C.J.W. wrote:As a related topic to the thread I started on running, I'd like to focus on the differences between traditional Chinese and Western classical cultures in terms of the ideal physique for a warrior.
The ideal warrior physique seen in ancient Greek and Roman arts are no different from that of a modern elite athlete -- with six-pack abs, bulging chests and biceps, and a relatively narrow waist; in contrast, a typical Chinese warrior or martial artist depicted in ancient boxing manuals almost always have a potbelly , wide hips, thin arms, and an unmuscular chest.
IMO, these obvious discrepancies are clues hidden in plain sight that can help us better understand how the ancient Chinese fighters viewed, trained, and utilized their bodies in ways that were very different from their Western counterparts.
wkfung108 wrote:btw, for the same reason few Europeans had pot bellies back then. Food was EXPENSIVE relative to an average person's income.
C.J.W. wrote:C.J.W. wrote:a typical Chinese warrior or martial artist depicted in ancient boxing manuals almost always have a
- potbelly,
- wide hips,
- thin arms, and
- unmuscular chest.
Perhaps I should have been more careful with my wording when I listed those physical traits, for the description I gave does tend to conjure up images of a middle-aged obese man who sits in front of the TV guzzling beers all day.
What I meant was a typical warrior/martial artist that you see in various forms of ancient Chinese art almost always have a thick trunk, wide hips, and normal-sized arms and chest as opposed to the big biceps, bulging chest, a lean thin waist, and narrow hips that we see in many modern sports fighters and athletes.
I suppose we can agree on the simple logical fact that the more a group of muscles is used, the bigger and thicker it gets?
So the point I was getting at is that in Chinese fighting arts, the power center of the human body is the dantien and the lower body, while the upper body -- especially the biceps and chest -- mostly act as conduits (the spine and the shoulder girdles, however, are more actively involved.)
That is why a CMA practitioner who adheres to old-school training methods will develop a RELATIVELY large trunk and lower body compared to the upper.
johnwang wrote:I'm cutting down 5 trees on the slop (I have cut down 2, there are 3 more to go). After I had carried all those wood from down hill to up hill, even if I may started with "thin arms" and "unmuscular chest", my arms and chest will get bigger at the end of that task. If that's my life time job, I don't need to go to gym to lift weight, I'll have bigger arms and muscular chest. With all the hard work to carry wood from down hill to up hill, my "potbelly" and "wide hips" may be gone as will.
So even if I may have trained IMA for a long time, because my tree cutting job, I may still not be able to fit the following requirement.
- potbelly,
- wide hips,
- thin arms, and
- unmuscular chest.
In other words, in order to be able to meet the above requirement, you have to be rich enough and not involve with any "hard labor". This remind me the term "scholar" that one can't
- lift with his shoulder,
- carry with his hands,
- even kill a chicken with his hands.
C.J.W. wrote:
And are you aware that there have been many highly skilled CMA masters who were either quite rich themselves or born into wealthy families? Learning martial arts was considered a luxury and, in many cases, only the wealthy had the money and resources to study under top teachers. This is true in the cases of Baji master Liu Yunqiao, WC master Yip Man, Bagua master Wang Zhuangfei, Feeding Crane master Liu Gu, and many more. Since they had the time, energy, and money without having to work for a living, they were able to focus on their CMA training and become accomplished in their arts.
C.J.W. wrote:C.J.W. wrote:[quote="C.J.W."
What I meant was a typical warrior/martial artist that you see in various forms of ancient Chinese art almost always have a thick trunk, wide hips, and normal-sized arms and chest as opposed to the big biceps, bulging chest, a lean thin waist, and narrow hips that we see in many modern sports fighters and athletes.
I suppose we can agree on the simple logical fact that the more a group of muscles is used, the bigger and thicker it gets?
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