Back at training tonight after our schools month long summer break. Lets see how I go.
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Back at training tonight after our schools month long summer break. Lets see how I go.
At least it's only been a month for you. I haven't done any formal training since I quit GKR back in July... although I have been doing some informal practice, but even then it's been a month since I've done any of that. Prepare for the soreness! :)
I've been doing plenty of cardio exercise over the break so hopefully I shouldn't end up too sore tomorrow.
So since I'm classified as a senior karate student now I have restrictions in when I can grade. So to make up for it I've started MMA. It just happens to occur after karate on a Thursday night. So I just returned home from 1.5 hour karate lesson directly followed by a 1 hour MMA class. I feel wrecked but in a good way.
Here's an interesting article I stumbled across...
Why MMA is Not Street Self Defence - talks about the usual things that most of us here are aware of in terms of why competition-style training is counter-intuitive to actual self defence.
It's scary how many people think they are invincible because they "study" MMA. I really enjoy MMA and combat martial arts but I have the belief that one should study a proper martial art before moving onto MMA. Studying karate before I started MMA has given me such a boost. In a session last week the guy was grappling with took my back in a standing position and was trying to suplex me. Because of this guys inexperience he had his arms way to high around me so I used a (albeit advanced) self defence move for when someone has you in a "bearhug" where I grab one of his wrists, drop to my knees and roll him over my shoulder. The look of disbelief on this guys face was incredible. As soon as the round was over he asked me in amazement "How did you do that?" I just replied that it was part of the self defence we learn in karate and not that special a move but he wanted to know all about it and harrassed me all class to show him how to do it.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Of course being a karate student I could of used my chi blast on him but that wouldn't of been fair:p
Yeah, I often find that what comp fighters consider 'extraordinary', traditionalists consider 'ordinary.' :oQuote:
Originally Posted by Bartrim
Kamehame-ha ha ha! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Bartrim
On the whole sport side of martial arts the UFC had a PPV special on that I bought. "Ultimate 100 Knockouts" 3 hours of guys getting KTFO. So much enjoyment:D
Hard core MMA session last night. We had 3 pukeys... and I WASN'T one of them:D
Spewin'. :p
Gah... after school class is scheduled to clash with my Tai Chi lessons again... so another 3 terms of no training. :( :( :( *sigh*
Could be worse - you could have a heel spur like me and be unable to train at all :(
I'm sure you could find an alternativeQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Guhh... after my recent experiences I've really become uninspired to keep looking. I cannot find a single decent martial arts school in my area. The Tai Chi school I go to isn't great, just the "least crappiest" - i.e. they don't do any actual self defence training or teach any apps, but at least their form-work is decent, and they don't waste my time doing counter-intuitive competition fight training cos they don't do any fight training! :rolleyes: (so it's a blessing and a curse at the same time!)Quote:
Originally Posted by KalEl
My experience last year has put a foul taste in my mouth and seriously put me off from looking. It's made me even more wary than before now (cos the school turned out to be completely like what the sales rep assured me that they would NOT be (i.e. textbook McDojos) :( There's a BJJ school near me that I'm considering... currently still penny pinching for Encore Fort Max, so maybe I've already saved up my money for that ... hopefully I'll be more enthusiastic by then. :o
SBS 2 just started showing Jet Li's Fearless. While period martial arts movies (or any other kind of historical movies) are interesting to watch, I think it's also important to try and be mindful of facts vs fiction... a lot of the events in Huo's life have been greatly exaggerated (and in many places just plain invented). Here's a review of the film from a historical POV. :)
Facts, smacts lol its a good filmQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
The IOC is considering dropping Wrestling from the 2020 Games. :(
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/21427455
IMO this would be sad news indeed if it happened as I consider Wrestling to the one Olympic Sport that is the closest to practical fighting/self defence. Wrestling was first introduced into the Olympics 2721 years ago in 708BCE!! (although it wasn't until the late 17th/early 18th Century that modern Wrestling came about, introducing restrictive rules to make it more sportslike (e.g. no punching, kicking, elbowing, kneeing, headbutting or any kind of striking, no holds below the waist etc.) :( I've sparred against Judo, Taekwondo, Fencing and Wrestling, and I've personally found Wrestlers to be the most formidable opponents.
