Martial Arts

[theo]

Saw some other threads on the topic, but they haven't been posted in for 5 - 6 years. Thought I would start afresh rather than necro-bumping.

I've been doing freestyle karate for about 3 years now and I've just graded to my 5th Kyu. Loving martial arts as much as ever, I'd love to talk to some fellow sso'ers who also practice!

The style I do is termed "freestyle karate", but we take almost as much influence from Kung Fu as we do Karate. We're a smallish club with probably 30 - 40 adult members, although there are LOADS of kids.

I'm looking at starting tournaments this year for Katas and Point sparring.

 

[ShadyDavey]

I've done loads over the years but haven't done any for a substantial period of time.

Starting in about 1988 (excluding the Judo I took for 3 years when I was a LOT younger) I've studied (to one extent or another) Taekwon Do, a couple of styles of Kung-Fu (Lau Gar, Wing Chun, 7 Star Praying Mantis, Northen Shaolin), Muay Thai, Systema, and Karate (Freestyle/Wado Ryu).

Only today I managed to catch up with a friend I've not seen in 5 years and he dropped off a whole bag full of Arnis/Escrima literature which I'll probably pick up when I have more time/opportunity to travel to classes. He's studying under a 1st Generation Master of the Lightning Arnis Grandmaster so it's quite a pleasing opportunity to be able to see the lineage in close focus.

 

[theo]

Wow that's awesome! I personally haven't done a lot of weapon training. My club restricts dedicated weapons classes to 4th Kyu and above. Although I have done a little Bo work.

I'm interested in starting Kama for XMA katas at some point.

 

[ShadyDavey]

As I said - some more than others The main weapon training I've done is a couple of traditional kung-fu weapons (Broadsword, Staff) the odd bit of Japanese (Tonfa, Nunchaku, Bo and Jo) and then a smattering of Philippine weapons - butterfly knives, rattan stick etc.

I'm trying to avoid anything too injurious to my hands as breaking boards and tiles when I used to do TKD has certainly damaged my digits to some extent ^^

 

[yellow]

just some background, Im a black belt in karate (I studied shorin ryu, Shotokan, and seido, and they are really all the same thing even tho there is a debate about lineage and origin between Okinawa and japan, but I am black belt in seido, all kata and karate techinuqe are all the same, the difference comes in at the higher kata forms and the integration of zen, but its rare to find such good schools, like seido in that respece), which I began studying at the age of 7. there was also a very brief stint with kenpo, but the school was a joke, so I couldn't say I studied it aside from having physical exposure and contact with "black belts" of that tradition, I think kenpo is a good system, but not this school.

Later, in my teens, I switched to kung fu. First, I tasted the wutang/wudang school of the three treasures (taijuquan, baguazhan, and hsing-i) briefly, then on to wing chun/ving tsun of moy yat, a southern shaolin system that is hard and soft, external with internal elemsnts because it is a hybridization of all shaolin animal and family forms with a touch of the wutang school. then I very briefly studied under wong kiew kits shaolin school lineage but that guys a profiteer as far as im concerned and found nothing there I did not find in a book, and then some exclusive taijiquan, but after a few years, I had enough money to return to finally the best of the best, back to the wutang school, which is the definition of the soft, internal school of the north.

id say ving tsun is the most effective system for producing able fighters within months, inclusive of all systems outside of china (only except being muay thai WITH the right teacher and willing student). however, the best system of all systems, and remember I come from a long and strong black belt karate background, the supreme and finest and most refined system is wutang: taijijuans soft fluidity and yielding, hsing-i's direct and powerful single finisher attacks in linear explosive power, and baguazuans circular whirlwind attack that does not ever become static.

when you combing the three, you truly have every teaching of every other system of kung fu, which precludes any other martial art from china/japan, and its form, technique and esoteric teachings are beyond that of anywhere else, for instance, their neijia/ nei chia and chi kung are built in from the ground up and only continue to advance, whereas as the external schools just begin real nei chia much much much later after form and technique are completely learnt.

I am not speaking as an elitist, I am a true martial artist, and I can speak with seasoned experience, that I spent the majority of life studying karate, but the wutang school is beyond a martial art, it is the practice of living and the enhancement of it, and within the martial art of form and defense/combat lies the secret teachings of Chinese Taoist immortals, which is up to your belief system to decide if it is of benefit or truth to you, however, I can say this, ive witnessed and have been a part of the hidden teachings that would astound even atheistic non believers of anything in general, its that profound.

