What stories did your Master have told you about the training at Shaolin years ago?

[Maestro]

lolo, onesp1ng u suck so much

[onesp1ng]

them are fightn' words.....or is that the hands?

[mortal]

We should have a russbo tourney. At docs house. That way he could put a certain someone back together when I'm done.

[Maestro]

lolo, tell me more about wushu and mma, i wann hear somemore about gary goodridge lolo.

i bet gary slapped around you ***** ass little sifu thats why u like gary garbage goodridge so much right? lolo, i bet

[mortal]

You poor neglected little child. I don't even know what your talking about anymore. You just love drama. Like a little bitch.

[zachsan]

A russbo tournament would be fun. I don't actually practice martial arts anymore, though, so I reserve the right to use a gun as a fair handicap.

Actually, I reserve the right to not participate at all and raid doc's liquor cabinet while you're all distracted. I bet he's got some Johnny Walker 18-year somewhere in that place.

[Maestro]

just check for the biggest bottle for me to break on mortals fat head. probably wouldnt even break on the pilsbury dough boy over there, and u know what im talkin about, and dont play it out like im addicted to drama when your the one who always starts it

sure takes one to know one mortal, and u call me out on alot lolo

"I don't actually practice martial arts anymore"

wow, would never expect to hear that one on a martial arts forum...

[zachsan]

wow, would never expect to hear that one on a martial arts forum...

Why not?

Shit. Was I not supposed to say that? Am I gonna get my ass kicked now?

[master splinter]

lol, dogpile on zachsan.

i'll, bring the chips.

whos gonna buy the cheap escorts?

all we need now is a disclaimer.

[Maestro]

"Why not?

Shit. Was I not supposed to say that? Am I gonna get my ass kicked now?"

so defensive..u should try wing chun out btw what martial art did u practice before u gave up martial arts?

and why dont u practice anymore? even half an hour is good for you

[zachsan]

I've dabbled in a bunch of them, none very seriously. I just don't have the attention span. I think this is the whole list: Tang Soo Do (as a kid), Western fencing, Kenpo, Aikido (how's that for contrast), and most recently Hung Gar.

I was only going to the first one because my parents made me, and I stopped when they stopped making me. But the rest, I stopped, because martial arts is one of the most expensive and time-consuming hobbies I can think of. And that's all it ever was to me, a hobby, because I've never been a particularly health-conscious person, and I recognized from an early age that I didn't really need any of this stuff to defend myself (a theory that has so far borne out). And finally, I don't practice anymore, because I'd honestly rather just sit down and have a beer after a long day of pretending to work.

So right now, my interest in the martial arts is strictly academic, and this site is great for such an interest.

[master splinter]

[quote=zachsan]

"So right now, my interest in the martial arts is strictly academic, and this site is great for such an interest."



well, you wont get very far with only knowledge. you have to put it to use some day. Without practice, all the knowledge you have obtained will be useless, unless of course you are aiming to become a human database.

they say knowledge is not equal to practice.

[zachsan]

unless of course you are aiming to become a human database.

To a much lesser degree than you suggest, that's precisely what I'm aiming for, when it comes to martial arts.

I'm not really sure what you mean. Again, like most people out there, I don't feel like I need to be a master of gongfu or karate in order to defend myself, if that's what you're getting at. If you're saying it's pointless to know about the history of MA if you're not a practitioner, I disagree. It's good to be interested in things outside the scope of your daily life.

Of course, there's the common sentiment among keyboard warriors that if you don't practice, you don't know shit, when it comes to self defense, MA, Qi energy, etc.... But I think you're smart enough not to fall into that mental ditch.

[master splinter]

. Again, like most people out there, I don't feel like I need to be a master of gongfu or karate in order to defend myself, if that's what you're getting at. .

Actually, that is not what im getting at. I personally practice martial arts to reap the health benefits, i dont like to fight outside of my training or competition and will avoid doing so at all costs.

the benefits of martial arts can only be reaped through training and competition(if not one then the other), these benefits are, a quick thinking logical mind encompassing all possiblities and all solutions, a unified mind and body leading to a better understanding of your self and your own biological needs, and eventually others. obvious health benefits from cardiovascular, muscular, and skeletal exercise, not to mention the increased energy, and prolonging of life and supressing the aging process, enhanced immune system, etc.

honestly, i practice martial arts to better my chances of survival, in all aspects, know what i mean? its a skill so to speak, and imo, one that is worth the sweat. And unless you are aiming to become a martial arts historian, its rather useless to hoarde knowledge and never use it.

[zachsan]

Obviously, knowing about martial arts is not going to make me physically healthier.

As far as "a quick thinking logical mind encompassing all possiblities and all solutions" that "can only be reaped through [martial arts] training and competition"... I must say that in my experience, frankly, I've seen no correlation whatsoever between martial arts practice and logical thinking. I could give you plenty of examples of dedicated (sometimes fanatically dedicated) martial artists who have basically lost their minds, some from this forum. Hell, Steven Seagal is convinced that he's the 3rd reincarnation of Musashi Miyamoto, or something like that. Wong Kiew Kit believes he can disperse clouds with his Qi energy. And those are the tame ones.

its rather useless to hoarde knowledge and never use it

It can actually be one of the most rewarding ways to spend your spare time. Isn't there anything that interests you that has no real effect on your life? Something fictional, even; comic books, movies, whatever. In my opinion, real life is just more interesting, but you see what I'm getting at. Simple curiosity is a natural result of human intelligence and should be embraced.