If anyone is interested http://t.co/BFf0YbvA
What stance are you supposed to be standing in? (should your back heel be peeling off like that?) And what's with the bouncing (especially toward the end)? I've only ever seen competition fighters "bounce" -- I've never seen any form of bouncing in any kind of traditional form, kata etc.
As far as I can tell, bouncing is only something that came from sport fighters who take advantage of the springier surfaces of boxing rings and other such similar surfaces used for comp fighting (as opposed to fighting on Terra firma). Some traditional forms do employ springing, but that's entirely different from bouncing as it's more to do with plyometrics -- that explosive footwork that allows you to be strong and solid in your stance, but also fast and nimble. Here's a video of a nunchaku kata -- this guy's legwork appears to be nimble but solid, there's a spring or skip in his step, but no actual bouncing.
You could always go for the Drug Olympics.:pQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Who can run the 100m faster in 5 or 6 seconds and spontaneously combust the best?
Who can throw the javelin the furthest... outside the stadium?:p;)
That looks awesome dude. Well done.Quote:
Originally Posted by KalEl
Thats a bit overly critical Gok. Read the description of the thread. It was a bit of fun after class after 30 minutes total practice time. From what I've seen of KalEl and his martial arts ability if he wanted to perform a proper weapons kata I'm sure he wouldn't have any problems.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
It was either wrestling or modern pentathlon. Considering one of the board of the directors for the International Modern Pentathlon Federation is Juan Antonio Sammarch Jnr wrestling never stood a chance:(Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I'm a bit peeved after last night. We are hosting an all styles tournament coming up next month and are putting in alot of effort to make sure we have a strong team competing. So last night we spent alot of time working on kata as it is one area open to compete in. While I was helping alot of younger ranks learn their steps I noticed the teenagers who were in the next class (Muay Thai) were copying us in a mocking fashion. I waited until after class and complained to Sensei. He explained to me that alot of people have the philosophy of "no belt, no respect" and think that all the bowing and traditional aspects are saved for karate and these teenage "cool" gym junkies just want to rock up and show how tough they are belting pads. He said it is something that has bothered him too so with my assistance in the classes we are setting out to abolish the "no belt, no respect" by enforcing respect as the core belief in all classes we teach, karate, Muay Thai and MMA.
So I was a little bit peeved but whipping these teenagers into line should prove to be a fun challenge. I've had a couple in the past who have thought they were tough and I couldn't break them. I've even had one say that to me (he didn't finish the class:D). As much as I believe in the evolution of martial arts I also believe that the traditional values shouldn't be compromised.
With the increasing decline of traditional martial arts, it's not surprising that traditional values are dying off too. :( I personally feel that martial arts has been going backwards in evolution since the end of WWII where people have stopped using melee techniques in modern warfare. Unless you're heaps pro at Hadoukens. :p
But this is a big pet peeve of mine: teachers who continue to train students who are obviously just jerks (and thus potentially thugs). Practising a martial art is a privileged responsibility, and you don't just teach your techniques to any Tom, Dick or Harry that walks off the street. If a person is a dodgy character - and as a teacher you do get to know your students' personality traits - then don't just keep training them as you would any other student!!! If the student is clearly just a thuggish jerk and refuses to change their attitude, then either:
+ Modify their training so that they're not learning any new techniques from you, or only teach them purely defensive techniques and no attacks
+ Expel them from your school. Otherwise they're going to bring your school to disrepute, your style to disrepute and the martial arts community to disrepute.
