raven91

Into-Do - the amazing art of running into any and every kind of door possible without fatal injury.

Horai-Do - vigorously paddling towards the horizon and believing that you will finally reach the end of the world...

Wow! Thank you very much for sharing that! It inspires me to keep trying my best. As for the monks of earlier times, I agree completely with you that they were chosen with the ability to stay honest as a determining factor. Do you consider, though, that being a bad person means you have a weaker Chi? Can't you be bad and still have strong Chi? It might be a negative Chi though...

No, I have not had the chance to start Tai Chi yet, but I want to very much. Actually, I'm planning on doing that during either Christmas break or the next Summer. Goju boi - thank you very much for a great tip once again. I did indeed find that I am more flexible than most of my fellow students and teachers, but they are also very fast (especially the higher ranking belts). I suppose that I need to develop my technique to the point when I don't really have to think about a movement to make it.

I agree with all of you, simply because I can do some things without making a "Kya", and yet I find the need to vocalize this powerful expression when I feel like I'm about to fall over from exhaustion. Today, for example, at my Kwoon, my Sifu was drilling us for over an hour strait. Form after form after form - and still I was hesitant to Kya. But...when I came close to simply giving out, I decided to try it out and it really did help me! It felt as if making that sound somehow gave me new strength! Please keep sharing your opinions! I love to hear from you guys! We are - in a way - kindred warriors lol.

That sounds like some workout!

I am 18 years old. I do fight grown men - although they try to go easy on me. We do indeed have a belt system and a sash system, but sashes are for internal arts.

The will to learn is probably what could be considered the equivalent of spiritual potential...in the past that is. I'm still pretty sure that Chi is important. As is breathing and meditation. That's just me though...

Hahaha...it's more like 30 in my case. Younwhagrl, my teacher says somthing very similar during testing. Yesterday, I remembered that my Sifu usually says: "Just keep moving...don't think about what you're doing...if you mess up, keep going...and if you fall...well...then you can stop."

There is a lot of sense in what you are saying, giang_hu. Stance is very important - especially bow and horse stance. I also agree with viskous about the difficulty of achieving such a level of control over your energy. In a way, I suppose that Chi is everything: stance, experience, and also...well...Chi. I read that children were chosen into the Shaolin by their spiritual potential. Do you believe that such a potential could be a determining factor in one's ability to fight? Also, do any of you actually feel the Chi when you fight or train? I'm curious as to your points of view.

I agree with you. Sometimes I don't feel confident at all, especially when I am sparring with a higher rank such a second degree belt. My Kwoon is composed mainly of guys (maybe five women total) and all of them are really tall and muscular. It can be rather intimidating sometimes to fight them, even though I know that my moves (even if less perfected) are still just as effective. Confidence is a major issue I suppose.

My Sifu is a fourth degree in Internal Arts (Tai Chi). It really is scary to see him sparring with my other Sifu (also a fourth degree). He has trained for many many years to master this art and to utilize it in a fighting form, and from what I saw, it was very effective. Because he has mastered his breathing techniques so well (something that is underestimated by many people), his hits are extremely powerful. Although it sometimes seems as though he is slow and harmless, that really is far from the case.

All Shaolin monks channeled their Chi (spiritual energy) in order to gain strength and a deeper understanding of their religion. I believe in the ability to harness this energy in order to produce more focus and a more forceful hit. The monks apparently put in this energy while they fought, and that was partially why they were so successful. I was wondering how in the world you can focus on concentrating Chi into your limbs or even your body to be more successful in your attacks and defensewhile fighting at such high speeds as most sparrs tend to go. Thank you for you help in my other post as well, Sir!

I am usually really shy about making "kya's" and other vocal noises when I'm in the Kwoon, simply because I am naturally a rather silent person. My Sifu always gets mad at me for that, saying that I have to release my tension and energy in that "kya" in order to gain more force. He always says: "That squeal is just so terrifying. Make me shake in fear! You have to intimidate your opponent!" Anyone else feel strange making "kya's", or am I the only one?

"You have to do it over and over and over again...so get to work!"

Anyone at all?

I'm actually a girl Once again, I truly apologise for not being specific about the style i practice... I guess it comes with being a Newbie. Thank you very much for your advice - both stonecrusher69 and goju_boi. This is the website of my Kwoon: http://www.shaolincenter.com/ Thanks again! I hope I didn't make a bad impression.

I thought for a long time about this, and began to wonder: How important is the implimintation of Ch'i into your hits when you are fighting? I understand very well that it is crutial, but how can you possibly channel any sort of energy into your hits when you are sparring in a fast pace? What are your thoughts?

I took a look online and did some research (something that I should have done earlier to my ebarassment) and I believe that I have enough knowlege to give at least a frame of the style I am learning (at least until I can ask my Sifu). In my Kwoon, we learn from several different styles apparently. We are - I believe - mostly Northern Oriented, although we do have elements of Southern style as well. We have White Crane, Black Tiger, and Monkey forms. Right now, I have barely even scratched the surface of these amazing techniques. Still, even if I am rather inexperienced, I still spar for practice with some of my fellow students. It would help a lot if I could get some tips on defense. Something more than "keep your hands up" would help a lot too. (That's what I hear from my partners, although they seem to get more hits in than I do.

i'll have to ask my Sifu...to tell you the truth, I kind of feel a little ignorant right now ... Thank you for your help! I'll find out in the dojo tomorrow. why are you calling your school a dojo?If you train in Shaolin(a chinese art),then you should call it a kwoon as it is the proper name.Wow! Thanks a lot for telling me that! ^_^ It's always nice to be corrected and to learn something new. Sorry for using the wrong term. I'll take a look on it online. Thank you!

i'll have to ask my Sifu...to tell you the truth, I kind of feel a little ignorant right now ... Thank you for your help! I'll find out in the dojo tomorrow.

Is Shao Lin/ Kung Fu too broad?

Good advice. I fully agree. If it is still "functioning normally", I'd give it a few days and ice... if it doesn't improve at all, then it'd be something worth getting checked out. If there's a popping sound everytime you rotate it, it could be some slight, temporary dislignment in the joints. That may not be something to worry about unless the popping sound doesn't go away after a few days and it's causing you some pain. In that case, you better see your doctor and have it x-rayed if he so advises it. Gene thank you very much sir! ^_^

I just began a very light introduction into sparring (starting off by brilliantly losing) and was wondering if anyone knew the best method of protecting one's head. I almost got knocked over several times because i threw a punch that was caught, or a kick that was blocked. Why does it feel like everything I learned up to now was useless? Is it normal to feel this way? How do I protect my head, yet still offer some kind of offense? Does anyone know?

That does sound rather amusing. We have a whole class called "applications", which basically teaches you how to use what you learned. It's funny when you realize that the moves you thought you were good at, are actually rather difficult to apply in real life.