What are everyone’s favorite styles? Why? Is it the most effective in a real fight, do you feel better for having practiced it, etc. If you are a student of a system that teaches multiple styles, what do you feel is the best among those styles?
What other styles would everyone like to learn? What skills do you feel that you need to learn to round out your fighting ability?
Ben
What are everyone’s favorite styles? Why?
I like longfist because it gave me a strong body(which a since lost do yo a lack of practice 
), excellent flexability, and the ability to adapt to many different types of training. Kind of a “jack of all trades” when it came to martial arts.
I like Taiji because it helped me learn relaxation and allowed me to use my body more effeciently.
Bagua forms are my favorite to watch and practice though I don’t have enough experience in it to use it(only had a couple of lessons).
Baji folk are bad@ss, as are Xingyi peeps.
San Shou is great for basic straight forward fighting in and out of the ring.
What other styles would everyone like to learn?
I’d like to try experience Wai Lun Choi’s Liu He Ba Fa someday… BJJ, Hung Gar, and maybe a Shaolin style like Hong Quan or Lohan Quan.
What skills do you feel that you need to learn to round out your fighting ability?
punching, kicking, elbowing, kneeing, stand up grappling, ground grappling, etc.
Shuai chiao, because it’s all I need and more.
You Mean, What Does Everyone Here Practice?
Hell, for pure martial applicability, Tae Kwon Do!:rolleyes:
In all honesty, I like Isshinryu Toudi (all right, it’s Karate, but it don’t look/feel like any Japanese style I’ve seen. it’s fcking Okinawan! 'Course, I’d love it even more if we weren’t required to do all this cultural stuff [and I’d sleep with it if my fcking rib would hurry and heal!]).
I’ve seen a few other Okinawan styles I like (Gojuryu is the only other I’ve had any real interaction with).
For non-OMA, I’d say Wing Chun (fuggedabout lineages!), Lau Gar (please don’t hate me if spelled wrong. Stupid Gaijin!), or Xingyiquan (another obsession. one which I’ve never actually practiced).
Hsing ie is definitely something that any martial artist can benefit from. It is so direct, so to the point, and the meditative benefits are phenomenal! The theory and benefits carry over to any other strikes from any other style…truly awesome! You should definitely look into finding a good teacher in your area. If I may make a suggestion though…first go through practice in tai chi, and pa kua. Then your hsing ie will be truly effective.
Originally posted by neigung
Shuai chiao, because it’s all I need and more.
exactly, but replace shuai chiao with wing chun 
Lohan Fist and Shaolin Fist are sweet because they’re so friggin easy to apply to fights.
Shaolin Do hands down.
Originally posted by themeecer
Shaolin Do hands down.
Meecer - have you ever studied anything else?
five bucks says tae kwon do
Re: What’s your favorite style?
Originally posted by ninthdrunk
What are everyone’s favorite styles?
No favorite style. muay thai + judo/SC + bjj = excellent.
Why?
hard training, good opportunities for testing yourself, very little BS - political and otherwise.
Is it the most effective in a real fight
A question like that really can’t be legitimately answered.
do you feel better for having practiced it, etc.
of course.
If you are a student of a system that teaches multiple styles, what do you feel is the best among those styles?
all of them.
What other styles would everyone like to learn?
bukti negara silat, ba ji, catch, to name a few.
What skills do you feel that you need to learn to round out your fighting ability?
Nothing, except maybe some firearms training.
Re: What’s your favorite style?
Originally posted by ninthdrunk
[B]What are everyone’s favorite styles?
Cant say I have one.
Why? …
Is it the most effective in a real fight, do you feel better for having practiced it, etc. If you are a student of a system that teaches multiple styles, what do you feel is the best among those styles?
I study shaolin-do, and shuai chiao. I like them both.
What other styles would everyone like to learn?
White eyebrow, Eagle claw, 8-step mantis…
What skills do you feel that you need to learn to round out your fighting ability?
learn to be a knife badass… And I think Im going to buy some of those ninja throwing spikes to play with. :eek:
Ben [/B]
Long fist has given me some good basics, involves some throws, which I’m getting into now, and has all the basic punches and throws (although my sidekick still sucks). I’d like to get some more chi na past all the wrist locks, that I can practice like the submition guys do (I’m working on my single whip)..
I also love the fact I’m doing more taiji now, as it gives me a good yin/yang to my training…
As far as effectiveness, it is all in the training.
Shaolin Do hands down.
Why?
themeecer, what do you do for work? Are you a full time instructor?
Originally posted by TjD
[B]
exactly, but replace shuai chiao with wing chun [/B]
Aw, you’re just jealous you don’t get constantly thrown on your noggin.
But to answer the question-- I’m quite partial to the mix of stuff I’m putting together. The Shuai Chiao is awesome, boxing fun and effective, etc..
But I also like what I’ve tasted from Xing Yi and Southern Mantis. Hell, I’d like to learn it all, but all things considered, I like it where I am.
Originally posted by Dark Knight
themeecer, what do you do for work? Are you a full time instructor?
I am currently substitute teaching grades K-12 for my ‘steady’ job. I teach SD at my teacher’s school free of charge. We also help out in a few college classes he teaches here. I also help run an internet business with a few collegues of mine. And more for fun, even though it has paid very well at times, I’m a magician. (I get bored only doing one thing)
Originally posted by Serpent
Meecer - have you ever studied anything else?
No I haven’t. I have observed a few other styles in person and seen many more in clips on the web. I have no reason to study anything else because my plate is more than full with what I have now. I am not impressed with crosstrainers that can claim they have 7 different blackbelts. I’d rather see them stick with one art for all that time.
Just sort of playing DA here, but isn’t that what SD is now? With all the systems in there it seems to be a bit mish mashy to me… I’d have to say I’m lucky enough to have a teacher with experience in a lot of different arts and who is amazing in the couple he teaches… I just get tastes of the other stuff, where it seems you guys mix southern, northern, internal, external, where a lot of them have sort of differing basics.
I was gonna ask themeecer what he defines as “cross-training.”
I consider my Yang Taiji to be cross-training because it’s a separate style unto itself from my Northern Shaolin.
Originally posted by norther practitioner
it seems you guys mix southern, northern, internal, external, where a lot of them have sort of differing basics.
That’s true, we do mix different styles. They are intorduced in a way that I feel is complimentary to one another. For example, Hisng-I is taught at the same rank as Hua To’s 5 animal play. The 5 animal play predates Hsing-I but compliments the internal aspect of the Hsing-I and also, through the “dead animal” training, strengthens the joints which is useful wen repeating some of the explosive Hsing-I techniques.
The differences make SD adaptable to different people and situations.