And both traditional and non-traditional schools are guilty of doing this. e.g. Bruce Lee; a thug taught by a bigger thug (Wong Shun Leung) taught by a drug addict (Yip Man). I share your frustration. Learning a martial art is a big responsibility, and people who learn it should behave in a more responsible and respectful manner and not behave like surly punks. We want to learn to defend ourselves from thugs but not become thugs! The martial arts world would be a better place if some teachers were more discerning about who they teach over just teaching as many students as possible to make money. :(
Fair point, I hadn't read the description - I just hit the "maximise screen" icon so I could see KalEl's glorious full visage before my eyes. :D :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bartrim
I think becoming strong can sometimes lead us to become arrogant and overconfident, so practising humility and being responsible is something of a constant reminder.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Your point reminds me of one of my friends whose grandfather knew kung fu (in my friend's words, "he could hold off 18 unarmed men with a staff"), but always refused to teach one of his nephews because he knew his nephew was the kind of person who'd go out and pick fights with people...
One thing I'm not fond of schools where students are strictly confined to train within only people of the same 'category,' whether that be skill level, size, strength, speed etc. I prefer classes where students are often just randomly mixed together so it's very much possible for a raw beginner to be paired up against one of the most senior students in the school. Cos I find that when you're only allowed to train with people of the same level as you, you're not used to fighting against someone who's vastly superior than you, and most importantly, learning how to defend yourself against a superior opponent which is the core of learning self defence anyway. I find direct training with someone who's bigger, stronger, faster and better trained than you is often a good way to learn humility. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam
Your friend's grandfather sounds like a wise dude. :) I wish more martial arts teachers were like him... student quality over quantity. Then we'd have less thugs learning martial arts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam
I stumbled upon this interesting video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...6eglkLa8#t=60s
^It's a demonstration of Chi Na grappling by Taiwanese Police, and it looks similar to the kind of grappling we do in Tai Chi; note that the grappler is always upright and never goes to the ground with the attacker. Grappling is a good form of passive self defence as you don't actually strike the attacker -- from a police POV they would have to learn a lot of passive submission techniques. I particularly found this part of the video interesting where he's showing counter-techniques to an assailant attempting to grab an officer's holstered firearm, and the golden rule of counter-grappling, don't resist and pull away, rather give in and go into the attacker. ;)
*sigh* Watching this really makes me miss my old training... wish I could find a proper school. :(
And it's also a more accurate reflection of real life - it's more often the case that you'd be outnumbered and outmatched. It sounds stupid to say this, but learning to be able to take a thorough beating is actually a survival skill.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I don't think that sounds stupid at all -- just realistic. If you're gonna get into a real fight, odds are you are gonna get hit. That's why we have endurance and body conditioning training - though not all schools do this... but many should. Some schools don't need to do it because of the nature of their fighting style; like styles that focus on grappling, wrestling and throwing don't have endurance training routines, but then they're constantly being thrown about which naturally builds endurance (much like say a footy player who's used to being tackled). :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam
I am reminded all those years ago when I learned a bit of Tae Kwon Do. I felt there was not enough time spent on body conditioning, and there were techniques we were taught but never expected to use (e.g. sweep kicks). It made me wonder why - surely in a real fight it would be gloves off and whatever goes, and though I understand the rough 80/20 ratio between kicks and punches in TKD, I felt there should have been at least some emphasis on close range defensive techniques, because there are many tough guys (and gals) who can probably take lots of kicks to the head and face and still come charging. Or it could be just that since I only learned for a year I did not get to learn any "elite" techniques (but the stuff I am talking about feels like basic training, at least to me).Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
A lot of Taekwondo schools in Australia (and the world) teach the Sport version of Taekwondo, not the original/traditional version. The sport version is what you see in the Olympics -- it's all about point scoring and not at all about fighting. I did Sport Taekwondo for a while (thankfully the lessons were free); they don't do any endurance conditioning because they don't expect to be hit. During a free sparring session I charged into my opponent and kneed him in the thigh. He _literally_ started crying (I kid you not). And you're right, there's also no emphasis on close range fighting either, because in comps they just use telescoping long range hits to score points. They don't even do mid-range techniques either -- everything's long distance. I once had lunch with some friends, and a friend of a friend was boasting about how being a champion Taekwondo fighter and all the trophies won and having just come back from overseas and smashing the competition etc. I tried to ignore it, but our lunch conversation just became dominated by this person's boasting. So I offered a friendly challenge -- we went back to our mutual's friend's house, in the garage... as soon as the fight started, I just waltzed right in, grabbed the throat and dropped my opponent to the ground. Fight was over in one move. And even after being dropped, I kept gripping the throat and continued squeezing -- my opponent got so desperate the counter technique was to dig finger nails into the back of my hands to try and scratch me off. It didn't work. Silly bugger wouldn't tap out or anything either... so I eventually let go. :rolleyes: I don't necessarily mind arrogant fighters, so long as they have the skill to back their arrogance! (like say Mohammed Ali!)
