Why…
TCMA… Traditional…
Ok…
Why are TCMA types sooo secretive about their styles, applications, ect? I think we all have a great deal to learn from good ol Dr. Yang. People need to conceptualize that without the sharing of knowledge and the mutual exchange of ideas, we cannot better ourselves or our artforms. What we now know and learn, has been tested and retested over thousands of years. It isnt perfect. There are still areas to be developed, still areas that we do not understand. Once apon a time, there was a need for secrecy, the knowledge that we now hold could be very dangerous if given to the wrong people. As time has progressed however, I feel that we have lost the need for such shrouds of secrecy, and the not sharing of information is doing our great art a serious disinterest. Is TCMA just a little to traditional? We dont live in feudal times anymore, for the most part at least... The secrecy also keeps the beauty of TCMA from being spread to the rest of our culture. Regardless that within the last ten years through medialization, movies, popculture, ect.... martial arts in general has seen a tremedous jump in participation, be it from sportization or commercialization. But for some reason, TCMA still seems to be left in the dark, people only knowing the magiks that they see on TV as Kung Fu. By sharing, instead of keeping to oneself, we may be able to open peoples eyes to what in many places is fairly taboo. Rolling iron bars down our shins and then rubbing poison on it? Seems wierd... Until the ignorant public is educated on the facts. To develop some sort of understanding among the public however, martial arts (kung fu) needs to develop more strategized and individualized marketing. Putting an ad in the paper or a commercial on TV isnt selling out your kwoon, its broadening the publics horizons. I also feel that by giving a more accurate view of martial arts to the pubilc, we can help to de-bunk and put out of business all of the frauds who make the MA world seem like such a sham.
/end rant.
Any thoughts?
Its all about the Benjimans.
The only real reason for secrets is money.
By withholding knowlage from a student and hyping the worth of that knowlage up to a great extent a teacher can hold on to that student for much longer.
Hence comes the “individualizing” of marketing.
Secrets dont always mean money.
Since we did a demonstration for the opening of “bullet proof monk”, Our white belt class has gotten huge.
People did all kinds of forms, 1 step sparring, sparring… And our # of students went up dramatically. 1 example of sharing… cause and effect. We are about to move into a bigger nicer training facility now.
never seen any MA “secret” that wasnt just “secret” coz you didnt have the experience to know what yu were seeing or being told.
so no i dont think its too secretive.
dawood
But for some reason, TCMA still seems to be left in the dark
There are a lot of reasons for this. I think there are a lot of people who are actually happy that this is the case. There are more people % wise that I have met in cma that like to do things old school, and keep it small. It could be just by chance, but I don’t really know many people from jma who run things like this, but all but 5 cma teachers here in the Denver metro run very small/private type schools.
There has been a small surge in cma lately, who knows where it will go. The question is where does everyone want it to go?
oops didnt read the whole post lol 
dawood
Honestly?
I do enjoy the fact that not a single person I relate to on a daily basis (outisde the kwoon) knows kung fu.
I also have strong distaste for all of the frauds and hacks out there, and without some legit knowledge of kung fu, its going to continue to happen… But hey, Karate has its hacks too.
HIYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
:rolleyes:
So im split for it i guess. Just got tired of OT threads about bush and iraq and the miscolored liquid comming out of somebody’s anus.
(I believe it was GDA?)
Speaking of which, where is that guy? Hows he doin?
The most dangerous stuff, it is wise to keep restricted. Because you may show it to one person who you trust, but who is that person going to show it to? Etc. Even Dr. Yang keeps secrets, do not doubt it. Secondly, you don’t want potential opponents knowing all of your moves ahead of time. I know of a couple examples in Wing Chun.
I think things started out being less financially driven then anything else. however lately it seems that holding things back, or teaching the next level is all about making money and milking it from those who want to learn it. I think this attitude is killing CMA to be honest. People have got paranoid about showing and teaching their stuff. They don’t want someone to go off and teach what they have learned to someone else without paying for it, etc… We have lost a sense of community. I know in my area from time to time they have small get togethers are invite sifu from other schools to visit. It’s all nice and fun while their al together but the minute it breaks up the smack talking begins about how much that art sucks or this art isn’t any good in a real fight blahblah blah. I’m so sick of it I think I am going to kill the next person to make that sort of comment to me, not to make a point, just to make me feel better.
“Dr. Yang keeps secrets, do not doubt it”
Of course, doesnt reveal hardly sh!t on cavity press, thats the one authority Im waiting for a book by.. f*ck Erle Montaigue.
“The most dangerous stuff, it is wise to keep restricted.”
Agreed, but Im talking about general TCMA. Not the moves specifically, but the entire art. Iron palm, forms, ect… Im talking about giving the man a fish, not teaching him how.
I’m so sick of it I think I am going to kill the next person to make that sort of comment to me, not to make a point, just to make me feel better.
lol
It is true in JMA along with CMA along with PMA etc… even in the same lineage there is always some like thats not the way it is supposed to be done…
I think the YMAA books are at just the right level, good for understanding the style as an outsider, and also good enough to be a training aid for someone studying the style, without being completely comprehensive. I have the Hsing-Yi and Shaui-Jiao books, as well as the Chi-kung books. Have seen the Longfist and TJQ books.
YMAA-
I have…
The roots of chinese qigong
Da Mo’s muscle/tendon changing, and marrow/brain washing classics
The essence of Shaolin White Crane
Shaolin Long fist
Comprehensive Applications of Shaolin Chin Na
Taiji Chin Na
Other than that, tons of books on other kung fu, and several books on other MA.
Shaolin Long fist
This is one of my favorite long fist books…
Yes… So next time you guys want to say SDer dont know jack, think again cause they may be as well read as me.
Ill list the rest my library later.
Peace!
SD
NP - having essentially started my martial life in wing chun, I am completely and utterly burnt out on the double talk, two-faced, smack talking nature that appears to run rampant in TMA in general. Even with a few of the guys who are trying to foster a strong martial community in the cities you can hear disparaging remarks. TMA people are so conditioned to believe that the art they study is the right one and there are no others.
I found myself getting ****ed the other day at one of my new classmates because he started giving me the “this art was designed to defeat that art(s)” speech. I tucked most of that anger quietly away to be revealed at some later date in a gun toting blaze of glory here at work, however I did get on my own high horse for a short time to point out that everyone you talk to in the CMA often has an art or style type they are designed to beat, and it turns out that most arts aren’t really designed to be the end all to be all of any other art or style. I say get over yourself, study the art you like for the reasons you like and stop puffing your chest and beating it to prove your art is better. I am ready to go study TKD just because of all the fights I have seen, TKD has been the only one to end them quickly!
Edit :
That doesnt mean I think I know everything. in the least.
“A truly wise man knows what he knows, and a also knows what he does not know.”
Confucious (sp?)
Yeah, I hear you man… I’m glad the community isn’t too big out here, sort of for that reason. We get a lot of smack talkers, but not to the extent we did at the first school I went to in NY. I’m pretty sick about hearing about so and so did this b/c this was derived to do this to that person.
I am ready to go study TKD just because of all the fights I have seen, TKD has been the only one to end them quickly!
Yes being pasted into a bloody mess on the floor by a bar room drunk who dont know what a spinning reverse back kick is can be a VERY quick way to end a fight.