Make Your Own Style?

[killorbe]

wHY CAN'T PEOPLE JUST EXPLORE THEM SELVES AND CREATE THEIR OWN STYLE OF FIGHTING? i SPAR WITH A FEW GUYS , ONE WHO HAS BEEN IN TOURNAMENTS AND WON SOME ,, THE OTHER HAS DONE SOME NO HOLDS BVARRED STUFF AND IS A BLACKBELT IN TANG SOO DO! CAN'T I CREATE MY OWN STYLE,, I THINK I DO WELL AGAINST THESE GUYS WHEN WE SPAR!

[ewallace]

Probably for the same reason that most people don't use caps when typing. You can do it but most people won't have much respect for you if you do.

Welcome to the forum.

[gazza99]

Just be sure to call yourself a Grandmaster, and of course dont get to much training or it will hinder your ability to be creative. or master any real principles that have been proven over thousands of years! Put up a website claiming a cool name even if its taken, like "shaolin-do", or even White Tiger is popular, and you can just about teach anything and call it ninjitsu! But its imperitive to at least know a few Kenpo forms first! I see you have already started that part!

Good luck
Gary

[Kope]

make sure you comment repeatedly on how Bruce Lee said bad things about traditional forms . . .

[guohuen]

Why reinvent the wheel?

[PHILBERT]

Tournament martial arts are NOT street effective martial arts. If you train in martial arts solely for tournaments, you will get killed on the street because you will be use to using moves allowed in tournaments.

If you study ma for the streets and do some tournaments for fun, you don't *******ize a martial art. However if you train for the tournaments only then get in a conflict, you might get killed.

Sure you can "create" your own style. Bruce Lee created Jeet Kune Do based off western boxing, Chinese martial arts, Savate and Muay Thai (I think). Morihei Ueshiba created Aikido off of JuJutsu. The Gracies created Brazilian JiuJitsu based off Judo. Hung Gar was based off (from what I've heard) other martial arts styles as was Choy Lay Fut.

However, by throwing a few sparring matches together and then creating a martial art based just off of whatever b.s. you learn from these games is not a martial art. To create an art you gotta study many arts and mix and match.

Or you can always cross train. Study a weapon martial art (Kali, Arnis, etc), a hand to hand combat art (Choy Lay Fut, Karate, Wing Chun, Southern Mantis) and maybe a wrestling/grappling art (wrestling, BJJ, Greeco Roman, etc). Take what you can from each style, but honestly I wouldn't recommend creating your own style.

Here is a great example of a guy who needs to stop watching Hong Kong movies:

http://hometown.aol.com/matrixinstructor/

[lungyuil]

how do you create something that already exists. Have you come up with your own type of kick or punch. Maybe created a new method of power generation.

How can you claim to be a master of a style when you haven't even mastered an existing one.

systems were created based on principles, techniques, different power generations and dim mak. Names were given to techniques like a code so you knew where to hit.
Can you do that?

If you can then create and be free!!:o

[killorbe]

my stlye is a combination of kenpo,boxing,jujitsu,muay thai,and tang soo do,, as i sparred with people who new these arts,, I took what I could from all those arts and used the techniques that i felt comfortable with.i went to a school for kenpo, but then i wasnt getting that much from the school as i was sparring with people outside the school at that time,, and felt I could make progress on my own sparring and perfecting the techniques i already knew! Im not a great martial artist or maybe not even a good one, but can i defend myself,, indeed I have a dozen times, and that is what i want to be able to do, and i can defend myself against a person who is trained also cause i have done that. I also have been beatin many times. so im not claiming to create a new jeet kune do or something,, i created a system of other systems that works for me in self defense! thanks

[ewallace]

If it works for you then great. It would be "your" style not "a" style. I think that you would still benefit greatly from studying an existing art.

[Kempo Guy]

First I think it's important to distinguish between 'style' and 'system'. A system as I've been taught is (systemized) method of teaching in order for an individual to develop their own 'style' (personal expression of fighting).

Having said that, I think the word 'functionality' (for the individual) comes to mind when speaking of fighting... This coyuld be somewhat independent of the system you are learning. There are many systems that focus on functionality over 'form' such as san shou, grappling, boxing etc., this is not to say many other styles of Chinese, Japanese or another country of origin doesn't teach in a functional way, these were just some that came to my mind initially.

However, I would like to add that there's definitely a 'best' or a 'most efficient' way to strike, kick, throw, grapple etc. I think it's tough to learn the proper bio-mechanics etc. without proper guidance. With the proper guidance, as long as you have the proper body mechanics, alignment etc. you could create your 'own' style of fighting.

I don't know if any of this makes any sense... :D

Later...
KG

[Justa Man]

However, I would like to add that there's definitely a 'best' or a 'most efficient' way to strike, kick, throw, grapple etc. I think it's tough to learn the proper bio-mechanics etc. without proper guidance. With the proper guidance, as long as you have the proper body mechanics, alignment etc. you could create your 'own' style of fighting.

