Tai Chi...with my usual, occassional random twists:)
Original Poster: Gazelle
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 28-11-2007, 19:22

Orginal Post: Gazelle: I went to a Tai Chi class on Friday. I knew it was going to be chilled, but, my, was it! lol.

It was interesting, given i've never really done anything like it before. We did a form, a dance, stick hands, unbending arm, and another exercise, which i don't recall the name of.

I have to admit, i was rather pleased with myself, given that i was doing sticky hands with a girl who had obviously been doing it a while (the instructor was getting her teaching a fair bit), and i managed to unbalance her on a few occassions, and she only did me once:) (I'm not scoring, just observing:) ). And, i still remember the entire dance that we learned on the night (the bear), and the names of a lot of the stances...and that's even with trying dancing out after (excellent fun, by the way, we did waltz, cha cha cha, quickstep, and jive...my favourite, i think was the quickstep...people who know me thinks it suits my personality...but, they'll be starting new dances next week, foxtrot and samba, apparently quite difficult...we'll see :D ).

Anyhow...i think i'll keep it up for this term at least (they have odd sundays when there is a Kung Fu and Tai Chi thing, which is rather appealing to me:)), might get something out of it, in fact, i'm sure i will...gives me an insight into something a bit different...the instructor seems alright. Looks like he does a spot of yoga sometimes too, which is good...might pick up some new stretches :D.

I was wondering, Tease mentioned a difference between the Tai Chi exercise, and the martial art...what is it? I mean, i know the difference between a martial art, and an exercise, but, how did they split off, why? Shouldn't they be practised together? Aren't the exercises part of a persons development when doing the martial art? Otherwise, why would they have the same name?

Wing Chun - It's doing my head in! (but i love it)
Original Poster: peajay
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 21-09-2007, 15:06

Orginal Post: peajay: I must have had to many burgers in the past... :oops:
this Wing Chun I'm learning...
I have had - oh three weeks worth
(three sessions a week, 2 hrs/session - blimey 18 hrs!!! 8O )

The combinations of making the forms work as a defence, flowing into an attack, flowing into a block, flowing into a push...
I can do all the bits, but it's like fighting on mogadon - sooo veeeeryyy slow... :oops: :roll:

I'm sure I'll get better, and the forms and moves will click...
I know what I'm doing wrong, and I know where i need to get too... just my poor body can't keep up!!! :? :D

(remember - Relax - sink into your stance - Relax - think about the form - RELAX!!)

(this is fantastic for my son tho - one of the therapies for his DCD is to have a set of things to do, layered onto another set, layered onto another set - so Wing Chun which is forcing you to use both sides of your brain together, having complex actions, and chatting to your sparing partner - its just about perfect!!) :D

You guys have to read this
Original Poster: Gong||Jau
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 12-06-2007, 01:11

Orginal Post: Gong||Jau: I was wandering around on the net today, and I stumbled across an excellent account of the history of the Shaolin temple and the Five Elders. It's not just factual, it's better than factual. It fills in many gaps in the history of China, and it's also stored in the Library of Congress. Here it is: http://www.ironpalm.com/VPhistory.html. Make sure you read the whole thing.*








*I don't claim that any of the above is actually true, except the part that says it's more fun to read than anything remotely true :mrgreen:

Wing Chun shoes?
Original Poster: dscott
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 01-06-2007, 09:30

Orginal Post: dscott: I recently started up with Wing Chun again and I'm having a horrible time with blisters on my feet from the stance and pivoting. We wear socks in class but I was thinking about getting some sort of MA shoe that will have traction but not too much traction. Something along the lines of a wrestling shoe but with less traction. Any suggestions?

Why Kung Fu
Original Poster: Fa Jing
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 13-04-2007, 17:42

Orginal Post: Fa Jing: i know these have probably been done to death but lets do another one

what kung fu do you practice and why did you choose Kung Fu over some of the other MA's out there?

Chinese Martial Arts/Styles
Original Poster: BLACK PANTA
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 03-04-2007, 15:33

Orginal Post: BLACK PANTA: Here's the thread y'all. The first of what I hope to be many. This thread is to share, discuss, ask questions about all the Chinese Martial Arts/Styles. First I would like to start off by listing all the Chinese MA/styles we can name. Now if any questions arise, please feel free to ask and I am sure that one of us (if not all of us) will be more than willing to answer.

