"emperor's blah-de-blah"

[regulator]

one thing i never really understood about the various so-called "emperor's" styles, such as emperor's long fist, palace bagua, etc and so on and so forth.
if these styles were truly taught to royalty because they were so darn effective, what's the point?
that is to say, if i'm a royal figure, when am i actually going to have to fight anyways? don't i have bodyguards for that purpose (Yin Fu was personal bodyguard to royalty, etc)? when will i even have time to train hard enough to become proficient at these styles? don't i have administrative duties to perform and other things to worry about without devoting many hours per day to my style?
i'm not talking about yang taiji or baji, which was taught to royal bodyguards and sometimes royalty themselves, i'm talking about so-called styles that were/are speciifically for imperial families etc... it's almost as if these styles' lineage was created to lend them credibility, as if it came from "on high" it would be more credible or respectable or even "better" than the "lowly" styles founded in less "impressive" locales...

[David Jamieson]

The inference is that these arts were taught to the bodyguard and not necessarily the royal figures themselves.

The emperors bodyguard would need to be highly astute at martial arts from empty hand to swordsmanship to field weapons such as spears , halbierds and the likes.

Anyway, there hasn't been an emperor in china for quite some time now but luckily some of these really terrific martial arts have lived on.

Particular Tai Shing Pek War and Pa Kua.

peace

[Water Dragon]

Anyone else waiting for Royal Dragon to get a hold of this thread?

[SifuAbel]

KL is right, these styles were taught to the imperial gaurd. They have sustained themselves through the families of the these gaurds and made their way outward. The dynasty may have ended but the martial art remained popular.
They are what they are. They may have found their way to us commoners but they did start where they started. That can't be changed. And why not talk about taji or baji?

Whatever..................

This sounds like a troll post for RD's reaction. What do you train, regularator?

[Royal Dragon]

Ah, my favorite subject.

First, there are several arts around today with beginnings in Royal households. You have to understand, that virtually ALL of China's major (and minor) dynasties were created through military conquest. That being said, the ruling families were all VERY versed in the martial arts. It wasn't just the guards, but the actual families themselves. Legend has it, that those families kept the best for themselves incase they had to one day face their own guards.

The big misconception though is that the "Royal" arts were vastly superior to other existing arts of the time. Very often, they were similar, but just better learned. For example, The Emperor Chao Kuang Yin (founder of my style) was born into a military family and ascended the throne through military conquest. by the time he became Emperor, he was already VERY skilled at a variety of martial arts. Tai Tzu's first form is actually a distillation of his favorite stuff based on his battlefield experience. He combined it in his own unique way, and added his own inspiration to it based on his life's experience. NOW, ANY soldier at that time could have done so and had just as strong of an art, it just so happens Chao, Kuang Yin was the Emperor.

Now being Emperor gave him access to even more martial arts, and he had the resources to study and advance them as well as incorporate them into his system. Very few others had the resources to do this so it is only natural that he was able to develop a higher quality system.

As time went on, it was eventually taught to the military, who's soldiers often went on to develop their own versions, and even entirely new styles with Tai Tzu as a base. Often these new systems were BETTER than the old, forcing the family of the "Royal art" to compete and improve in order to stay on top.

As for 'Royal palace Bagua", as far as I'M concerned Bagua is Bagua. It was never truly a Royal art, unless you can prove to me it became a primary style of the Ching's ruling family. Some like to call it that for marketing purposes, but it is more commonly associated with the Palace guards than the ruling family.

For me for something to be truly a "Royal" art it must have been developed BY the ruling family, and/or perfected by them and their descendants. Bagua was developed outside the palace, and as far as "I" know it was an art practiced by the place guards NOT the Emperor or his family.

Marketing has a LOT to do with things boys. In the end, your should persue what you feel is best for you. In my case it happens to be a rare style called Tai Tzu Chang Chuan.

[Royal Dragon]

If it was a troll to draw me out it's wasn't very good. Here i am all excited because someone starts a topic on "MY" favorite martial subject, and then BAMM, it goes ice cold, and leaves me hang'in!!!

Oh well, it's not like women haven't done that to me too


Royal Dragon beats all!!!!

RD


Oh, stop by my forum, it's been suped up on it's nice brand new super fast server!!