Kung Fu is good for you.
Kung Fu is good for you.
We walk one step at a time.
We learn how to fight one move or one technique at a time.
Why so hung up on forms or kata?
In 7 star mantis, there will be so many kata. But only a few are well known and practiced by all.
I was so bummed by so many kata from old style of chen tai ji. There are so many kata or same kata practiced with different focuses/frames.
I ended up just learn one well.
I break kata up and practice one posture at a time.
I may string a few together and practice.
but each to his or her own.
All my short forms or any forms "new"? probably not.
We may make up a form anytime by placing a few moves together.
Why the fuss?
Because it isn't what it was represented to be. It is a lie.
The material is solid fundamental material. It teaches the basic of punching, kicking, locking, throwing, stances, weight trasnfer, power generation, evasion, countering, blocking etc. It is very good foundation material for learning martial arts.
But it was passed off as traditional and it is not. That's a big deal.
I will teach my children this material, but I will tell them the truth about its origins.
um...
seriously?
I mean, really? you actually are surprised to learn that it's not an "authentic" Shaolin-based art? I mean, it looks nothing like it, the entire story behind it is so obviously BS, and people on here w legitimate Shaolin-art lineage have been debunking it for years;
and you are surprised he fabricated it?
wow...
It is difficult when you finally understand you have probably wasted a lot of time and have foolishly invested in something that you thought was something else.
In all likelihood, you will seek a way to justify the loss and maybe even twist it into a gain.
But that's ok, you just have to realize that all is mind and authentic only means "old and almost forgotten" most of the time.
Shaolin is big. What's at the temple now is not what was there originally or even 80 years ago.
But then, western boxing isn't like it was 80 years ago either.
Kung Fu is good for you.
I don't know what authentic shaolin is supposed to look like. Especially from the Fukien temple, assuming it existed. Shaolin Do IMO, did show "flags" of what may be hodge podge passed off as traditional material from a single or focused source. Perhaps there was something at the core that Sin The' learned in Indonesia that was Shaolin originated, even if it was only a few sets or drills.
CMA is global now, there is quite a bit of diversity even within same "styles". Science and access to information has led to correction of alot of folk tales, errant, and mis-information that has been propagated for hundreds of years now about some histories of different styles, or systems, or lineages, but there is still alot that cannot be verified or disproved yet.
So, what does finally hearing from the horse's mouth that Shaolin Do was, in part, or all, fabricated bring to the CMA community? What does it bring to the KFM Forum community? I don't know, but I assume it effects the vast majority the same, and thiat ultimately is, really not at all.
I guess I don't get how finding out that the source of something is a lie necessarily equals time spent training the stuff was a waste. I can see how that might be true depending on the goal when the training was undertaken but I don't think it flows by logical necessity.
I think I've even seen you say that it doesn't really matter where stuff comes from; it can still be effective and Shaolin-derived. I'm paraphrasing so forgive my inaccuracies.
I do think the folks on here that are trying to interpret what's happened as not deceiving are either being apologists or are refusing to see the facts.
Fact: there are some things on the man's own website that are not true if you believe what he said in his deposition and are not otherwise reconcilable. Either he is lying on his site or he lied under oath. There's really no way around that. So that's bad.
Bringing this around to my original point, if you're searching for the "real Shaolin" then I think you probably wasted your time. If you didn't much buy the lineage story anyway and you think the system is effective and well-designed, then I don't see how the time spent training it is wasted time. Sucks to be lied to either way but I'm just sayin'.
"I'm thinking of someone else who made it all up, too."
My goodness...you've got:
Simon Olaf(Temple Kung Fu)
Iron Kim(Oom young do)-did he admit he made his stuff up? Not sure. But any guy who is in prison for Tax evasion can't be too ethical.
Ashida Kim(not sure if he made it up..but I heard that he lives w/ his mom in a bsement somewhere
and now..Shaolin Do!
No I'm not surprised or particularly upset. I've been frequenting these forums for years and understand all the criticisms (and agree with many of them). I kept training because I thought the material was good despite its ambiguous origins. But many many student started training and kept training because of the representations and to have "from the horse's mouth" confirmation is a big deal to SD.