Now me, being a Kung Fu practitioner I know some of the Kung Fu Styles.

Now lets see what my brain can mustre.

Kung Fu: Shaolin; Wing Chun, Ba Gua, Tai Chi, Black Dragon, White Tiger, Mantis, Eagle, Choy lee fut, White Crane, Lohan, Monkey, Drunken.

This all I can mustre up at this time, I am bombarded by distraction right now, the sweet sweet television. please add on you all. And dont forget to ask questions or descriptions.

Lim Wan Kuen
Original Poster: mrsmith
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 22-03-2007, 03:11

Orginal Post: mrsmith: I have neglected my training for a couple of years and am trying to re-learn some of my early forms. There is a Siu Lum set called Lim (or Lym) Wan Kuen -- Continuous and Returning Fist -- that I cannot seem to piece back together. Can anyone help?

So I checked out a Kung Fu school in LAÂ….
Original Poster: WushuPadawan001
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 13-03-2007, 21:37

Orginal Post: WushuPadawan001: Well, it was not so much a Kung Fu school as a group of Kung Fu practitioners working out in a park who happened to study under the same teacher.

I arrived about thirty minutes before class was supposed to start. Initially there was only one person there, and older gentleman who only had about two and a half years of experience. Half an hour later another student shows up, but this one only has one class worth of training. So I humored the older gentleman as he ran me and the other student through some warm ups.

Another thirty minutes later and the senior students started to arrive. I made no mention of my previous experience in the martial arts; I wanted to see if they were well enough seasoned to figure that out on their own. I was taken through a basic form a few times and then taught a piece of it. As I was scouting the place out I really was not interested in learning anything at the time, so after I followed along for an hour or so I took a break and watched the senior students run forms. I only saw one of them – the second most skilled of the students from what I gathered – run a form all out. He was impressive, very good rooting and control.

Before I left I approached the student who ran the forms I watched and asked him about their application training. He told me that most of the students do not care for sparring so their teacher does not bother to teach it. Also, because they practice in a public area they avoid sparring as it draws unwanted attention. Fair enough. I thanked him for his instruction and left for my drive back to campus.

I do not think that I will be returning to this school. For one they practice, due to a lack of space and high rent in the area, in a public park. The park, being in West Hollywood, was full of homeless drug addicts and transvestites. Plus it was loaded with second hand smoke, and I have asthma. Now, I have no problem practicing in a public park, in fact I trained with Bloodybirds and nbotary in a public park back home. But I wont be practicing somewhere so polluted by nicotine that it makes me feel sick – seriously, by the time I was done there I had a terrible headache and a sore throat.

Secondly, the fact that the school has no sparring or combat training instantly turned me off. They are all forms with some chin na thrown in for good measure. A year ago that would have been fine for me, but now I am at a point in my training where the absence of combat application means the absence of me from class.

Now, I do not want this to come across as a put down on the school. The teacher, although away in China when I visited, has a very respectable background. Also his students are very skilled and courteous. But it is just not my kind of school (the hour long drive through LA traffic was also a turn-away).

So that is my report on my hunt for a Kung Fu school in SoCal. If I learned one thing from the experience it is that I am not willing to drive to LA for class. On my way back a car lost control in front of me. It slammed into a wall on the right. I passed the vehicle as it was barreling back towards the left wall. If I had hit the breaks, as I imagine most people would when they see an accident in progress before them, the vehicle would have smashed into me as it bounced off the right wall to the left. Hopefully the driver is alright, but I doubt he/she is.

Well then, one school down and one to go.



Edit: Took out observation regarding power. I thought about it some more and decided I'm really not an adequate judge on that topic.

