How do you decide what style of MA to study?

[SPJ]

This is inspired by recent threads inquiring Pi Gua, Mi Zhong and Ba Gua styles.

Do you study a style due to its being rare or popular?

How do you know that a particular style suits you?

What are your criteria or determining factors in choosing which style to study?

What would be your ideal style?

[joedoe]

This is how I chose my style - A friend told me he was learning kung fu, so I tagged along one night. I liked it so I have stuck with it.

[ZIM]

This is inspired by recent threads inquiring Pi Gua, Mi Zhong and Ba Gua styles.

Do you study a style due to its being rare or popular?

How do you know that a particular style suits you?

What are your criteria or determining factors in choosing which style to study?

What would be your ideal style?

There are people who collect rare styles, and others who cherry pick through different ones like tourists, then there's folks who just take what everybody else is taking without a lot of thought.
I'm not a collector, though I've done a little tourism. The popularity oof it is not important to me.

I know a particular style suits me if I can make it work wholistically. I can make techniques work, I can do controlled sequences, etc. but if it doesn't gel together into a whole fighting method - for me - then it's no use & I move on. Sometimes thats a result of the teaching methods available [ie, I require a teaching they don't do] and sometimes its because I can be really f'n stupid & stubborn & can't get where its coming from.

Criteria? The above gives the answer, maybe.

Ideal? Guns. Knives. Sticks. Something brute simple like boxing or WWII combatives. I really hate the nonsense [egos, back-door soap operas, snake oil etc.] associated with many arts, sorry.

[Brad]

I basically started chang quan because a hot girl I knew had started it too... then I switched to taiji after getting hurt in chang quan. Now that I'm pretty healthy again, I'm basically sticking with taiji and trying out some other types on the side when I have time figuring out what I like.

[Blacktiger]

I started because I saw an add in the paper. It turned out to be Liu He Zi Ran Men, I just fluked it - right place right time and have loved it ever since. I later found out how rare the style is and the rich history behind it and could not belive my luck.

[Shaolinlueb]

i tagged along with a freind one day and liked it. then i heard sifu knows eagle claw so i bugged him to teach me cause i liked it from what i read.

[Oso]

happenstance tends to be the rule it seems.

same for me

someone I knew was training and asked if I wanted to learn kung fu.
that led to 7 years with one teacher

then I moved.

the place I moved to was in the hinterlands of the NC mountains and there were only 3 schools in the town: TKD, Kenpo and a kung fu school. I was biased towards kung fu so I didn't even bother checking the others out ( I was also just 21 then )

it was only with my last move that sought out exactly what I was looking for. that being praying mantis.

[Judge Pen]

Geography. I, like Oso, had very few options available and I took the best one available. Even in Knoxville, my immediate options are still limited.

Ideally, for my body and athleticism, I like the PM, CLF, BaGua and Xing-yi that I've been exposed to. In a perfect world I would be gifted enough at Hua quan or cha quan, but that's not going to happen now.

[sean_stonehart]

Geography & an established life to prevent me from uprooting to move to "greener pastures". Prior I had driven across Atlanta to train at times, but obstanence ("not gonna drive that far") /college ("no time to drive anywhere") /economics ("can't afford to drive anywhere") precluded that. Other choices in Atl weren't IMHO worth considering based on any number of factors.

Then I lucked up & hooked up with my sifu. He's not too far from me & we're not terribly un-alike in most things.

CLF has helped rebuild & strengthen damaged lower legs & back to the point where northern lonfgist stuff doesn't hurt as bad but it's now doable & I'm progressing nicely.

[GreenCloudCLF]

I appear to have fallen in the same way as most. A friend said Kung-Fu 6 weeks $69...I can never pass up 69, so I signed up. Stayed a while, left. Came back found another Sifu teaching the same style and BAM! Learning cool stuff...

[Swordless]

For me, it all started with a movie.
After going to see Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 3 times, I started buying MA books, including David Carradine's book. I pretty much skipped all the chapters about his career (I was not yet aware of the awesomeness of the original Kung Fu series), but was fascinated enough by the rest of it that I looked up area schools on the internet. I just walked in the door and asked about kung fu, choosing that art only b/c that's what Carradine kept talking about. I lucked out in that I enjoy my class so much, I still go twice a week even though the commute has increased from a half hour to 3 hours roundtrip since I moved.

[SPJ]

Cang Zhou and Wu Tan:

Cang Zhou is an area or ancient city with a lot of MA schools and people. It used to be at the crossroad toward a lot of places. There are many body guards, shipping escorts, police etc.

Wu Tan was established by late Master Liu Yun Qiao. They established the CMA promotion training center in Taipei in the early 70's. There are also Kuo Shu clubs in colleges and universities. There are students of Wu Tan teaching college students.

When the world was overwhelmed with Bruce Lee in the early 70's. I was inspired by Master Liu. He used up his retirement money to fund Wu Tan mag, in which Adam Hsu was the editor. With teachers from Cang Zhou area, they have a plethora of styles of Wu Shu courses.

I was only at junior high at the time.

I started out with Tan Tui and Shuai Jiao. I am lucky enough to have several teachers to guide me at different times. I was only taught the very basic of things.

I was a slower learner. But I practice diligently.

Tai Chi and Ba Gua were so boring. They really took me a long time to grow into liking them or not hating them. Or really appreciating them enough.

The ideal style for me may not be for others.

The thing is that if you do not have good basics, you really cannot advance far in any style.

That is why a lot of people may take whatever work for them from several styles or whatever they come to know.

Wu Tan courses were available to me. However, I spent most of the time practicing with teachers individually.

[g0pher]

I knew what I wanted when I searched for a school. But I also knew what I did not want. I looked at some Karate and TKD schools but those schools just lacked something. I was not interested at all in linear forms and relying on my limbs for power, or even breaking boards. I then looked at some Ju Jitsui and Muay Thai schools, but I found a lot of aggression and trash talking. I'm not very aggressive so I knew it wasn't for me. And I was very disappointed since I heard Muay Thai was very spiritual but found nothing but neck kicks and knee strikes...

What I was looking for however, was an art that would help me become a better person, and take focus away from everyday life. To be honest, I was very lost when I first started training. I see a lot of people sign up for a martial art because of its physical benefits, want to beat someone up, are obsessed with Asian culture, or want a baby sitter for their children. I find nothing wrong with that but for me it was the end of the line. I didn't see the point in waking up every morning to work some job I hated and go to school for a degree I wanted no part of. Then I walked into my school and watched the guys spar, not take it personal, joke about it afterward, talk about their families, and talk to each other like family. I then watched the forms class and saw the practicality of the forms for combat, if necessary. And finally I saw how class ended with 7 to 10 minutes of meditation bowing to the teacher and then having the teacher hang out with the students like he was an average joe.

And so I signed up for it taking a chance.. And it worked. Slowly I am learning to tolerate my own existence.

[SPJ]

Here is a link;

Wu Tan

[SPJ]

In response to the first post:

If you have a desk job or seditary work, Tan Tui or Chang Quan would be good for you.

If you have laboring or manual job, then Tai Chi or Ba Gua would be good.

If you are young and energetic, Tang Lang may keep your hands and feet busy.

There is a style out there for everyone. We just have to look for them.

Try and have fun.