Yesterday I went to the world's martial art tournament in Orlando. I didn't compete because I didn't even know it was going on, but I came around and shmoozed with the folks. It was a Kung Fu/Wu Shu tournament so there were a lot of boring forms, and only a little bit of fighting so it was kind of lame.
This is my beef with Kung Fu players, They do these forms, which are nothing more than glorified dancing with punches and kicks in the air. They spend so much time training on these forms it rediculous. Why? because forms are hard to learn, just like any dance routine.
When the forms parts of the tournament is over, the sparring begins, but when they spar they don't do monkey stance, or crane stance, or cat stance, they stand and fight like boxers. They spend all that time learning to dance, but it doesn't help them fight any better. You get good at fighting, by fighting.
That's what irratates my friends that are Kung Fu players. I can't do any form at any time for shit, never wanted to. But I can fight, and I fight well, even with a face full a peircings. They can't seem to grasp that I can fight well even though I don't do forms and my lineage doesn't go back 5,000 years. I say, "Dude guy, The reason I can fight well is because I don't do forms and my lineage doesn't go back 5,000 years."
Basically what I saw yesterday was students who would dance around and win gold medals in the forms devision. That's fantastic. They're dedicated, athletic, healthy, doing what they enjoy, and I'm all for it. I think it's beatiful. However come sparring time, It was the mixed schools that taught Kung Fu and Kickboxing that housed everyone.
Later on in the Evening there was a master's demonstration, which was pretty much where the masters and grandmaster's would stroke their egos as to how cool they are (very common in the martial arts scene these days, and very disturbing.) Pretty much all they did was do some 3,000 year old Tai Chi Chuan forms that bored everyone to tears(I fell asleep.) But I couldn't help but wonder how many of them could handle themselves against that Jamaican kid that won the advanced division in fighting.
My point is, If you want to get good at the drums, you fucking play the drums, you don't pick them up and dance the tango with them. If you want to get good at fighting, quit fucking dancing and throw a punch.
This is my beef with Kung Fu players, They do these forms, which are nothing more than glorified dancing with punches and kicks in the air. They spend so much time training on these forms it rediculous. Why? because forms are hard to learn, just like any dance routine.
When the forms parts of the tournament is over, the sparring begins, but when they spar they don't do monkey stance, or crane stance, or cat stance, they stand and fight like boxers. They spend all that time learning to dance, but it doesn't help them fight any better. You get good at fighting, by fighting.
That's what irratates my friends that are Kung Fu players. I can't do any form at any time for shit, never wanted to. But I can fight, and I fight well, even with a face full a peircings. They can't seem to grasp that I can fight well even though I don't do forms and my lineage doesn't go back 5,000 years. I say, "Dude guy, The reason I can fight well is because I don't do forms and my lineage doesn't go back 5,000 years."
Basically what I saw yesterday was students who would dance around and win gold medals in the forms devision. That's fantastic. They're dedicated, athletic, healthy, doing what they enjoy, and I'm all for it. I think it's beatiful. However come sparring time, It was the mixed schools that taught Kung Fu and Kickboxing that housed everyone.
Later on in the Evening there was a master's demonstration, which was pretty much where the masters and grandmaster's would stroke their egos as to how cool they are (very common in the martial arts scene these days, and very disturbing.) Pretty much all they did was do some 3,000 year old Tai Chi Chuan forms that bored everyone to tears(I fell asleep.) But I couldn't help but wonder how many of them could handle themselves against that Jamaican kid that won the advanced division in fighting.
My point is, If you want to get good at the drums, you fucking play the drums, you don't pick them up and dance the tango with them. If you want to get good at fighting, quit fucking dancing and throw a punch.
ever read dharma punx? i'm currently in the middle of hardcore zen...