Why Jiu-Jitsu is more important than Kung Fu

[David Jamieson]

Your original post was comparing what you did with what Ray is doing. You stated intra-provincially, provincially and intramurally. What, specifically, do each of those mean in terms of what you did, competition-wise?

intra-provincially is road trip across the country.

provinically is within the province, mostly within the same city but sometimes a road trip to other cities and towns in the same province.

intra-murally is across different schools in the same school board district.

Provinces are like states, only bigger.

also, how did you garner a comparison between me competing in high school vs ray going to informal throwdowns or issuing open challenges or i guess eventually getting involved in amateur events?

did i convey that?

[Ray Pina]

You guys still talking about this?


I just agreed to fight the guy who beat me in Oct. The fight is Feb 20. I wasn't going to take it because my foot is still healing and I've just started training properly again and I have to fly to Vegas before this fight and have a lot of work and some chick at my job with the same job as me just got fired but why not? I'm training. If the guy game to the gym tomorrow I'd take up the opportunity to have a go just for the experience. And besides, he won by split decision. And I took the fight with 12 day notice. And I'm going to spend the next few weeks trying to get an MMA team mate to train some of Master Chan's boxing drills with me. For real. Because that's what I need to knock this guy down. And once down, there is no way he's getting away.

Peace and love.

And Mr. Jamieson. I don't believe I have ever said "better" or "worse" regarding styles, simply attitudes towards training. But to be honest, and not politically correct, I have to say there is a lot I don't like about what 90% of traditional martial arts has turned into since I got my first look at it in the late 70s as a little kid. Grown men with pony-tails and braids walked tall and proud with black belts. Noses were broken and teeth were lost. Not in my pee wee white belt league. But the adult, men, black belts. People waited all day to see that sparring.

What happened?

I'm not teaching right now but when I did I had four or five students. One had his first fight before I moved here after two years of training. That's not a bad percentage and turn around rate.

The teachers on this board.... it is your responsibility to turn this around. You can start with tomorrow's class. Don't be easy on yourself or your students. You all deserve to give your training your all.

[David Jamieson]

ray, the phrase "more important than" implies "better than".

I'm sure you can recognize that.

anyway, here is what I know for sure about martial arts.

if you want to fight, you will and you will be able to and the more you do it and the more you want to do it, the better you get.

if you want to pose, you will and the more you get away with it, the more you'll keep doing it. at least, until you meet that guy who really wants to fight. lol

the worst thing is wanting to fight and not being able to. that is real angst.

i can't stand rolly polly posers postulating on their prowess either, but I'm not gonna waste too much time chasing after and criticising them for being that which they are. I'll point it out if it's in my face, otherwise, they can do as they will and eventually reality will hand them what they need to have, or not.

I think this became concrete in my thinking after reading the George Silver treatise on swordplay from 1599 where he more or less indicated the same thing.

this will go on for as long as I live and probably go on long after I'm gone.

Nike is right.

[DeHui702]

I can appreciate some of what Ray is saying, but I think his initial presentation was bad. Better thread title would be "Why Jiu-Jitsu is more important than Kung Fu *to me*" Everyone on this forum would agree that mileage and focus varies dramatically from player to player.

The 70's are hardly the glory days some remember. It wasn't that different from now. Basically Kung Fu was the buzz word back then (just like MMA and BJJ are now) and schools literally cast aside their old signs, made a few changes to things, put on black gis, and boom..a kung fu school was born. Legitimate systems were introduced as well just like legitimate MMA and BJJ schools are mixed in with the multitude now. I've personally witnessed a Judo school become a certified gracie jiu-jitsu academy with the same instructor.

I guess back to the original point of the thread, yes, if your main exposure to kung fu has been with schools who place more importance on the greatness of the lineage and school pride instead of the actual accomplishment of the student, then going from that to a hands on style like grappling would color your interest. I've had my own experiences with grapplers and I'm glad I practice Shaolin gong fu.

[Ray Pina]

Well written.