Kung Fu Cuts and Bruises

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

Kung fu seems to be taking a bashing by all other martial art styles these days, from what is being viewed on the internet.

What is most surprising of all, is the people fighting in the Kung Fu styles are not showing much skill or talent.

Although in the movies kung fu skills are awesome to see in fight scenes and others are beautiful to watch for there gracefulness in movements.

While kung fu fights by Chinese fighters in a boxing ring against foreigners seem to not look very authentic or believable?

Could it be that the aggressiveness in Chinese martial arts isn't hungry enough to be domineering?

Or could it be that those Chinese style fighters that do compete are not appropriately equipped to do so in the outside world.

Perhaps Chinese martial arts is going through a rough patch internationally?

What do you imagine Bruce Lee's answers would be to these question?
Presumably "Told you so, it is a mess out there"

Your opinions respectively are always welcome any time.

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

Bruce Lee was in a sense correct that thinking that any particular martial art was superior to others. When taught correctly, they are all striving for similar goals, and end up fairly equivalent (my opinion, of course.)

Modern Kung Fu seems to be suffering from some degree of commercialization, but I don't think that'll hurt it in the long run. When it comes to watching folks use Kung Fu in the ring, I feel it's not fair to judge a martial art on the performance of a handful of individuals. Competitors are self-selected, and that's not the way statistical comparisons should be done. In these cases, I'd blame the fighter, not the art itself.
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5th Geup Jidokwan Tae Kwon Do/Hap Ki Do

(Never officially tested in aikido, iaido or kendo)

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

The issue is far from unique to Chinese martial arts. The same could be said of karate in general. The answer to the problem is most likely in the way the majority of people are taught and the purpose for which they train.

To be ready for the ring, one must train for the ring. Most Chinese martial arts do not, especially the "wushu" styles which are little more than "martial" gymnastics devised by the communist authorities to push their version of what they think is good for China.

This is not to say that Chinese martial arts are all ineffective for the ring or even in self-defense. It just means that those who might be effective in either case are absent from the media for one reason or another. Perhaps they are simply not interested.

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

My wife's cousin was interested in taking up some martial art to learn some self defense, and asked me my opinion about which one he should take up. He was of the mindset that taekwondo and karate would not teach him what he needs to know to defend himself, but kung fu would. I told him that it really depends on how the school is run, and how the art is taught. If your school focuses primarily on tournament sparring, then you'll be trained to perform in a ring with someone else who trains by the same rules. On the other hand, schools that emphasize self-defense (regardless of style) will train their students to handle themselves in an actual conflict.
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5th Geup Jidokwan Tae Kwon Do/Hap Ki Do

(Never officially tested in aikido, iaido or kendo)

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

The first thing a prospective student of martial arts must understand is that training methods and purpose are more important than any given system or style.

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

A novice might ask "which martial art should I start". The best answer and advice an experienced martial artist can offer is to first help the interested person identify the main reason for wanting to train. Several aspects of martial arts can exist within a single "style". For this reason the initial question is quite personal and cannot be answered by anyone except the prospective student.

bushido_man96 · KF Sensei

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

A potential new student should watch a class or two before any type of commitment.

Then perhaps join in a class, to understand what will be expected.

It might be too physically demanding, then a fitness class of some kind might be advisable before signing up.

Everyone walking through the front doors of a dojo will have a different history; martial arts isn't for everyone.

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