Retreat Center

[white dragon]

I wasn't sure where to post this, so here seemed as good as anywhere.
I am very interested in applying for the retreat center, but am unsure wether i am elligable. I'm 16, but will be 17 by the time candidates are selected, and as the application says you have to be 17 or over, i'm not sure if i fit the bill. Hopefully someone can help! Thanks in advance

[fujowpai419]

White Dragon just out of curiosity what is your martial arts background? I'm guessing maybe pai lum based on your name?

[white dragon]

Nah...just thought it sounded cool I did a bit of judo, and a bit of TKD then found kung fu, and thought it was alot more practical and fun than the other stuff i had tried. I'm studying under the ymaa sylabus.

[fujowpai419]

Oh good deal...good luck!

[DOM]

you did not think judo was practical,I gess you were their less then a month.I studied judo for a short time and found it to be one of the most demanding and serios of all the martial arts.Once in the grips of a good judo player you are done for.The speed and power of a good judo throw could kill or mame an opponent on impact.I find that to be pretty practical.Judo is a sport derived from Aiki jutsu the killing art of the Samuria.

[white dragon]

You seem to have misunderstood what i said...what i said was that kung fu is more practical than judo, which i firmly believe. Judo is a great martial art, and i thouroughly enjoyed studying it, however i felt that it focused only on being within a certain range, whereas i feel kung fu is more rounded and is more useful in the modern world we live in.....but thats just my opinion

[fujowpai419]

From what I understand, judo and jujitsu are derived from chinese wrestling including chin-na. Fully intact sytems of kung fu include all areas of fighting including ground fighting. To each their own but I'm also in favor of pure traditional kung fu.

[DOM]

know here we go,this could make for a good disscussion.No doubt that Chinies martial arts have influinced nearly are of the martial arts in some way or another.Most if not all okinawan and japanies martial arts were at one time complete systems containing the four main cataegories of fighting.Punching,kicking,take downs,and joint locking,pluse all kinds of weapons and defence againt them.Okinawan and japanies martial arts were definatly influinced by Chinies arts.Infact the karate style I study and teach has always given credit to the Chinies martial arts.In fact it is one of the few Japanies styles that still uses the Kanji[chinies}letteres that read Shorin Ji Ryu karate do.In Chinies meening Shaolin Temple Style Chinies hand way.But the fact of the matter is Japan and Okinawa already had their own martial systems for hundreds of years befor the influince from China.Infact alot of teckniques from the Japanies arts evolved from the need to defend against the Samuria, their sword and their armor.This is the reason why some teckniques do not seem usefull or effective in todays world.Today as Master Yang says they have broken the systems up in to striking,throwing and joint locking.Chinies martial arts are vast and deep but so can any other system.

[scramasax57]

I've always found it a little ubelievable that all Asian martial arts "came from" Chinese martial arts. I find it more likely that other countries, especially Japan with its long history of feudal warfare, developed their own martial arts and then integrated techniques and ideas from CMA. China certainly was a cultural and technological center of Asia, which would explain why China has/had many more seperate schools and "styles" of martial arts and why these styles had more regimented training methods and complex histories/philosophies. I think the "comprehensiveness" issue arises when people take something like Judo and say that it only does grappling so it's not complete or well-rounded. The problem with that is a) Judo is the sport version of Jujitsu, and sport martial arts are never as effective as the originals, and b) Judo is not meant to stand alone. The traditional Japanese martial artist would not just study Jujitsu, he would also study Karate and/or other striking disciplines. Jujitsu is more equal to Qin Na in that it should be seen more as a subcategory of martial arts, one area of study, rather than an independent style.

[DOM]

exactly,even in the most complet system one mite come across there will always be those that specialize in one element of the system then the other.This has always been the way,and even more so in todays fast pace life style.This is exspecial true in a system that is exstremly vast and complex.For example White crane or Tai chi,no one can master every element of the system to an egual degrea,exspecialy to day.Even if one is capable of doing so there is always more to learn and they will still become a specialist in certain areas of the style.From my limited amount of research and understanding,this seems to be how most if not all style were created.For instance,look what Master Yang has done and accomplished.His Tai Chi Chaun,and Long Fist both have been influinced and have a flavor of White Crane to them.I am sure even his White Crane has evolved over the years at the very least the way he has stuctured it and systematized it in to levels.This is how a style should evolve,the future of a sytem dependes upon it.The problem is their are fewer and few of those with the knowlage,exsperiance,drive,and teaching abilty to do what he is done and continuing to do.Most CMA no longer retain the essence of what the Masters passed on.This is why there is so much debate about this system or that system being inaffective.At one time all systems of martial arts with a history that stood the test of time were effective.They had to be they were all created for combat and survival hence the word martial..The mind set of those who trained these sytems for this reason can not be understood or matched today,with the exseption of those who devote there lives to the military and have exsperianced life and death combat.I sure do hope that Master Yang achieves his dream of passing on the knowlage and exsperiance of the martial arts.In reture I hope these individuals understand that he has devoted himself to this to insure that the next generation and hopfully many more to come will keep it alive.That along with the commitment also come a great responsability.