Chinese folklore - Flying Kung Fu Masters. Fiction or based on fact?

[MASTERforge]

While looking for something completely different I stumbled upon this youtube vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GsyL27wSH4

I was amazed at the acrobatics and thought they would be useful for assassins. Is it possible that the acrobatics they use, could have been used by the masters of old?

Could this be the basis on which the Chinese folklore of flying Kung Fu warriors came from?

If it is possible, then their level of skill must have been incredible and their training methods truly lost?

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Could this be the basis on which the Chinese folklore of flying Kung Fu warriors came from?

Reply]
Probably.

If it is possible, then their level of skill must have been incredible and their training methods truly lost?


Reply]
They seem alive and well in France

[MASTERforge]

I would love to learn the jumping and climbing techniques but I think I already have enough training to do!

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Take a gymnastics class.

My gut feeling is that all these Parkur guys all grew up in the gymnastics environment, and it's really just a natural extension of that.

My daughter was in a high level gym from the time she was 3, to the time she was 14, (Started actually at 2, is now 17 and will be competing in highschool this year) and she does stuff like this too, just not at that level. Gymnasts just naturally flip and run, and climb...they really can't help themselves. Give them a little bit of space, and they start doing some form of spontaneous gymnastics.

My daughter even has a Tshirt that says "Warning the person flips spontaneously" And another that says she flips automatically.

[Asia]

I was amazed at the acrobatics and thought they would be useful for assassins

LOL

Seriously you don't understand how an assasin works. You are thinking of movies and fiction. In real life an assasin main weapon is the ablity to fit in and not draw attention.

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

Seriously you don't understand how an assasin works. You are thinking of movies and fiction. In real life an assasin main weapon is the ablity to fit in and not draw attention.

Reply]
Agreed. The ancients probably did it for the same reason people do today...'cause it's just a fun activity.

[MASTERforge]

I quite fancy taking a few lessons in gymnastics. I think it would be fun.

I am 26 so not as stretchy or flexible as I would like. It would make for fun cross training though! I am in good shape but way off the fitness level of these guys.

With a few months harder training and stretching maybe I could? Is there an upper limit to gymnastics where its just not possible to train?

[street_fighter]

I quite fancy taking a few lessons in gymnastics. I think it would be fun.

I am 26 so not as stretchy or flexible as I would like. It would make for fun cross training though! I am in good shape but way off the fitness level of these guys.

With a few months harder training and stretching maybe I could? Is there an upper limit to gymnastics where its just not possible to train?

if you want to take gymnastics with 10 year old girls, enjoy yourself, but its not crosstraining. it has nothing to do with martial arts. And no, theres almost no way the "ancients" did Parkour/urban tricking. They didn't even have the environment for it. it kinda loses... everything it is, if its not "urban". I'm sure there were some acrobatics being done (not like this) but even so I doubt thats where the whole flying KF master came from. How long has that even been around???

[Jeong]

I quite fancy taking a few lessons in gymnastics. I think it would be fun.

Gymnastics is a lot like martial arts; anyone really good makes it look easy. Keep in mind the guy in this video probably has maybe 15 years practice.

I am 26 so not as stretchy or flexible as I would like. It would make for fun cross training though! I am in good shape but way off the fitness level of these guys.

With a few months harder training and stretching maybe I could? Is there an upper limit to gymnastics where its just not possible to train?

Gymnastics is really really hard on your body (there is a reason you never see even 30 year-olds in the olympics). Like MA you can start at anytime, but learning to flip and the such is a lot harder the longer you wait. If you're interested in trying it out I'd recommend it (I've been doing Gymnastics on and off for maybe 8 or 9 years now), but don't expect to turn into that guy. It'll be quite a while before you'll be able to flip at all, and quite a bit longer before you'll feel comfortable doing it on even a flat surface.

[Jeong]

Oh and also street_fighter is exactly right; gymnastics has pretty much zero combat-applicability. That doesn't make it not fun though

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

if you want to take gymnastics with 10 year old girls, enjoy yourself, but its not crosstraining.

Reply]
So go to a gym with a Men's team....


it has nothing to do with martial arts. And no, theres almost no way the "ancients" did Parkour/urban tricking. They didn't even have the environment for it. it kinda loses... everything it is, if its not "urban".

Reply]
Thta is kind of am ignorant statement. The Chinese are the oldest civilization there is. they had cities 2000 years ago.

Also, the Chinese people have allways been known for thier extreme acrobatic skills. Heck, the founder of my style was known to earn a living in his youth by doing public performances of acrobatic skill....that was in like the 940's AD. Knowing that, it stands to reason that they would have had this type of acrobatic skills being performed just by sheer human nature.

I'm sure there were some acrobatics being done (not like this) but even so I doubt thats where the whole flying KF master came from. How long has that even been around???

Reply]
I would say that it makes perfect sense that these types of acrobatics would have been around through out Chinese history, same as they are there today. This French Parkur is nothing new, and not something limited to the French. Several European/Anglo Saxon as well as Asian cultures have allways had stuff like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFcp8Y_Hmt4

[MASTERforge]

It does have martial application!

If some guy is threatening to beat me up I could run up a wall and he would never catch me!

I think the circus has been around a long time in China so acrobatics would not be so new. But out in the villages, used in the street by martial artists it might look like magical powers to the peasants.

[BlueTravesty]

I think the idea of flying kung fu masters came from wuxia novels and folk tales. Which in turn, took place from a conversation like this taking place in Ming Dynasty China.

A: "Kung fu is cool!"

B: "Yes!"

A: "People who do kung fu are totally sweet!"

B: 'You are correct!"

A: "What can we top that with, in terms of sheer Coolness?"

B: "What if they flew?"

A: "OMG! Dude, that would be the best thing EVER! And they would have these swords that are like, really really flexible, but still somehow able to hold an edge and cut through metal."

B: "And there would be these movies where they're fighting all the time, and using kung fu, but you never see them training to be awesome assasins."

A: "What are 'movies?'"

B: "Why are we speaking English?"

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

My guess is this would have been an activity of Chinese acrobats, and not really martial artists...although basic gymnastic/acrobatic skills are often taught to martial artists in China, so who knows.

[Takuan]

B: "And there would be these movies where they're fighting all the time, and using kung fu, but you never see them training to be awesome assasins."
A: "What are 'movies?'"
B: "Why are we speaking English?"

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