Questioning Kung Fu

**shuaichiaorules** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 11:46am

I am also involved in a school where we are not allowed to spar together. During our shuai chiao classs we can spar because it is just throwing, but during the hard style classes it would never work with the things we learn the fights would last 30 seconds max and someone would be in the hospital

**FictionPimp** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 11:59am

Originally Posted by shuaichiaorules

I am also involved in a school where we are not allowed to spar together. During our shuai chiao classs we can spar because it is just throwing, but during the hard style classes it would never work with the things we learn the fights would last 30 seconds max and someone would be in the hospital

And these things would be? Are you refering to the deadly neck punch, eye poke, or nose into the brain?

**losttrak** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 1:49pm

Tommy? You still there? HellOooOoo?

**amichaell** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 2:41pm

Originally Posted by shuaichiaorules

I am also involved in a school where we are not allowed to spar together. During our shuai chiao classs we can spar because it is just throwing, but during the hard style classes it would never work with the things we learn the fights would last 30 seconds max and someone would be in the hospital

So how do you know anything you are taught will work outside of class?

**isol8d** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 3:14pm

Originally Posted by Tommy

Mornin' everyone. The following post talks a bit about my experience with martial arts and the questions I've been thinking about. I'm thinking out loud and looking for some no-nonsense input.

I'm currently practicing sanshou kickboxing, but my first martial art experience was with kung fu back in early 2000. The teacher was reputable, but there was one major problem... no sparring. The school used to have a (full-contact) sparring program, led by the teacher, but reportedly interest dropped and the sparring class was too poorly attended to merit continuation. The issue was that people would try it out, feel some pain, and decide that they didn't want to fight. The forms sure are pretty, though...

Unfortunately, this is an all too common scenario with kung fu. Happened at my school. 25 people start, as soon as we start contact, we're down to 5-8, as soon as we start hard contact, I'm the last one standing.

I persevered, fought in a tournament, and got our sparring class restarted.

Next goal is to fight full contact rules.

**isol8d** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 3:15pm

Originally Posted by losttrak

Tommy? You still there? HellOooOoo?

He's busy playing a mean pinball.

**Ronin.74** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 3:35pm

isol8d is right. The instructor I train Baji with has been unfortunate in the fact that most of the people that come along to train with him are olny interested in appearances. They want to say," Look at me, I train gong fu, look at my skills" They have no interest in learning to apply techniques through sparring. My shifu often refers to them as "fools". I had to step up and say," hey Shifu I want to start a sparring group, I want work on making this stuff work against a resisting opponent."

That got things moving and got my shifu excited about teaching again. Sometimes it's up to the student to make the jump from forms to sparring to show the instructor that he is not like all the other "fools" taking gong fu.

**infenix** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 3:50pm

I have to go to the original post on this - there were huge problems with what Tommy was told by his sifu.

On the exaggeration of kung fu techniques in forms, that is more accurately accounted for by the principle of big circles and little circles. When you start, you're weak and uncoordinated, so you're taught bigger moves that you can use. As you get better and stronger, you add finesse, reducing the scale/arcs of the moves accordingly.

Kung fu reduced to a few simple moves is simply yawnsville. Practical? Yes, but so what? The whole art is practical if you have what it takes to concentrate for x number of years under proper tutelage.

The problem with the style you did was it lost sight of its roots and compounded it by failing to modify its teachings to close up the holes. I think it it had the holes simply because the teacher didn't understand it in the first place.

Rgds,
David

**GoldenJonas** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 5:03pm

Originally Posted by shuaichiaorules

I am also involved in a school where we are not allowed to spar together. During our shuai chiao classs we can spar because it is just throwing, but during the hard style classes it would never work with the things we learn the fights would last 30 seconds max and someone would be in the hospital

You have GOT to be friggen kidding me........how do you know that you have your sherucken!! down or that you haven't overloaded your Chi Fart of perpetual dorkitude.

**TehDeadlyDimMak** · Posted On: 1/31/2006 6:03pm

Originally Posted by shuaichiaorules

I am also involved in a school where we are not allowed to spar together. During our shuai chiao classs we can spar because it is just throwing, but during the hard style classes it would never work with the things we learn the fights would last 30 seconds max and someone would be in the hospital

That's an excuse for pitiful nerds who can't take a punch.

Kung Fu guys who claim your argument often learn that they suck the hard way. By getting beaten down by a plain old wrestler, boxer, sanda fighter, etc.