But yeah, in this increasing age of commercialised martial arts, stuff like Sports Taekwondo is becoming ever more popular than any traditional martial art. :( Fighting at punching and kicking range is basic level fighting. Beginners are taught to fight at that long range because they lack the skills to get any closer. Intermediate level fighting is more like elbowing and kneeing mid-distance range, and advanced level fighting is just getting right up body to body and just penetrating or piercing their centre of mass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2ETiQZzw6w
There's nothing wrong with long and mid range fighting per se... they have their place. Which range you choose to fight at will depend on the context of the fight, particularly in regard to the nature of your opponent. If your opponent's defence is too formidable, then you need to drop back to longer range techniques. I used to spar with a guy who would explain fighting ranges with the "castle" analogy:
* fighting at long range is like attacking the outer moat or walls of a castle
* fighting at mid range is like attacking the draw bridge and main entrance to the castle
* fighting at close range is when you've penetrated the outer defences and you're laying siege to the actual castle itself
Another one is the "Chess" analogy:
* long range fighting = attacking Pawns
* mid range fighting = attacking the Rooks, Bishops, Knights and Queen
* close range fighting = attacking the King
I agree that the training in a lot of schools, especially the sport oriented ones, does feel incredibly basic. And I think it's because the more advanced techniques just aren't used in competitions... they're either non-advantageous (i.e. it doesn't earn you any extra points), or just illegal (as you can see in that video link, some of that guy's closing moves are preludes to groin strikes (or very easily can lead to one)).
But look, to Taekwondo's credit I have noticed that recently TKD schools no longer use the words "Self Defence" in their marketing any more. Check out the official web site for Taekwondo World <---that's their page about "Benefits" of learning TKD. They list them as: Confidence, Endurance (in the context of fitness, not taking hits), Focus, Leadership, Respect and Sociability. It does _NOT_ mention "Self Defence" at all, and I can respect that. :)
I don't mind if people want to practice a martial art for reasons other than self defence... what irks me more is when a school teaches a martial art for non-self defensive purposes, but claim that they do. That's just dangerously dishonest, as evidenced by Bartrim's story here.
Just out of curiousity do you have any evidence of Bruce Lee being a thug? Not disputing just once I read this I went on a hunt to find some info and everything i can find is positive about him.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
According to the 1993 issue of Black Belt magazine, "Bruce Lee Collector's Edition," Lee began training in Wing Chun under Yip Man in 1954 after losing a fight with rival gang members at the age of 13. So this means that as a young adolescent, Lee was already:
+ A member of a street gang
+ Getting into fights with rival street gang members
+ Reason for learning Wing Chun was to make him a better street fighter
"I was a punk and went out looking for fights. We used chains and pens with knives hidden inside them." - Bruce Lee (Black Belt Magazine, Oct 1967).
