How may martial artists are out there in the Rpg world?

[Luddite]

I am ninja.

And I could be right behind you RIGHT THIS MINUTE.

We are a hedge....Move along.

-The Luddite

 

[Sarevok]

"I've always thought that Capeoira is one of the coolest looking martial arts ever. Is it true, Relic (or anyone else who would know) that it was developed by African slaves and many of the moves were developed to be used when a person's arms are shackled? All I really know is what Eddie from Tekken looks like, and one show on the Discovery Channel." Enforcer

I am Brazilian (here Capoeira comes out of thin air), and I think I have more authorithy than you to speak about Capoeira. I am able to say that Capoeira is not a Martial Art, but just a dance. This is just my opinion, you can agree, or you can ignore it, like pigs ignore pearls.

"Don't forget, when you talk about kung fu you're referring to over three hundred and fifty different styles of melee combat. There's a huge scope for difference in that range." NoOneofConsequence

You seems to be very enlightened, if you can answer me something, please : I practice kung fu, but I don't know what style of kung fu, I just do what my teacher (he dislikes to talk with new students, so he will not say to me what style I am training) orders me to do, every day. How can I know what style I am training? I am curious, I don't knew this "three hundred and fifty styles", I thought that was just five or ten (forgive my lack of knowledge about this, I work with chemistry, not fight, I am new in these things...).

 

[Phowett]

Before I messed up my leg and had surgery, I was practicing martial arts for a few years, 5 days a week. I had no particular style. I was learning everything on my own except for a few stuff I learned from my brother. But after some studying I found that the on-guard position of Jeet Kune Do (from the Tao), the most effective (for me) in combat. But now that I'm trying to bring back the strength in my legs, I'm focusing on just arm fighting.

 

[Dremen]

You seems to be very enlightened, if you can answer me something, please : I practice kung fu, but I don't know what style of kung fu, I just do what my teacher (he dislikes to talk with new students, so he will not say to me what style I am training) orders me to do, every day. How can I know what style I am training? I am curious, I don't knew this "three hundred and fifty styles", I thought that was just five or ten (forgive my lack of knowledge about this, I work with chemistry, not fight, I am new in these things...).

There are elements of Kung fu that are common in nearly any style of "kung gu". I would personally feel a little put off by your treatment so far, but it may just be a VERY traditional school. If it is not I personally would have second thoughts about going there. You can talk with other martial arts schools in the area about your school and get an idea about it's reputation. You may just be learning the basic stances right now and they are pretty similar throughout the different styles. I would keep your eyes and ears open. Be very wary if your instructor likes to hurt students while training, or if they act like the know the secret of creation and only accept special students to get a glimpse (of course special students simply pay more). If the Sifu like to hurt the students then there is a good chance he knows nothing, or close to it. Real control lets you demonstraight a move without hurting the 'test dummy'. Some even get off on beating up their students.

-D

 

[NoOneofConsequence]

"Don't forget, when you talk about kung fu you're referring to over three hundred and fifty different styles of melee combat. There's a huge scope for difference in that range." NoOneofConsequence

You seems to be very enlightened, if you can answer me something, please : I practice kung fu, but I don't know what style of kung fu, I just do what my teacher (he dislikes to talk with new students, so he will not say to me what style I am training) orders me to do, every day. How can I know what style I am training? I am curious, I don't knew this "three hundred and fifty styles", I thought that was just five or ten (forgive my lack of knowledge about this, I work with chemistry, not fight, I am new in these things...).

I'll tell you what I know, such as it is.

Kung fu is generally divided along two main axes - northern/southern styles and internal/external styles.

Northern - in the north of China are a lot of plains, deserts and similar open spaces. As such, the styles that developed here tend to focus on maximum range. There are lots of long range techniques, lots more high kicking and low stances. The famous "flying leap kick", used to dismount horsemen, originates from northern China.

Southern - in the south there are many more mountains, forests and crowded cities. Fights took place at close range and so emphasis was on short range power and techniques. Comparatively more grappling (Chinese martial arts are never big on grappling as a general rule), lots of short punches, locks and low kicks. Wing Chun and Chin Na are two quintessential Southern styles.

External - styles which concentrate on developing the physical muscle power of the practitioner. Lots of high speed training, full strength techniques and physical conditioning. A large number of these trace their origins back to the classic Shaolin (sil lum) styles.

Internal - these styles focus on developing inner capability of the practitioner, chi (breath) and emotional stability. These styles are frequently not taught in a combat oriented way but noentheless can have combat practicality for the correctly trained. Tai Chi Ch'uan, Hsing-I and Pa Kua are probably the three most famous of these styles.

Within these definitions there are a lot of styles with subtle variations. For example, any style that has the word Gar in its name (Chow Gar and Hung Gar are two examples) began as personal family styles, only taught to direct relatives.

