Karate vs. Kung Fu

[Pekka]

I think one of the main problems in more traditional martial arts is that there are tons of techniques. I prefer few techniques (like yes, 3 or 4 standing up) and knowing them in your sleep. It is useless to teach/learn too many techniques, when many of them are difficult to use in real life (even if they should work, it depends who does them and if he/she really knows how to do them).

So it mixes up the little heads of students, and when they get into situation, and the opponent strikes first and leaves you with your front tooth throught the lip, they forget almost every technique they have studied.
Keep It Simple (Stupid), Yeah the KISS rule is excellent.

Standing up, you only really need to learn few different punches, some blocking maybe, and few kicks. That's all.
And then learn them GOOOOOOOOOD. Then some movement, and then you need to learn doing them with an opponent, sparring. So you get a touch on things and then you focus on doing them better. Just few things, that's all.

The ground game is more complex IMO, and that's where you need an arsenal of different things, but traditional martial arts do not focus on it that much. So I don't understand why you need that big of an arsenal in stand up, when you can't learn them good except if you train long or if you are very talented. That is my opinion.

[David Floyd]

Just work various jab-cross-hook combos, make sure you always keep forward pressure on the opponent, move around a lot, and certainly learn how to pull off the Thai leg kick (also can go to kidneys, elsewhere) and the basic push kick. Learn how to catch high kicks, cover up to absorb punches (or do basic blocks), and learn how to block a leg kick (very important). Don't get into trap fighting or complicated blocking techniques, this stuff is useless.

But that's about all you need to know for standup. No jumping punches, no spinning crescent kicks, nothing like that is necessary.

[Pekka]

Excellent advices.

Also I can not stress enough how important sparring, hard sparring is. You have learned theory, now you need to put it in practice, because then you really learn how to do them. No, not doing techniques with the partner, but sparring. Time for some butt kicking!

But I don't know if kids aged between 4-6 should do that. I don't think they should be sparring. Maybe when she gets like 13-15? Besides, I found out that most girls didn't want to do sparring. THere were few though...
So, personally I'd go for the fun aspect of things.
And I doubt that she wants to go for the whole nine yards in the game, though there are ladies doing vale tudo type of real fights, but .. I doubt she wants that. I doubt they even allow kids aged 4 to 6 do that.

But of course it would be good, so she can literally trash boyfriend candidates that have the busy hands.

[Pekka]

You can always try different things out too. If she comes home crying everytime, then it wasn't fun and shouldn't do that. Well, they'll always have times when they don't find things fun but that doesn't mean they should quit it right then, changing moods.. Also if the instructor is too ambitious, I wouldn't go there.. 'give me 100 push ups, and parter.. you'll kick her in the stomach after every push up!'.. that kind of thing isn't fun for kids.
What the heck am I talking, you're the parent and the expert, I'm the weird dude

[Victor Galis]

Originally posted by David Floyd
As for Kung Fu, I have a friend who took Wing Chun once. Once I started doing Valetudo/Brazilian Jiujitsu/Muay Thai, I killed him every time we sparred. He would actually get pissed at me.

This reminds me of something my karate instructor once said. There was a Wing Chun class next to us, and at the time I didn't know what martial art they were practicing. So I ask my karate instructor, "What are they doing?" and he says to me, "Wasting their time."

[Japher]

Ever hear of Mexican Judo?


Judo don't know if I got a knife, judo don't know if I got a gun, judo don't know nothing.

[Kramerman]

Originally posted by CorpusScorpius


go here to see the consequences of fighting wild animalshttp://www.darwinawards.com/

A rather impressionable student of kung fu listened with rapt attention when his instructor dramatically informed the class, "Now that you have reached this level in your training, you can kill wild animals with your bare hands!"

The martial arts trainee took the statement as gospel, and headed to the Melbourne zoo to test his mettle with the wildest animal of all: the lion. In the dead of night, he slipped into the zoo, leapt into the lion enclosure, and engaged a suitable king of the jungle in combat.

He would probably have lost a one-on-one fight, but he never got to try. His naive fight plan didn't account for the enthusiasm of the lion's pride for a tender intruder; nor did it give sufficient weight to the possibility that his instructor didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

Zoo employees found his remains -- two arms and hands -- the following morning, with shreds of red fur grasped tightly in his fingers.

(i laughed when i first started reading) why would anyone ever seriously engage a lion? those ****ers are huge... let alone their jaws and claws... barehanded no man would stand a chance

[lightblue]

Haven't i heard you talk about Krav Maga (or however you spell it) as well Pekka? Where does that rank in the scheme of things?

[David Floyd]

Krav Maga is pretty good, actually.

[Pekka]

Krav Maga ranks pretty top. Good for self defense, definitely. Realistic.

[Sheik]

I have an uncle who is a martial arts expert and I have been studying To-Shin Do at his school for a while. To-Shin Do is similar to Ninjitsu. He has also studied many other arts and won quite a few Judo competitions, he has decided to focus on To-Shin Do though, so I would recomend either that or Ninjitsu.

[:) Smiley]

Kung Fu is better if only for Drunken Fighting

[David Floyd]

Sheik,

The major problems I see with To-Shin Do is that part of the training includes philosophy, and that weapons training is emphasized to some extent. The philosophical aspects aren't a problem if that's what you are looking for, but if you want to learn realistic self defense, philosophy should be kept out in favor of more fighting, more practice/sparring. The problem I have with weapons training is that you aren't likely to be carrying around the weapons when you would need them, and in any case, if you want a weapon, a handgun is your best choice anyway.

Having never taken it, though, I'm somewhat unfamiliar with the specific aspects of it - are forms taught?

[monolith94]

You must be without way - formless, like water.

[Kramerman]

the tao is the way...