Interested in Faji but not interested in fighting

[Appledog]

Hello! I am editing this post to point out that users here cannot delete their own posts. I do not understand why users have the ability to edit their posts but not to delete their posts.

Originally I wanted to have a "cool post count" of 108, or something like that (something associated with Tai Chi) but that does not seem possible here.

[windwalker]

It was dented twice from where he hit people in the head with it.

He understands what martial arts mean....
I would disagree with some of your ideas of taiji, I would say that it does do the same things using a very different method,
the mind set it cultivates in order to use this method is quite different. one I call empty, aware neutrality.

This for me was one of the biggest changes in my own path once I started on
the taiji path,,,

note: only speak for my taiji others might find different.

this is the mind set we used to cultivate with the Tibetan White Crane I used to practice

"White Crane kung fu classics:
When hunting a tiger, destroy it. Otherwise, a wounded tiger will return to harm you.
When weeding a garden, pull up the roots. Otherwise, the weeds will grow back.
Whether the lion is hunting an elephant or a rabbit, the lion always uses full force."

[johnwang]

it would be counter productive to get involved with fighting.

You can test your MA skill without going through fighting.

After I have invented my "rhino guard", I have tried to meet as many boxers as I can find to test my strategy. I only ask them to punch me 20 times and I will play 100% defense and not punch back. I want to see whether or not my creation can have any combat value and deserved to pass down to the next generation.

I may like fighting when I was young. Now I just want to test my theory/strategy. I don't want to teach my students a new theory/strategy that has not yet been tested.

[johnwang]

This thread just remind me a famous ancient Chinese story. A guy loved to collect dragon painting and dragon art pieces. One day a dragon though this guy might love to meet a real dragon. The dragon knocked on that guy's door. The guy open the door, saw the dragon, had a heart attack, and died.

[C.J.W.]

I recently had the opportunity to hang out with GM Liu (White Crane/Feeding Crane in Taiwan) all day and we had quite an interesting discussion. He showed me some of his iron body training and jing development from the White Crane system.

I've met several of Liu's students and experienced the shaking/shocking power that Feeding Crane is famous firsthand. One of the guys game me a quick slap in the back, and I could literally feel a burst of energy -- very much like an electric current -- traveling through my body all the way to the front of the torso.

Due to the great number of scooters, traffic accidents are quite common here in Taiwan. Many drivers keep baseball bats, steering wheel locks, and sometimes even machetes in their cars as weapons in case an accident should turn violent. But I'd say that road rage violence has gone down considerably in the past 10 years or so due to the prevalence of dash and helmet cams. Many would-be bullies would now think twice before getting into a roadside brawl knowing that their actions might be captured on camera.

[marvin8]

These days it makes more sense for people to do some kind of pseudo martial art. For most people who will never encounter serious violence (this is certainly the case in my part of the world) it would be counter productive to get involved with fighting. Just playing at being warriors seems like a perfectly reasonable activity to add to any well being regime.

I don't know, some people like shooting guns, but really never think of or like the idea of shooting someone and yet I think most would agree
that learning to shoot a gun is probably one of the best MA out there. They practice things like trigger pull, reloading, drawing the weapon shooting from different positions and angles.

Ya some might say its a " pseudo martial art" and real its counter productive getting shot to find out if its real or not, and yet the other aspects are very reasonable actives that help prevent one from getting shot, and insuring one understands what shooting is all about...no matter if they encounter serious violence or not, I'd say they were well prepared.

what say you?

Gun owners can “practice things like trigger pull, reloading, drawing the weapon shooting from different positions and angles.” Or they can practice using their gun like a hammer by breaking bricks? Which method do you think gives a better “understanding” of martial arts or martial arts “is all about?”

Is it not reasonable for a martial artist to practice his martial art with other non-resistant opponents to "learn" skill in "different" timing, “positions and angles?” No one is saying practice self-defense by getting in a real fight and injuring or killing people.

[johnwang]

One day when someone trained Dao form in the park, I went to talk to him. He told me that he trained CMA for health. I then asked him the way that he swung his Dao looked like he was trying to cut his opponent's head off.

