The downfall of Traditional Gung Fu

i agree with pang quan.

see, in my background i’ve been in gangs for many years. i had to keep my gung fu tight so not to get caught slippin’. and speaking from a TCMA point of view…our new enemies are ground fighters cause instead of worrying about a stand up fist fight, you now have to worry this guys gonna shoot in on me, and not by shear luck either.

in the bigger scheme of gung fu’s theme…thats good. because if you have a sifu with enough foresight he can adjust the training to accomadate new threats. so now, tcma schools are beginning to focus on anti-grappling to evolve their system. as i said…good. because we can’t sit back on old reputations of our masters to make us good fighters.

nothing wrong with mma, nor tcma. as long as you have the right person coaching you…mma tends to lean more towards sport fighting while tcma still gears itself for reality training, but hopefully some great fighters will emerge on that competition level-gung fu wise. at least i train my guys with that in mind.

and sevenstar, thanks for your comments as well. you are as always on point.:smiley:
hsk

its that mindset you have HSK that is the light at the end of the tunnel in todays modern world and tcma.

I think as more people wake up, open thier eyes and smell the coffee, we will see more kungfu guys getting in the ring to test thier skills.

its the current generation of active teachers and thier students that will decide where we go in the modern world in regards to a competative atmosphere.

from what i have seen though, i dont think we are in to much trouble. a lot of guys know whats up, know what is being demanded by the times and are formulating long term game plans to set things in motion to keep our gear fresh and alive as we can.

sevenstar…

imo…anything you string together whether advanced or basic is considered a form. not as defined as a tcma form…:smiley:

thanks pangquan…

well, if i can get some guys together i plan to start a little CLF/gung fu based fighting group and call it WARRIOR NATION…may sound silly, but if you think of what it means or images it conjures up…you’ll understand.

my initial goal is to train clf fighters to represent our system…maybe sanshou or san da to see how that goes…

but my guys will use clf mixed with their other skills…and i want people to be able to identify us and say “thats choy lee fut!”

