tallahassee advice: shotokan, moy yat wing chun, animal KF

**MyDo** · Posted On: 6/18/2011 11:57pm

Originally Posted by burningflames

i like the stories, the histories of the katas and the forms, and the zen philosophy that goes with it

So do I mate but I think in the pragmatic martial sense the consensus generally here is:

Muay Thai, Boxing, Judo, BJJ, Kyokushin, and Sambo for the aliveness of their styles.

I'm with you though, I have to admit missing some of the cultural aspects of TMA. That's why to try to get the mental/cultural side down I am learning Tai Chi. I was an international affairs major(China) back in the day so the cultural aspect is important to me too. Good luck and don't be afraid to learn your preconceptions might be incorrect.

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 6/19/2011 12:07am

The cultural Mish Mash of incorrectly applied zen and Buddhism? Okay...??

**PXM** · Posted On: 6/19/2011 12:18am

More people should take the honey badger as their totem animal.

If the honey badgers were all to unite, humanity wouldn't stand a chance.

I'm with you though, I have to admit missing some of the cultural aspects of TMA.

You are missing it, and so is the majority of the community, because you can't find it anymore.
Most TMA places are run by old, fat white guys with weeaboo obsession who collect katanas and think speaking in bad Chinese or Japanese makes them cultural and moral demigods.

This right here, is who you learn from.

As for me, my old Judo coach was Japanese, so right there I have a better claim to Zen than most McDojo enablers.

**TheMightyMcClaw** · Posted On: 6/19/2011 6:27pm

One thing the Chinese figured out a couple decades ago that westerners are still picking up on is that pretending your a tiger while fighting and winning a fight are at cross purposes with one another. So they bifurcated their martial arts into performance wushu - where you get to do as many flippities and tiger claws as you want - and Sanda - where the goal is to beat the **** out of the other guy.
The results of San Da are well noted, but wushu has also produced way, way cooler-looking routines than the traditional Chinese floor gymnastics. Compare the videos you posted above to this guy:

You need to have clear goals to succeed.

**burningflames** · Posted On: 6/20/2011 10:47am

The chinese place with xingyi and ba gua zha also teaches southern crane and tiger. i dont know if this is the same as th crane and tiger taught in the "five animals" of kung fu. I hope it is, that school is sounding better and better. The teacher there reminded me that xingyi has animal forms in it as well.

I think that must be a great school, san shou, southern tiger and crane, xing yi and bagua zha plus tai chi.

what exactly is southern crane and tiger

The five animals school is also a yoga studio. I cannot decide but I am pretty excited to try them out in person.

**The Juggernoob** · Posted On: 6/20/2011 10:50am

**** it, im just going to ask.

Do you want to learn how to fight, or how to perform?

**burningflames** · Posted On: 6/20/2011 11:07am

I want to learn kung fu!

**The Juggernoob** · Posted On: 6/20/2011 11:23am

Originally Posted by burningflames

I want to learn kung fu!

Then just pick one that looks pretty already.

***WhiteShark*** · Posted On: 6/20/2011 11:37am

Kung Fu means hard work so get off the internet and go do pushups. Then your kung fu will be strong and you can do something useful like San Shou or San Da.

**burningflames** · Posted On: 6/20/2011 11:39am

but that isnt how kung fu works, just look up xingyi and bagua on wike. isnt that awesome? Im excited but I think im leaning toward learning the five ancestral animals first.... while i can be fit enough to perform to that level of conditioning...