CLF Lineage/Branches

[Ego_Extrodinaire]

Anton

Ballet is an art form. It makes no pretence about its purpose. Southern Kung fu is not an art form and neither is it useful for self defence. However, it pretends to be both.

Put it this way, you can beat up people with southern kung fu as you can't beat people up with ballet. At least ballet is much more technical and looks more asthethically pleasing. It is soldiers who beat farmers up, not the other way round.

[Shaolin Punk]

Ego,
What is your intent?

Are you trying to get people to stop practicing southern chinese kung-fu, by telling them how inferior it is? I think that is fine, but I'd like to know what you propose as an alternative.

Offer a better style, if you're going to negate one.

The analogies of farmers and soldiers seems very abstract. I'd like to know your concrete points of why, if I am sitting on a fence trying to decide if I should take Wing Chun or Xing-Yi (or Choy Lee Fut or Baguazhang), why I should go the northern way. And let's say I live in a bad hood and am tired of getting mugged every friday, and also I have poor health that I need to overcome, b/c I don't have health insurance.

Thanks.

[Ming Fai]

EGO is right.

Throughout Chinese history soldiers always used to beat up peasants. This was a sign of the decline of discipline in the military, the corrupted soldiers slowly neglect their training, while the angry farmers would train in the fighting arts in secret... forming rebel organisations.

In the end, the farmers SLAUGHTERED the soldiers.

From now on, I will try to ignore Ego-Ordinary. I suggest others to do the same.

[Fu-Pow]

He's already on my ignore list.

[Ego_Extrodinaire]

Shaolin Punk

I don't think much of southern kung fu and at the same time its very hard to find a northern style - like Xing I that is taught properly. What I mean by that is the combat applications and not some chi meditation class that many schools have become. Quite fankly, I don't consider these schools be northern kung fu.

So where does this leave slef defence. This may seem basic and obvious but it is just that. learn to punch, kick, move and grapple. You might like to learn Kick Boxing and mix in BJJ in your training.
Together, they pretty much cover the stuff found in northern kung fu. You'll get lots of combat experience in these classes.

[Tao-Yin-Lee]

Ego is your friend. He makes you reflect on your systems and practices. The fact that for the most part your replies are rational rather than emotive shows how effective his strategy is. He is helping the cause of Southern Kung-Fu (howsoever defined) because he gives attention to many good systems and prompts strong helpful responses from their representatives. He should be encouraged not shunned. If he gave 'attention' to Northern Kung-Fu in the same way, he would help them too - allow the practitioners to show their knowledge and skill as well as good martial arts manners. He is your good friend... don't ignore him.

Tao.

[Ming Fai]

To Tao-Yin-Lee:

You've got a point there...

I hereby apologise to Ego.