thanks again

[QUOTE=SevenStar;761083]so long as there are people who want to train for ANY reason, it will survive. that is why taiji for health is so popular.[/QUOTE]
We are talking about the survival of Kung Fu as fighting arts.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761083]yeah - I saw the post you deleted…of course it’s different, but the techniques and principles have similarities, naturally. No, there is no fu jow in mma as you stated, but there is yielding, borrowing, listeining, pushing, and pretty much every other energy you train in cma.[/QUOTE]
No fair! Using deleted posts in your argument! :smiley:
Anyway, I deleted that post and made a much larger one that addresses that issue, albeit, without the Fu Jow example. Anyway, to elaborate on my point Ill use Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar as an example. Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar is built upon the four pillar sets and related conditioning. Sei Ping Ma, Iron Rings, Sam Sing drills, and Iron Hand are all found in the Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar curriculum. The styles internal-work is highlighted in the Tid Sin Kuen set. Its a high level set that requires a solid foundation in the style to learn. The other three pillar sets are Gung Jee Fuk Fu Kuen, Sup Ying Kuen (or Ng Ying Kuen for some lineages), and the Fu Hok Seung Kuen. Depending on the lineage, other sets may be present. But the sets I mentioned are called the four pillars. There are similarities between Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar and other Southern styles. Thats because of historical relationships. But I think you can plainly see that Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar is not similar to MMA. All you have to do is watch the sets I mentioned. I mentioned Fu Jow in my deleted post. But thats just one technique. I dont see MMA guys using the Ten Killing Hands. Thats because its not in the style of MMA. If you look at the training methods, techniques and concepts of Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar, it is very different from MMA.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761083]it’s more than just “bits” - it’s not uncommon for bjj guys to have extensive judo experience. IME, the coaches have decent experience in what they are teaching. If they don’t, it shows when their students compete. Using our club as an example, nobody teaching has less than 8 years of experience in their respective style.[/QUOTE]
I mentioned BJJ as the exception I’ve seen.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761083]because you don’t see them on a regular basis. I don’t see cma guys sparring full contact much, but I am not around them on a regular basis either anymore.[/QUOTE]
The difference is that MMA fights are all over TV.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761083]they stopped doing that years ago. Thai camps use heavy bags - sometimes called bananna bags. that’s really all you need. And do you know WHY it was the bananna tree that is used? because the bark of them is softer than other types. You would not see them kicking oaks or redwoods if they had them available.[/QUOTE]
I have seen videos of modern Muay Thai guys using banana trees. I cant say if its common though. Anyway, about heavy bags, the bottom is hard. Heavy bags are usually hung from the ceiling. I dont see how a heavy bag (even the bottom) can condition as well as something like a banana tree. Especially since banana trees are rooted in the ground. I would find that a more stable target if my purpose was to condition my shins. I also remember reading that some Muay Thai guys used to condition their forearms with pipes. I dont see MMA guys doing that! :smiley:
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761083] judo was used and taught in the military. muay thai was trained by soldiers as well. they are sport arts now, but have not always been.[/QUOTE]
That may be the case. But they are still sport arts. If you look at styles like Bak Mei, Hung Gar, or Choy Lay Fut, they are designed to kill and cripple your opponent. They are a response to a violent environment. Although you dont have to use them for that, thats what they were designed and used for. A good practitioner should know how to use them to that end if he needs to.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761083] because they were already established and tested sports, they already had training protocols and had already been competition tested.[/QUOTE]
It would make sense that a new sport style draws from established sport arts. Then there is the baggage part that I mentioned
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761083] and as it grows, so will the resentment it gets from TMAs.[/QUOTE]
Its only natural for resentment to be met with resentment. But take a look at how I said traditionalists should deal with the growth of MMA.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761088]To be honest, the mma guys in general don’t care about what you do. you will find a few here and there that bash tma, just as you have many mma that bash tma. such is life. But on average, if you look at a forum like mma.tv, like 90 of their topics are mma related, unlike here, where the posters love cma vs mma threads. Where I train, we never mention kung fu or any other style - we just train. When we invited the cashier to train with us, it was him who told us he trained a traditional style and did not need grappling, as he would not go down. It was a tma school talking trash about us that led to a challenge match (the tma guy lost).[/QUOTE]
From my own experience, I think that the MMA vs. TMA thing started out, and is still largely, an internet thing. But I have seen some spillover into the non-digital world of people with faces and real names. Take a look at that Eddie Bravo video.

[QUOTE=hskwarrior;761007]
see, fu pow is almost 7 feet tall. i’m only 5’7". although we may have learned the same techniques, how its going to be applied changes due to the size difference. what works for me isn’t going to work for him the same way. that’s why i love choy lee fut, everything is so flexible in regards to applications.

[/QUOTE]

Size doesn’t influence applications, skill does. Having said that, a smaller guy would (for example) probably be better at low foot sweeps because it would be easier for him to execute than it would be for someone who weighs say 100 kilos.

Martial Arts (TCMA, MMA etc) is all about skill and application. If you don’t emphasise that, you’re lost.

I’m not always sure what people mean when they speak of ‘traditional’ sparring methods. I see Martial Arts more as an application of methods, than anything else.

When it comes to stand up (and throwing), I don’t think that CMA lack anything. My only concern is when it comes to ground work. I see the value of being proficient on the floor, however, in my experience in this country, I’d say its probably less important (for now) to know that range of fighting (for self defence) than it is for someone from other countries (say USA) where wrestling is more common.

As for competition sparring, from a stand up point of view, I think San Da / San shou can stand up against the best of it. The rules allow for throws and take downs, elbows and knees (san da) and all ranges of kicking. Pretty complete for a stand up competition discipline if you ask me.

However, the fact that we are all so concerned about the development of MMA, obviously shows our insecurities.

Size doesn’t influence applications, skill does.

