giang_hu

some people must really want gold medals in the special olympics

if you don't have a jong at home you can still do the form without one.

For me, even if the plot doesn't make sense, I would still enjoy the movie for the fights (if it's a martial arts film).

I don't train the low horse to use in Wing Chun, but I train the low horse because I want to. It's good to have the toes pointed forward. You should train the toes to be pointed forward little by little if you can't do it right away. Look at all the old sifu. They always have their toes pointed forward.

I think it's best to write "martial arts" as lower case and the name of a style to be capitalized (it shows respect for the style).

I've seeen a Kung Fu Tae Kwon Do Dojo before and Shaolin Karate.

Eagle claw looks cool. Maybe you should look into that. The applications are also amazing (especially the structure of the hands themselves).

Having the toes point forward makes the stance stronger. It should NOT cause injury. The way I do the low horse is with the thighs parallel to the ground, knees over the feet, back straight, and toes pointed forward. This structure ensures that the knee can support a lot of weight. In fact, someone should be able to stand on it without hurting you. This happens because of body structure, not strength.

Unlike their Western counterparts, Samurai are prepared to die. One of the most profound ideas of bushido is that one's life will end.

If you are going to see any of these movies, I hope you all saw them subtitled and not dubbed. Also, it would help to understand Cantonese or you will not understand the jokes or the idioms they use. This goes for any film in any language, actually. When I watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon I noticed the audience didn't laugh or chuckle at certain points in the movie. This was in the United States and besides the fact that most people don't understand Mandarin in the United States, a lot of people who understand Mandarin still had to read the subtitles because the actors were speaking a more archaic version of Mandarin!

JusticeZero has it right. Relaxing will develop speed. However, speed also comes from muscle memory. When a technique becomes part of one's muscle memory, there is very little thought involved in executing the technique. As a result, the speed at which the technique is executed becomes equal to the fastest speed at which the person can physically perform the technique. In order to develop speed, keep repeating the technique.

What the guy was doing in the video was not a form in any style of kung fu. He wasn't even that great. When he kicked both his legs were bent, he slouched forward when he kicked high instead of keeping his body straight, he lifted his heel a lot, and his body was tense the whole time. You want to emulate this? Perhaps you should learn some style of kung fu. Then there would be no need for modification because all kung fu looks beautiful when done properly (even Wing Chun hahaha).

The only style I've experienced that is softer than Wing Chun is Tai Chi. Using brute force while fighting is usually effective. But against those who know how to use soft energy, you were dead the moment you intended to fight.

My view about hugely successful schools has been negative because I see a lot of b*llsh*t from the students and the sifu. It isn't wholly right, but if I don't see the sifu, I WILL judge him or her by the students. Since you all brought up these interesting points, my view about hugely successful schools will change. However, I must point out that we are all human and money owns you.

I don't think pride has any place in martial arts. I think when people are using "pride" in this thread they really mean "respect". Should you be proud of your achievements? I guess. I admit, whenever I learn something new from my sifu I always have a smile on my face because I'm so happy (this happens to everyone in my school). However, when my sifu sees me beaming (with pride? or happiness?) he tells me to shut up and keep training.

I agree with White Warlock. There is never a day I live without thinking about Wing Chun in some way or thinking about how to train something or how I would react in a certain situation. This is how I know Wing Chun is something I love and it's the style for me. I have a lot of work to do during the school year so this prevents me from training formally with my sifu. I believe that your motivation is not just merely going to formal training sessions with your teacher. Maybe you are indeed burned out or you found yourself busy with more important things (for most people, there ARE more important things than martial arts).

Sit on your horse until you can't sit on it anymore.

The etymology of "chi" is interesting to look at. When you write it, it looks like "steam" and "rice".

After a certain level of mastery in a style, there is the tendency to throw your own expression into it. For example, my sigong will throw a hook!? Get it? "Martial ARTS"?

What does ethics and foresight have to do with asking a girl out? Is it not better for this person to share his feelings with this girl than not at all?

Why do you keep your uniforms clean? Why do martial artists bow to their sifu before they even begin a form (even when the sifu isn't there)? Why do students always readily volunteer to clean the kwoon before lessons begin? Why do martial artists use the words "si hing", "si dai", "si fu", etc.? In my school, we bow to each other before we begin the two-person drills. Perhaps "pride" is not the right word. I think what most people mistake for "pride" with regards to martial arts is really RESPECT (especially for the sifu and the style itself).

There's been stuff in this thread about the possibility of this relationship going bad. So what? Go for it. You've got cajones right?

There are also a lot of people with black belts who can get knuckled down by people without belts.

A style like Tae Kwon Do has been so commercialized over the years that it has become a joke. Where are the real Tae Kwon Do practitioners? Every time I see a supposed "master" of Tae Kwon Do I see kicks where the supporting let isn't straight and where the body hunches over during kicks. Little things like these make me sick and want to rip off their black belts from their very waists.

People who trademark a style are people who have black belts in kung fu, practice tae kwon do karate, and are also ninjas. I hate schools that merely teach for the money and rank their students based on how much they paid. I sometimes feel like going to those schools and beating up the teachers.