The Prodigal Son - Leung Chang
Original Poster: dscott
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 09-03-2007, 07:30

Orginal Post: dscott: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW2tSg7G3Ew

some nice Qin Na (chin na)
Original Poster: BLACK PANTA
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 12-02-2007, 20:30

Orginal Post: BLACK PANTA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1X1OMVlXpg

Realistic Sanshou
Original Poster: BLACK PANTA
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 05-02-2007, 14:14

Orginal Post: BLACK PANTA: Comming to us all the way from the Communist Chinese Military

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=055ZVThS-oE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shc9ldnRDvQ

Wing Chun Or Shaolin Kung Fu
Original Poster: GrappleToWin
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 02-02-2007, 18:55

Orginal Post: GrappleToWin: ok i have no experiance in either MA but i just wanna know what style is better... i guess thats what i wanted to ask. reason is i wanna improve my standup fighting, i already know Muay Thai and BJJ but i wanna learn something else.. so help me decide

Tiger Kung fu
Original Poster: Haas
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 31-01-2007, 20:35

Orginal Post: Haas: i was reading a round a bit and got curious what is the aim or strategy of tiger Kung Fu and would it be good vs. Muay thai ??

Wing Chun Q&A
Original Poster: EvilScott
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 25-01-2007, 10:53

Orginal Post: EvilScott: Here it is - the time to ask everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask about Wing Chun. I invite other WC users to contribute, but remind all readers that there are so many WC lineages that training methods and such can differ radically from lineage to lineage. I train Traditional Lineage (technically - its kind of a mix but closest to this) under Sigong Jose Crescione.

Some questions you might wanna ask:

Principles?
Chi Sao? How/When/Why/etc
WC forms?
WC footwork?
WC hands?
Dim Mak? <- I got good stuff on this from Sigong Crescione
What it looks like in combat?
Cross training?
Iron palm training?

I'll answer just about anything you want. ASK AWAY!

shaolin monks
Original Poster: Haas
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 12-12-2006, 02:29

Orginal Post: Haas: I have always wondered but never bothered asking anyone, what are the 8 dots on a monks head supposed to mean? I have done my fare share of searching but found nothing ^_^

Knives & Kung-Fu
Original Poster: PunchDrunk
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 10-11-2006, 16:20

Orginal Post: PunchDrunk: I wanted to put this in the Kung-Fu forum because I want Kung-Fu input rather than input from other styles. I've seen the practice daggers that look like a double bladed spear point with rings and silk scarfs on the tail end of the handle. I was wondering if anyone had an example of (or links to) examples of what was really used to fight.

I'm currently working on a 2" wide 1/4" thick 12" long piece of O1 Tool Steel. I've put the bevels, a spear point, and concave handles on it, but haven't hardened it yet. I was thinking of using black linnen Micarta for the handles and brass bolsters front and rear. However, I am a bit worried that the end result won't be recognizeable as a Chineese fighting design.

Any input would be most welcome.

ORIGINAL WINGCHUN KUNGFU OF FOSHAN CHINA
Original Poster: 1968
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 04-11-2006, 09:16

Orginal Post: 1968: DIG THE QUINTESSENTIAL CULTURE IN CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS,ENHANCE ONE'S INTELLIGENCE AND INSIGHT,APPRECIATE THE SUTRA AND SUMMIT OF WINGCHUN,PLEASE GO TO THE WEBSITE: www.setsuninto.com (hee hee ho ho ha ha).SUCCESS WILL COME WHEN CONDITIONS ARE RIPE.

Where can i learn kung fu in sarasota,FL???
Original Poster: hamza2tn
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 01-11-2006, 03:02

Orginal Post: hamza2tn: i live in sarasota,FL,and i want to learn kung fu,does anyone know where they teach it??

starting drunken fist
Original Poster: bradwong77
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 28-10-2006, 01:18

Orginal Post: bradwong77: i'm thinking of starting drunken fist.
have you got any tips on starting this style. any tips would be great[color=darkblue [/color [/b 

Wing Chun in London
Original Poster: jinroh-81
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 23-10-2006, 03:13

Orginal Post: jinroh-81: Hi folks

I wish to learn Wing Chun but confused on what school to go to, I am interested in going to the White Lotus wing chun school (http://www.wingchunkungfu.net/) or The Warehouse (http://www.warehousekungfu.com/ http://www.ninobernardo.com/warehouse.html)

Are these schools any good?



I am attracted to White Lotus wing chun because students can engage in full contact sparring after gaining the yellow sash, but what I dislike about white lotus is that uses a sash/belt system and kung fu schools with a sash/belt system usually are stigmitised as McKwoon's. Also White Lotus doesn't allow students to watch a class and asks students to pay £5 for a introductory class.