Although Yip Man is credited with being Lee's teacher, most of his teaching was done by one of Man's most senior students, Wong Shun Leung ("Remembering the Master", Sid Campbell 2006), who himself was a thug -- before Wing Chun, Wong had practised either Boxing or Kickboxing, but he quit that after a violent incident with his teacher where he knocked his teacher out (Inside Kung Fu, Vol.18, #2, 1980 / Ving Tsun Update: Wong Shun Leung, Phillip Bayer). After he started learning Wing Chun, he went back to his (Kick)boxing teacher and ended up using his Wing Chun training to beat him into a bloody pulp (Ving Tsun Update: Interview with Wong Shun Leung). Wong also became an active participant in illegal underground street fights in Hong Kong --- a lot of people I've met from Hong Kong associate Kung Fu with thugs, street fighting, triads etc. (Qi magazine interview with Wong Shun Leung, D. Poon). I find quite a few people in the Chinese community here are reluctant to let their kids learn a Chinese martial art and are more likely to let them learn a non-Chinese arts because of the negative stigma attached to Chinese arts (another reason why I'm bitter against thugs being taught martial arts). When I went to China, I met more kids who did Taekwondo or Karate and knew next to nothing about actual Kung Fu or Tai Chi etc. Wong eventually quit street fighting after an incident where he intentionally provoked another martial artist to get into a fight with him, and during that fight he blinded his opponent in one eye! :eek: (G.E. LeBlanc).
Bruce Lee's family said that "if Bruce didn't like someone, he told him straight to his face, which meant he had no trouble finding trouble. He was known to the Hong Kong police." He was a known troublemaker and fighter the English speaking Catholic School (La Salle College) that he ended, from which he was eventually expelled. It was in 1958 (or 1959) that Lee got into a fight with a member from another Kung Fu school/style which resulted in him knocking out his opponent's tooth. Lee was then arrested by police. After his mother retrieved him, she advised Bruce to exercise his rights as an American citizen and migrate to the United States where he was born. His father reluctantly agreed since Lee's school grades were terrible.
(reference).
In the U.S. Lee became even more unpopular and made even more enemies just by relentlessly peeing people off wherever he went, although part of that reason was because there were a lot of racists in the American Chinese Community at the time (somewhat understandable considering that America was still racially segregated) who objected to Lee teaching martial arts to non-Chinese students. In 1964 this resulted in leaders from the Chinese community issuing a challenge from Kung Fu master Wong Jack Man. Wong recalls that in that fight, he had attempted to shake Lee's hand and Lee pretended to accept it, but turned it into an attempt to eye-gouge Wong, "He really wanted to kill me!" ("Remembering Bruce Lee," James Bishop).
If Lee hadn't become a famous TV and movie star, I wonder if people would still idolise him. There have been far greater Kung Fu fighters than him. Even as the founder of Jeet Kune Do... this style has never been battle-tested (it never will be), and of course, Lee never finished developing Jeet Kune Do because he died before he could. So it was up to students like Dan Inosanto to finish the style, so the Jeet Kune Do that's taught today is a hybrid of what Lee developed and what Inosanto finished (therefore it's not purely Bruce's fighting style, unless you can somehow strip away Inosanto's influence). If you look at a lot of his techniques, it's predominantly that "tit-for-tat" ranged fighting that wouldn't stand against more advanced fighters who'll just close in on you.
IMHO Lee's greatest legacy was that he broke down racial barriers by openly teaching non-Chinese students (and he was willing to fight to defend his right to do so). Beyond that there's nothing he's really done that impresses me from a martial arts perspective. A lot of stuff that's published and said about Bruce Lee is positive, or presented with a positive spin. But sometimes you need to try and look past the glamour of his idol-worship in order to seek the truth. What I find ironic is how some Wing Chun Kung Fu schools hang up massive posters of Bruce Lee; possibly as a marketing gimmick to attract new students... but the irony is that Lee rejected his traditional/classical Wing Chun training when he made Jeet Kune Do! :rolleyes: But I suppose the fact is that until Wong Shun Leung, Wing Chun was a rather obscure martial art in Hong Kong -- and even more obscure in Western countries until Bruce Lee came along (heck, Kung Fu itself was obscure until Lee, since the Chinese community were so secretive and closed about it -- the culture of secrecy is, IMO, makes Kung Fu it's own worst enemy, especially in this day and age where traditional martial arts is ever on the decline :().
