Icetuete Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 hey everybody! i am 17 years old. i think of learning a martial art and so far the best choice seems to be either taekwondo or kung fu. most important to me are the mental aspects and physical fitness. in how far is kung fu better at these aspects than other martial arts? according to which criteria shall i choose an association? are there certain exercises a beginner could do at home to prepare for training, before i REALLY begin with a martial art? what equipment do i need? hope u can help me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryLove Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 Firstly, there is no "kung fu", so I will assume you mean Chinese national Wushu. Also, you are unclear on what you mean by "menal aspects", so I can't help you there without clarification. Of ths two, I like wushu margainlly over TXD because i see fewer knee problem in Wushu practitioners, and because I find it prettier and more interesting. Both will get you in good shape. https://www.clearsilat.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karate_woman Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 I see you posted the same thing, only asking for a TKD superiority spin, in the Korean forum. My suggestion would be to do a bit of research on the styles you're interested in. You might also want to find out what style of kung fu, the school/schools are teaching before you do your research. After you've done your initial research, go to the schools that interest you, talk to the instructors, watch some classes. You'll find good and bad schools representing pretty much all martial arts, so it may come down to the schools themselves, and also what you'd like to get out of your training. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. -Lao-Tse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icetuete Posted May 21, 2003 Author Share Posted May 21, 2003 I see you posted the same thing, only asking for a TKD superiority spin, in the Korean forum. yes indeed thought the chinese forum visitors could help me better regarding kung fu. as for "mental aspects" i was talking about meditation and search for answers or whatever philosophy is behind kung fu (dont know much by yet ). my primary goal nonetheless was to get into shape. dont know which of these (tkd/kung fu) helps me better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAMA_chick Posted May 21, 2003 Share Posted May 21, 2003 i love tae kwon do. it is fun and keeps me in shape. Tae Kwon Do15-years oldpurple--belt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinwoo-er Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 Jerrylove what do you mean there is not Kung Fu ? What do you call the chinese arts that are not wushu ? The traditional arts I mean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry South Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 kung fu means "hard trained" or "hard work" and wushu is the traditional term for the style of martial arts most commen to china. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeinwolf Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 I am inclined to agree with Jerry Love. I have trained in TKDand have seen how hard it can be on the body in the later years. Also, many of the TKD schools in my area focus primarily on the sport aspect of the art. If this is what yo are looking for then great...but it will not help you in a fight like a combat oriented art will. I have seen a 65 yr old Wushu practitioner move stronger and more smoothly than many practitioners in their early twenties. It all comes down to what you want. In the long run ,though, I think that Wushu would be less harsh on the body. In Peace---Joshua There are no limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryLove Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 what do you mean there is not Kung Fu ? What do you call the chinese arts that are not wushu ? The traditional arts I mean Do you believe that our original poster was deciding between a school that taught TKD and a school that taught "all the traditional arts of China"? Since "kung-fu" is a grou pof arts, one cannot go learn "kung fu", as much as learn "a kung fu"; and since there is such variety, comparing kung-fu and TKD would be like comparing pizza and french food. So I assumed which KF he ment, and pointed out so. Technically speaking (and how it's used in CHina) gongfu [kungfu] is any skill, Wushu is any martial art, Weijia are external arts, and Neijia are internal arts. But in American parlance, Kungfu is any Chinese martial art, and Wushu is a specific art. https://www.clearsilat.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Posted May 22, 2003 Share Posted May 22, 2003 I am a student of Seiei Kan, which I would consider a mixture of shotokan, kung fu, and jujitsu. As for the mental aspects of kung fu, I consider it great. Most importantly, in my opinion, is that kung fu places alot of emphasis on chi, internal energy. It is through chi that the greatest power of a martial artists can be tapped into. P.S- I have a question also...does anyone know how to change you rank on here? I hold a 2nd degree black belt, but it shows that I am a white belt on here lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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