question about li peng's classes

[emre]

Maybe it's because he kept switching schools every 2 years.

Hey Mortal, so you went to Yan Ming's place first and Li Peng last, what was in between, Guolin?

[mortal]

Yan ming does not teach sparring ever. Trained with him over 3 years. Never had a sparring class for anyone. Still doesn't.

Hengxin does not teach sparring ever. Only forms with very limited if any applications.

Li peng does not teach sparring. He has one student from belgium he taught sparring in all his years teaching. He posts on here by the way.
So I'm wrong because lipeng said he teaches it. Lolo They all say that and then it never happens. For anyone.

Shaolin is only effective if you are training in it constantly because the style depends on strength and conditioning. I have nothing against that. But when I started kungfu I was always impressed with the old not- so-conditioned master who could kick anybodys ass. They can do this because they have reflex timing and techniques based on skelatal structure. They are not just muscling a side kick into their opponent. There is nothing wrong with that, but I wanted something more from my training. I want to defeat my opponent with minimum effort. Shaolin looks like kickboxing when they spar because that is essentially all it is. Out muscling your opponent. There is so much more to actual kungfu fighting than that.

[zachsan]

it's pretty easy to defeat an opponent with minimal effort. just point and squeeze.

[snocap]

Balltap >_>;

but anywho...who cares how you protect yourself as long as you are alive and well in reality right?

Noone is gonna look at how sexy your kicks are when you are attacked by a street gang or something O.o...

[mortal]

Zachsan

That statement has always been a sore point with me. I study kung fu because I love fighting. Unlike the rest of you self proclaimed enlightened ones.

Most people I meet aren't carrying a firearm.

It is good to know they would need to be. Where as I would just need my hands.

[mortal]

Exactly look how sexy your kicks are. That is all they do in Chinese martial arts lately. They worry what they look like. That has nothing to do with fighting. Doing a pretty shaolin form or being a good fighter is two completely different things. When I was training shaolin I thought I was a more formidable opponent. A bad false impression. I was no more competent a fighter than the day I walked in the school.

[zachsan]

Originally posted by mortal
I study kung fu because I love fighting.

that's all i wanted to hear.

seriously though, that's fine, because you're being honest about it. what i don't like is when people love to study fighting, but instead call it self-defense to make it more socially acceptable, thus confusing the difference between fighting and self-defense, which is a very big one.

fighting is that arena in which brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, wing chun, shaolin, and monkey style might help. self-defense is the arena in which running helps. i think that by confusing the difference, we're putting many young and impressionable kids in danger, by suggesting that it's a good idea to stand up and fight a gang in a back alley. that's all i'm saying.

that's a topic for another thread, though...

[mortal]

suggesting that it's a good idea to stand up and fight a gang in a back alley. that's all i'm saying.



That is why these kids need to be practicing wing chun.



As if I totally don't get the point. lolo

[snocap]

Nobody ever sayed it was a good idea the question is "what if"?

[mortal]

True that.

[zachsan]

frankly, "what if" is a very common and stupid question when it comes to self defense. people who ask "what if", 99% of the time, are just trying to create a mythical situation in which they can unleash their mythical kick-ass moves.

what if you're surrounded by a gang of 15 people in a back alley somewhere, all of them trying to kill you and all of them probably armed somehow, and there's no way you can run? well, if you've allowed yourself to get into that situation (which was pretty stupid, buddy), then for all intents are purposes, you're dead. of course, fight like hell to get out, but don't count on it. real-world self defense is about not getting into that situation to begin with. that's one of the things that separates it in leaps and bounds from fighting.

[mortal]

I told my wing chun teacher I wasn't interested in learning knife defenses. I told him I would just take off.
He said what if you can't. What if you and yours are cornered. He was in that situation. If trained shaolin for ten years and was in that situation I would be dead. At least with a little knowledge and practice I would have some chance.

[mortal]

zachsan

Who said we are all supreme controllers of situations.

Like now for example. You have backed your self into a corner.
It wasn't your intention you misjudged the situation.

Lets see if your verbal skills could get you out.

lol I think they could. You've had much practice.

[zachsan]

haha what corner would that be? i'm just stating my opinion.

we're not the supreme controllers of situations, i think this is my point. all we can do is change what variables we can in our own favor. who knows? maybe a street gang will randomly decide to leave their turf in west philly. all of them will get on the el to 30th street, and take the 44 to bala cynwyd, where i work. and then, they'll linger outside my office building, and when i come out of the office building, i will find myself surrounded. they'll do this all not because they have something against me, but just because they're an especially spontaneous and free-spirited street gang.

there's no way i could prevent such bizarre things from happening. but chances are, they're not gonna.

let's say i'm walking down the street in old city and a guy with a knife corners me, and i can't tell if he just wants to take my wallet or if he really wants to kill me or both. he has an extraordinary advantage in that he has a knife and i don't carry any weapons at all. instead of following my natural inclination to maybe kick him in the balls and get the hell out, i follow an inclination that i learned from bruce lee movies and use wing chun to disarm him and kick his dirty ass, and i succeed.

there's no way he can be 100% sure that i won't beat him. but chances are, i won't.

there's always going to be some "what ifs". but i would rather be on the same side as the statistics. so, for the time being, i think i'll keep my job here in bala cynwyd, and stay out of the bad parts of west philly. and, if i'm cornered by a guy with a knife, i think i'll kick him in the balls and run, rather than try to beat him with some spectacular wing chun move.

Originally posted by mortal
If trained shaolin for ten years and was in that situation I would be dead.

well that's a different question entirely. just keep in mind that no matter what style you train in, the odds will still always be against you in this situtation.

don't get me wrong, martial training can help. the longer you stay in that situation, the higher the odds get that you won't make it out. so, if anything, you should use your training to open a window for you to run, not to stay and fight.

[emre]

All this stuff about not needing martial arts for self-defense is just bull****. Why does every fight have to be against multiple gang members armed with knives and guns?

Some years ago, I was driving on the highway and the traffic was a mess because of construction. The guy to the lane on my right got impatient, and just when the car in front of me moved, tried to sneak into my lane because his wasn't moving yet.

The problem was that I had already moved, and I couldn't stop in time for my bumper not to scrape the side of his car. It was nothing serious, just a minor scratch.

The guy came out of his car and so did I, to see what the damage was. Only, suddenly he decided he would punch me. This guy was bigger and heavier than me. If he had hit me, it would have hurt. Those days, I used to practice Wing Chun.

I sidestepped with a Pak Sau and hit him on the jaw with a palm strike and he went down. I told him to not try and hit me again and that it was his fault that his car had gotten scratched and he shouldn't be attacking me. A couple of people had gotten out of their cars and they supported me. So the guy got up, cursed, got into his car and drove off.

Sometimes, you can't pick your fights. I have another similar story and interestingly, that one too involves road rage. I also know how some of my friends got into fights with people.

Sure, this wasn't a life-threatening situation. I doubt that guy would have hit me a repeatedly if his first punch had landed. He just wanted to hurt me a little to show me who was boss because he knew he was at fault and was pissed off. All I would have gotten would have been a busted lip or a black eye maybe for a few days. But why should I let myself be pushed around? If you're spending a lot of time practicing something that's called Martial Arts, isn't it only natural to expect that you at least get some benefit from it in a situation like this, other than physical conditioning.