Your story reminds me of one a friend once told me. His friend was the senior student at a place that taught Wing Chun. At times when the instructor was away he'd fill in and teach the class (because he was also the oldest student). One day a young man in full Tae Kwon Do uniform turns up.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
My friend said his friend knew it the guy was here to cause trouble, but decided to ignore him to see if he'd lose interest and leave. But the guy kept trying to "spar" with the other students, so eventually my friend's friend told him he could spar with him.
Almost as soon as it started, this guy he his nose broken by the Wing Chun student.
I've found that most of the time, the people that are arrogant and go looking for fights are the ones with all style and no substance.
It may also be the case that those who promote Wing Chun via Bruce Lee posters were actually ignorant of his less-than-noble past.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
From what little I read, Donnie Yen originally had a slightly similar background to Bruce, but perhaps not to the extent that Bruce was (and certainly didn't go around trying to tick people off).
Indeed... and conversely the best fighters are often the ones who don't brag at all and show little to no outward sign that they have any fighting skill. The "Mr. Miyagi" kind of people. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam
His dubious past aside, Lee rejected the teachings of Wing Chun (and by extension all traditional (or what he called "Classical") martial arts) and founded Jeet Kune Do. Some of Lee's views on martial arts may be described as... questionable. E.g. Bruce Lee believed in no set stances or forms/patterns -- things that are fundamental to many traditional martial arts, including Wing Chun. Oh, and the fact that the practice of set stances and forms has worked quite successfully for centuries/millenia of pre-machine gun warfare. :rolleyes: IMO generations of brutal combat > one guy's published opinion. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Sam
Heh, yeah, as far as I can tell, Yen's antics were pret-ty tame compared to what Lee got up to. And besides, Yen isn't worshipped as a martial arts god by a lot of people -- he doesn't float around purporting to be some high authority on the subject. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam
There is a Chinese saying regarding hiding one's true skills... "The real man never gives himself away". I am sure the Japanese have a similar saying.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Replied here :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam
I've been convinced by my sensei to enter the local MASA tournament. I didn't want to enter as I feel my skills aren't equal with those I'll be against but I understand what this tournament means for the growth of our dojo and martial arts in the local community so I'm taking one for the team.
Just think of the benefits of fighting against someone who's a superior opponent -- which is the way people should always be training anyway. :) Remember that the objective of a fight isn't to win or even defeat the attacker, but to survive. You just got to evade them, wait for the opportunity to present itself, then "one hit one kill" (Karate's core motto) -- terminate the fight as swiftly as you can. Many traditional martial arts attribute themselves with names of predatory animals - tiger, mantis, snake etc. -- so like a predator you patiently wait for the opportunity to strike, and when the opportunity strikes you waste no time to just take out your "prey" in a single (or small number of) 'deadly' strike. You watch any documentary of an animal preying on another... once they strike, the struggle is over almost as quickly as it started. That's what you should aim for. The length of your fight should be measured in seconds, not minutes. :)
Good luck!
I recently discovered there's a Goju Karate Dojo not too far from me -- well, it's a bit further away, but they have a lesson on Saturday mornings. I spoke about it with my wife and she's cool with it. So I'm seriously thinking about checking it out sometime in the near future. I already know that Goju is an authentic and traditional style of Okinawan Karate (so it's "battle tested" ;))... I just hope that the school and instructors are good. Here's hoping! :)
So had my first Goju lesson this morning. I went there early and had an interesting chat with the Sensei. He seems to be a traditionalist, although he says that their school also caters for competition fighting, but he says that it's not something that he's personally really into. We also discussed the belt grading system... I told him about how I've only seen Dojos in Japan that just use 3 belts, and he said that when he started learning Karate in the 1970s in Australia, there were far fewer belts than there are now. But he said that it's actually the students who like to have more belts! :eek: :confused: Sensei said that he also wasn't a big fan of competition fighting and also said that comp training was counter intuitive to traditional Karate training since it imposes rules. Sensei told me that during their Kumite/sparring sessions, the only rules they impose are:
+ No eye gouging
+ No hits to the face, but light contact is allowed
+ No hits to the ribs, but light contact is allowed
...that's it! He told me that except for those restrictions, anything else is fair game! :D :) :D
The school didn't offer any free trial lesson (:(), so I ended up paying $30 annual membership/insurance and $10 for the lesson. Comparatively much cheaper than what I paid for my GKR trial.