I did not get much into the weapon forms and I did not complete the system because they are three kung fu styles that while complimentary, are much different in form, what they share is the internal philosophy and practice, but the way the form is manifest appears externally differenct. The weapons are practically a system of their own, with approximately 17 off the top of my hand, and since we cant carry arms or weapons like deerhook swords, broad swords, long poles, and buttefly knives in real life, I didn't care much about the weapons forms and practice, tho id love to be proficient in perhaps the greatest of them all, the taijiquan sword.

anyway, kung fu and karate are the most well known martial arts, but there are others that are great, like muay thai, aikido, ninjitsu, and then there are alright ones like judo, tkd, tang soo do, and jiujitsu and capoeira (i exclude jeet kun do cuz lee just hybridized his teachings and called it his style, and theres no real reason for it cuz its just wing chun with lees name on it).....and then finally there is the bastardization of it all:MMA, which is not only not a martial art nor art in any shape whatsoever, it is a big waste of money and in insult to the classical schools of authentic tradition from any country. it is boxing with grappling, it is complete all out freestyle brawling using any excuse for attempting to try another systems technique, im sorry to sound condescending now at this point towards MMA, but as an old school martial artist, it is nearly insulting that its called mixed martial arts instead of mix and match arts, its not an art at all, its just fighting....with the mentality that youre a martial artist using techniques from martial arts. you can watch videos of karate and kung fu, and be a better MMA fighter than learning from an MMA school I bet. who knows, all I know is those guys are street fighters and brawlers looking for something to prove. its not self defense, which is the reason you study, and its not a high art, its just brawling (end rant)

in general, Ive never really heard of freestyle karate, so I read up on it and it seems to be either a hybrid of a few karate schools and with elements of other martial art systems. I am not giving an opinion and im not calling it MMA, cuz its obviously karate, but it sounds more like "competitive sport" or wushu rather than a traditional system that includes an inner aspect, but remember this is coming from someone whos approached it old school since I was 7, so I mean nothing by my old mind old set ways or mentality. naturally of course, since it is an American invention for the most part, and America being a new country exposed to martial arts and having an influx of many traditions from many countries within a very short time, really only about 50 years maximum of martial arts in America at most, you wouldn't expect that to be a part of it, it wouldn't make sense.

im glad to see American freestyle karate actually, and I wish it would decimate MMA's sensationalized nonsense. the only thing I will accept as an American martial art is freestyle karate at this point, now that ive read and heard more about it. it sounds great, and it sounds very much like an attempt at a true hybrid of traditions that come from outside, in other words, its a sincere attempt at bridging different systems for their benefits (and not exploitation like MMA) and I think it sounds quite interesting really.

still, please correct me if i am wrong about it, but is there a spirit aspect like zen or chi kung? there seems to be no spiritual or inner cultivation, and that is what makes a complete system speaking from the point of view of a classical traditionalist looking for true authentcity, at least as close as you could come to as an outsider learning something passed down from one guy to another over hundreds of years, you just hope its as close as you can get to the real thing. remember, I am simply an observer asking practitioners questions, not presumptusouly assuming anything, I WANT THAT TO BE CLEAR, I am not here to troll flame or disrespect by looking down at the new...I am asking for my own knowledge to see what the state of martial arts is in America.

I find the "sport" of martial arts to be completely cool as well. in my karate days, I used to be the senior in my class, meaning, I was the student responsible for being kind of a mentor/older brother in helping the development and technique of my other school brothers. I was the best at sparring and of course people got a shot in here and there, but I remained undefeated (when using the point system obviously because we didn't have fights to KO, but if we did, im sure I wouldn't have lost either). so I have fun with that stuff, but the wutang school has no sparring, what we do is called "playing" and its close but non competitive and there never is a winner. I cant look at tournaments and sparring as a karate guy anymore, I can only see them as a kung fu guy at this point, so its no longer my thing, once you reach a certain level of understanding, you don't really wish to compete anymore

that's not to say tournaments and sparring are beneath me or are low forms of martial art at all, remember I used to be very combative in my early/middle years of study. I found it useful for attemptying technique applications in full on combat with someone else who has the same fighting knowledge as myself (as opposed to just getting into a fight with some asshole on the street who doesnt know how to fight and wants to attack you) so its great for preparedness. in other words, taking the katas purity and moving it into a physical setting, and its good to see application in effect certainly.

on the other hand like I said, at a certain point, you don't need to do that anymore, and you don't want to fight or compete or see what can happen because in full force application, it is completely lethal and not the point of practice. the point of martial arts is NOT to fight.

with all that said, I am VERY VERY glad to hear the enthusiasm you guys have for the martial arts, and I commend you for your hard work and continued practice. I wish you great and much success in your development and I hope it provides you with everything you have been looking for in the art. I also wish you the best of luck in establishing your tournaments, especially kata, and I hope you never get hurt while competing in sportsman like competition. I really really hope the martial arts give you everything you want and need and more than you expect. truly and sincerely, the best of luck to all of you and I only posted to share some of my story with you guys since you were kind enough to share yours, blessings, fortune and success to you my brothers. Osu!

 

[skeels]

Ninpo.

Shhhhhhhh....

 

[yellow]

Ninpo.

