In old china would western boxing be considered a internal martial art?

In my small experience it seems like Boxing is a sport not a martial art.

Both are concerned with fighting, but it's apples and oranges. You eat both but you can't have a taste test really. It's not much use to compare baseball versus basketball.

Whether boxing uses some of the same movement principles as IMA is another question. I think they do share a lot of things. The mindset is worlds apart.

One thing they share is using small movements to produce big results.

Another thing is that they both train one's reactions to be very natural and immediate.

-Jess O

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Some of us face a messier one though.

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the lucky ones.
:mad:

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In my small experience it seems like Boxing is a sport not a martial art.

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ill get you a fire extinguisher buddy.

Boxing is a tradition, and an often misunderstood one at that. Aside from the big business of boxing, we need to look at its history, where the men who boxed also fenced (ie swords), used canes, wrestled and taught physical education. I suggest you read something like Elliott Gorn's book the Manly Art or Poliakoff book on ancient greek combat sports...

Interesting and gentle replys to the playfull topic gents.

I have heard a number of past references from reading and different teachers of the comparison between hsing-I and old bare knuckle boxing mechanics and I know a chen tai chi player and boxer who made me think of this post topic.

To me I am a simple man, call it what you will as long as it can help me train to produce well-executed movements under stress, and give my short part irish/part german/part french/part american indian arse some condition of readiness in a world gone mad with killer cyborg ninja warriors and undead judoka.;)

careful, the undead judoka lurk on kfo,k as do the astral spies...

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Originally posted by Rockwood
In my small experience it seems like Boxing is a sport not a martial art.

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trying..... to....... fight.........urge..........

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Originally posted by Rockwood
In my small experience it seems like Boxing is a sport not a martial art.

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What's the difference? What is training in a martial art going to give you that boxing wont?

Judoka are undead? I thought they just had some bad gi-funk. ;)

LKFMDC has hit the nail straight on the head with his recommendation of Eliot J. Gorn's work. Gorn is one of the most interesting researchers of American combative sports, IMO.

As for boxing being a sport and therefore, not a martial art, I gotta ask-- what makes most kung-fu martial these days? You're not out gutting people with spears anymore, nor are you guys actually killing people with your bare hands.

So, what distinguishes kung-fu from boxing (where the aim is to phyiscally incapacitate your opponent)? Just an honest question.

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Originally posted by CrippledAvenger
nor are you guys actually killing people with your bare hands.
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Unless of course he's a Shuai Chiao guy. Hey! we're shooting video tomorrow. So bring yo gloves.

YAY! An arsekicking on camera!

It's like a hockey game!

I have heard it argued that the difference between "External" CMA and "Internal" CMA is primarily one of geography and not methodology. Internal meanig it's root origins were pure Chinese and External arts, like shaolin, supposedly came through Da Mo and have Indian roots. Has anyone heard of this before?

Last time we had a thread about what the exact definition of Internal and External were, it lasted five months and no one agreed.

Since you can't say whether or not Boxing is Internal without a handle on what Internal is, I don't see this thread coming to any satisfactory conclusion either.

It would depend on the boxers personnal styles.
Somebody like Ali would be like JKD.
Somebody like Tyson would be like Choi Lai Fut.
Joe Louis would be like WC
Dempsey...Hung Gar
Lewis....Chen TC
Marciano ...Chow Gar
Roy Jones...White Eyebrow
Butterbean...well!....
;)

yin=bob and weave, footwork
yang=jab, hook, punch,uppercut etc.

western terms