Not true. There are numerous throws, locks and traps that require major modifications if there’s a big size difference. Not to mention that everyone’s height:reach ratio is deifferent, so a combo that works like a dream for you may not be so good for me.
I’ve always felt that the problem with a lot of TCMA schools is they treat their art like a history lesson, rather than a fighting art. Forms aren’t the least important thing at my club, but they’re not the most important either. I think and talk a lot about training matrices, with forms,drills,basics,sensitivity,pads and sparring all having a valuable place in the matrix. The key is to get the balance right.
The thing I never get is how come it was the MMA people who developed the perfect Kung Fu sparring glove?
Why do Kung Fu people feel defensive about MMA? Might have a little something to do with the inflammatory self promoting of Rorion Gracie :rolleyes:

eddie,

ben’s got it right. n as i said, size will have a great part to play when it comes to usage. personally since i’m kinda big for a short guy i like to and know how to use my body weight. since my students are not built like me i have to show them the same stuff modified to work for them.

one is skinny so i focus on speed, power comes with speed so only have one thing to focus on…fu pow has different attributes than your average guy so his training should have been for him and not generalized.

height, weight, reach, level of aggression and so forth all come into play when training. i consider all that. because as people we are not the same.

to answer ben’s question as a tcma…i’m not worried about mma. im worried about people believing tcma is becoming outdated…and mma is the only way to go…

On Tcma

I never worry about the rise of different spectator sports. TCMA was not for mass production. If people go for mma -I say-let them.

joy chaudhuri

well, the one thing i don’t have to worry about is if mma exploded even more,i wouldn’t have to close down my school cuz of no students.

my whole point was I hope tcma doesn’t get blinded by all the glitz and glamour of mma and become discouraged against learning tcma.

as long as tcma steps up their game and stop riding the coattails of yesteryear…then tcma will be back on the rise.

hell, in mma i can tell who has ma background and who just started learning mma to get into the sport. in the ufc there are some horrible strikers, but the ones who are pretty good usually have some form of tma training.

anyone agree?

[QUOTE=The Xia;761144]We are talking about the survival of Kung Fu as fighting arts. [/quote]

same thing applies. you have people teaching that have never been in a fight in their adult lives. but many of these same people are teaching fighting skills. since many people do not test themselves, they are training under the assumption that they are learning how to fight.

No fair! Using deleted posts in your argument! :smiley:
Anyway, I deleted that post and made a much larger one that addresses that issue, albeit, without the Fu Jow example. Anyway, to elaborate on my point I’ll use Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar as an example. Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar is built upon the four pillar sets and related conditioning. Sei Ping Ma, Iron Rings, Sam Sing drills, and Iron Hand are all found in the Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar curriculum. The style’s internal-work is highlighted in the Tid Sin Kuen set. It’s a high level set that requires a solid foundation in the style to learn. The other three pillar sets are Gung Jee Fuk Fu Kuen, Sup Ying Kuen (or Ng Ying Kuen for some lineages), and the Fu Hok Seung Kuen. Depending on the lineage, other sets may be present. But the sets I mentioned are called the four pillars. There are similarities between Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar and other Southern styles. That’s because of historical relationships. But I think you can plainly see that Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar is not similar to MMA. All you have to do is watch the sets I mentioned. I mentioned Fu Jow in my deleted post. But that’s just one technique. I don’t see MMA guys using the Ten Killing Hands. That’s because it’s not in the style of MMA. If you look at the training methods, techniques and concepts of Wong Fei Hung-Hung Gar, it is very different from MMA.

mma has techniques cma doesn’t have as well. but watch them fight and what do you see?

I mentioned BJJ as the exception I’ve seen.

I would add wrestling and mt to that list.

The difference is that MMA fights are all over TV.

the difference is that there aren’t as many cma competing.

I have seen videos of modern Muay Thai guys using banana trees. I can’t say if it’s common though. Anyway, about heavy bags, the bottom is hard. Heavy bags are usually hung from the ceiling. I don’t see how a heavy bag (even the bottom) can condition as well as something like a banana tree. Especially since banana trees are rooted in the ground. I would find that a more stable target if my purpose was to condition my shins. I also remember reading that some Muay Thai guys used to condition their forearms with pipes. I don’t see MMA guys doing that! :smiley:

bananna bags are like six feet tall. you can rest the bottom of it in a tire and it is plenty stable for conditioning. repeated striking causes the filling to settle at the bottom. when this happens, you turn the bag upside down. look at any footage of a camp and you will see loads of heavy bags, not trees. from what I have seen and heard, kicking trees would be in the vast minority.

