gong fu vs. wushu

[goninjago3]

You also have to remember that the kicks used in wushu form or traditional shaolin are designed to develop your flexibilty and speed of your leg and hip muscles. You need this kind of conditioning if you want to to develop fast and powerful fighting kicks. They are trained seperately. So don't be confused into thinking that the kicks used in the form are the kicks you might use in a fight. They are different kicks for different purposes. The kicks in the form are designed to develop your legs so you can then develop good fighting kicks. If you only kick in the air with a flexible wushu kick kick but have not developed the fighting technique by hitting pads and heavy bags your kick may be ineffective in a fight. But if you only work on the fighting kicks from the beginning you may not have developed sufficient flexibility in the hip joints.

[mortal]

A fast kick and a powerful kick could be the same thing but usually wushu people have the speed and traditonal have the power. Masters have both. I disagree with your theory of speed automatically equals power. Look at point sparring. Zero power. If you just throw your limb out quickly without your body behind it then there is speed and no real penetrating power. Similar to a jab.

And it is true the fighting kicks aren't even practiced at wushu schools and some modern shaolin schools. They just do slap and crescent. At Yanmings you don't learn the fighting kicks until level two. At Hengxins they are almost never practiced and when they are it is just standing in place kicking into the air over a chair. Again it looks good but your not going to really hurt anyone with it.

I think there are major differences between wushu and traditional.

Even if you could throw the perfect sidekick with a decent amount of power doesn't mean you will be a better fighter. Being a great kungfu fighter should be based in fighting techniques based in technique. At the shaolin temple that is no longer the focus. So they just do forms very well and sanshou on the side. My problem is that even if you become a shaolin fighter for a time, as soon as you stop your skills quickly diminish. If you train reflexes and reactions with distance and timing then you have something that never goes away.

[fanzi]

First of all, in this day in age I think secrets are bull****. I learned Shao Hong Chuan for years and doing those obscure looking movements thousands of times didn't do me jack as far as fighting is concerened. With my current Sifu who is unrelated to Shaolin Temple, he taught us eight lohan fighting techniques which have movements similar to Shao Hong Chuan. He explained the fighting techniques within the movements so we could appreciate and make use of the moves we were doing. The whole, do it over and over again crap and you'll eventually you'll figure it out I don't buy. When are you supposed to figure it out? Those movements look obscure. I didn't have to become a disciple to learn some behind the scenes magic. It's simple. If your Sifu wants to tell you he will. Whether you become good is another story.

Also, I do wushu and I can my kicks are powerful. I don't only do dainty girly kicks as was previously implied here. Whether focusing on modern or traditional, you practice a lot of kicks. I think it depends on the Sifu and the student, not modern or traditional. Some people are just weak, that doesn't mean wushu is weak. Some people are just sloppy, that doesn't make traditional sloppy.

[fanzi]

Also, fast kick doesn't equal powerful kick no matter what Newton says. You need to control your kick and have control of your body so there is no separation between your mind and body. You need to hit your target and visualize doing some serious damage. Fast is very important, but fast alone is not good.

[zachsan]

again, it's just another school's approach to training.

some schools don't believe in sparring until the students have achieved a high level of proficiency at the forms and other elements of the training, for various reasons. some don't believe in sparring at all. by the same coin, some schools don't want their students to worry about specific applications of movements until they've reached a certain level of proficiency at the movement itself, and some schools don't believe in teaching the specific applications at all, for various reasons.

whatever your own training consists of, to call an entire school impractical because of such a difference is just indoctrination, or even worse, a very inflated opinion of your own expertise on the subject.

- zach

[zachsan]

btw, there's plenty of people that don't buy the whole "practice something 1000 times and then you'll figure it out" thing. they're called americans. hehe j/k ...

- zach

p.s. what goes up does NOT have to come down, whatever newton says! i'm gonna jump off this roof, and DAMN IT, I'M NOT GONNA FALL!! DAMN YOU, NEWTON!!!! DAMN TO YOU HELL!!!!!!

p.p.s. this thread has officially become a guilty pleasure.

[goninjago3]

ZACHSAN

SOME SCHOOLS SIMPLY DON'T KNOW THE APPLICATIONS. WHICH DOESN'T MATTER ANYWAY BECAUSE IF SOMEONE MESSES WITH YOU YOU JUST PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE, OF COURSE AFTER GIVING THEM FAOR WARNING WHILE DODGING THE FIRST 3 BLOWS. FIGHTING IS STUPID BUT A VERY INTERESTING THING TO STUDY. WHO EVER GOT INTO A FIGHT ANYWAY, ESPECIALLY NOT WITH A "CUDGEL"

[zachsan]

hahaha YES I AGREE. IF I SAW SOMEONE WALKING DOWN THE STREET WITH A CUDGEL IN THEIR HAND I WOULD THINK IT WAS VERY STRANGE. BUT IT WOULD BE EVEN STRANGER IF I SAW SOMEONE WALKING DOWN THE STREET WITH A BROAD SWORD. THAT WOULD BE WEIRD BUT COOL I THINK. PEOPLE SHOULD CARRY BROADSWORDS AND CHAIN WHIPS AROUND, IT WOULD TOTALLY ROCK.

- zach

[goninjago3]

WHAT UP MORTAL!!

[mortal]

What up ninja boy!

I walk around with a chain whip and broad sword! Is that frowned upon?

[zachsan]

it's encouraged in some parts of the midwest.

[goninjago3]

Mortal walks around with the whip and sword, but I actually know those forms.

[goninjago3]

Hey Mortal are you going to the wednesday night sparring and chi-na class? lol

[mortal]

Yeah but I do the basics better then you! I could do the butterfly kick over the chain whip.

"It's encouraged in some parts of the mid west" Classic lol




Can I have my straight sword back before you go away goninjanerdgo?

[goninjago3]

WHY DO YOU NEED IT BACK? YOU ARE QUITING THE THE ONLY SCHOOL AND TEACHER TAHT WILL TEACH YOU STRAIGHT SWORD. OH BUT YOU HAVE THE BOOK SO SURE.