Anyway, thoughts about the lesson...
We started doing Kihon/basics --- attacking and blocking in the air. The hall had mirrors, which was handy. The blocking techniques feel very traditionally Okinawan -- nice tight blocks. Also, if you're doing a block wrong, Sensei will give a practical demonstration as to why the technique is wrong; e.g. if there's a hole in your defence, he'll throw a strike and narrowly miss by centimetres, or if your block is at an incorrect angle, he'll press against you so you can feel your defence collapsing. From a traditionalist POV, this is just common sense... but having been away from a traditional MA class for so long, it felt like such a relief seeing someone teach this way! As with GKR, all the white belts stood at the front row near the entrance/exit with Sensei in front. I prefer classes that do it the other way around, with seniors lined up near the instructor, while juniors are right up the back. I personally prefer the seniors at front method because the seniors behind method feels like "the blind leading the blind." With all the Sempais behind us, we white belts can either look at Sensei or at each other for reference. This Sensei actually walked around the hall while we practised, which is very good, but of course when Sensei is out of your line of sight, the next nearest person you can look at is the student next to you -- which is what I did, and Sensei later said, "He's just started too, so don't copy him." Well... okay. In seniors-in-front classes, as a beginner because everyone in front of you is more senior than you, then you constantly have people who are more experienced to look at. The only people who don't have other students to look at are the most senior students, who wouldn't need that sort of assistance anyway. There's also another historical advantage to having seniors-in-front too (i.e. in feudal times, any invaders to the school would have to fight through the most senior students first, rather than using noobs as your first line of defence (unless you see them as disposable pawns)).
After basics we then did some fitness activities that didn't seem to bear any immediate relevance to martial arts (i.e. didn't use any martial arts techniques) -- two person sit ups, crunches and bare knuckle push ups. We then paired up and did non contact drill work at a distance. My heart sank at this stage and I thought, "Oh please not this again..." but then afterwards Sensei told us to step into contact range, and we practised the same techniques again but with contact. What a relief! Although my main criticism would still be that everything was still too "choreographed." We all had to attack/block in unison, and pause when told. We only moved on Sensei's command which I don't feel is as effective as a teaching method as just letting students continually move at their own pace. In Tai Chi we would start slowly, then gradually increase the speed and strength of the attacks according to how much we could handle. Doing everything according to choreographed voice command also meant that we actually did fewer repetitions of each technique than if we'd just been allowed to pace ourselves. :/ We did do some basic grappling and counter-grappling stuff too, so that was good... although I could tell that some of the other students in the class weren't very familiar with proper/decent grappling techniques (i.e. how to grip/grab the wrist or gi properly) -- the all too familiar problem of partner over-compliance. :rolleyes: But to Sensei's credit, he didn't reprimand me for not being overtly compliant, rather he just demonstrated the techniques on me to show my partner how the technique could still work against a more resilient grab. :) :)
So yeah... this Dojo feels MUCH more traditionalist in attitude than GKR. And so it should -- this school's lineage traces directly to Ryukyu/Okinawa and Fujian, China (Fujian Kung Fu being the precursor to Okinawan Karate). There are some elements of the class that I thought could've been better, but to be fair, it's only been one lesson. Perhaps future lessons will prove more constructive, especially as I progress. Here's hoping! :cool:
Oh, apparently Goju's been influenced by Baguazhang (a Northern Kung Fu style (Fujian is Southern)), and I've done some Bagua training before (it has some similarities to Tai Chi, which is also a Northern Chinese Kung Fu style), and I honestly don't see much similarity. I see more similarity between Baguazhang and Aikido --- there's some evidence that suggests that Aikido may have been influenced by Bagua... it's something that a lot of martial artists will debate over, but consider this: Ueshiba Morihei developed Aikido immediately after returning to Japan after living in Japanese-occupied Manchuria in the early 1940s. Even some of Ueshiba's former students believe that he learnt/developed his mastery of internal power while in Northern China/Manchuria.
