[Bloodybirds]

Black Panta,

As one who has had three masters, one in Ying Jow eagle claw, one in Wudan Northern Shaolin (nine birds) and one in white crane/yang style taiji, the way things are taught today it is well nigh impossible to find one complete style that handles the complexities of all. However, as long as one stays loyal to each art and comingles them in a way that is honorable and defensible, go for it!!! A couple of further observations: a lot of kung fu people assert that it has no ground fighting and so resort to BJJ. In fact, Chinese wrestling and chin na were the predecessors of both jujitsu and judo as well as other arts. Also, rolling boxing, a specialty, is a ground art. In fact, all kung fu styles have ground fighting but very few teach it.

Your evolution track, in my way of thinking, reverses it. Shaolin, practiced correctly, is every bit the match of JKD but the martial aspects have given way due to the Cultural revolution, which spawned the modern wushu in China with very little application. In fact, the best traditional kung fu in the world currently is in Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States due to migration before the Chinese takeover in 97 of Hong Kong. I know that, because of my small stature (5'5" 150) I must be very quick, agile, and strong (fa jing and silk reeling combined instead of physical strength) as well as smart. Otherwise, I am doomed against a bigger opponent. All three of my styles and teachers have given me something different. Ying Jow gave me kicks, locks, grabs, and an eagle's way of quickness. My Shaolin made me tough, street smart, pain resistant, and brave. My current white crane gives me speed and a Southern style's power from fa jing from the waist. My taiji has given me fluidity, calmness, moving in the present, and relaxation to recognize an impending attack. All combined have made the cross training worth while. That is my two cents worth on your comments. God bless.

[nbotary]

I can verify that as I usually have to ask him to slow down when sparring!!!

In fact, he also taught me how to change styles when fighting - which frustrates the hell out of me when he does it to me!!!!!

[Bloodybirds]

Nbotary,

Just you and me tonight bro.....should be fun.

Per your comments, will show you how to change while remaining constant...hmmmm, one of those kung fu brain teasers....laughing!!!

See ya soon brother.

Bloodybirds

[nbotary]

Oh, shit! Let the pain begin!!!

[Bloodybirds]

You are a Sith Lord....it is just part of the dark side!!!! Use the force....and sit in horse....wow, a kung fu haiku!!!

[WushuPadawan001]

nbotary and Bloodybirds are talking about how to switch style during a fight. This is confusing to me. I practice multiple styles (northern and southern styles of Kung Fu, I?ve picked up a little MMA, boxing, Tae Kwon Do, and Muay Thai along the way as well) and never consciously differentiate between styles during a fight (well not never, if I want to show off I?ll pull some Ong Bak moves out, but you get the idea).

So what?s all this about switching between styles? Seems like it would be better to let all your moves flow naturally from the body.

[xcal]

WushuPada

I don't have first-hand knowledge as I've been training a bit of wing-tsun and only attended 2 Tiger classes(TIME!), but I would guess that you've hit the nail on the head when you say:
"Seems like it would be better to let all your moves flow naturally from the body."

I think that a wing-tsun move flows naturally into another wing-tsun move, and the same goes for any other style. switching from wing-tsun to tiger is a concious decision...unless practised until it becomes sub-concious.

regards
Xcal

[Bloodybirds]

Both of you make relevant points so let me explain my comments. The styles I have studied from my three masters are, to a great extent, all the result of studying the predatory nature of birds and then applying them in a human and martial way (eagle, crane, falcon, etc) plus the taiji possessing snake and crane elements throughout, whether any of the five main derivatives on this internal art. I do not mean to say by switching that it is not natural. My taiji and crane teacher, Jeff Bolt, always emphasizes naturalness, relaxation, and foot movement before anything else. However, depending upon the situation, I can naturally meld all of these styles into a combined force using my natural proclivity for bird applications, whether locking, grabbing, etc. I do not mean to imply that I mutually exclude one from the other but contrarily combine them at will at this point.

Hope this clarifies. One other point: when I am in my school now, I usually do not employ my eagle claw or Shaolin techniques unless I am sparring against senior students/instructors like myself. I will not disrespect my current teacher by using the other stuff just to show off. The two of you are absolutely right about the naturalness, and at the end of the day all techniques should be seamless and natural.

Thanks Xcal and Wushu for allowing me to clarify.

[zed]

any student of KF that has a sifu tell them to study elsewhere for ground skills needs a new school. 'nuff said.

[Bloodybirds]

Wushu, you have never actually seen me combine my stuff naturally like Nbotary or a few others have. Compartamentalization only occurs in our Sifu's class. What you are learning from Madame Wong is a good complement to Sifu Bolt's teachings but not mutually exclusive. Zed is right on because most true Chinese martial arts incorporate ground fighting. As a matter of fact, the roots of jujitsu and other arts comes from Chinese suia chiao or Chinese wrestling and chin na, the locks of Chinese arts. Wushu, my stuff is all a derivative of some type of bird so it makes it easy. It would be much harder trying to combine, say, preying mantis and a bird. Mantis and monkey would complement because monkey style is the footwork for mantis so they assist each other naturally. Just one example