Several Things on Shaolin Gongfu...

[Maestro]

whats so special about this article? besides the fact that its an interesting read it just sounds like another typical dumb ass american discovering kung fu

amitabha

[meattosser]

Hey Maestro I barely noticed, you changed yer pic, ha. That's pretty tight. "Souther Fist bitch", ha ha. Anyway, I was kinda also curious as to if anyone has gone to Hong Kong and perhaps seen this master Wan Kei Ho firsthand, as he seems to be a tremendous master.
By the way, Maestro, which of my links were you referring to? The Hong Kong one or the Antonio Graceffo one?

[Maestro]

well i read most of the kfo articles, but i meant the clf master

he sounds good and all but, i dunno whats so special about em? i dont get it

also that guy in the article, the american was a dick, tkd..gody that ****s funny, whats tkd got on..anyone?hahahaha

amitabha

[zachsan]

i've seen some TKD guys who can make a punching bag just sail with a kick. true it's mostly for sport, but i wouldn't underestimate the "side-benefits" of that particular sport.

- zach

[meattosser]

Yeah, heh, that TKD guy WAS kind of a dick, at first. But once he realized that true internal power exists, he became very humble, realizing that he was barely scratching the surface of what martial arts could be.

[zachsan]

i don't buy it.

that article on lou reed is funny ****, though.

[Maestro]

yes, internal power is impressive, how many different ways there are of manipulating chi is impressive

but external power and techniques are impressive aswell..i mean, to think the way that guy did for so long, was..well dangerous, since ive several 'traditionalists' kung fu included, get there asses beat for being so closed minded.

and tkd..tkd is not really impressive, but its good. most of their kicks arent really powerful in that they pack a hell of a punch..but MOST of their kicks are more or less light strikes, if a kick can even be called that

cause they really dont focus on using the instep, or the shin..that limits the kicks alot, but i mean if you kick all the time your gonna kick hard..and they do, but you can see how it limits them, coupled with the fact that they dont pay much attention to conditioning(or not enough) this makes the art a little inferior when compared to other martial arts anyhow

any, i dont particularly agree with their fighting philosophy or training methods but..meh, nough about tkd

amitabha

[zachsan]

these generalizations don't really apply. what part of the foot is used to kick can vary from school to school, and then, from student to student. a besides, the toe of a shoe moving at the speed it would in a TKD roundhouse aimed at your temple.... it would leave a mark. but to get back to my point, you just can't make these kinds of generalizations about any style.

every school has its share of sheep, and every school has its share of lions. and the lions acknowledge each other, whatever style they practice.

- zach

[meattosser]

The Lou Reed article? I wasn't even talking about that, ha ha. You're talking about the one where he shows up on the cover though, right? What do you think of his master though? Guangyi Ren? I'm told he's a hell of a master.

[Maestro]

well

actually they do apply since tkd is pretty basic, and the fact that they dont use the instep and shin in their kicks is actually very prevalent in traditional tkd

and, making general statements about particular arts can be said, for instance, in tkd there really is no aspect of grappling, joint locking, hand techniques are almost non existant, throws and takedowns are there but arent emphasised to a degree where they are expected to be practiced, the same can be said for conditioning aswell, then theres the flying kicks which are there best way of delivering power, which isnt very appropriate imho as being the 'best' way of delivering force, but meh

nough bashing of tkd, im done

amitabha

[zachsan]

what i meant was the generalizations about TKD not being practical for the real world.

[Sir Didymus]

The kicks of TKD are all basic. Then the only other kicks they have are kicks made off of these basic ones. You know, add a spin, a jump, or whatever. Hands are very limited. Which I think is stupid. What will they do if they can't keep the space for kicking? Or they hurt their leg. What will they do? I met a guy who did olympic TKD. He didn't even know what his hands were. I mean, he totally had no idea when it came to hands. Hands? What are those? But what I want to say is that in traditional TKD there are some grappling and joint locking techniques. I guess, go to the right school and you will see it. TKD isn't my style. But I helped teach for a guy at his school just cuz my kicks are good and he liked Chinese Gong Fu. It was kinda silly. He wore Gong Fu shoes in his own TKD school. Sometimes even wore a Chinese Gong Fu shirt. Funny. I don't know what he was trying to pull. But he is very good at TKD anyway. Just doesn't know sh!t and sh!t about Chinese style. Aaaanywho, there are some grappling and joint locking in the style. Just very limited.

[zachsan]

there are many, many different ideas about what is best in a combat situation, and these vary from style to style and from student to student. i have read articles by TKD exponents describing their combat philosophy. basically, they focus on kicks because they can be very powerful, and because the legs provide the longest reach of the body's natural weapons. my own philosophy is different, but theirs has turned out some pretty incredible martial artists.

- zach

[Sir Didymus]

Yeah, no doubt a TKD master is good at it. They kill people with their feet. Or stand concrete blocks up and do a back kick breaking off the top half without knocking it over. Sounds impossible or movie like. But it's been done. And it's pretty impressive. I like kicking. Killing people with only your feet is cool. But I think TKD is only good against maybe other TKD guys or someone who isn't a martial artist. As a Gong Fu stylist, I have so many things I can use. I'll be damned if I ever get beat by a TKD guy.

[zachsan]

then go ahead and find the current TKD champion of the world and challenge him to a fight.

as addressed on the "gongfu vs. wushu" thread, having so many things you can use may help you out in certain situations, but it's very possible that a single well-placed kick could deny you the chance to put any of that into motion. in fact, this is one of the main philosophies behind TKD, and i think it's very profound.

- zach