Is Shaolin-Do for real?

[Vash]

Indeed. I was looking at meecer's post. Usually, he just irks me. But, this wasn't mean or derogatory. It was just informative.

[themeecer]

Oh I'm sorry Vash. You suck! Is that better? Actually .. taking a vacation from these boards has mellowed me out a little, for the time being.

Cerebus .. when I do my forms they look nothing like karate, nor does anyone else at my school. So your argument, at least for me, isn't valid. Now I have see other students at tournaments that have really surprised me in how different they are from our school.

Vash .. yes we have a preset order. We start with our short forms, which if any of our stuff looks kenpo/karate-ish it would be those. Also included are our 'sparring techniques,' and increasingly in difficulticy our chi na/self defense. Next they get their first 2 long forms. An empty hand and a small tiger form. They start some very basic weapons training at this time. The way I see it the colored belts are training to prepare them for their brownbelt forms. At brownbelt we teach out some birds, cranes, a tiger, various weapons, a few empty hand forms, and one internal form. Brownbelt is the preparing ground for becoming a blackbelt. You are not considered a student till you are a blackbelt. At blackbelt it is a whole new ballgame ... especially at 2nd black. At this level you are immersed in a lot of the internal arts and aspects. The meditation at this level is one of the best things we offer, in my opinion.

This order can be found on many SD school's websites out there.

[cerebus]

I'm sure many people in SD do their forms very differently from one another. My own observations are based on videos I've seen of Sin The performing some of his forms. I'm not saying the forms look like karate though. I'm saying they look like a karate person mimicking kung fu forms. Certainly the techniques themselves were more Chinese in style, it was rather the overall body movement with which they were performed.

[Vash]

I wouldn't know one from the other. Having avoided the Shaolin Do videos I've come across, and having never seen any branch of Kenpo perform kata, it's not in my ability to draw a comparison.

With the exception of a few tournaments, the only Kung Fu forms I've seen are dramatically different from any karate I've seen.

[Songshan]

900 forms???

[themeecer]

Already discussed that over and over Songshan, if not in this thread then in many others.

[Judge Pen]

Hey Meece. Good to see you back here. Looks like we are talking about the same stuff, except no one is flaming the topics. Makes my heart warm.

[Vash]

Any word on that San Njie form vid?

[Judge Pen]

Nah, I don't have a vid camera lined up right now, but Master Mullins and his sons are suppossed to be posting some clips on their website sometime soon. It should give some of the flamers something to talk about! Next time I'm around some peopel videoing clips, I'll see if I can get someone to test me doing San Njie.

[Meat Shake]

Any word on the feb tourney jp?

[Judge Pen]

Yeah, I have a prior commitment on the 21st. I coach a high school mock trial team and that is the weekend of their competition. I'm thinking about the tourney in August in Round Rock, but that's probably too far for us to meet up and compare notes.

[Meat Shake]

Round rock?
Im driving to colorado in 2 weeks, roundrock is just a stones throw away.


Im interested to see what you guys are working with. I never got to really go at it with sifu ryan, so Im looking forward to touching hands with one of you guys. (You, SA, Meercer, ect...)

[Vash]

Completely OT . . .

Why aren't there any SD schools in Arkansas?

[Meat Shake]

Because arkansas is the home of satan himself.

[Vash]

Well, duh.