Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
EVERYTHING is useless against White Crane...
Animal styles? Are they pointless??
- Thread starter thetruth
- Start date
EVERYTHING is useless against White Crane...
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
well.... not everything...there is..... XUEFU!!!!!!!
But pretty much everything else is
Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
well.... not everything...there is..... XUEFU!!!!!!!
But pretty much everything else is
errr.... I was caught bragging again...
OK, I'll admit, OTHER THAN XUEFU, everything is useless against White Crane.
and then again, aside from roads, the aqueduct, and sanitation, WHAT HAVE THE ROMANS EVER DONE FOR YOU??!!
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
I'll tell you what they've done for me besides that..... NOTHIN'.... Well that is if you don't include a number system, the calendar and the alphabet but besides that NOTHIN'
Hey, guys...
It's true that Xuefu is truly awesome, but if the conversation keeps drifting from animal systems, we might end up with a match between Xue fu and spork fu.
Is that "spork" as in a plastic slotted spoon once included with on-board airline meals, or the ancient martial arts style of Spork being a cross of Northern Boar system and Southern Stork fighting... i.e. Pork/Stork=Spork?
DeLamar.J
3rd Black Belt
I think the biggest reason for the animals styles was because the monks wanted to combine martial arts with their intense love for nature.
In the Burmese Martial Arts, their Animal Systems developed from the fact that many tribes in old Burma were Animalistic in faith, tradition & ritual. Also their arts were influenced by many other cultures including Chinese well known for the 5 Animals & Others. While I can understand the original posters point that he does not believe in the effective use of Animal styles, systems or tactics, that does not take away from the fact that many cultures have incorporated many animal principles into functional fighting arts/systems. If you dislike Animal styles and think them too flowery or not functional, think again, and you are more than welcome to not train them. I do not believe that any animal style is the best for street self defense, but many techniques from animal styles can stack the deck in your favor to get your butt out alive. Pointless, No, the best for street survival, No. Do they have a place among Martial Arts, Abosultely! Remember that many animal styles use animalistic terms & descriptions of techniques to romanticise their ART, (Not just the knock down drag out redneck bar fighting,MMA or UFC stuff which does have its function as well) this is how they embellish what they have faith in. Simply look beyond the form sequence or flowery uniform or elaborate animal system surface, and see that a (TIGER) Claw to the face is a competent tech, as is a (Bull Horn or Boar Tusk) Elbow/Knee Strike. If you can not get beyond the Kung Fu Theatre stuff, then leave it be, it is not for you. If you enjoy the Animal Styles train them well. I do not believe that the function of an animal style is in the Animal Salute or Flowery form alone itself, but also in the character of the practitioner themselves. Some may know a zoo of animal styles or techniques & can not apply them, some can. Even more can fight with the fierceness of any animal without any training. To the original poster, Animal Styles may be pointless to you, but because you fail to understand. like or agree does not remove the effectiveness of an animal style technique. A Claw, Finger Jab or Elbow/Knee Strikes are no less effective because someone uses an animal name or priciple to describe it. And no, I do not drop into a low stance waving around a Tiger Claw set before defending myself, although I have trained in several Bando Animal Systems. As an extra side note, years ago I was training the Bando Eagle Form, an old friend had trained a lot of Muay Thai & Bama Lethwei with our common instructor. He asked to see the form, I was only a few movements in when he stated, that does not look like Bando, it looks like Kung Fu, then I reached the finishing moves of the first sequence that demonstrated an elbow & knee strike. Then he said loudly, there it is!!!! Now that looks like Bando!!!!
Jaspthecat
Orange Belt
In their extreme form, they may be slightly ineffective on their own, but pointless? NO
I was of the thought that the animal styles were created in order to articulate the movements of the art to pupils who were more than likely illiterate and so the movement of animals was combined in a poem of sorts which would be easy for the pupil to memorise.
I think the animal forms are also useful as 'mental imagery'. eg horse form in Xing Yi where you use the galloping motion to loosen your oponents grasp or bump them off you.
I was of the thought that the animal styles were created in order to articulate the movements of the art to pupils who were more than likely illiterate and so the movement of animals was combined in a poem of sorts which would be easy for the pupil to memorise.
I think the animal forms are also useful as 'mental imagery'. eg horse form in Xing Yi where you use the galloping motion to loosen your oponents grasp or bump them off you.
I would say that the animal forms are neither more nor less useful than any other kata. It's usefulness is determined by the application. Now if someone learns the animal forms without regard to application, they've learned a dance and receive no actual benefit to their fighting. I'd still say they were not pointless even then though. It's art. the point would be expression.
However I'm inclined to give the forms the benefit of the doubt, and assume they are both useful and pointed in the martial arts, assuming they are taught by someone who actually knows the application.
However I'm inclined to give the forms the benefit of the doubt, and assume they are both useful and pointed in the martial arts, assuming they are taught by someone who actually knows the application.
