Questions and then some

[Xue Sheng]

My question, what is your opinion on MA related lectures?

The closest I got to one was with Yang Jwing Ming and it was a combined lecture, demo, hands on kind of thing and I found it a rather interesting and informative approach. however, if he just stood there for 3 hours and lectured I doubt I would have made it all the way through, no mater how entertaining he can be at times

 

[Buka]

2. MA without kata (forms) all the different ma styles I practiced have forms. Im curious, what do styles without forms do? Do they focus on techniques and and uses for techniques?

Yes.
Grappling, sparring, two man drills, stretching, drilling up and down the floor, bag work, target mitts, kicking shields, various core exercises, etc.

I liked the lectures. Sort of, some were interesting to listen to (my favorite one discussed "change" how forms change over time and other martial arts aspects. And even made comparison to stuff like nature.) Some were confusing and I when I get bored or very confused my concentration and focus seem to... disappear. I dont like sitting still and quiet. Id rather try something but listening can be intetesting and have good information to learn. Maybe one day id like to teach one
My question, what is your opinion on MA related lectures?

I'll listen to any Martial Art lecture. And just about from anyone, too. (within reason) I've always found them informative and enjoyable. A lot of times it's not the subject matter, but rather, the speaking ability of the person giving the lecture.

Also, if you lecture - you sometimes pick up some technique and style.

 

[donald1]

Hot another question! Probably should have asked sooner. When I was at Oklahoma one of the things I did was make a donation to the one of the instructors their (I think they are making a new dojo or something) and people who donate get their name on a tile. i made one of the donations. And he asked if I have a chinese name... im standing there confused and thinking (why do I need a chinese name??) And now I have one.

My question what are they for?

 

[Xue Sheng]

The same thing "Donald" or "Joe Smith" or "Ritchie Cunningham' is for. It is just in Chinese the sir name comes first.

 

[donald1]

I was reading a list of techniques on a paper labelled as "straight line 64 palm ba gua zhang"

Im curious...
There are technoques like

old buddhist monk holds an alms bowl

Hungry tiger digs to the heart

Two immortals praying

Theres more (those were just a few examples) a lot of them sound oddly specific
My question... who comes up with these names? What is their reason?
Is it based off some type of religion or mythology or possibly by observing there surroundings??? (Actually im pretty sure NOT all of them come from observation because you cant just look look out your window and find a lazy dragon lies on a pillow)

 

[Xue Sheng]

They are Chinese idioms which can make it easier for a student (Chinese student) to understand what is going on

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Consider that Chinese characters are pictograms, they supposedly look like what they are. It's a way of symbology that is more direct than our Western redirection of words to sounds to rote memorization of word meanings.

Dragon Brings Tail is a pretty visual way of saying spinning back kick, eh? Fyi, I'm making that up, I don't study cma.

 

[Xue Sheng]

白鹤凉翅
bai2 he4 liang4 chi4
White Crane Spreads its Wings

抱虎归山
bao4 hu3 gui1 shan1
Embrace the Tiger and Return to Mountain

高探马
gao1 tan4 ma3
High Pat on Horse

In some cases it is simply what the form looks like
Taijiquan:White Crane Spreads its Wings and High Pat on Horse look like what the name says

 

[geezer]

In some cases it is simply what the form looks like. Taijiquan:White Crane Spreads its Wings and High Pat on Horse look like what the name says

Wing Chun later tended to break with this Chinese tradition of using poetic descriptions for movements or techniques. In WC the names tend to be very straightforward. Unfortunately, the movements themselves can still be very difficult to understand and apply properly!

 

[Buka]

Embrace the Tiger and return to Mountain was always my favorite. In real life.

In movie life I gotta' go with Dragon seeks path and Dragon whips his tail. I could watch that scene every day.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Wing Chun later tended to break with this Chinese tradition of using poetic descriptions for movements or techniques. In WC the names tend to be very straightforward. Unfortunately, the movements themselves can still be very difficult to understand and apply properly!

