You kung fu guys are geniuses!

[Daedalus]

You'd have to be to remember all the combinations and names of combinations.

Monkey steals a peach
Crane spreads its wings
Tiger protects its cubs
Dragons fishing
Large Roc takes flight
Mantis stalking its prey
Drunkard dances with the maiden

Why can't you just say "outside block with a simultaneous straight punch? Although longer, its alot easier to remember.

Not meaning any disrespect, I'm just curious.

:D

[Water Dragon]

Because that's how the Chinese talk, it's a cultural thing.

[Ford Prefect]

Two words, three syllables: Shaw Brothers.

[KC Elbows]

Plus, an outside block can be slightly different from animal to animal, so you already add to the clinical version of description. Still, its only terminology, I've had teachers who went by the old names, and other teachers who just called it by its technical name.

And what would you do with a brain if you had one? -Dorothy to the Scarecrow

[Badger]

Badger

[Kung Lek]

Uh, I never had to remember any of that stuff as far as names and words go.

I just had to remember how to do them and then practice to do them properly.

I learned a lot of the different names for techniques on my own long after I had been taught them by my sifu. And even then, there were different names for the same thing depending on what I was looking at.

peace

Kung Lek

Martial Arts Links (http://members.home.net/kunglek)

[cwheelie]

the famous move by Bob Klein, Supreme Master of TaiChi:
"Fairy prances through the Garden" :D

de ja fu - The feeling that somewhere, somehow you've been kicked in the head like this before.

[MonkeySlap Too]

My teacher tried to get us to translate the terms into English - but often we find it easier to use the Chinese word. 'Chwe' is shorter than 'Shoulder Throw', Duhuh is shorter than 'major inner reaping throw'.

"Poor is the pupil who
does not surpass his
master" - Leonardo Da
Vinci

[eviljungle]

Because it's COOL, that's why.

[Shaolin36]

It also helps us to hold onto history. These names tell us why and where these techniques developed.

[Chang Style Novice]

That's right Daedelus, we are. Say, it's a nice sunny day - how's your kid?

(/cruel and tasteless joke)

_______________________
I am the Grand Ultimate Silk Pyjama

[shaolinboxer]

Try remembering katate-tori-ryote-mochi Kokyunage Ude-mawashi.

That describes one technique/attack.

I am taking an exam today that has about 65 of those commands, and two kata.

A lot of homework.....been prepping for three months.

[strangecaptain]

In the days when challenges could come at any time, all these fancy phrases were like code words that could be used by a teacher to a student or between fellow students without giving up any information to outsiders.

[DrunkenMonkey]

actually thats not how chinese talk. its more like "Prey Mantis hunt" or "Tiger protect childs" or "Ralek not does eat ****"

"If I knew then what I know now, I would have killed him."

[Fish of Fury]

maybe names that conjure an image like that help involve the spirit as well as the body and mind

__________________________________________________ _________________________ "I'm just trying to lull you into a genuine sense of security!"

[SantaClaus]

it refers not only to the action, such as tiger decends the mountain, but the internal body movement. With increasing depth the poetic names reveal more and more detail.

and they are cool. It also lets you know application.. Golden tiger strikes the heart not only sounds cooler than (punch) but lets you know its for hitting the heart.

[honorisc]

"Why can't you just say "outside block with a simultaneous straight punch? Although longer, its alot easier to remember."

A picture is worth a thousand words. A photograph is not the same as thought. I can see hundreds of thousands of words worth of images in a second.

There is recalling the words. Then processing the thought of the word (or the sound of the word into thought) to be further processed into association of action then muscle memory (or whatever brainstuff that makes action happen/associated with that association~Lyle's example looks like Japanese language. In Bujinkan Taijitsu~ they have techniques which are basically very descriptive as you sugget, Daedalus~ hand-edge-strike-from-the-side; grip- twist-pull-foot~...like Lyle's example might would be if it got transliterated/translated into English.

Using the words in the call-it-what-it-is way you bring-up, the difference in time spent getting out what to do is only slightly longer use of breath, but definitely gets to be more use of words. The Chinese picturesque talk encompasses footwork (placement/movement), handwork (placement/movement/handtype), and sugests attitude, intention, and power (sometimes all of these at least). This is done with a single phrase. Your call-it-what-it-is way would need at least three phrases to accomplish nearly half the same result.

But (the fleshy part upon which we sit), the picturesque way does not need to rest on being easier to speak (less breath or fewer words with greater conveyance).

....Not everyone knows punch Or kick. These two things have many variations and it has to be taught, Each variation. But I get deeper practice of a Cat stance, having seen a cat and being familiar with them, then I would from, front foot toe-tips pointing to the ground rear knee bent toes pointing forty five degrees out from straight, not too far out, don't put weight on the front foot.

Very some such, perhaps might have been, likely say some, some not.

[joedoe]

I agree with Fish. Using the language that was used of old may help you to a) invoke the spirit of the move and b) connect with the 'art' side of things rather than just the 'martial'.

cxxx[]:::::::::::>
You're fu(king up my chi

[Kung Lek]

two all beef patties
special sauce
lettuce cheese
pickles onions
katate-tori-ryote-mochi Kokyunage Ude-mawashi
on a sesame seed bun

:D

peace

Kung Lek

Martial Arts Links (http://members.home.net/kunglek)

[PaleDragon]

ii desu ne

[MartialKnight]

Because only the exponents of the style would know what it meant. It was used primarly for secrecy of the style.

[mantis-1]

It wasn't designed to be flashy or cool...in times when it was trained and a lot of masters were illiterate this was a way of conveying the moves without having to write down the names one by one... plus you would have a list that wouldn't make too much sense. Left punch Right punch but with a complicated move like 'tiger comes down the mountain' how do you follow a name on a list, ever tried to learn from a book without learing from a master aswell... Also it helps you to take on the personality of the animal etc, essential in animal styles...it dosn't relate to single moves either. In chow gar tong long the first eight cycles of moves found in nearly all the forms is called the 'Mantis washing it's wings'. These help to picture the moves correctly as well as describe the moves. Hope that helps but hey I'm no expert so...

[shaolinboxer]

LOL for Kung Lek!

That technique name translates:

Katate-tor-ryote mochi (grab the guys wrist with both hands)

Kokyu (breath) nage (throw)

Ude Mawashi (something like..join with the guy and spin him)

I passed that exam, btw. Now I can take the advanced classes and they make me wear the fancy pants.

[honorisc]

Congratulations, Fancy Pants :-). Hakam ah don't get to wear fancy pants?.

udemawashi. I'lldothedishes.

Very some such, perhaps might have been, likely say some, some not.

[origenx]

Actually, I beg to differ, I think "snake spits tongue" is a lot shorter and easier to remember than "block or grab down with leading hand and eye jab with rear hand." I mean, especially when you have to chain a lot of moves together into one long form, it becomes much easier if you name each move with a visual metaphor.

[KC Elbows]

And what if the movement can be used for a number of techniques? The technical name on a lot of tai chi moves would be a page long!

[Wongsifu]

talking of this my sifu was showing me a technique that i believe was called snake shoots out of the cave , and he was trying to tell me the name of the technique but his englsh is non existant,
so he started doing these funny sounds hissing and i was like , snake hes like ok , then he points to the fire place, and kind of climbs half way into it and jumps out with this snake like hand, and i was like the technique is called snake shoots out of the fireplace ???

he just looked at me and went :rolleyes:

This is because THC is not an alkaloid. It does not contain a nitrogen atom, therefore it is a terpenophenolic compound