Ive recently (3 months ago) decided to stop doing Northern Shaolin and do TKD instead, which i have previously practiced. However, I can’t help but feel a big gap in my training when I watch something like UFC or any MA tournament. So, I’ve decided to jump ship and go to either a JKD school, or a BJJ school.
Pro’s and Con’s please people!
JKD is cool
JKD - go for it. My teacher’s been a student of Ted Wong for 8 years, great stuff. But his foundation is in traditional Kung fu. I think it is important not to forget your traditional training when you practise JKD. Some teachers teach JKD as just concepts, basically it varies alot. If they are teaching JKD as a style, once again it’s good, but you might be missing out on a deeper understanding. Basically, you are going to get a lot of responses to this question that espouse one branch of JKD or another, also depending on where you live. Try posting the question in the JKD forum. Once again, don’t forget what you learned in Kung fu and TKD, you should be able to take this with you or at least practise on your own.
-FJ
First I can’t help but wonder why you quit Northern Shaolin. Now back on topic I would swith to the JKD school. If you find the right one it will contain the groundfighting that BJJ has plus some unorthadox “real” fight stuff. I am not sure exactly what you are looking for but if you are considering JKD or BJJ then it must be combat related. I’d go with JKD, since it’s one limitation is that it has no limits(did I get that right?) then you would be free to try alot of things and incorperate it into your training. Just be wary of McJKD gyms(yes they exsist) you know the guy who hoped styles taking each only a month for 2 years then opened a school braging that he knows 24 styles:rolleyes:
quitting Shaolin
My basic reasoning for quitting Shaolin was the fact that I saw little if any martial aplication to it, and it seemed (in my individual circumstance) to not compliment my abnormally high flexibility and combat awareness.
(wow that answer won’t be popular!)
I am with shaolin on this one Why quit NSL to study anything else? is it the school or the teacher that you are not happy with? I cannot imagine that it is the style unless of coarse you havent put enough time in it to reap the benifeits. please explain
Hey no problem it’s your opinon and your entitiled to it. There could be several reason why you didn’t see he value but no need to go over that since you decided the school wasn’t for you. What’s important is you as an individual, man maybe I should switch to JKD somtimes I sound like Bruce myself!
your post must have just beat mine, but anyways you said you saw no martial application in it? I can tell you have not put a suffiecent amount of time to judge anything yet. if you think that you can learn to fight using kung fu in a few months you are mistaken, you must spend ample amount of time to learn the style beofre you make such an opinon about something. You should stay where you are for it has roots and depths far greater than jkd which is simple and shallow in my opinon. but 5 or 10 years down the road you will have wished you stated where you were. if you plan on giving your art that much time if not it doesnt really matter what you take for it will not make a difference in such a short amount of time.
the old rule applies here, you pay for what you get, buy a better anything it will last longer buy it cheap it will break much sooner.
If he’s into for combat application why the hell is it going to take him 6 months or more before he can apply it!!! That argument is so silly…if u’re forces were going to go to war…u better be combat ready within a few weeks of training. I don’t understand why someone who’s looking to protect himself must take a MARTIAL ART that will not make u effective unless u train for 6 months or more…it defeats the “F” purpose. So if he trains in this system but is jumped tomorrow he’s gonna get his ass kick cause he’s can’t apply his system. GREAT.
a few months?
I think you have mis-read this post. I spent 2 and a half years studying northern shaolin, not a few months.
And Ive gotta agree with Legend. The fact is, Ive defended Kung Fu on this board many times against verbal attacks from BJJ and JKD, but the fact is that BJJ and JKD are much better fighters than Kung Fu ones, however kung fu offers different things.
Ive only recently found out why I study martial arts. I do study to keep health and encourage longitivity of life, but the fact is, I want to fight, i like fighting, and I want to go to tournaments and show people that I have worked F’n hard, and that I am a good fighter.
they are right.
kung fu sucks big beefy balls.
Okay. So go to JKD, which has heavy kung fu influence?
I recommend bjj, because the perception of bjj guys as fighters is high, and that seems to be the concern here. I’d just like to comment that I know a longfist guy who is a phenomenal fighter, weighs much less than me, but manages to keep me away from him with his **** kicks. Once I’m in, its scary for him, but we’re pretty even that way.
Hsing yi has a great rep as fighters, lots of sanshou success stories from those guys. Closer to what you’ve already trained, plus most of the hsing yi guys I’ve met fight quite a bit.
Did your longfist class spar? Full contact? I’m not questioning your decision, I’m just wondering what led to the lack of results in training.
IMHO, there is not a fighting art in the world that does not turn out good fighters by any other course than fighting. Once fighting is incorporated, just about all of them can be made to work by the right fighter. Even some of the lame arts have a good fighter somewhere, even if its only working because of them.