The Shaolin Temle adopted the precursors to kung fu as a form of physical training to improve their endurance for meditation. Over time the exercise and combat form which they developed, combined with their regimen of self discipline and self denial, made them into formidable fighters. As such, they developed a huge reputation and many styles borrowed from their techniques.

During the Ming dynasty there was a famous period of peasant unrest. Being sympathetic to the peasant's plight, some Shaolin monks taught their art as a form of self defence and this spread their techniques even further.

Over time, fighters travelled around China showing off their personal techniques and learning new ones. This is how my base style - Buk Sing Choy Lay Fut - came into existence. The founder studied Choy Lay Fut (a southern style) and then went travelling in the north. There he was really impressed by the longer range techniques and so he modified CLF into a hybrid North/South style. It was so successful that he named it Buk Sing, which means "northern winning". Now, when I study BSCLF, I also end up learning the norther Shaolin staff form (buk sil lum gwan).

His best student's, top student was a man named Gong On who lived in Hong Kong. He trained his son, Gong Hing. Gong Hing gave a demonstration one day which really impressed the Lacey bothers, who at the time were studying Wing Chun under the then Grandmaster Yip Man. They left wing chun to study with Gong Hing. Eventually the two brothers emigrated to Perth in Australia, where they taught George Michaelson. Sifu George teaches me.

This long history is a way of demonstrating a point. Dremen is right when he says that there are common features to all kung fu. One of them is respect for seniors; secrecy is another. If your sifu doesn't talk to you about the schools history, the style's name etc. because he reseverves that for senior students, then that's pretty strange in my experience. Usually it's the first thing you're taught as a test to see if you're committed to the whole art, not just kicking butt.

If he's not teaching you the history 'cause he says it's not important, then I'd be very suspicious. Tradtion and reverence for ancestors is fundamental to traditional Chinese culture. The history of a kung fu school is almost always important. Don't get me wrong, you can still be a great martial artist and not teach the tradition and the history, but you're starting to move away from kung fu. This is why Bruce Lee caused such a stir with the way he taught - he didn't point enough emphasis on tradtion. Sure, Jeet Kune Do is a great martial art, but it's not traditional kung fu.

Another point of tradition is that in kung fu there is always a right and a wrong way to do things. No true kung fu teacher will ever say "Put your hand about here!" or "Close enough." Kung fu is very specific and the correct placement of hands and feet is an important part of the art.

Now that we've finished the history lesson, as to how you can tell what style your gwoon teaches; if you get a lot of emphasis on strong horse stance (sae ping ma) then it's probably Shaolin influenced. If you're always being taught the lower the stance the better, it's probably northern. If you aim to hit a target at maximum reach from yourself, it's probably northern. Other than these things, there's no way to tell until you learn the history.

Open to corrections, additions or deletions - I just wrote a lot and may have some of it a bit screwy. Also, my knowledge level dips considerably when we go beyond Chinese arts.

 

[Wolfspirit]

I did Tae Kwon Do for about 4 years, and got a black belt in it, before high school got to be too much for me to handle both things, and then the TKD class I was in closed down (I'd been taking classes at a YMCA)

I've also taken a couple lessons of Capeiora, and am going to be trying out one of friends' form of MA, allthough I'm not sure what it is. Heck, it's worth a shot.

On Capeiora, from what the guys I learned from, yes, it is a Brazilian martial art developed by slaves (hence the fact that it emphasizes footwork, since their hands would be manacled). I also know that it is NOT for me... I'm a 6'6" guy that can't do cartwheel to save his life. I did learn that using music while working out can be really usefull, which I'd allways though had been some Tae Bo kind of junk :b

For effectiveness, well that depends. My Tae Kwon Do training helped me get the self confidence to actually fight back against some bullies in middle school (yay public education system). It also helped me with my reflexs and general self awareness. On the other hand, we didn't handle situations involving weapons at all, and haven't really had to use my training outside of Middle School (thankfully).

If you're looking to stop an armed attacker, I'd advise against looking in a YMCA, and sure stay the HECK away from Tae Bo. Nothing annoys me more than people who put themselves in dangerous situations trusting that their practice with Tae Bo will help them.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I studied Isshinryu Karate for about 5 years and had a second degree brown belt. I really do miss it....

It's a really practical style...very angular, no high kicks, a vertical fist...

It's a mix of Goju Ryu and Shorin Ryu if i remember correctly...

 

[Sarevok]

"Be very wary if your instructor likes to hurt students while training, or if they act like the know the secret of creation and only accept special students to get a glimpse (of course special students simply pay more)." Dremen

Good reputation and the instructor does not hurt the students. There is no hurt, just fatigue. But this "know the secret of creation" is somewhat applicable...

Thanks NoOneofConsequence. According to you I can say that my teacher is good (except by the traditions thing) and my stlye is Northern and Internal. Your lesson was very enlightening(sorry for my short vocabulary, but english is not my specialization field).