Honest question about martial arts

[hskwarrior]

Today, now that all martial arts systems have come out of the dark its quite an obvious reality that ALL styles are relative. I mean what is found in one system is also found in another, even so called SECRET techniques. NOTHING has been done what hasn't already been done.

so in retrospect i wonder, if all martial arts are so relative, then why do we chose the systems do have? CLF is similar to all of the other systems, and i can say that maybe it was my sifu's approach to the system that drew me to it. But Muay Thai isn't the only system with knee's and elbows, etc etc.

So is it the personal approach of an individual that we are attracted to or what?

anyone want to chime in?

[Syn7]

i disagree... you may see the same movements from afar, but that doesnt mean the power is generated the same... like the chinna vs bjj argument, u see the same locks but a completely different approach to applying them... and one is clearly more effective than the other in their approach...

bak mei and wing chun, for example, even with the strikes that look alike, the power generation is completely different... as i understand it, that is...

[SPJ]

1. personal physical attributes and preferences weigh most in your choice of styles.

I was learning mantis first.

I opted for more direct and straightforward styles.

I then learned Tong bei and Ba Ji.

I luv all of them.

2. opportunity to have a good teacher or teachers in a said style is another big factor.

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[YouKnowWho]

what is found in one system is also found in another, even so called SECRET techniques.

One CLF master from Fayetteville, NC showed me a punch that start with a hook punch and then change into a straight punch. It's quite unique move that I don't see in the Longfist system.

The so called SECRET is the "training method" and may not be a special move. For example, how to break somone's arm when you shakes hand with your opponent? How to train it? If you don't know, you may never train that in your life. You may also not know that can be possible. The day that you shake hand with an old Chinese man, you find out that the old man uses both hands to shake your single hand. You may think that old man is over polite to you. The truth is that old man try to prevent you from doing any arm breaking trick on him. This kind of alert is not commonly seen in our generation. IMO, it's not proper to assume that we know everything and there is no SECRET under the sun.

[SanHeChuan]

Not all styles share the same techniques, or the same approach. They have a few "basic" techniques in common and that's because they "steal" from each other.

Show me one Kung Fu Form that has a head height round house in it? What about a hook kick?

Most kung fu would not use the jab and cross like boxers do, if not for the influence of boxing on kung fu.

Few non-kung fu styles use a cross kick, or...

[David Jamieson]

In my style, we clench our anuses just a little bit more than in other styles. :)

[yutyeesam]

to me it's all about training methodology, and less about the techniques.

techniques are shared. but some arts specialize on certain techs, b/c they concentrate so heavily on them that they have come up with lots of methods to train its mastery in highly efficient and effective ways.

eg

sure we may have knees and elbows, but i bet muay thai has training drills built around them to get them to levels not commonly seen in cma, because they specialize in it.

sure we have qinna/kamla. but i bet jujutsu has training drills built around them to levels not commonly seen in cma, because they specialize in it.

sure we have blunt and sharp weapon techniques. but i bet escrima has training drills built around them to levels not commonly seen in cma, because they specialize in it.

on the side of cma...sure many arts have long swinging circular strikes, but i KNOW choy lay fut has training drills built around them to levels not commonly seen in other arts, because we specialize in it.

if you think about the number of techniques boxing has, it's not a whole lot, compared to cma. but they have an insane amount of drills to get those few techniques to work for you.

so...yeah. figure out which attribute you wanna get better, and then steal good drills. all the time.

[Yum Cha]

In my style, we clench our anuses just a little bit more than in other styles. :)


The defence for the well known technique, "Monkey searching for ants"

[MightyB]

My personal philosophy is to start with one style and devote time into learning it. After that, cross train to strengthen areas that you need to work on or cross train things you're interested in. Analyze your approach after you've done that a while and decide if what you're doing is fundamentally different than what you started with.

[Violent Designs]

what yutyeesam and MightyB said.

[sanjuro_ronin]

The so called SECRET is the "training method"

John has surrendered the golden pearl !!

[goju]

i chose what i chose because it was easily available and in some cases instruction was free so i woudl have to be a fool not to take free training

even when i started mma i only did it because the gym was across the street from where i lived

[David Jamieson]

It took me a while before i found a competent chinese martial arts teacher. there simply weren't many in the city I'm from and there still aren't as far as I know.

Maybe, maybe 6 guys in the whole city who can teach CMA expertly.

Where I am now, it's decidedly a mix of everything from hippy bozos doing crap chi kung, to a guy who claims lineage from shaolin, to pretty competent kung fu teachers who have been around and established for a long time.

every childrens dance studio is a yoga studio too now :rolleyes: and trust me when I say that it is difficult to find competent yoga teachers as well. Most of them are fresh off a 3 month seminar they paid a couple of grand for and in all honesty, many of these folks are terrible at yoga.

I think one of the great problems is simply desire.

people desire to be that which they are not and will cut corners everywhere in an attempt to be recognized as such. The problem is that all of that comes out in the wash and they will eventually have to go back to the beginning and put in the real effort and time required. In the meantime, they are poorly instructing others.

that's life I guess. buyer beware. :)

[Iron_Eagle_76]

The best part of Yoga:

http://www.product-reviews.net/wp-content/userimages/2008/01/joost-good.jpg

[Lee Chiang Po]

When I started gung fu training, it was a family affair. My dad was my benefactor. My older brothers were also my mentors. I had no idea that there was other martial styles aside from my own until I was grown and off on my own. So I was not effected by the need to rush out and learn this and that. I learned all that was to be learned of my own system. I have developed some moves that are mine alone and I have only taught to a few people. I also later in life trained in Japanese jiujitsu, and I have developed some moves there that are mine alone as well. I have over 600 seperate and individual techniques in this system. Having a little of this and a little of that might be good in some ways, but I am certainly glad that I was not confronted with all the different styles we see today or I might not have been so devoted to my own.