RealWingChunKuen

And you are young, when you feel young and if you practice diligently, then you will be younger this time next year Note: Just a thought. I hope your karate training is not too physically hardcore as this type of training can have bad long term effects no matter how young or old one starts their training. It is always better to train seriously but with a "soft" approach in mind.

Hello, I started practicing martial arts seriously when I was 38 years old. Now I am 44 years of age and I feel better, healthier and stronger than I did when I was in my early 30's. The important factors are: a good martial art, a good teacher and you (training diligently without ever giving up). Good luck.

As a rule of thumb, I use kicks as a last resort. If I do use them, then I would aim below the belt. Having said this, I will add that body shots can be very effective, IF you have fast and powerful - PENETRATING- kicks, that are ACCURATE and can be delivered from a relatively close range, making them, as it is known in kung fu terms, invisible or shadowless. This could mean that you are at hand striking range and may be using your hands when the kick flies out to hit its target. In my Wing Chun training we were told to not use legs unless we were sure we were going to hit the target - that means no random kicks were to be thrown, hoping for the best. Some relevant targets are: Solar Plexus, Heart, kidneys, the spine, the bladder, side ribs. Again, if one does not have the accuracy nor the power, then it is better for him to stick to using his hands and perhaps some lower kicks.

You took the words right out of my keyboard.

People who do not understand the concept of Chi and its development, will many times, look for short term results on the same line as with external martial arts. Because, a basic understanding of the concepts involved will help your mind focus on the correct training and will create a an understanding of the time span required. A higher levels of undetstanding of chi only come when thru practice and time, one actually experiences it. This statement holds true - for the most part - regarding external martial arts. With internal martial arts however, and specially at higher levels, the workings of chi need to be understood. Only because because the people doing the "selling" don't actually know what it is that they are selling, because as in most cases they are not qualified to do so - read, McKwoons. The internal martial arts take longer to master than the external ones. That is their nature. The further one practices these then one develops a better understanding of the concepts involved.

That is understantandable as many people who call themselves "masters" have no where near mastered anything about their arts. This has created a grey area to what masters are, or what mastery is. It obviously helps to know how to perform a technique if you are to defend against it. However, I don't think it is a closed or shut case as many grapplers who couldn't strike properly have proved when they defeated strikers. It is also important add that traditional karate and kung fu contain many potent takedown techniques, that should be trained thru a hollistic training approach. I made the assumption that the blows had already penetrated the defenses of the opponent and were hitting the intended targets. If that is the case then an expert karate/kung fu striker should take out his opponent within 3 hits. Note: Most traditional styles of karate/kung fu use vulnerable areas as their primary targets, eg. throat, neck, back of neck, groin, temple, eyes and some not so obvious areas.

This will depend on the the individual karate-kai and his school/style/sensei. Kung Fu and karate have some aspects in common, generally speaking. But the deeper one delves in kung fu the more he sees that there are great many differences in the techniques, their application; training methods; and variety.,etc. etc. Dare I say that kung fu is a "richer" art , again generally speaking. I do not want to delve too much into the differences between kung fu and karate as this will take us away from what we are discussing. Also there are many karate styles with their own distinct differences and a whole lot more of kung fu styles out there. However, it is best to say that in any art that involves striking such as karate and kung fu, one needs to develope striking power that is effective. There is no point in finding a "hole" in your attackers' defense when you are not able to stop them with a telling strike. All high level karate-ka and kung fu exponents should be able to finish conflicts with a minimum number of hits (1-3max), and depending on the style from short range as well. If they call themselves experts and do not have this capability then I would say perhaps they have spent their training time in Mcdojo/kwoon. I know of a kung fu teacher here in London who took out an attacker who went for a grappling takedown with one back fist strike to the back of his exposed neck. How many times have we seen karate and kung fu "experts" in NHB contests who have hit the grapplers with ineffective blows while defending against takedowns? How many of them had really mastered their art? How many of them had, at all, practiced kung fu or karate? Karate should be practiced be practiced hollisticaly. When the other aspects besides the striking will again depend on a particular karate style's cyllabus and traditions. You will find that traditional Okinawan styles such as Goju ryu will have a logical approach to how and when certain aspects are introduced within their training program. I have seen matches between wrestlers and strikers. Many times the wrestlers won because the strikers had no idea on what to do when they were taken down. Other times, the strikers lost because they hadn't mastered and brought their striking techniques to a higher level. A few times I have seen strikers take out their grappler opponents with effective striking techniques. This brings back to the point that Andrew Patton and myself are trying to make. When one practices a primarily striking art such as karate, then the least one can do is focus on the striking aspects and master them, developing the necessary power and accuracy before one starts to delve too much into the arts other aspects. Of course as I stated before the other aspects can be trained as well, but the main focus should remain the striking elements.

