CMA for Tall Practitioners

[Sirus]

Here's a general question for people to chew on: there are references in numerous publications concerning Chinese Martial arts referring to the practice during the "old days" of choosing a kung fu style based on one's body type. I was wondering what people's general opinions were concerning which styles were more suited to which body types. (Especially concerning very tall, rather thin practitioners).

Perhaps this is a topic that's been started time and time again, but I was hoping that we might be able to get past the "southern styles are for short people, northern styles for tall people" argument. Also, I am aware that any comprehensive CMA system will have techniques which are effective regardless of size or height. However, if you have an opinion about an art's proclivity for a practitioner of a certain size, please feel free to post here.

[YongChun]

Southern styles are for short people and Northern styles are for tall people is, too much of a generalization. It is true that Northern people tend to be taller.

I studied Hung style in the 1960's. Hung style is a Southern style and it comes in a few different variations. On the whole the stances, movements, and techniques between the various branches seem very similar.

When Hung style was taught, the art was adapted to the body type of the person. In my class no two people knew the same thing. Thus we all admired each other's forms because we didn't know the forms of the other guy.

As an example, short stocky guys might have been taught the Tiger movements which were very strong and powerful. Tall people could make best advantage of long range crane strikes and so were taught the movements inherent in the crane style of fighting. With regards to weapons, a smaller guy might learn the Butterfly knives and the spear because the knives could almost shield his whole body and the spear would be very fast in his hands. The taller guy might instead learn the heavier pole movements and for bladed weapons pick the double long swords instead.

My examples just addressed a few features but other characteristics of body type and mentality would also be taken into consideration when selecting the hand forms or weapon forms for the practitioner. A tense person would have difficulty learning the supple movements of the snake style for example.

Thus in our Hung style the art was tailored to the person as opposed to the person being tailored to the art. In my case I kept hitting the ceiling with my long pole so the teacher sawed a foot off the pole and after that everything went a whole lot better. Also I admired the super fast, explosive movements of a small but very fast and powerful 13 year old. So I asked my teacher if I could learn that. He said those things were not as suitable for me. Yet later I did learn those things however the results as expected were like an elephant trying to do ballet.

Eventually those that went on to teach or to carry on the tradition of the art did go on to learn the rest of the forms so that they could in turn tailor the art to their students. One of my teachers was a short stocky Choy Lee Fut teacher. He learned most of the art but said that he always found the crane stuff very awkward to do.

The Hung style teacher understood the essence of his art in that he didn't teach only the classical forms that he had been taught. Instead he was able to compose a form on the spot using all the fundamentals of the forms and theory that he knew. In one case one student wanted to learn the Japanese Sai, so the teacher instantly composed a long form for him which by the way was not just a duplicate of their Butterfly knife forms.

The cookie cutter approach to teaching is easier of course. In that approach, everyone learns the identical thing but variations still occur in the fighting according to the personality of the student.

Ray

[crysis]

tall lanky people.......kareen abdul jabar in the game of death :).

[El Tejon]

Hi, Sirus, I remain unconvinced.

I study Northern praying mantis and Wing Chun. I have seen a multitude of body types. Too many variables to predict (at least for what I have seen, remember I really have no great expertise).

In Wing Chun one of the best students I have seen is 6'8". We call him "Mount Dave". He is big, but athletically inclined.

In mantis one of the better students I have seen is maybe 5'5". He is quick and blessed with great strength for his size and flexibility.

Because of the great aerobic endurance necessary for mantis I would think tall people with great weight would have difficulty. Not saying it could not be overcome, just that it would be harder. My $.02.

[YongChun]

I had one Wing Chun student who had a background in Hung style. He was very tall and the Hung style sets he was doing just didn't suit him at all. They looked rather ugly. He was moving to another city and wondered what art to try. I suggested he take something like Taekwondo because of his tall slender build. He ended up studying Hapkido and it fit very perfectly for him. The last time I saw him was probably ten years ago and at that time he achieved 4th degree black belt and had very powerful fast kicks. He also enjoyed the Aikido joint locking and throwing aspect that is part of Hapkido.

Ray

[NeedsPractice]

Yong chun i like your posts in that your saying that somethings arent for everybody. A teacher should be honest enough to tell a person that after awhile they would be better off doing something else ( more suited for them) unless they really want a challenge.