Martial arts vs. stupidity

[Tony Dismukes]

Karate has more misconceptions and stereotypes taken to the extreme level of stupidity. Kung fu has only a few, such as the Shaolin being super-powered beings who can not only do the amazing things they train for their whole lives, but also fly and control the elements. As for karate, we have "karate is all about breaking wood with the karate chop" (as mentioned in the original post), "in karate you learn how to do the awesome or even gravity-defying kicks from video games, movies and cartoons" (again, mentioned in the original post), "In karate you learn how to throw fireballs", "karate black belts must register their fists as deadly weapons", "karate can teach you how to kill your opponent in one strike" or "if it doesn't require you to wear a kimono (apparently that's how most karatekas refer to their gis), then it's not a martial art". And these are just the ones that came into my mind right now.

Just to be clear, are you saying that you have heard these "karate misconceptions" from actual practitioners of karate? I've met a lot of karateka over the years and I've never encountered one who claimed to be able to throw fireballs or any of the rest of it for that matter. A few of those are stereotypes that people with no experience have about martial arts in general. Some of the others are cliches from cartoons. None of them has anything to do with what karate practitioners do or believe.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I train, okay? It's just that I have to train on my own because, as I've said TWICE, I can't find anyone to train me propperly.

You're in Bucharest, right? Here you go: http://www.wingchunbucuresti.ro/. Genuine Wing Chun Kung Fu instruction in your town.

 

[vladone97]

Just to be clear, are you saying that you have heard these "karate misconceptions" from actual practitioners of karate? I've met a lot of karateka over the years and I've never encountered one who claimed to be able to throw fireballs or any of the rest of it for that matter. A few of those are stereotypes that people with no experience have about martial arts in general. Some of the others are cliches from cartoons. None of them has anything to do with what karate practitioners do or believe.

Someone once told me about a dojo that was convincing children to take up karate by using these cartoon cliches, such as claiming that once a student would reach ultimate mastery in the style that was taught there, they would be able to throw fireballs. And the instructor was telling his stuents not to reveal this "secret", as it wouldn't allow them to use the "magical chi energy" anymore.

 

[vladone97]

So if you don't like the statement so you go to name calling....

I read your post about Karate that may or may not be JKD..... if you do not know why do you expect others to know

As for the Chinese martial arts stuff.... my understanding here is that you are learning from YouTube. If that is the case, in my opinion, you are not really doing any of them.

I didn't study with the instructor I talked about in that post.

 

[vladone97]

No, I don't think I would like to explain anything. Why should I argue with you and attempt to teach you? You have been both rude and closed-minded in this thread, and that combination makes it virtually impossible for you to actually learn anything. Based on your actions and approach here, I wouldn't accept you as a student at the dojo, so why should I do it on-line? Do your own research and really study martial arts. It seems to me like you are simply playing martial arts and making endless excuses about why you can't learn them for real. Then you are expecting everyone to take you seriously and act like your guesses are facts.

I tried to help you earlier in this thread, but I'm done now. Believe what you wish to believe, and play however you want.

I must admit now that I was superficial. I apologize for that. I've made a little more research and one difference that would help one tell karate from kung fu at first sight (remember, at first sight, not if one were to analyze everythinh in depth) seems to be that kung fu has a wider range of moves. This might be wrong as well, but I think it's closer than my former theory.

 

[Chris Parker]

I'll spell it out for you. Karate is a form of kung fu. The only differences that exist are between specific forms, and you get just as much difference between different kung fu forms as you get between different karate forms, and as much as you get between any specific kung fu form and a specific karate form. Karate's origin is as kung fu (systems such as White Crane) which were imported to Okinawa, and then later to Japan, and then Korea. In essence, they are all forms of kung fu, albeit with some subtle and not so subtle differences.

When it comes to yourself, if I'm reading your user name correctly, you were born in 1997, which means you're sixteen. You have no actual time in any art whatsoever, and have never been in a school. However, you are criticizing the way a number of arts are taught (without knowing really anything about the arts, the way they're taught, or what would make something a "McDojo" or not). I get the frustration, but honestly, you have absolutely no basis for any of the comments you've been making. Here, you have access to people who have been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, and washed the blood out of it. Belittling a martial art based on absolutely no ability to genuinely critique it is not going to endear you to anyone, especially those who do train in the arts you're bringing up.

My advice is to take a (major) step back... recognize that you really have no experience in this at all (and, frankly, the excuse of "there's no good schools around me" is weak, you've been given links to a range of schools, and you have no real way of knowing if they're good or not... but more to the point, you cannot self-teach this. If there genuinely isn't a school around you, you can't learn it. End of story, deal with it), recognize that you are more guilty of exactly what you're complaining about than even the people you're criticizing, and get some sense of reality. If you haven't trained in something (videos really, really, don't count), you haven't trained in it. Reading Bruce Lee books doesn't cut it. Watching videos doesn't cut it. Thinking you have experience when you don't doesn't cut it. Either join an actual school, train for a number of years, establish actual experience to be able to discuss things from a position of some understanding, or don't. But don't think that the membership here will take any of your comments as informed, because they're not. Thing is, though, we can't go through every little point that you're off-base on, because it'd take too long, and you honestly don't have enough understanding to follow what you'd be told.