It seems that a lot of the material on these videos is from the 1970/80's, when the UK and the world were blessed with top JKA instructors such as the late and legendary Keinosuke Enoeda who taught Shotokan, the hardcore way, and who inspired and demanded the best from their students. They did not cut corners and worked their students hard and with discipline. Unfortunately there aren't many senseis of their calibre around nowadays. The few that are around cannot use the same teaching methods as before as they would not have many students in their classes.

Eventhough not a karate practitioner myself, I found your post to be very true, to my take on karate at least. Also, one needs power in any art that involves striking. Once one has gained the stopping, distructive power then other techniques become more relevant. And as you put it, the root to that power are in the basics. There are grappling elements in karate and Traditional karate is a much richer art than many "outsiders" give it credit for. However, I believe that it is primarily a striking art, so this means the striking aspect should be mastered before one starts delving too deeply into the other areas. This is not to say that one needs to only concentrate on striking techniques and ignore the others. I believe that this art can be practiced holistically but with striking as its main focus. Once a destructive striking force is achieved then the practitioner should delve deeper into his art. Thanks again for the post.

You say that you love karate. Let love win and go back to it and grow with it. P.S. I have done a lot of reading on Shotokai. It's approach is quiet different from other styles of karate, regarding the concept of "power within softness". If you continue to practice this style, I believe you will be well rewarded for your effort.

Tai Chi Chuan is a high level style of kung fu, yes kung fu. It is an internal system. It is an extremely effective fighting system when practiced correctly, with a real sifu and for a LONG time. This system, as well as other high level internal systems such as Hsing-I and Pakua take relatively longer to master because their effectiveness is based on the development and use of Chi and its use for combat. Just the concept of Chi itself is very difficult for westerners, and none-initiates in general, to understand, let alone its use within a system of martial arts. This is the reason why Tai Chi is so misunderstood, specially here in the west. Not only is it a valid and effective MA, it surpasses many other martial arts as to its combat effectiveness. The "problem" with Tai Chi is that most people nowadays do not have the time, and many times the patience, to put in the training required. Of course, the other "problem" with Tai Chi is the fact that it is not easy to find a REAL master who teaches it. Hence, you hear many "sifus" who say that they teach Tai Chi only as health exercises and not martial arts. For me it is like saying I teach Shaolin Five Animals or Wing Chun, only as health exercises and not as martial arts.

When you do take your jiu jitsu classes and if he wants you to teach him you can be "diplomatic" and tell him that you haven't learnt anything that he doesn't know already. Whatever you do don't teach him any techniques as people who are violently inclined will be more likely to make any technique work for them. This is because such people will enter conflicts with a lot of INTENT. Intent on its own can win you fights. Intent combined with technique can be a powerful weapon which in the wrong hands can cause a lot of damage/suffering.

Many, I suppose. I wonder how many have got, or may get themselves killed by trying to use "knife defense", "gun defense", etc. techniques taught to them by Mcdojo instructors. It is sad, but by talking about it in forums such as this, we may be "saving" some future victims of Mcdojos. Stop thinking only of yourself and give a thought to those poor suckers who keep loosing to you all the time, without knowing why....

Yes, Wing Chun is a much richer art than many people imagine it to be. It is not the best kung fu style out there, but is not too far from the top, if practiced to its full potential. Unfortunately, many of the schools that I have come across do not do the art of Wing Chun any justice. Some of them (sifus/schools), go even further and almost criminally, trim the art even more, just to make it "money making friendly". And, to add insult to injury they call their version of Wing Chun more "street effective" or "practical" than Classical Wing Chun. These are "sifus" that would not know Classical Wing Chun if it fell on them. About meeting up. First of all I am at mid Chum Kiu level, so I wont be able to show you the Tiger elements nor the ground fighting,etc. Secondly, I make it a rule not to meet people through the internet. That is not to say that a friendly crossing of hands with a fellow kung fu practitioner well versed in Wing Chun and currently practicing the (much respected by me) Southern Praying Mantis, is not tempting. Sorry.

He trains in Zanchin Combat Karate. 16 is the earliest age which black belt is awarded. He understands that black belt is the beginning of mastery of a system that it takes a life time to truely understand. Thanks. It is good to see that he has a mature understanding of karate. I have never heard of Zanchin Combat karate. Is there a site that I could look at to find more info?

Congratulations to him and to you. Make sure that he knows that the black belt is only the beginning and that he is at the start of a rich and fulfilling journey that will last him a lifetime. By the way, what style of karate does he practice?

kinO I believe that the first karate style to use the Pinans (Heians, in japanese) was the Shorin-Ryu style of Okinawan karate. The legendary Okinwan karate master Anko Itosu seems to have had a hand in the development of this series of kata.

Does he mean that they have made martial arts uneffective, unhealthy and thus pointless?