Also could anyone recommend me other good schools in London and tips on choosing a good wing chun school?

Thanks

Traditional animal systems
Original Poster: Tatsukage
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 02-10-2006, 18:18

Orginal Post: Tatsukage: Ok, I've heard of all these different animal styles, but which are the more "traditional" ones? Or are they all traditional, just at different time periods? I'm familiar with snake, tiger, dragon, mantis, crane, panther, leopard, eagle, and monkey. I've heard there are only 5 "true" animal styles, but I wanted to get a better insight from people who actually have studied this more than I.

finding good teachers in the uk
Original Poster: bradwong77
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 21-09-2006, 03:32

Orginal Post: bradwong77: i having trouble finding good teachers in the uk.

what can i do to help practice

Quick questions on Chinese weapons
Original Poster: WushuPadawan001
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 19-09-2006, 20:39

Orginal Post: WushuPadawan001: Quick questions on Chinese weapons

First: In Fist of Legend (remake of Fists of Fury) Jet Li uses his belt in the last fight as a sort of whip. I?m trying to figure out what weapon this was adapted from because it seems to be very practical. Seems to me that a belt resembles a?..nine section chain? Is that what it?s called?

Second: Just out of pure robo-curiosity, were there any Kung Fu styles that used a bow? Probably not, just archery, but you never know. I?ve looked around the web but found nothing. You never know (hell, there?s a form that uses a stool as a weapon, not sure what style though). I can think of some cool moves that could be done with a bow in melee combat.

Jack Man Wong and Bruce Lee
Original Poster: WushuPadawan001
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 25-08-2006, 05:08

Orginal Post: WushuPadawan001: http://www.lakungfu.com/sifujackmanwong.html

This is an interesting read, but honestly I do not think that the “true” history of Bruce Lee will ever be made public – there are just too many people with too many points of view to accurately tell the story about the man. Like my brother says, “Everybody has an agenda.”

Monkey Kung FU anyone ???
Original Poster: Haas
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 14-08-2006, 22:41

Orginal Post: Haas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqgWxnGyW3w

one might think that theres a method to the madness eh ?

Sanda v2.0? A Proposition
Original Poster: Wilhelm von Wänkensteïn
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 03-08-2006, 00:17

Orginal Post: Wilhelm von Wänkensteïn: The recent discussion on CMA, sanda and K1 started me thinking, and last night, I had an epiphany. As we all know, sanda is really not CMA at all except in the loosest sense of the word - the kicking and legwork is a piss-poor mishmash of TKD *groan*, karate kickboxing and, in recent years, muay thai, the handwork is derived from boxing and only the wrestling component has any sort of true Chinese influence in it. 'San Da' in the traditional sense simply refers to any sort of free-sparring/fighting, or fighting techniques of the 'I-need-to-fight-next-week!' flavour - incidentally, the San Da techniques of CLF are very popular with triad gangsters to this very day. Also, in China, it is well-known that the most successful Sanda fighters either have a traditional background or else are trained with elements of traditional styles that do improve ring performance. Zeng Guanglin, a Shanghai-based Sanda coach (and a personal friend of mine), is a solid traditional stylist and swears by the throws and takedowns he teaches his boys.

Still, it begs the question - why, when there are more than 5000 known styles of Chinese martial art, is there only one mainstream competition that even begins to allow a form of controlled comparison of them in man-to-man combat, and even then results in all contestants fighting in more or less exactly the same way? To this end, I did some thinking, and I figured that a MMA competition (as it were) could be designed in such a way as to allow traditional Chinese stylists to show off their skills in as free an environment as possible while keeping it safe enough that it doesn't become outlawed outright (a little controversy, on the other hand, can only help to generate publicity and, more importantly, funding :mrgreen:).

Firstly, the question of the compromise between safety, realism and the freedom to fully express one's fighting art comes up. Sanda is woefully inadequate in this regard - 16oz gloves alone render a huge array of traditional techniques useless and, while vastly better in this regard, many MMA gloves are still not quite ideal. Also, what methods of scoring a win should be allowed and which should be outlawed? An especially pertinent issue given the vicious nature of many traditional styles - molly-coddle the fighters, or take the example of the ancient lei tai competitions, buggering the rules (and likewise the losers, who often forfeited their lives in the ring) and declaring an absolute vale tudo?

