Wing Woo Gar
Senior Master
No way can I do that. I’m hurt if I exceed 12 miles in one go.
Creative ways to prepare for sparring at home
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Wing Woo Gar
Senior Master
I don’t wear belts, suspenders are more forgiving and less critically minded.
Wing Woo Gar
Senior Master
Ah, wait, Fat So Fu! Rank in this system is denoted by the width of ones suspenders! I always did want to be a cult leader.
Oh the mental imagery! In the U.K. ‘suspenders’ mean a different type of attire!
I think I’d be reluctant to become a member of a MA club if the teacher was of say, George Dillman proportions. What does being in possession of such a physique say about a teacher’s dedication to their art? I’m not saying a MA teacher shd to be a ripped, wiry, 75kg person, but some attempt at maintaining a normal mass and some CV fitness would be inspiring. Would you have confidence in a personal trainer who smoked? A GP who was obese?
Wing Woo Gar
Senior Master
Shall we call them braces, rather than suspenders? Well I’m 51 years old, around 95 kg but I’m 6’2” and not fat at all. I don’t smoke, but when I was younger I attempted to smoke myself retarded for several years. It seems as though I was at least marginally successful in that endeavor. I know that many Gongfuzi of the 1950s smoked. My teachers did not, but many pictures of Tong members that taught show them smoking on the stoop of the Sturdy Citizens Club, Hop Sing Tong and the like. The CV surgeon I used to work with was both a smoker and super obese. I have known very skilled gung fu guys that smoked, were fat, and could outlast, and out perform some of the younger healthier non smoker students. How long they live may be another story altogether.Oh the mental imagery! In the U.K. ‘suspenders’ mean a different type of attire!
I think I’d be reluctant to become a member of a MA club if the teacher was of say, George Dillman proportions. What does being in possession of such a physique say about a teacher’s dedication to their art? I’m not saying a MA teacher shd to be a ripped, wiry, 75kg person, but some attempt at maintaining a normal mass and some CV fitness would be inspiring. Would you have confidence in a personal trainer who smoked? A GP who was obese?
No! I like the mental imagery!
I suppose it was fashionable in the 50s and the ill-effects were less well know especially in the East. But in the 21st century, there's no excuse, especially when you think that the first time you have a drag on a cigarette, it's truly awful, makes you cough, splutter and stink. But because you might susceptible enough to be influenced by your peers, the current fashions, films stars who smoke etc you carry on trying it, pushing through the horrid stuff until you're addicted! What does that say about you?
think I've seen old 40s/50s cartoon adverts where cigarette smoking is endorsed by medical doctors. You see them in their white coats, puffing away on the 'little white sticks of death.'
In the late 80s, I looked after a really nice old man who was in being treated for bladder cancer. He was an industrial chemist who had worked for a tobacco company in the 70s and he told be they had a meeting to work how to make cigarettes even more addictive to increase their customer base! They devised a way of adhering nicotine to the cigarette paper and in a flash of genius thought of putting a thick layer of nicotine at the far end of the devil stick, so when you lit up and took a drag you received a big hit of lovely nicotine - a 'gradient of addiction'! This layer became thinner along the cigarette until is was absent by the butt and made you desire another cigarette to get that initial hit you'd experienced a few moments ago! It was really addictive and the company knew they'd make a fortune from the idea. They manufactured millions of these cigarettes and had come up with a seductive, sophisticated-sounding name, 'Barclay Drive' (if I remember correctly). Days before the release onto the market, the British government changed the law, making it illegal to put additives into cigarettes (or something similar)! They were horrified and he said the tobacco company hired "lot's of women to hand cut the cigarettes open and salvage the tobacco!!
There are always 'outliers' who buck the statistics..."my auntie Annie smoke 400 filterless cigarettes a day and died at 94 years old when she tried to give up!"
My grandmom smoked pipe and died at 83. Women smoked pipe were common in northeast part of China.
The problem is if you smoke, you won't be able to enjoy the fresh air that go through your lung. It's a bad idea to damage your lung.
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Tigerwarrior
Brown Belt
Just curious, what styles did the tongs mostly train in? I've heard rumors but always wondered.
Wing Woo Gar
Senior Master
I don’t know about all of them. I only have knowledge of the Hop Sing Tong in San Francisco. In there, it was mostly Choy li fut taught by Lau Bun and Sil Lum and other long fist taught by T.Y. Wong. @clfsean is likely a better resource because his Sigung was from there. My Sigung James Wing Woo trained there as a member but had extensive training in Canton before he ever came to the Tong.
When Lau Bun was there it was definitely CLF. I would imagine that Jew Leong kept it going as well during his tenure. It makes sense since my Sigung was very active during that period. Once the Leung brothers came in, I think it went White Crane. But also Hop Sing to my knowledge didn't have a "requirement" per se for a singular fighting system.
Wing Woo Gar
Senior Master
James Wing Woo came there after having trained in Hung Gar, Tong Long Pai, Ying Jow Pai, Mok Gar, and others. He was room mates for a time with T.Y. Wong. Wong wrote a few books that are pretty good. That spot had several very skilled people come through over the decades. I am proud to have whatever slight connection to it.
Wing Woo Gar
Senior Master
Here is a picture you might like. Sifu Rich Montgomery and Sifu James Wing Woo in back row. Sifu Leo Whang and Gus Hoefling in front row on left. I can’t remember the names of the other two. This is from approx. 1958. After Sifu Woo opened his school in Los Angeles.
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KenpoMaster805
2nd Black Belt
Do not watch Martial Arts Videos they might not show the right way and don't hurt your self go to a real Martial arts near you and observe the class and pick the class you want. There some martial arts school near you that dont cost much so dont loose hope and find a Martial arts school
But that’s the point, isn’t it? How does a person, with minimal or no experience in the martial arts, assess what is a ‘real martial art’ even after watching a class? Also, there are some truly great martial arts videos online.
KenpoMaster805
2nd Black Belt
yes there are truly great Martial arts video but the thing is its better to go to a real Martial arts studio and observe and watch better than watching VIdeo and getting hurt right
You’re not addressing the point. How can an inexperienced person identify an ‘authentic’ martial art and avoid joining a poor martial arts school?
Tigerwarrior
Brown Belt
How similar is hop gar to clf? I've heard people talking about some of the tongs used hop gar and it was very common, but this was all stuff I read on a kung fu forum a while ago. I'd love to learn clf or even a condensed version for self defense empty hand wise. I'd love to learn the powerful strikes and set ups and add it to my own expression. I bought a DVD few months back tat mau wong? I think his name was, I got his self defense DVD from century and while I liked it it seemed to mostly cover grab defenses and I was hoping to learn striking combinations and set ups, do either of you have any recommendations for me on dvds or books on that part of clf? Thanks.
Hop Ga & CLF are related since they're both long arm Southern styles and share similar theories and mentalities. But they different like a tennis ball and bowling ball. Both are round balls, but one bounces and one rolls through.
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