A nice film...

[Yum Cha]

... fighting to train, but training with the intent to fight. I don't think that's the case with 90% of the TCMA practitioners out there. Maybe 98%.

Yea, no. "Bee" You are right about the intent thing, and subtly incisive...

But, nothing rings the bell like that first time you 'tee off' in full contact and connect with one of your 'widowmakers' only to have your opponent look back at you, flush with anger and turn your lights out...

Something about that look, the, "hey you hit me 'MF!' now you are going to pay!" look that you get instead of their head exploding on their shoulders that gets your attention...

[Lai See]

Yea, no. "Bee" You are right about the intent thing, and subtly incisive...

But, nothing rings the bell like that first time you 'tee off' in full contact and connect with one of your 'widowmakers' only to have your opponent look back at you, flush with anger and turn your lights out...

Something about that look, the, "hey you hit me 'MF!' now you are going to pay!" look that you get instead of their head exploding on their shoulders that gets your attention...

Worse still, when you hit really hard (sic) and there isn't even the slightest notion from your opponent that anything happened save for almost seeing a big red glove before waking up a little later on the canvas.
This was a real moment of absolute clarity (after shaking it off of course!) for me in my martial 'career'. I should point out it was an ex-professional boxer to save at least a modicum of face (not).

However, there is a bigger and nastier animal, on the mean streets, and its when the hard practised 'lightning' kick to the groin quickly followed by the backfist/snap/lunge (delete as applicable) combination taught that will, according to the instructor "drop 'em" is deployed perfectly and precisely on target, <draws breath> is met with ........ nothing. Now when that flushed with anger face just looks at you no adrenal dump can compare.
Not to draw this into the 'reality' fighting debate but until a similar adrenal reality bites episode happens then, y'all don't know diddley squit. Talk in this context is indeed cheap. IN my humblest opinion, obviously, he says whilst 'talking'.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Ok, so you did start at 5-10 yrs of age, hardcore!

1978 at the tender age of 9.

[WanderingMonk]

Well, you can do it like all the other systems that do it, do it.
How long does it take to be proficient in boxing? in MT? to name two popular ones.
If KF took so long to get good at in the "old days" when KF was supposedly used on a regular basis and for REAL fighting, it would have died out a long time ago.

Look at boxing for a second, you learn to make a fist, learn to hit with it, to defend, to attack, basic combs, all in the same way you will use them in a fight, drill them to develop speed and force and test your skill in sparring.
Done.

like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLiiB6nDybU

[sanjuro_ronin]

like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLiiB6nDybU

I didn't see any mantis in that clip...but I didn't watch the whole thing.
It was good solid skill training, building speed and force, but it was more MT than Tanglang.

[WanderingMonk]

I didn't see any mantis in that clip...but I didn't watch the whole thing.
It was good solid skill training, building speed and force, but it was more MT than Tanglang.

yeah, you kinda have to make it to the 4:21 minute mark of the clip.