Concerning the rules, perhaps the best solution would be to create various divisions, as is done in other contact sports, with varying levels of expected skill and risk. Each successively higher division would employ progressively less protective equipment and impose fewer restrictions on technique. At the highest or 'ultimate' level, one could perhaps employ Brazil Vale Tudo-like rules, removing all but the bare minimum of protective equipment and outlawing everything short of the use of a weapon in the ring. Legality issues would be the main concern here, but one can see this taking off in China with the right connections (as with everything else).

With regard to the safety equipment, the solution is relatively simple - design equipment specifically catering to the sensibilities of traditional stylists - as unrestrictive as possible while still providing enough protection to prevent most accidental fatalities and maimings in the ring. So far, I have only given thought to the glove (since that is the main piece of protective equipment in an MMA contest) and thought of the rough design of a segmented model - various stipulated primary striking areas of the hand are protected by thin but dense strips of padding connected by strips or chords of elastic that hold the structure together. One possible candidate for a good material to use might be silicone-based gel foam, which is incredibly dense and has good shock-absorbing capabilities. The main striking surfaces to be padded would likely be the tips of the fingers (individual caps of material like thimbles), the knuckles and back of the hand (a fairly broad strip of material with articulations) and perhaps the knife-edge of the hand (an articulated extension of the hand/knuckle pad). The gloves might well be tailored to individual fighting divisions, with the highest divisions providing padding to none but the most immediately dangerous of striking surfaces to provide full play to the hands and wrists. Lower divisions might employ elbow and knee pads of varying thickness, and amateur and perhaps semi-pro or low-level professional tournaments might stipulate the use of headguards such as are used in other amateur combat sports. Likewise, protective cups would preferably be mandatory at all levels, as would be mouthguards, though a special mouthguard might have to be designed as many traditional styles stipulate a certain way of closing the mouth and holding the tongue.

The issue of rules is a relatively simple issue. However, with two notable exceptions - namely Northern Ground Fist and Southern Earth Dragon Fist (also known as Dog Fist) - traditional Chinese styles are predominantly standup fighting styles. Also, the prevalent groundfighting styles mentioned above are fast, acrobatic systems little like the groundfighting often seen in the modern MMA ring. With that in mind, a thirty-second limit on groundfighting might be imposed. Thence, if action on the ground remains inconclusive, the fighters are obliged to break and come to scratch once more. This would encourage the fighters to work in a dynamic fashion and still allow groundfighting specialists to show off their skills adequately. Of course, for special matches or the 'ultimate' divisions, this restriction may be removed.

Here's all I can think of for now, but this will be an ongoing project of mine as I think I may be on to something here :D

Comments? Suggestions? Flames? Milk?

Lion's Claw Kung Fu?
Original Poster: BLACK PANTA
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 29-07-2006, 23:50

Orginal Post: BLACK PANTA: http://www.lionsclawkungfu.com/history.htm

Have anyone heard of this style. Is it a legit style?

CMA Resource/School sites
Original Poster: BLACK PANTA
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 22-07-2006, 03:31

Orginal Post: BLACK PANTA: Same idea as the thread in the BJJ/grappling forum.

www.usashaolintemple.com
www.shaolin.com
www.shaolinwolf.com

Coming to China? Come visit us!
Original Poster: Cabin-Dao
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 08-07-2006, 14:54

Orginal Post: Cabin-Dao: Hi folks, just wanted to introduce myself, since I'm new here. I'm at American girl working as a translator at a Daoist martial arts center in Yunnan Province, China. We practice San Feng Tai Ji, and Wudang Kung Fu. You can see our photos here:
http://www.cabin-dao.com

I look forward to chatting with everyone.

-Julie

Water Boxing
Original Poster: WushuPadawan001
Forum: Kung Fu Styles, Chinese Martial Arts
Posted On: 29-06-2006, 18:16

Orginal Post: WushuPadawan001: Has anyone heard of, know about, or seen a Kung Fu style called ?Water Boxing?? It came up in conversation among me and some classmates a while ago and of late I have started wondering about it. All I know about the style is its English name and that it is allegedly very rare.

Anywho, if anyone knows anything about the style I?d love to hear from yah. In the mean time I?ll be hitting the books to see what I can find.