Teaching Methods
With all due respects, if it really took you 2 1/2 years and you don’t feel that you can handle yourself with what you have learnt so far, it might be a good idea to do a reality check. There are tons of reasons why you feel the way you feel. Both parties (teacher and student) are responsible for the outcome. While it is a good idea to re-exam your options on which discipline to follow, it is also prudent to understand your own learning pattern, goals, strength, etc… If you wish to find out what option (teaching methods) in Kung Fu, may be you would want to check in the Northern Mantis forum under the thread “teaching methods in PM”. Unfortunately out of the enormous amount of kwoon, there are very few Sifus who know how to teach. Remember a good figther may not be a good teacher. The reality of teaching Kung Fu is that there is no standard certification, supervisory body, nor resources for upgardes for the Sifus (especially the younger generation ones). So hit or miss for many. Good luck in your search.
Mantis108
PS Can’t ask for blind faith but real stuff is out there. So be patient and keep looking… Beware of the dark side of the force 
Kairo,
I’m not here to help you choose (both sound good to me), but I am surprised to hear that Northern Shaolin didn’t compliment your “abnormally high flexibility”. 
Here is my honest opinion.
Chances are, no matter where you are training, you will feel a certain sense of incompleteness when viewing UFC matches or anything non-sparring and more REAL.
Why? Because many schools have weak lineages, and are showing an incomplete system. TKD is weak – period. Not complete. not even half a system; merely kicking and punching.
Many souther shools are OK for hand to hand, but their kicking is not practical if there at all, and ground fighting – well, many lack it. Norther stysles too, good long range, but what about for real in close fighting, ground work?
The answer, is don’t jump ship, to another incomplete ship. Spend time looking for what it is you want. You will recognize it when you see it. For every 50 crappy schools out there there is one keeping it real – maybe less. But they are out there.
JKD definitely has weak points. It’s foundation is Wing Chun, yet the founder only studied the system for a few years and then later dismissed WC as useless. It takes a little of everything without specializing in anything. It specializes in borrowing bits and pieces. Don’t get me wrong, you find a good teacher, and work hard, or at least train and fight regulalrly, you will be OK.
I don’t want to make it sound like the answer is Hsing-I or Ba Gua, because that’s what I study. It’s not the art, its the teacher. I spent a year looking for my teacher, every weekend in Chinatown.
I fought one of his students and saw a technology I wanted. At the time I was training S. Mantis and fighting three times a week. Fighting was real to me, on my mind. When I saw this new technology, I knew it was what I was looking for though it was the first time I had seen it.
I feel betterb to stick where you are and look around in the mean time. Wait to you find THAT place or sifu.
I am a firm believer (even though it sounds gay) – that when the student is ready the Master will present himself.
Your mindset is in the right place – you have seen the truth, that your training did not sufice. Now find a place that does.
Look closely, are the poeple training for real, or for ego.
…
sorry, i had to put abnormally high, as that is how other’s describe it. yeh, the patterns encorporated a lot of the flexibility, but patterns? wtf? yes they may improve posture or/and strength of legs, but their are other, more benefitial ways of getting both (and quite frankly i dont see the point in perfecting posture for any aspects but the “looks pretty” aspect, not the martially effective aspect.
Also, I never said I couldnt handle myself, but I think after around 5 years of MA training I shouldnt score 6 of the 7 points needed to win a match in a tournament, then get choked out by some guy, because “no one uses chokes in kung fu”.
Yes kung fu incorporates flexibility, but i do not think it uses it.
If you’re looking for self defense just make sure that you can practice what they teach. If you can’t practice it on a resisting partner you’ll have a tough time doing it for real.
My opinion, if your striking skills are bad I’d say find a good JKD school (if that’s your choice), if your skills are good I’d go with BJJ to round out your training.
mmmmm…
Sounds like your Shoalin school sucked, or you didn’t get very far in it. The same can happen when you go to a JKD school or any other school.
To base your accomplishments in training on UFC or NHB isn’t the smartest thing, unless you plan to compete. These events are sporting events with rules. I’m not negating the ability of these competitors fighting skills, But thinking for competition prepares you for competition. Thinking of a real fighting situation in the manner of protecting ones self is totally different. There is no ref. in the real world to prevent you from getting killed.
If you are planning on competing, I understand.
There are chokes in kung fu .
Good luck in your search, and don’t listen to that clown, Bak Mei. He just wants you to learn Hsing-I or Ba Gua (j/k 
).
I have sparred a northern shaolin guy before…and they are good strikers…more into precise striking than say a thai boxer. So I think u’re skool is not emphasising the COMBAT APPLICATION. So I think it’s more or less the skool than the style.
Kario
you have said many times before about wanting to fight and show people in tournments. ??? what do tournaments have to do with fighting? real fighting has no rules or judges! I think that you are a little confused about what it is you really want. if you want to fight join a boxing gym, but remember when you think that kung fu is not for fighting watch UFC #6 and 7 my kung fu borther using 8 step praying mantis kung fu won both of his bouts against a BJJ and a muai tai kick boxer so it not the art it the person that fights!!!