What!? You mean to tell me you don't get an instant understanding of Fook Sau (伏手) by translating it to the English "prostrating hand" or you don't have a clear understanding of (小念头) Siu Lim Tao by knowing it translates to "Little Idea"...SHEESH

If I remember correctly in the training in Sanda was much easier to understand by knowing the name...things like like "zhuàng shù" (撞树) "Hit the tree"

 

[donald1]

If thats the easy part whats the hard pa rt... im going to bet its trying to pronounce it

Last time I hit the tree I got a bruise across my hand... (both hands, I didnt learn the lesson the first time.)

Lesson: dont mess with trees.

 

[Xue Sheng]

If thats the easy part whats the hard pa rt... im going to bet its trying to pronounce it

Last time I hit the tree I got a bruise across my hand... (both hands, I didnt learn the lesson the first time.)

Lesson: dont mess with trees.

NO!!!!

The lesson is....never...and I mean NEVER!!!!! trust a tree

 

[donald1]

3 questions please. (All three opinion based; no right or wrong answers)

1. Names. Do you call your instructor by his/her name or title (if your response is "title" do you refer to your instructor by title only in the dojo or outside of the dojo as well?)

2. What color MA uniform do you wear and why?

3. Grabs in sporting events. Do you allow grabs in MA sport events? Why or why not?

 

[kuniggety]

I'm responding about BJJ since that's my current focus...

1. Coach. I haven't seen him outside of class, so not sure what I'd call him then. Probably Coach Jay. When I had a Brazilian for an instructor, I called him Professor.

2. My kimono/gi is blue. White, blue, and black are the most common with white being number one. Brown and purple are not uncommon (following the pattern of the same colors as the belts) but I've also seen some female cut pink ones and ran into a dude with a camo one. In general it's wear whatever color you want. I like blue so I wear blue.

3. We're a grappling art so yes, grabs are pretty essential.

 

[pgsmith]

OK, but the answers are going to be a bit different ...
1) By title in the dojo, by name outside depending upon the circumstances and who we're with.
2) Black, because that's what we are instructed to wear.
3) No grabs, because you don't try to grab someone wearing swords as you'll pull back a stub. Actually our competitions are non-contact and involve forms and cutting patterns only, so it really doesn't apply.

 

[donald1]

Tai chi and taijiquan; are they the same style or two different styles?

In tai chi forms or atleast the ones I do often use holding a ball (as seen in picture bellow) my question, why?

 

[Xue Sheng]

Tai Chi Chuan is Wade Giles Spelling
Taijiquan is Pinyin Spelling
Both come from 太極拳

So you have

Chen t'ai chi ch'uan
Yang t'ai chi ch'uan
Wu t'ai chi ch'uan
Wu/Hao t'ai chi ch'uan
Sun t'ai chi ch'uan

and

Chen tàijíquán
Yang tàijíquán
Wu tàijíquán
Wu/Hao tàijíquán
Sun tàijíquán

 

[Tez3]

3. Grabs in sporting events. Do you allow grabs in MA sport events? Why or why not?

It'll depend on what you are grabbing I imagine

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

3 questions please. (All three opinion based; no right or wrong answers)

1. Names. Do you call your instructor by his/her name or title (if your response is "title" do you refer to your instructor by title only in the dojo or outside of the dojo as well?)

Depends on the instructor/dojo, but generally will refer to them as 'sensei' 'sifu' or 'sir' during class time (if they ask me not to call them any of the above, I still end up calling them sir). Outside of class, I call all of them by their first name.

2. What color MA uniform do you wear and why?

I have blue, black, and white gis. The white gi I will wear mainly only if I am looking at a new dojo or style. I don't do it often, but have it just in case, since I consider it rude to wear a colored gi to a new dojo. The blue one I wear when i roll. It was a gift to me and is much heavier than my other gis, so I save it for rolling/grappling/throwing. Finally, I have multiple lightweight black gis. Those are my favorite, and if I am not grappling, and have permission I will wear one of them. They're the ones I wear most.

3. Grabs in sporting events. Do you allow grabs in MA sport events? Why or why not?

I don't participate in these.