Asking if traditional blocking kung fu style is realistic is like asking if traditional chinense food is good. It all depends on who is doing the cooking and who is doing the eating. Anyway, I think the question related more to traditional karate blocks (not the same as kung fu blocks), but relevant at the same time. Most of what you say here are traditional kung fu principles. The problem is that most "traditional" kung fu teachers don't teach it. The problem here is not with traditional kung fu training or concepts. The problems here is with Mc Kung Fu and the resultant mis-perception of traditional kung fu. More traditonal kung fu, eventhough the testing can take many guises. This, mostly can also be classified as traditional kung fu approach. Of course, there are differences when it comes to various styles and schools.

Lets not also forget that some simple looking techniques are much more complex than they look. The internal mechanics involved in some kung fu strikes, such as the short range ones, would be incomprehensible to an "outsider", and would therefore be regarded impractical and or not worth the time needed to master. However, short range strikes can be very effective in real selfdefense situations. To master this and other complex techniques requires one to train diligently, spending a lot of time doing exercises that do not seem to be relevant to fighting. But, that is the way it is. We are training the art and are willing to spend the time and effort for higher level skills.

As I stated before parrying does exist in karate and therefore it is an option. "Complex" blockes are sometimes complex for people who have not trained them to the point of making them second nature. Some of the "complex" blocks are strikes in themselves, I suppose that is one of the reasons that they are deemed "complex". If we don't see limb breaks off strikes in full contact arts, then maybe it is because in striking art competitions such as boxing and kick boxing limb breakes are not allowed. As far as NHB competitions are concerned, I don't think they bother to train "complex" techniques, as these take a long time to master and are not practical for those athletes who are (making money) in cage fighting.

I believe you should forget about creating your style. There are already too many people in the world, and specially in the West, that have "created" styles, without having mastered any single style in the first place. Furthermore, even mastering a kung fu system does not automatically mean that you should go and create a new style. Many masters are happy with the style(s) that have mastered and don't go around creating styles and there is a good reason for that. Creating a valid style involves more than just putting together some techniques that you have read about in a book. The Snake style is a profound style. It involves more than hitting pressure points with your fingers. How are you going to train your fingers? What kind of energy are you going to use to make the strikes? Where, and how are you going to develope the required energy (internal training)? What angles of striking are you going to use to make a particular pressure point strike effective? What about your defence? Your Stances? To train all the above you would need to train many years with a REAL kung fu sifu or master and fore MANY years. I believe that you should look around for as many kung fu schools that you can find within commuting distance from where you live and through research find out which ones are legitimate, or are at least are more likely to be legitimate, then pick one and start training seriously. If you are going to read books, then I would suggest that you read books that will enable you to recognize real kung fu schools from fake (my estimate:90% of schools) ones. If you find a style and school that is suitable, then there is no harm in buying books that will supplement your training in that particular system. If you are going to look for kung fu schools, then here are a few hints on what to avoid - avoid kung fu schools: 1. That over-emphasis competitions and sifus who can't wait to show you their or their school's trophies. 2. Where the students, when sparring, bounce around like boxers or Tae Kwon Do stylists. This is not kung fu. 3. Where you are required to spar from day one. 4. Where there is no or little emphasis placed on chi kung/qi gong training. 5. Where the instructors claim to have improved or modernized the system to make it more "effective", "practical", etc. 6. Where the sifu claims that he teaches Dimmak and other secret techniques. That is avoid schools that make exagerated claims. Good Luck.

Agreed. The traditionalists keep themselves to themselves in China. Many still distrust the government, because the persecution inflicted upon them by the Maoists/communists is still relatively fresh in their memories. I have been told that there are many none Shaolin Temple masters who know their kung fu. Also, that there are efforts amongst some masters to preserve the traditional arts, through commisions and societies.

The Snake style requires a lot of internal/chi kung/qi gong, training. This kind of training can only be administered by a competent kung fu sifu or master, and they are hard enough to find for the more popular styles of kung fu, let alone for Snake styles that are rarer. And I am afraid you won't learn much from any books. A good book may however give you an idea of the Snake style. Try googling. Also check out https://www.shaolin.com/snake_martialarts.aspx

Agreed. BUT, in the long term the more complex systems give you more options, that is, if one practises them diligently and longterm so that they become second nature. Also, parrying does exist in karate and kung fu as well. The more "complex" blocks can be used not just to stop a blow but also to lock and/or break limbs, this means more options. Studying a more complex system such as karate or kung fu, as opposed to a simpler system such as boxing, will give you more attack options as well - locks, kicks, takedowns etc. - as mentioned in my previous post. There is no denying that. However, as far as karate and kung fu are concerned and this is MY belief that complexity makes these arts better, ONLY WHEN the art is trained correctly and for the required amount of time - longterm.