Shhhhhhhh....

nuff said I really like the wit in that lil clever post

 

[phantomnote]

Used to do karate for 4 years. Shuri-ryu. Didn't feel that it worked for me - I was unsure what to do if someone really attacked me.

I shifted to weng chun some 3-4 years ago and haven't looked back.

Very MMA like in the way you train, except we have forms too and it's a much bigger system than mma of course - much more delicate

I also do some BJJ, but weng chun is my main focus (I like standing best and I only have so much time in my schedule). Weng chun does have floor applications tho, but BJJ really helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=uUnxXWMGZxc&NR=1

 

[skeels]

I actually never studied anything formally but I've been lucky enough to ascend surrounded my whole life with people who have. My friends have been in everything from real crane style kung fu to ninpo to muay thai to real scholars who have trained with samurai in Japan.

I have always been a student since I was very young, both in the forms and the philosophies of all the arts.

From chin na to aikido, its all good. I also was exposed to yoga and tai chi at an early age.

The Way of the Intercepting Fist set me free though...

 

[mcleanab]

I started in Shotokan for about a year... wasn't a good fit for me.

Dabbled in Aikido and then Ninjutsu for another couple of years... also felt good, just not quite right for me.

Stumbled in Wing Chun which was being taught along with Kali/Silat and JKD with some ground fighting too... loved it.

Attended a few seminars with Guro Dan Inosanto... AMAZING (this was back in the late 90's and he seems to improve with age).

Got my teaching license in Wing Chun and taught for a few years. First place I taught was a basement in a Muay Thai gym... the owner had a wooden dummy that was given to him as a gift in the early 80's by Dan Inosanto that he had for years apparently... gives me goose bumps to think who worked on that thing...

Haven't trained in years, but always loved it...

And recently (a total secret) got an impromptu lesson from a lovely old man who used to train directly under Yip Man and his class mates were Bruce Lee, William Cheung, Hawkins Cheung, Moy Yat, etc... goose bumps again...

 

[ghostred7]

I've dabbled off & on my whole life. At 6 y/o, I was a member of the NKJU and studied Karate for a year. Stopped for a while and then in early teens practiced Kenpo JuJitsu for 4yrs.

After I joined the military, I studied "Shisei-Ryu" under Gary Ducote in Louisiana and also studied Arnis de mano e-ditsu/Shaolin Kuntao under Guru Mustafa Del Ali Rawlings. After I got out of the military & moved to Atlanta, I briefly joined the Chinese Shaolin Center in Marietta and then my other half and I studied Skinkendo/Aiki-Jujutsu at Atlanta Budokan.

Mostly practice on my own b/c after all of my dabbling, the only style that fits me is Kenpo and have been having challenges finding a school that's not either across the state or private lesson only. I don't do well in private lessons and like the group environment better.

 

[skeels]

Slightly off topic- curious as to what ideals have proven the most valuable and profound to you guys.

For me, duty, family and calmness.

Also-reading.. Book of Five Rings. Hagakure. Tao of JKD. Tao de Ching.

 

[ghostred7]

Self discipline and situational awareness. I've always been pretty centered in the other areas like you mentioned (duty/family/calmness), so those were more enhanced than learned.

 

[Lagtastic]

I took American Kenpo for about 4 years. I thought I was a badass and entered a few tournaments. After you win some early rounds, you quickly realize how much practice time and raw skill the the really good guys have under their belts. I took a few good beatings and moved on to other activities.

Studying one of the martial arts was great for me as a kid. It teaches you self control, personal awareness, and gives you lots of confidence. If I could go back I would have stuck with it. The thing that has stuck with me most is the ability to handle stressful situations without starting to panic, and being able to think clearly under duress.

 

[yellow]

Seeing sameness in difference perhaps

 

[theo]

Was away for training over the weekend (not martial arts related) great to see all the activity on this thread. Yellow my style is an interesting mix, I'm not totally sure what styles of karate we utilise, but wing chun is where we take our kung fu influence from. There is incorporation of zen etc. But they only start teaching more about it at higher grades.

Before that we are heavily taught about the bushido code and we also have a student and school creed which we follow.

 

[yellow]

great, wing chun is certainly the best system to emulate and incorporate, and do you have a link to your school or anywhere I can read on your styles lineage and history?

plz read my post through and pm me, Id like to chat when you can dude.

thx

 

[theo]

Not really, We have a severely outdated and underutilized website: Golden Cobra Martial Arts

We are a relatively new and small club though.

 

[espman]

I've got my 1st degree black belt in Taekwon-Do, but ended up having to stop training shortly after due to a self-inflicted injury (outside of TKD). I really do miss it though

 

[Humanoid]

When you say you practice ninpo/ninjutsu, please tell the name of the art instead of using the "market name". Ninjutsu is so small part of the curriculum of these arts you just shouldn't use it to make it sound more mystical.