When a teacher can no longer teach certain techniques...

[MarkBarlow]

And the results are showing up with much greater frequency of injury. They are just doing stuff that makes no sense and has a very high potential for injury. I personally don't understand why they do this, and when I began training with my sifu, I made it clear that I was only interested in learning traditional martial arts, and I had no interest at all in Modern Wushu. He has always respected my desire.

I feel the same way. It also amazes me to see parents allowing their daughters to compete in gymnastics under coaches who not only ignore serious injuries but insist on the girls maintaining an unhealthy weight that will adversely affect them for the rest of their lives. I've shared space with gymnastic schools and it's not uncommon before a competition to hear the instructor chewing the girls out about being fat. We're talking about girls as young as 12. If you want to screw up a girl's self image, begin attacking their appearance early. I can't think of anything better to damage a child.

It's been a few years ago and I can't remember where I read it but there was a study on football injuries. Basically, the study found that around 10% of children playing football between the ages of 6 and 9 would be injured, 25% between 10 and 14, 40% in high school and close to 100% in college. Can you imagine if we tried to convince the parents of our students that those percentages should be acceptable?

 

[Flying Crane]

Ok, so if the wushu teams are taking heavier injuries earlier and earlier in their careers how will techniques be passed along to the next generation of artists? Sooner or later the Wushu artists will no longer be able to perform the techniques they are attempting to teach and wind up in the same shape as Upnorthkyosa. At that point something will have to be figured out to either A) teach the tech without demo-ing or B) simply stop teaching the technique at all.

The current coaches aren't doing these crazy movements either. I think it's literally a group of old beaurocrats who sit in an office and dream up this insanity, then tell the coaches to make the athletes do it. The coaches can't do it 'cause they are in their 50s and stuff, but they tell the atheletes to do it, and they get hurt along the way.

It's a source of national pride that the Beijing team is the best in the world, and they intend to keep it that way, so they keep pushing the limits each year. It's their sport, and they write and re-write the rules as they see fit.

As long as there are a bunch of beaurocrats with a wild imagination, and a bunch of coaches willing to pressure the atheletes, this will continue.

 

[Flying Crane]

It's been a few years ago and I can't remember where I read it but there was a study on football injuries. Basically, the study found that around 10% of children playing football between the ages of 6 and 9 would be injured, 25% between 10 and 14, 40% in high school and close to 100% in college. Can you imagine if we tried to convince the parents of our students that those percentages should be acceptable?

I think it's often the parent who is either trying to relive his own glory days, or else wants his kid to make up for his own failures. Sad, but sometimes that's my impression.

 

[JT_the_Ninja]

[comment retracted]

 

[shesulsa]

Ok, so if the wushu teams are taking heavier injuries earlier and earlier in their careers how will techniques be passed along to the next generation of artists? Sooner or later the Wushu artists will no longer be able to perform the techniques they are attempting to teach and wind up in the same shape as Upnorthkyosa. At that point something will have to be figured out to either A) teach the tech without demo-ing or B) simply stop teaching the technique at all.

I think it is going to depend on the teacher/instructor. If you can't get into someone's head to explain the move to them, it's pointless.

 

[GreenEyedDespereaux]

My sabahnim is getting older as well, and has delegated some of his classes (partcularly the children) to some of the black belts. It's perfect for me because a.) I'm in high school and need the money, b.) I want to maybe have my own school someday and need the experience, and c.) I love kids and work very well with them. Perhaps that's something you can consider.

 

[kaizasosei]

How does this help? I actually sit in seiza more often now days because it keeps everything in line. Especially when my back hurts.

hey! i'm really sorry i didn't get back to answering the question...also sorry if i have left anything out because i didn't read all the posts.

i think seiza is a natural position...from being able to do seiza, one could move to do seiza with really straight back...then lean forward into a ball- do this whenever possible. then it would be good to do the simple touching the toes stretch with straight legs- at first, gently of course-sitting down maybe better- keeping back straight- even 90 deg or more whatever, day by day certain alleviation.
the back is like walking on a tightrope- though most think is is a fourlanehighway because they don't experience any pinches or pain even if they overdo their limits. -if you get completely flexible training first one side and then the other, i believe the back can become like a fourlane highway. then one would be really strong and have really powerful movements. - there is even study in japan called tangaku- the study of the seikatanden.

however, as quickly as the pain came, it can also leave when it comes to the back...knees and hips take much more time and dedication.

how does this help? i think it fuses the body together in a uniform way so that there is no disproportionate distribution of stress.
the difference betwee a flexible person and an unflexible person is great.-it is like completely different kinds of beings-physically and sometimes also psychologically. weird but i believe it..
im no circusmonkey myself right now, actually, i have lots of stretching to still do to at least regain what i had 10 years ago.

j

 

[kaizasosei]

i would even checkout habits of hand movements or flexibility of toes and habits of feet..


sorry. i have no desire to mold anyone in any certain shape or alter destiny, but i really believe this stuff is very therapeutic.

sorry for the double post

j

 

[kaizasosei]

sorry but i don't think it has anything to do with race...all people are different no matter what country they are in. all people can become flexible. this is easier when young. also, it depends how the parents show the kids through ideas or by example.
when i was very young just starting school at the age of 5, i was really depressed for some time, because when we went to the assembly hall, i could not sit crosslegged so nicely as the other kids. it was really frustrating for me.

at seventeen i was seriously flexible.
now at age 29, i can still do the lotus position on both sides in reversed way in a couple of different styles... but i got a little rusty in the last 10 years, i cannot do the splits that easily anymore also hamstrings feel really too tense. bad for circulation. my arms and shoulders are also unflexible. that's why i do all kinds of stretches as much as i can taichistyle movements and sitting. the key word that i stumbled on when i opened up the book about the tanden just to get one word out of it. and just the word i got was 'geisteshaltung'-(book is in german)- gh could mean usually means attitude or the way you carry yourself or even, i would call it a frame of mind...but what i find cool is that geist means spirit or ghost. and haltung means posture.

one must simply find one roots and then nourish them.

j


still i am more flexible than most people.
:flame:

but silly really, the body has so many areas and tendons etc. -i definately plenty of work to do.
then there is the subject of true elasticity which is the elasticity of the skin.

 

[Lynne]

Master R had rotator cuff surgery and I don't think I've ever seen him on the floor so much! He is a dynamo in that sling, I tell you

 

[JT_the_Ninja]

One of my classmates, a middle-aged man who's about a year or two behind me in terms of promotions, has a wrist that, for a reason I can't recall just now, can't rotate very far, physically speaking. It's tough doing wrist grabs with him for that reason, because any type of joint lock I'd try on his wrist is going to be hampered by the fact that it just doesn't move like a normal wrist does.