Sun Family Taijiquan DVD

[Three Harmonies]

Here is a preview of Tim Cartmell's latest project on Traditional Sun Style Taijiquan.

Stay tuned to the Ground Never Misses for updates on the availability of the DVD.

Enjoy,
JAB

[KTS]

dont do sun style, but looks like a great basic teaching aid for anyone starting or intermediate in sun style.

it is pretty d@mn hard to find great teaching aids. the best teaching aid in my opinion is at home practice, solo or with a couple of friends preferably elder students.

video looks pretty clear from the short clip. and that is actually a great preview of the video. i like it's direction.

seems to cover many points of practical use, from structure, using structure, to some detailed form instruction and application.

[Three Harmonies]

That is how Tim rolls! Exactly the reason I have been training with him for nearly 8 years now!!

[Three Harmonies]

I am very pleased to announce my teacher Tim Cartmell's latest project, a 5 disc DVD set on Traditional Sun Family Taijiquan.

For a complete review please click here!

Enjoy,
Jake

[Water-quan]

This stuff couldn't look any more unconvincing to me. I've never like Tim's stuff - it all looks so staged and unlikely. The only time he ever looks convincing is when he does a bit of BJJ - but then, it's hard to judge BJJ unless you're an expert in it - and you also need to know how good the other guy is.

His BJJ may be good - but his CMA stuff just looks like it would never work, and he always, always demos it on compliant opponents - and he's very careful never to put himself in any kind of position where he's actually having to demonstrate any of it convincingly live. Which is always suspect.

[SavvySavage]

This stuff couldn't look any more unconvincing to me. I've never like Tim's stuff - it all looks so staged and unlikely. The only time he ever looks convincing is when he does a bit of BJJ - but then, it's hard to judge BJJ unless you're an expert in it - and you also need to know how good the other guy is.

His BJJ may be good - but his CMA stuff just looks like it would never work, and he always, always demos it on compliant opponents - and he's very careful never to put himself in any kind of position where he's actually having to demonstrate any of it convincingly live. Which is always suspect.

A demo by nature is compliant. He wasn't sparring. I
His demos are better than some where the opponent throws a single punch while the teacher proceeds to demo all kinds of strikes that wouldn't work if there any resistance.

I always wonder why he always teaches throws and never talks about striking.

[Water-quan]

A demo by nature is compliant. He wasn't sparring. I
His demos are better than some where the opponent throws a single punch while the teacher proceeds to demo all kinds of strikes that wouldn't work if there any resistance.

I always wonder why he always teaches throws and never talks about striking.

I would hazard, because he's not a very good striker - and that's something that is always easy to spot.

However, as far as I can see, his demos are exactly like you describe - people standing around while he demos unlikely stuff that is unlikely to work if people resist.

I just think he's one of those guys, like Alex Kozma and Serge Augier, who make a living out of being very careful never to actually show themselves in a realistic, contact, resistant scenario using the stuff they sell to others. I don't include in that people who aren'tselling anything - but if you're selling, you should be showing it works.

[SavvySavage]

I would hazard, because he's not a very good striker - and that's something that is always easy to spot.

However, as far as I can see, his demos are exactly like you describe - people standing around while he demos unlikely stuff that is unlikely to work if people resist.

I just think he's one of those guys, like Alex Kozma and Serge Augier, who make a living out of being very careful never to actually show themselves in a realistic, contact, resistant scenario using the stuff they sell to others. I don't include in that people who aren'tselling anything - but if you're selling, you should be showing it works.

That's a it harsh. Tim won first place two years in a row in Taiwan San shou so he has to know striking. I think that throwing and bjj happen to be where his strengths are but I could be wrong.

Look at it this way. What's going to do? Tell his student to try and kick his butt and then he throws his student. Then he's going to freeze frame it on the DVD at the exact point where it sort of looks like his hands are set up like in the tai Ji form?

The issue is that it's hard to know where your skills came from. Obviously a wrestler can pull off a throw and have never studied sun tai ji. Sometimes I think the message Tim wants to give off is confused. On the one hand he might say sparring and conditioning are needed to learn how to fight. Then in the DVD he said that doing the sun tai Ji form is the most important training in learning sun tai Ji...even though sun tai Ji was/is a fighting art. You can't say that forms won't teach you fighting and then say that doing the form will teach you a fighting art.

