How important is lineage?

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How important is lineage?

Postby yat_chum » Tue Dec 25, 2012 4:36 am

If you have a good instructor, who is very skilled, does it matter about his lineage?
yijing zhidong

use stillness to overcome movement
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Re: How important is lineage?

Postby pete5770 » Tue Dec 25, 2012 10:48 pm

I can't imagine why it would. Simply having, so called, good lineage is only proof of good lineage.
Doesn't prove a thing about ability.
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Re: How important is lineage?

Postby baihe shifu » Wed Dec 26, 2012 7:20 pm

Why do you ask?
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Re: How important is lineage?

Postby wpgtaiji » Thu Dec 27, 2012 1:07 pm

"very skilled", how does the average person judge this? Because they can beat someone in a mock combat? I know folks with NO training who can do such a thing. It doesnt mean he can teach someone else to do so.

Lineage represents a teaching methodology, ONLY if the student is aware enough to learn from the teacher. There are folks who learned from top notch teachers of excellent lineages, who i wouldnt wish teach my worst enemy!
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Re: How important is lineage?

Postby Josh Young » Sun Jan 13, 2013 3:23 pm

It is primarily an issue of representation and historical accuracy as opposed to an issue of quality, though the two are related.

This is my opinion at least.

Can accurate teaching and methods be assured without an authentic line of transmission?
I wonder.

But then lines become vauge, if a person is not an inner circle student, over signifigant period of time with their teacher, perhaps they should not claim lineage through that teacher even if they have several lessons from them.

I employ YMAA material in some practice, obtained through books, but would never claim to be part of the lineage. For me books and videos don't count as line transmissions, only one on one instruction using a traditional training method, not a seminar or group only class.
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Re: How important is lineage?

Postby pete5770 » Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:12 pm

Just a thought. If you could go back in time to the creator(if you will) of Tai Chi you would most likely discover that his past Tai Chi lineage doesn't exist. Yet he had this idea that came to fruition over the years. So maybe martial arts aren't so much about lineage but more about ideas and how they are put into practice and made to work.
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Re: How important is lineage?

Postby Josh Young » Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:11 pm

I agree, lines of transmission and tradition originate through non transmitted and non traditional practices.

But I would think that this very form of origination is why lineage is of signifigance, for not all people are equal in terms of founding martial styles or methods. It might be considered that some are better than others at such things and that their methods are generally better than those of a layperson or even the average. Moreover in terms of lineage, there occurs time testing of the style among many individuals, clearly not all styles are fit for everyone or just anyone, nevertheless the signifigance of hundreds of years of martial practice and purpose of some styles makes lineage very meaningful to at least some individuals.
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