Martial Arts

[Sadistictickler]

black belt in jujitsu

 

[asutickler]

does anyone in the US actually teach Kung Fu?

Augustine Fong is one of the greatest living masters of the Wing Chun style of Kung Fu. He taught my sifu, and I've met him. He's not only a cool guy, but he's just about the scariest 5 foot tall, 95 pound guy you will ever meet. Here's his website...

http://www.fongswingchun.com/


Master Fong's actual academy is in Tucson, about 90 miles South of me, but there is a blanket organization called "Fong's Wing Chun Federation," which certifies instructors nationwide.


Another good Wing Chun resource is Planet Wing Chun, which is a sort of catch-all site for Wing Chun, operated by the San Francisco Bay Area Wing Chun Association. Their link page lists a great many instructors from around the globe. The URL is...

http://www.wingchun.com/


Anyone who is thinking of taking Wing Chun (or any other martial art, for that matter) should inquire into the credentials of their instructor. Most branches of Wing Chun trace their ancestry to the late Grandmaster Yip Man, through one of his disciples. As my sifu once said, not all of these students were equals. Some were "A" students, some were "D" students, and there were many inbetween. I'd personally recommend finding someone who traces their liniage through Ho Kam Ming, but that is a personal bias...

Incedentally, Yip Man was Bruce Lee's Wing Chun teacher, before he came to America.


Anyways, hope this is helpful...



ASUTickler

 

[Phineas]

...Tai Chi is as much a martial art as other forms of Kung Fu. It's just that since it's very internal it makes for great exercise, especially when the movements are performed slowly. Make no mistake though, a properly-trained Tai Chi fighter is just capable as other styles.

 

[kurchatovium]

I have heard of what is called "qi gong", are these masters of the art of Tai Chi or is it some other martial art? I've heard they can do some pretty amazing things. I don't know if it is true or not. I'd be interested if any of you have heard anything about the "qi gong". Is it more of a myth than reality?

 

[Phineas]

qi gong (aka Chi Kung, depending on dialect) is a method of healing using knowledge of the body's internal energies (Chi). Many eastern healers practice qi gong, some more than others, and yes, there are legends and accounts of Chi masters doing miraculous things. I used to do business with an old Chinese gentleman who was skilled in this as well as other traditional Eastern methods of massage, acupressure, that sort of thing. I'm a "believe it if I see it" kinda guy, and while he never did throw a fireball or anything (lol) he did try to treat a friend's arthritis with his chi once. Don't know how well it worked but she did say later that she felt better, and did feel something warm when he held his hand over her. Makes me believe there's some kind of basis to the stories, anyway.

 

[BellaRisa]

I got just past my green belt in Shor-in-ru Karate a few years ago, but talked to a few folks and decided that I need something with less jumping and kicking and more ground-based. I intend to take up Judo or jiu-jitsu at some point.

Bella

 

[He-Man]

For me I should learn Tai Chi, probably more my style. Although not a martial art really Tai Chi is suppose to be really good for your health.

Actually, Tai Chi IS a martial art. The problem is, that most instructors, especially here in the U.S. ( like around 99 % of the Tai Chi instructors, it seems ) , teach it as only a health thing, and they neglect the combat part of it.

That's rather unfortunate, because that's supposed to be one martial art you can use more effectively when you beome an old fart and can't use "hard" styles like karate or taekwondo anymore.