I liked the DVDs. My only issue was that he showed the same demo texhniques on each DVD. If you do sun tai Ji the DVDs are basically a guide to spoof the form correctly. A section on push hands would have been nice.

[Water-quan]

That's a it harsh. Tim won first place two years in a row in Taiwan San shou so he has to know striking. I think that throwing and bjj happen to be where his strengths are but I could be wrong.

You have to be very careful about tournaments that happened long time ago, long way away.

The same thing is said about Dan Docherty - but the actual video of him fighting is just a brawl, with wild swings, one of which coincidentally connects and knocks out a smaller Chinese fellow.

We assume too much sometimes - we assume that Tim was fighting against what we nowadays consider a san da fighter - but the truth is probably very different.

Look at it this way. What's going to do? Tell his student to try and kick his butt and then he throws his student. Then he's going to freeze frame it on the DVD at the exact point where it sort of looks like his hands are set up like in the tai Ji form?

Well, how judo and BJJ guys demo their stuff? You get someone competent to rag you around, hit you, while you do your thing. Every other real martial art seems to have no problem doing that.

The issue is that it's hard to know where your skills came from. Obviously a wrestler can pull off a throw and have never studied sun tai ji. Sometimes I think the message Tim wants to give off is confused. On the one hand he might say sparring and conditioning are needed to learn how to fight. Then in the DVD he said that doing the sun tai Ji form is the most important training in learning sun tai Ji...even though sun tai Ji was/is a fighting art. You can't say that forms won't teach you fighting and then say that doing the form will teach you a fighting art.

I liked the DVDs. My only issue was that he showed the same demo texhniques on each DVD. If you do sun tai Ji the DVDs are basically a guide to spoof the form correctly. A section on push hands would have been nice.

Well, if you enjoyed them that's great. Doesn't change the fact that, as yet, there's no proof Tim can even use any of that stuff - therefore, no proof that he actually even knows Sun taiji - because if you can't, or couldn't at some point, use it, then you don't know it, because as you say, it's a fighting art.

[Three Harmonies]

You are always welcome to stop by and see how terrible Tim's stuff is on open mat Saturdays. Ask his California Pankration Champ Edmund Kim how terrible Tim's striking is. And you are correct, his grappling is rather weak. Only 7 Copa titles, Silver at the Mundials, multiple gold at the Pan Am's. Never has been thrown in black belt competition. But those are not accolades of a REAL martial artist like Alex Kozma, or Serge Augier

[Water-quan]

You are always welcome to stop by and see how terrible Tim's stuff is on open mat Saturdays. Ask his California Pankration Champ Edmund Kim how terrible Tim's striking is. And you are correct, his grappling is rather weak. Only 7 Copa titles, Silver at the Mundials, multiple gold at the Pan Am's. Never has been thrown in black belt competition. But those are not accolades of a REAL martial artist like Alex Kozma, or Serge Augier

Yeah - the thing about that is, he had to learn BJJ to become a succesful grappler.
So, I'll look out for his BJJ vid. That really should say it all.


As for Alex and Serge - you misunderstand me. I think they're total frauds - much more so than Tim - I just think they all fall in to the category of people who can't, or never do, prove that what they sell, they can use.

Crazy thought, I know - but maybe people should prove they can use what they sell. As for threatening me with Tim - that kind of pimping doesn't really intimidate me. Yang Hai taught me - 'Call police!' LMAO.

[SavvySavage]

Yeah - the thing about that is, he had to learn BJJ to become a succesful grappler.
So, I'll look out for his BJJ vid. That really should say it all.


As for Alex and Serge - you misunderstand me. I think they're total frauds - much more so than Tim - I just think they all fall in to the category of people who can't, or never do, prove that what they sell, they can use.

Crazy thought, I know - but maybe people should prove they can use what they sell. As for threatening me with Tim - that kind of pimping doesn't really intimidate me. Yang Hai taught me - 'Call police!' LMAO.

Now I understand your point. You weren't saying that Tim had no skills. You were saying that his skill don't come from tai Ji, which he is selling, and that though he can grapple he can't fight just with tai ji.

[Three Harmonies]

Ohhhhh, you are the douche bag that went to Yang Hai's school! Got it! In that case...

**** off!