A young Yu Hai performs his mantis form

[Shaolinlueb]

Gene

Clearly if Yu Hai was a an early creator of wushu then it goes that he knew traditional of some kind as the modern wushu didn't exist before it was created. I made no comment on Yu Hai's general achievements.

What I did say, and do say is that the video performance above is a contemporary dance routine and nothing to do with any kung fu that came before it except to borrow some flavour.

If Lueb is referring to this when he says it's traditional and I'm not 'educated' then he is sorely mistaken. There is nothing traditional about any modern wushu.

In fact, we only have to use the work 'traditional' to differentiate because modern wushu - the performance art - is something else.

being nothing traditional about modern wushu? where did it come from? hmm let see, not gymnastics, traditional arts.....

maybe now currently its all gymnastics (if you saw the last china games you will know what i mean.) but in the 70's, 80's, and even early 90's it still had the martial aspect of it.

what a lot of "traditional" people dont seem to understand it was put together for competition, not fighting. there still is application in moves.

are you just one of the traditional guys who is jealous of their skill? i see a lot of modern wushu people train harder then the traditional guys and move better then the traditional guys do.

yeah the mantis is obviously too fast to be traditional. but it does have its roots. there is application to his moves if you break down speed. there its performed as a dance.

my sifu performed that form in a traditional mantis ring at the famous baltimore tournament back in the day and slowed it down and showed more power and won a gold medal. also had a famous chinese mantis master or two congratulate him and how good his mantis was. yet its not even his style, its just a "wushu" form with no application and is a dance routine.

*edit
man im treading on dangerous ground with this post. i should quit while im ahead.