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This guy has impressive skills with a sword... people are calling him the "Heisei Samurai" ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M9up8WL1iM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzhs1Z8Rwnk
Are you against fitness and endurance training? IMHO Though not using martial arts techniques, fitness training in any form is relevant. Cardio vascular health and strenth is a fundamental park of Martial arts.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
If you Can't Breath, how can you fight.
Not looking for an argument just curious on you comment is all, that being said im glad you are giving something else a go and hopefully it is more suited to your 'tastes'. :)
In more personal news, I hit the bag tonight for the first time in a year give or take. (more kicked, but you get the point). Glad to see there is still some power there :D mind you all be it a bit slow.
Oh no, I'm not against it at all - and I totally agree that fitness and endurance and conditioning are all important. It's just that in Tai Chi we had fitness and endurance training that was always somehow relevant to our martial arts training, e.g. meditating in stances, doing forms very slowly with weights (where we had to hold our punches and kicks in mid air), Tai Chi Push Hands is a form of resistance training too (but also a direct fighting practice exercise). The reasoning was that we could do other forms of non-martial arts related exercise between classes, but that martial arts class times were for martial arts training. Also, meditation deals with autogenic breathing, which research has shown is absolutely more relevant to survival stress reaction/timing. While I totally agree that improved fitness will improve breathing, it's that autogenic form of breathing that's more relevant to a fight situation.
I have no objection to fitness and endurance training -- I would just prefer it if it could be done in a way that was more directly relevant to martial arts training. But this is just my personal preference... I'm not saying that there's anything 'wrong' with those exercises per se. :)
Another difference that caught me off guard is that Goju pivots on the ball of the foot, whereas in Tai Chi we pivot off the heel. I think both methods have their merits -- pivoting off the heel is a centripetal movement which provides greater stability and is more optimum for close range attacks, whereas pivoting off the ball is a centrifugal movement and may be more optimum for longer range attacks. I've always been taught to pivot off the heel though (as Tai Chi likes to get in very close)... so that's something different I'm gonna have to get used to in Goju. :) But I do like how this school does focus not only on how your end stance looks like, but how you actually transition into those stances. It's something we always focused on in Tai Chi too, and I found that GKR totally glossed over it. I saw a lot of students awkwardly performing katas because they only thought about the individual stances that they needed to get to, but without consideration of how to get there... especially during turns (I personally think they should teach the twisted stance as a stance on its own -- because they do actually go into it during the kata, but don't appear to realise that they do).
So it's more than you aren't used that style of fitness training. Fair enough mate.
We both agree though, correct breathing is key to all.
Yeah, pretty much. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by KalEl
Another thing I didn't mention is that the hall is really clean -- I trained barefoot, and for the first time ever it didn't freak me out! It's even cleaner than Dojo floors in Japan - which still get grotty despite the fact that they make all the students get down and run up and down to clean the floor with rags. Ever seen that scene in Spirited Away where Chihiro and others are scrubbing the floors by hand? That's exactly how students have to clean the Dojo at the end of each lesson in Japan. :o I dunno who cleans the hall at this Goju Dojo, but they do a damn fine job. :) Possibly also because the class is in the morning, so we're the first group of people to use it and it hasn't been dirtied by other people throughout the day. <shrug>