If you could ask an ancient martial arts warrior...

[JowGaWolf]

If you could ask an ancient martial arts warrior 5 questions about their martial arts system, training, and combat use of the system in real fights / wars. What would those 5 questions be?

Pick any system.

I would pick 3 systems and ask them 1 questions.

1. Choy ga - What is the concept behind your foot work? (hopefully this would provide me with an answer to why the steps in the footwork are so short along with some other stuff)?
2. Jow Ga - What training do you do to increase fighting ability?

3. Shuai Jiao - Will you teach me combat applications and concepts of Shuai Jiao and how grappling would have been used on the battle field.

4 and 5. I'm still trying to think if I want to ask a question about fighting with weapons or ask about healing.

I kind of want to as what was it like to fight in battle? But would be afraid that the answer would be "It sucked" and that would be the end of that conversation.

 

[drop bear]

you could almost get the battle fighty from a ww2 vet. they went at it from close in.

 

[jobo]

If you could ask an ancient martial arts warrior 5 questions about their martial arts system, training, and combat use of the system in real fights / wars. What would those 5 questions be?

Pick any system.

I would pick 3 systems and ask them 1 questions.

1. Choy ga - What is the concept behind your foot work? (hopefully this would provide me with an answer to why the steps in the footwork are so short along with some other stuff)?
2. Jow Ga - What training do you do to increase fighting ability?

3. Shuai Jiao - Will you teach me combat applications and concepts of Shuai Jiao and how grappling would have been used on the battle field.

4 and 5. I'm still trying to think if I want to ask a question about fighting with weapons or ask about healing.

I kind of want to as what was it like to fight in battle? But would be afraid that the answer would be "It sucked" and that would be the end of that conversation.

My question would be " wing chun" WHAT'S THAT ABOUT "

The term "_ancient" is general applied to people from at least 2 000 years ago,

 

[JowGaWolf]

you could almost get the battle fighty from a ww2 vet. they went at it from close in.

Yep fair game. WWI and WWII count. It would factor in guns but why not.

 

[Buka]

I'd ask him if he would like me to show him the best way to do what he's trying to do. Then I'd ask him if he would like me to show him which counters to be aware of.

Then I'd ask him if he knew what Italian food was.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I'd ask him to join me for a cup of tea and just sit and listen to the stories he might tell me from his life and experiences

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I'll ask him, "If you are only allow to teach 1 move to someone, which move will you teach?"

 

[Anarax]

Why are you an Egyptian that dresses like a Spaniard, sounds like a Scotsman and carries a Japanese sword?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

I'll ask:

- What;s your door guarding skill?
- What's the successful rate?
- How to develop it?

 

[skribs]

1. Hi, can I ask you five questions?
2. What do you mean I only have four left?
3. Wait, you counted these as questions?
4. Mumbles to self: Okay, which two should I ask?
5. Did you count that one, too?

 

[Danny T]

Why?
Most who have been in much real life or death combat don't talk much about it nor do they want to. Real combat is terrifying and not something most do not willing like to re-live or share with others, especially to those who have no real understanding.

 

[Martial D]

I would ask them how they feel that the idea of them would be romanticized well into the future.

Then I would offer to show them some of the progress and innovation we have made in martial arts over the last thousand or so years.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Why?
Most who have been in much real life or death combat don't talk much about it nor do they want to. Real combat is terrifying and not something most do not willing like to re-live or share with others, especially to those who have no real understanding.

Some don't talk about it because they don't want to relive it again. Others talk about so they can better prepare the next generation or to erase any delusional assumptions that someone who hasn't been in battle may have. Much of the military training that exists in today's armies is the result of people talking about there experience. Some even write books because they want others to know. Talking about it is not always a bad thing. Some people don't mind. Some people do. It just depends on the person and how the battle affected them.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I would ask them how they feel that the idea of them would be romanticized well into the future.

Then I would offer to show them some of the progress and innovation we have made in martial arts over the last thousand or so years.

I would like to see the reaction to seeing what Martial Arts has become.

 

[Martial D]

That would like to see the reaction to seeing what Martial Arts has become.

That's the romantization I referenced. I personally don't buy into it anymore.

 

[JowGaWolf]

That's the romantization I referenced. I personally don't buy into it anymore.

I'm always curious about how something was originally intended vs how it is today. Would the founders or inventors cry or be happily amazed? It doesn't mean that things can't change and serve a different function, but there are some who reference founders and inventors by claiming "This is what it was originally intended". Would stories of Wing Chun hold true or fall apart?

 

[Martial D]

I'm always curious about how something was originally intended vs how it is today. Would the founders or inventors cry or be happily amazed? It doesn't mean that things can't change and serve a different function, but there are some who reference founders and inventors by claiming "This is what it was originally intended". Would stories of Wing Chun hold true or fall apart?

I don't really know. Part of me wants to believe in old timey back in the day TMA killers who's skills were lost to antiquity. I think that would be cool.

The realist in me says that the trend with any skill is improvement and innovation, and maybe, just maybe the reason TMAs tend not to work so well against modern fighting systems is because they simply aren't as effective.

 

[JowGaWolf]

TMAs tend not to work so well against modern fighting systems is because they simply aren't as effective.

I'm more on the lines that people who practice TMA and try to fight with the techniques don't fight outside of their system, so all of the applications and approaches are based on Style A vs Style A. Once it becomes a Style A vs Style B the TMA guy simply just doesn't have the exposure to what he's being attacked with to be to use any of the techniques. This is a Wing Chun Black Sash Exam.

If you wanted to really give an meaningful exam, it would make sense of having the person spar in a Style A vs Style B scenario. Which would require the ability to apply the techniques to someone outside of the system. I can see that the goal of training Style A is so that one day you'll get into a street fight or battle with someone else who knows Style A.

But I'm also like you as well that there must be some kind of improvement somewhere for those who actually use the techniques. That would be the natural progression of things. If boxing evolved then I'm sure there are some things in martial arts that have evolved in similar ways and within a short period of time. I don't know of one physical activity that hasn't evolved.

 

[Deafdude#5]

I would be more interested in asking questions like how they lived, what their daily life consisted of (training, rituals, social norms, etc...)

This would give you a basic understanding of their level of sophistication in terms of society, technology & training.

Oh...and “how often did you bathe?”

 

[JR 137]

I don’t know how we’re defining ancient, but I’ll go with any martial artist no longer alive that’s been written about...

I’d have them read all the seemingly outrageous claims that have been written. My one question would be 2 parts - which ones are true and how did they do it. They’d have to be honest and thorough. I’d probably start with Mas Oyama, having read more seemingly outrageous claims about him that anyone else.

Chojun Miyagi developed or learned directly from the person who developed most of the kata I like. I’d ask him to teach me his meaning and understanding of those kata and compare it to the stuff being done today.