Robert W. Smith is so arrogant!

[travelsbyknight]

There's three parts to this post.

1. I've read most of this guy's books. Ok, I browsed through most of them. He puts Southern styles down all the time always explaining how the "internal" styles are better because they don't use physical conditioning and strength, but the mind and energy instead. Does his argument have any meat to it? Is physical conditioning such as hitting the wooden dummy really that bad for you?

2. Is Robert W. SMith any good? I mean, the dude only studied in Taiwan for about ten years. HOW MUCH COULD HE HAVE LEARNED? Has anyone ever seen him in action or does all his fame come from him being one of the first Americans to write about Chinese martial arts?

3. In a couple of his books, he talks about masters wh lives past 70 years old. What about the ones that didn't?? These "great" masters who mastered all that internal bs...they all looked like crap in those pictures! Internal bs? Maybe. Does anyone know how those "great" masters measured up to great Southern masters?

[taijiquan_student]

This is completely unrelated to Robert Smith, but ten years is kind of a long time...

[travelsbyknight]

Ten years isn't a long time when you're studying with a bunch of guys. Robert W. Smith studied with some many people that I think it's safe to say he couldn't have retained anything.

This brings another point up. Just about every older guy I meet says something to this effect. "I've been studying for 30 years. I know what I'm doing." It seems that 30 years is becoming the bullsh*t number by which people judge how good they are. I'm not satisfied with 30 anymore. Don't brag unless you've been studying for 50 years. I doubt most of these people studied for 30 years straight.

Anyway, back to Robert W. Smith. No more tangents.

[brassmonkey]

I've heard several people state he comes off as an arrogant *******. I've read some of his work he certainly is longwinded with his style of using allegories but some people like that.

The judo people love his Judo stuff but can't understand his bias for internal arts. I think he was a 2nd or 3rd degree Judokan when he went to Taiwan. I guess you did skim through he sure wasnt in Taiwan for 10 years I think it was more like 3 or 4. I'm sure he continued getting corrections from his Master and seniors when he returned to the U.S. HOw good is he? Well it would all be speculation.

[jun_erh]

I felt he was realistic about the character of his teachers in Chinese Boxing. That all except for one smoked for one. I think he talked about the extemely heavy opium use in Chen village and in general gave god appraisals about who was an a hole and who wasn't. that said he was very much the product of his teachers prejudices. Though he does give props to various shaolin teachers and techniques, internal is really his thing regardless of whther you or I value those styles. I find that when he strays from that he falters. People shoud really write about what they know, even if it seems like a small little area.

[brassmonkey]

yeah I don't remember any southern bias either, your right Jun he praises some Shaolin and even Southern Shaolin teachers if memory serves. Interestingly he notes how he hadnt quite fused together his Judo with TCC yet. I'd like to see that. Maybe a bit like Cha'ng style TCC with TCC entry and SHui Chiao attacking methods.

He sure blasts Shui Chiao as not evolving as Judo did. He had a healty fear of Cha'ng Tung Sheng though. I don't agree with his opinions of MMA either. But we're all bias to some degree with our teachers/styles so I don't blame him too much.

[Buddy]

Smith is a CIA hack that was lucky to have been given the time of day. But it was all politics that got him there. Just look at his Xingyi and Bagua stuff in his books. He has no understanding those arts. I think his judo was probably ok. And three years is probably the upside of his tenure.
That said the man did an large service to the martial art world when he wrote those books, however much his own depictions suck.
Buddy

[backbreaker]

If you got 30 years experience , better hope you never get knocked out by someone with 1 year. I beleive there are 2 factors , quality and quantity

[travelsbyknight]

When I said I "browsed," I meant I read MOST of the books that I did read. I read all of his "Chinese MAsters" books and about half of his last book, "Martial Musings." In Martial Musings, you will know what long winded means. My god, he takes forever to get to his point. ANyway, there was a section where I remember him bad mouthing Wing Chun. He said wing chun was some obscure art that would never be able to withstand an attack from an internal stylist. Something like that(don't quote me directly). Also in his "Chinese Masters" book, I remember him writing something that went like this. "IN the south, they eat rice and that's why they're weaker. The people of the north eat wheat noodles which makes them be able to withstand strong punches to the stomach. In the south they can't handle hard hits."

Something like that. I just bought his hsing yi and ba gua books. I can't wait to finish them then return them. If any of you guys go into Borders and see his Hsing I and Bagua books with drool stains...you know they were mine and I fell asleep over them.

[Unmatchable]

I remember he put Shui Chiao down saying Judo was superior.

[jun_erh]

martial musings is highly overrated. Alot of it is basically outtakes from "Chinese Boxing".

[PHILBERT]

I'll go to the bookstore tomorrow or Monday and see if they have a copy of Martial Musings and see if I can find the Wing Chun quote.

I own his Secrets of Shaolin Temple Boxing (never read), Hsing-I and Pakua books, all of which I got at a half price bookstore.

[travelsbyknight]

Don't bother looking in the bookstore because they probably won't have it. I had to special order it and it came today.

Wing Chun:

He said wing chun is an obscure southern style that no one in mainland China practices. Yip Man is an obscure unheard of master. Wing Chun has too many hand movements and would fall victim to body weight, kicks, and long attacks(not sure about this one).

It's in the Bruce Lee section. He goes on to bad mouth Bruce Lee which I don't really care about cause I don't care for Bruce Lee much.

[Thundermudd]

Smith is/was a spy - His descriptions and knowledge of Bagua and Xing Yi are rudimentary at best.
As for the 10 years - he might have been decent had he spent those 10 years training in ONE style; but I suppose when you are busy spying that you have to travel alot and don't have time to train in 1 style
Not saying its bad to train in multiple systems; just need to find what works for you and stick with it.
I agree w/ Buddy that Smith did open alot of peoples eyes to the IMA's, but he just provides a vauge glipse of a pool of knowledge that has no end.
Chris

[jun_erh]

His Bruce Lee piece was the worst thing ever. He was totally ut of his element, no idea what he was talking about. and his dismissal of wing chun was out of ignorance too.