Someone buy that man a drink ! :)

A good martial art system will develop the body to be more powerful and faster. In the internal martial arts, great power can come from from barely noticable movements of the body. I don't care how good you can spar your martial buddies, you do not have the knowledge and understanding of how the body works to give you real good martial skills.
If you wanna be a 'so-so' or a 'pretty good' fighter, then you can stick to what you are doing. But if you oneday cross hands with a really skilled martial artist you'll get beat. You need guidance in training the body to be more quick, more powerful, and more efficient in attacking and defending.
No one said you can't creat your own 'style'. We as individuals are all different and we all fight differently. Bruce Lee nailed it when he spoke of self expression. But expose yourself to some teaching of martial arts, and you will further shape and evolve yourself, your 'style', making it deeper and better.
Go through it to transcend it.

[ChinNa]

Originally posted by killorbe
my stlye is a combination of kenpo,boxing,jujitsu,muay thai,and tang soo do,, as i sparred with people who new these arts,, I took what I could from all those arts and used the techniques that i felt comfortable with.i went to a school for kenpo, but then i wasnt getting that much from the school as i was sparring with people outside the school at that time,, and felt I could make progress on my own sparring and perfecting the techniques i already knew! Im not a great martial artist or maybe not even a good one, but can i defend myself,, indeed I have a dozen times, and that is what i want to be able to do, and i can defend myself against a person who is trained also cause i have done that. I also have been beatin many times. so im not claiming to create a new jeet kune do or something,, i created a system of other systems that works for me in self defense! thanks

ALERT!

Before thinking again of teaching kids or dumb people your so called style, you gotta have 30+ over years of experience to really know what is MARTIAL ARTS. until then go to all types of tournaments, and go around the world fighting any types of battles, life or death even better, if you die or get hurt, your martial art $*CK$, If you can make it, I doubt you can, you are lucky and you can create your own style.

Why not just be like bruce lee? he teaches no style, Using No Way As Way, Having No Limitation As Limitation.

He didn't said my style has kenpo, this that. no
he teaches no way, so all he learned is being taught and you don't even know, which is better.

If you put water into a cup it becomes the cup, if you put water into a teapot it becomes a teapot, now water can flow or crash, BE WATER MY FRIEND! :p

[ChinNa]

Originally posted by PHILBERT
Tournament martial arts are NOT street effective martial arts. If you train in martial arts solely for tournaments, you will get killed on the street because you will be use to using moves allowed in tournaments.

If you study ma for the streets and do some tournaments for fun, you don't *******ize a martial art. However if you train for the tournaments only then get in a conflict, you might get killed.

There are Kung-Fu schools that go to tournament is that bad in Chinese system?

Well, my experience says Tournaments have rules, in a fight there is no rule.

[Kempo Guy]

FWIW, I have to disagree with the statement about the need to spend 30 years in the arts to 'create' your 'own style'. IMHO, this is BS and is something that is ingrained when learning most traditional systems... (BTW, I still train in traditional arts)

The realisty is that it's quite easy to create your own style. This comes from being bio-mechanically efficient (as I insinuated in my earlier post). Once these principles are taught along with the use and understanding of the planes of movement and force vectors, you can create your 'own' style. Once you know how to do use these things, you use sparring to test the principles. THen VOILA, you have your 'own' style. Remember, no one person has the same style, but if one wants to be an effective fighter they will eventually come to the same conclusion of what is a bio-mechanically (structurally) efficient.

It's all about physics... try reading books on anatomy, kinesiology, biomechanical engineering or a physics 101 book and you'll see what I mean.

What makes one teacher better than another...? Well, imho it would have to be the person who is able to better transmit the knowledge of what I've described above such as bio-mechanics, planes of movement, force vectors, structural integrity, postural alignment... etc.

Chin na,
In regards to your comment on tournaments... I believe it would depend on the tournament. If it' a game of tag (point sparring) I'd have to agree that it's a waste of time if your looking for a functional way of applying skills. However, if you say MMA/NHB type tournaments then I'd have to disagree. You are quite correct that it is not the same as a street fight, and there are rule restrictions. But I'm curious, what makes you think you can defend yourself on the street if you can't beat a guy with limited amount of rules? :confused: (I don't compete in MMA, but we train in a manner consistent with what you would see in MMA type tourneys). The rules are there for your benefit...

Just some thoughts from the cheap seats...
KG

[ChinNa]

which benefit?
fitness?
:o

[Kempo Guy]

Dude,
If you spar NHB style with minimum safety gear, it would only make sense that the certain rules are set so you can get up and go to work the next day.

If you want to get "realistic training", then use the Fist Gear or Hi Gear and go at it. There is just adequate padding (especially on Hi Gear by Mr. Blauer) to increase your level of realism to the point where you are close or at the same intensity to a real fight. AND it will hurt as the padding in the latter suit is not adequate to absorb a ton of the shock... (you'd be surprised at how thin it is).

We use this method of training quite frequently and it's certainly an eye-opener. BUT, imho if you can't fight anyone off doing NHB/MMA type sparring then don't expect to win in an encounter going full on out.

Of course there are other aspects to a fight when you get into self-defense type training, but that's a whole another topic... (and it's been done to death in the regular KF forum). :)

I'd be curious to hear how you train "realistically"?

Later,
KG

P.S. I'll be out of town for the next couple of weeks and will have little or no access to the internet, so I may be late with my replies.