That may be the case. But they are still sport arts. If you look at styles like Bak Mei, Hung Gar, or Choy Lay Fut, they are designed to kill and cripple your opponent. They are a response to a violent environment. Although you don’t have to use them for that, that’s what they were designed and used for. A good practitioner should know how to use them to that end if he needs to.

it was not a sport at that time. however, this is where the too deadly thing tends to come in…

It’s only natural for resentment to be met with resentment. But take a look at how I said traditionalists should deal with the growth of MMA.

resentment from whom? mma didn’t start it.

[QUOTE=hskwarrior;761288]well, the one thing i don’t have to worry about is if mma exploded even more,i wouldn’t have to close down my school cuz of no students.

my whole point was I hope tcma doesn’t get blinded by all the glitz and glamour of mma and become discouraged against learning tcma.

as long as tcma steps up their game and stop riding the coattails of yesteryear…then tcma will be back on the rise.

hell, in mma i can tell who has ma background and who just started learning mma to get into the sport. in the ufc there are some horrible strikers, but the ones who are pretty good usually have some form of tma training.

anyone agree?[/QUOTE]

I don’t think it’s that. the sloppy strikers just don’t have a striking background. they are bjj guys, wrestlers, etc. the good strikers have a striking background in SOMETHING, be it thai, boxing or tma. most of the guys who did do tma tho - liddel, louisseau, st pierre, etc. abandoned it for muay thai at some point.

I agree with what’s been stated by Sevenstar and others.

MMA is a methodology rather than a style. You could throw together any combination of arts/techniques and come up with a “mixed” martial art. However, I think that it would have to cover stand up, clinch and ground fighting.

Most traditional styles incorporate stand up and clinch. Most CMA styles historically don’t have much in the way of ground fighting so you’d have to incorporate it from another source, like BJJ, Di Tang or wrestling.

Then its just a matter of creating some sort of competition to test skills, that incorporates all the ranges of fighting…BAM…you got MMA from traditional.

Its that last part thats the hardest to swallow for traditional martial arts teachers. That means that teachers are going to have to get in with their students and demonstrate skills, which is a scary proposition…they might lose!!!

(As a side note: I think that for any MMA competition that there should be a time limit for getting a tapout on the ground. MMA should mimick as much as possible realistic situations. Rolling on the ground for 1/2 hour is not realistic, if you value your teeth.)

FP

[QUOTE=SevenStar;761402]same thing applies. you have people teaching that have never been in a fight in their adult lives. but many of these same people are teaching fighting skills. since many people do not test themselves, they are training under the assumption that they are learning how to fight.[/QUOTE]
There are also plenty of sifus out there that do know how to use their Kung Fu. Plenty of sifus have sparred and have students that spar. And there are sifus around that have experienced street fighting.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761402]mma has techniques cma doesn’t have as well. but watch them fight and what do you see?[/QUOTE]
The striking that I see from most MMA isnt that great. Its also usually limited to a few basic punches and kicks. However, some are excellent grapplers. Thats what I see.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761402]I would add wrestling and mt to that list.[/QUOTE]
Ill add wrestling. But Id have to see MMA guys going through all the conditioning that Muay Thai guys do in order to add it to the list. Also, I don’t generally see the kind of quality striking in MMA as I do in Muay Thai.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761402]the difference is that there aren’t as many cma competing.[/QUOTE]
Perhaps not in MMA formats. But there are venues like San Shou and Lei-Tai that TCMA compete in.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761402]bananna bags are like six feet tall. you can rest the bottom of it in a tire and it is plenty stable for conditioning. repeated striking causes the filling to settle at the bottom. when this happens, you turn the bag upside down. look at any footage of a camp and you will see loads of heavy bags, not trees. from what I have seen and heard, kicking trees would be in the vast minority.[/QUOTE]
Wouldnt you want to keep the filling to continue moving to the bottom so that the striking surface gets gradually harder? Do you think that banana trees afford more or different benefits then banana bags? I know that a lot of FMA still use them. And what about the pipes I mentioned?
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761402]it was not a sport at that time. however, this is where the too deadly thing tends to come in…[/QUOTE]
Despite the fact that both arts have been used for other purposes, if I’m not mistaken, Muay Thai as a sport is ancient and Judo has been a sport since its inception. And what do you mean too deadly? Its well known that the styles I mentioned were designed to kill and cripple.
[QUOTE=SevenStar;761402]resentment from whom? mma didn’t start it.[/QUOTE]
How can you be sure of that?

