How short is short?

[JackNate]

I know longfist styles are really long, but how close does "short range" mean? When do you consider strikes to be "short"? I would imagine that karate or boxing would be considered "medium".

[hskwarrior]

do midgets apply?

[David43515]

Am I the only one dying to throw in a **** joke?

[Yum Cha]

Am I the only one dying to throw in a **** joke?

Shaddup stumpy...

[Lee Chiang Po]

I would say that the length of your arm is the long and the short of it.

[Mr Punch]

Longfist is short. Short strikes go a long way. Karate is kung fu. Sumo is Tang dynasty Chinese. Chinese Shuai Chiao is mongolian. Shaolin is from India.

Don't get confused with the terminology, its all combat.


Foot/fist- Long

Elbow- med

Body- close

Do you have any evidence for anything in this post?

'Karate is kung fu': (mainland) Shorinji Kempo (as just one example) was invented without any previous knowledge of kung fu. The founder just used the name because he liked it! (Note this is different to Okinawan Shorinji kempo which is the one with the genuine Shaolin roots). Even if you point out the origins, would you say BJJ and JJJ, or judo and BJJ, or aikido and BJJ are the same just because they come from the same roots? Of course not. So find me one practitioner of shotokan and one of white crane and ask them if their arts are the same!

'Sumo is Tang Dynasty Chinese': where do you get this from? If you have access to historical documents or records proving this please show us - because no-else has in the world! The earliest references to sumai (later sumo) are as a Shinto ritual from the Tumulus Period (250-500 years earlier than the Tang, and Shinto being possibly the one aspect of Japanese culture that can be considered truly native).

'Shaolin is from India'? Again, hearsay. There's no evidence of Shaolin based kung fu coming from India at all.

And your range categories are arbitrary.

It could just as easily be:

Foot/shin - long to short
Knee - medium to short
Hand - medium to short
Elbow - short
Boxing -short to medium
Karate - long to short... etc etc

I can see where your post is coming from, Andy, and my message to you, Jack, is it's completely arbitrary, and as Andy says, don't get caught up in the small stuff - it doesn't make any difference in the end!

[Eric Olson]

All kung fu is short range.

EO

[RisingCrane]

I know longfist styles are really long, but how close does "short range" mean? When do you consider strikes to be "short"?

How my Sifu used the term I find to be useful:
Short= The arm is already extended, and the power is issued from the extended position. (Used in wing chun, taiji etc.)
Medium= The hand is close to the body (Protecting the head or at the hip) the power generated in the distance between you and your opponent (Like western boxing or karate)
Long= The hand is behind the body or away from the body and momentum is used to swing the arm to the target. (Choy lay fut, hap gar, lama etc.)

Short strikes do not necessarily mean short range, nor long strikes long range. Rather, they refer to the distance over which power is generated.

Most Chinese styles use ALL THREE types of power, but different styles specialize in different strikes.

[SanHeChuan]

Long range= You have to move/step to reach/hit the opponent.

Medium range= You have to turn/twist to reach/hit the opponent.

Short range=You don't have to move/step/turn/twist to reach/hit the opponent.

___________________


In Long range= The hips/shoulder drive the punch. You have time/distance to build up speed/power.

In Short range= The hips/shoulder/elbow drive the punch. Requires more explosive quick acceleration.

[Ray Pina]

Uppercuts, forearms, elbows, knees, headbuts, throws... that's close.