Oh, and if you want to see an art that has a lot of "stupid stereotypes" attached, try mine.

 

[K-man]

I must admit now that I was superficial. I apologize for that. I've made a little more research and one difference that would help one tell karate from kung fu at first sight (remember, at first sight, not if one were to analyze everythinh in depth) seems to be that kung fu has a wider range of moves. This might be wrong as well, but I think it's closer than my former theory.

You are right. What I mean is, your theory is still wrong. When the original guys brought kung fu back to Okinawa they blended it with Te that already existed. In its traditional form karate has at least as much as Kung fu.
the best way for you to tell karate from Kung fu is that we wear those funny white pyjamas and the other guys wear those sexy silk suits.
:asian:

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Someone once told me about a dojo that was convincing children to take up karate by using these cartoon cliches, such as claiming that once a student would reach ultimate mastery in the style that was taught there, they would be able to throw fireballs. And the instructor was telling his stuents not to reveal this "secret", as it wouldn't allow them to use the "magical chi energy" anymore.

So what you have there is a secondhand rumor about some bit of nonsense that someone you never met supposedly said. Please believe me that this particular bit of nonsense has nothing to do with what actual karate instructors teach.

 

[sopraisso]

You are right. What I mean is, your theory is still wrong. When the original guys brought kung fu back to Okinawa they blended it with Te that already existed. In its traditional form karate has at least as much as Kung fu.
the best way for you to tell karate from Kung fu is that we wear those funny white pyjamas and the other guys wear those sexy silk suits.
:asian:

QFA (quoted for awesome)!

Enviado de meu GT-I9300 usando Tapatalk

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I must admit now that I was superficial. I apologize for that. I've made a little more research and one difference that would help one tell karate from kung fu at first sight (remember, at first sight, not if one were to analyze everythinh in depth) seems to be that kung fu has a wider range of moves. This might be wrong as well, but I think it's closer than my former theory.

Again, which style of Kung fu and which ryu of karate? You're not incorrect. Not because one can tally up the moves of one art and compare them with the moves of another, but because you're still treating Kung fu and karate each as a single art or as a group of very similar arts. Karate is a smaller group of arts than Kung Fu, which encompasses more arts (each of which has subsets) than karate. Which makes sense, given that China is much, much larger than Japan. So while you're not specifically incorrect, you're not correct either. The comparison is simply pointless.

Martial arts is a western term, specifically an English term. Saying Kung fu has more moves than karate is akin to saying that Martial arts has more moves than karate.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I didn't study with the instructor I talked about in that post.

Did you study with any instructor at all?

Or is all of your "training" YouTube based?

Now this bit

When it comes to yourself, if I'm reading your user name correctly, you were born in 1997, which means you're sixteen.

If this is in fact true that would mean you started practicing JKD when you were 6

 

[Instructor]

Stop the feeding...

 

[jks9199]

Folks,

Let's back off a little... Kid's got interest, and is writing pretty well for someone who's first language isn't English. Yeah, he's got some mistaken ideas, and would certainly benefit from getting some real training -- even at a less than ideal school or club. But which of us didn't have silly ideas at 16? (Occasionally, I kind of feel like I need to just start apologizing for just about every 3rd thing I said when I was 16... And for about half of what's left? Grovel.)

He's not likely to listen to messages coming across as "HEY STUPID!" I know I wouldn't have...

 

[Balrog]

The word "karate" has become like "Coke" or "band-aid" or "Kleenex" It has become a generic trademark, so to speak. I teach Taekwondo, but almost everyone I meet uses the term Karate for what I do. It used to upset me and I would take the time to educate them on the difference between karate, taekwondo and gung fu. Their eyes would glaze over.

Hollywood has said it's karate, so karate it is. It's the term people recognize..

 

[clfsean]

The word "karate" has become like "Coke" or "band-aid" or "Kleenex" It has become a generic trademark, so to speak.

Truth. I'm from Georgia. It's not so much now due to more people being here from out of state than natives, but we used to order a "Coke" & then used to give the flavor... Sprite, Orange, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, etc...

 

[pgsmith]

Truth. I'm from Georgia. It's not so much now due to more people being here from out of state than natives, but we used to order a "Coke" & then used to give the flavor... Sprite, Orange, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, etc...

We do the same thing in Texas except that while a coke comes in all flavors, a Dr. Pepper is a Dr. Pepper!

 

[Touch Of Death]

We do the same thing in Texas except that while a coke comes in all flavors, a Dr. Pepper is a Dr. Pepper!

Unless I slip you a Mr. Pib.

 

[clfsean]

Unless I slip you a Mr. Pib.

You mean a Pibb Xtra now thanks to some *grumble*