[QUOTE=Ben Gash;761219]Not true. There are numerous throws, locks and traps that require major modifications if there’s a big size difference. Not to mention that everyone’s height:reach ratio is deifferent, so a combo that works like a dream for you may not be so good for me.[/QUOTE]

Nope, Im right. There are girls in our school who can execute proper throws on larger guys by only using correct technique. I have also been on the receiving end of locks and throws done by two different Chinese masters. I once had to be the fall guy for Master Wong Guan Quan at a demo done for the SA Police. He showed some chin na and throws that comes from Taiji and shaolin martial arts. Master Wong weighs about 50 kilos and is probably half my height. He managed to throw me around like a rag doll. Even more recently, past Monday night I had the (mis)Fortune to be on the receiving end of some chin na applications demonstrated by Sifu Chow Keung.

I can honestly assure you size is less important, and proper executing of technique is the key to successful application.

I’m not saying that if you’re small then you can’t do applications, I’m saying that if there is a significant size difference then the way the technique is applied will by necessity be different. Instead of pushing up you’ll push forwards, instead of going over the arm you’ll go under or across it. If you’re much shorter than me, say like Frank, your Poon Kiu will have more lateral movement and less vertical movement than mine, but it’ll still be Poon Kiu, and it’ll still be correct.:rolleyes:

hence my comment about skill.

of course things like throws and such anyone can execute if done correctly.

but check this out eddie…once in a tournament fight i fought in the heavyweight division but since i’m vertically challenged and heavy set at that everyone i fought was way taller…one guy i literally had to jump to hit him in the head with a sow choy…however all my life i’ve done and got pretty good with sow choys…but because of this guys height i had to changed up how i did my sow choy on him..

maybe the subtle changes are just that for you tooooo subtle…thats okay tho.

but eddie, try not to be sooooo closed minded…it’s not allowing you to see from different perspectives. just a thought;)

not being closed minded at all. if anything …

I once had a sparring partner who was much shorter than me. He wasnt limited in application at all.

All im saying is, that I dont think its fair to use that as an excuse. I would want to use the excuse that im twice the size of … say CLFNole … thats why I cant be as fast as him? Or my stances wouldnt be as solid as his’ just because im three times heavier?

Is that not just making excuses?

Never Said “limited” When It Comes To Usage…only Modification Is What I Meant. Because Of Many Different Reasons, We As Teachers Have To Modify Our Stuff To Make It Work For An Individual.

Remember, Gungfu Or Ma Period Is Not A Group Endeavor…it’s Always Been Individualistic And Specific. Things Have To Change From Person To Person Or Our Gung Fu Would Never Work.

But Eddie, You’re Missing The Point…there Are Many Things In Gung Fu That You Have To Modify…adapt…change If You Will To Make It Work For You. If People Were To Only Use Their Gung Fu As It Is In Forms, Then It Would Never Work At All.

If I Execute A Cross Over Sweep Into A Fu Jow And The Fu Jow Is Supposed To Be At Your Own Face Level, But Your Face Is 2 Feet Above Mine, Then The Way I’ve Been Practicing My Fu Jow Is Wrong. But If I’m Going To Make If Work For Me, I Have To Be Open Minded Enough To Change The Perameters Of How Our Clf Is Going To Be Used To Make It Work For Me.

A Person 5 Ft Tall Isn’t Going To Be Able To Throw A Sow Choy AS EASY AS Against A 6’5" Person. It Just Aint Going To Happen Unless You Do Something To Modify It. If Gung Fu Never Gets Modified For The Individual Then That Individual Is Practicing For Nothing. Just Forms Like A Robot.

But A Smart Martial Artist Will Take What He Has From The Forms And Change It…adapt It…modify It To Make It Work For Him. That Is What We Were Talking About.