiblity of interrupting ourselves. to imply that we would just straight punch in response to an incoming hook is an uninformed statement. even if you hit the guy first, you will still get hit by the hook (we are talking faster by hundreths here...) and in no way can a straight punch 'block' a hook. a simple look at the shapes involved will show you this. as for things wing chun has problems with. from personal observation/experience: the thing i'm not too keen on from CLF is the lower position they take relative to us. the high hits i'm fine with but anything that comes to my mid section and lower section really messes me up, especially to my outside gates cos they seem to fall underneath my elbow line (i can't just drop elbow to cover). as for boxers, it's everything they do. i feel inclined to get too close to them but can't get through without sucking a few jabs. then there's the fact that unlike chinese styles, they don't give us anything to use (apart from the hook but even then that's risky). nothing stays out long enough for us to get any kind of 'stick' to. the only point from which i can ever get a good 'hold' of is the behind the elbow or upper arm shoulder but i think i've only ever gotten that close two or three times (and i'll have to admit that it wasn't down to my skill). i've managed to trap once but that was only cos i was more or less kick-boxing until i saw position to trap (and i hate to say that i did have to SEE it cos i sure as hell didn't FEEL it). a simple response to why boxers don't use straight line punches. well, they used to.... but that was back in the day when it was more or less bare-hand (i'll check for some references). it's not really done today because of the gloves AND mainly because it doesn't fit the way they fight.

well, just trying to point out that anyone talks about one hit kills, well, they're off their trolley... i think there was similar thread not too long ago, about the fallacy of one hit kills. anyway, if you're familiar with cantonese you'll know of the difficulties in translating some things. there's a lot of confusion over the translation of the term, yat jiu (one technique/move/movement/exchange) the confusion is over what exactly constitutes the exchange (jiu). in some cases, it IS one hit (technique) but sometimes it is more than one hit(technique) but the intention is still the same: to finish in one exchange. just to make it clear, i am stating the case for cantonese because it is my mother tongue.

and 1 in 3 think they have knowledge of martial arts.... (chasing them typos)

haslemere's in surrey....

and why don't you want to go see your gp? sorry but listening to your friend instead of an educated professional is in my opinion, stupid.

here we go again... why not just say that a sharp blow causes a blood clot and the guy drops dead a few years later? like i say. i think it means finish in one 'exchange', not one 'hit'

hey, where abouts you train? anywhere near haslemere?

simple one. go see your gp.

once again, some more specific information would be nice instead of vague remarks.

we can argue semantics here all day. to be honest i am only seeing things from the point of view of chinese martial art practioner. we have always been told that forms are the presentational form of the techniques. in the forms are the movements, sometimes combined with different footwork and that the purpose of practising the form is so that our body gets to know what the movements feel like and how to do them 'naturally' and move 'naturally' whilst doing them. when we have a hand movement, it represents every instance in which we might do that kind of hand movement; an arm extension is an arm extension be it a hit or push or grab or whatever.

actually, when we spar we do hit the throat and side of the neck.... admittedly we do pull the hits but we aim to 'finish' the movement. i have to say that there have sometimes been accidents. from what i've experienced, getting hit square on the back on the spine hurts a lot more than being struck on the side of the neck. had me sprawled out for a good ten minutes. y'know when you've banged you head and you have that deep gagging, sick feeling? had that for the next hour...

and there's the issue of how you are 'set up' for the sweep. there's a little trick we do in wing chun which is to shift your weight (or make you shift your weight). a simple example is that after contact/interception, i push or pull your elbow (or shoulder depending on the point of contact) to force you to commit to a sence of motion then we shift your foot.

considering how little exposure that bagua and xing yi has i'm surprised that you list them. oops, forgot. they were 'in' that jet li film weren't they...?

it might translate into 'one encounter, one chance' but that does not necessarily mean one hit kills. you have to remember that you are giving meaning to something that has been traslated loosely into english. looking at it (and using cantonese as a comparison) i think it means you do not waste opportunity - you do not do anything half hearted. give all you can or give none at all, if you like.

i think people mistake the kata as being a set of moves when in fact it is a set of movements. very slight/subtle difference but an important one.

well, seeing as he said it, i guess that means him...

you mean it isn't just me being over sensitive? y'know, i kinda feel a bit better after hearing that. was afraid my advancing age was turning me into a grouch...

hmm, too much controversy around the whole atkins diet. i'm not a big fan of how it works...

just cos i have no idea, how many schools have an extensive wrestling program?

hmm, looks like my last post got scrubbed... sorry guys. i know it was kinda out of line... anyway. like most things martial arts related, a sweep is a technique. there is good technique and there is bad technique. same goes for the stance you take. there is good stance and bad stance.