Between "combat" and "health", I truly don't know where to draw that line.

[windwalker]

Gun owners can “practice things like trigger pull, reloading, drawing the weapon shooting from different positions and angles.” Or they can practice using their gun like a hammer by breaking bricks? Which method do you think gives a better “understanding” of martial arts or martial arts “is all about?”

Is it not reasonable for a martial artist to practice his martial art with other non-resistant opponents to "learn" skill in "different" timing, “positions and angles?” No one is saying practice self-defense by getting in a real fight and injuring or killing people.

you seem to miss the point of the OP.
Some people just like to shoot / some people just like the practice of fajing
some people like to do selective breaking of bricks,,,

Each until put into a context is only useful in that, that's what some people like to do.

the OP

I can never understand when someone said that he is interested in Fajin, but he is not interested in fighting. Faijin is to generate power to hurt/kill people. If you only have interest in health, why should you care about power generation?

Is there such thinking as "I'm interested in fighting, but I'm really not that interested in fighting?"

What's your opinion on this?

The person likes the feeling of the practice of "faijing"
The OP then assigns his value to this which only presents his side and argues for his point.
All of which amounts to an opinion about something that he does not approve of nor do.

which does not change what anyone else does or will do....

[BruceP]

gah!

[Appledog]

Hello! I am editing this post to point out that users here cannot delete their own posts. I do not understand why users have the ability to edit their posts but not to delete their posts.

Originally I wanted to have a "cool post count" of 108, or something like that (something associated with Tai Chi) but that does not seem possible here.

[windwalker]

I think my biggest problem is actually that I understand things in terms of the classical way of expressing it, and not using the more modern methods used to express neijia in general. Well we can leave that for a future time.

From one of the people I work with, I dont say teach as I don't claim to be a teacher.

Learning Taichi in English and using physics is a unique experience for me. I always think that Taichi should be explainable by science. However, because my limited skill and prejudice from my Chinese background, I was not able to explain it using my own knowledge. Working with you verifies my conjectures about Taichi. What amazes me most is when you brought up the similarities between Taichi and Go, composition, and philosophy.

I do agree that we all follow things that call from inside. I try to use modern ways of explaining things as much as possible that accords with what is written in the classic text on taiji showing direct correlations between physics and the writings of the old masters. In the end all expressions only a have value for what one can do...My teacher used to say " I am not a taiji theoretician, I am a taiji practitioner" He wasn't much on explaining things in words, in Chinese or English he couldn't speak English. He was very good at allowing one to feel it,,,,

[marvin8]

Gun owners can “practice things like trigger pull, reloading, drawing the weapon shooting from different positions and angles.” Or they can practice using their gun like a hammer by breaking bricks? Which method do you think gives a better “understanding” of martial arts or martial arts “is all about?”

Is it not reasonable for a martial artist to practice his martial art with other non-resistant opponents to "learn" skill in "different" timing, “positions and angles?” No one is saying practice self-defense by getting in a real fight and injuring or killing people.

you seem to miss the point of the OP.
Some people just like to shoot / some people just like the practice of fajing
some people like to do selective breaking of bricks,,,

Each until put into a context is only useful in that, that's what some people like to do.

I was responding to your post. Your were discussing people learning to shoot guns is a martial art; "most would agree that learning to shoot a gun is probably one of the best MA out there." "no matter if they encounter serious violence or not, I'd say they were well prepared:"

These days it makes more sense for people to do some kind of pseudo martial art. For most people who will never encounter serious violence (this is certainly the case in my part of the world) it would be counter productive to get involved with fighting. Just playing at being warriors seems like a perfectly reasonable activity to add to any well being regime.

I don't know, some people like shooting guns, but really never think of or like the idea of shooting someone and yet I think most would agree
that learning to shoot a gun is probably one of the best MA out there. They practice things like trigger pull, reloading, drawing the weapon shooting from different positions and angles.

Ya some might say its a " pseudo martial art" and real its counter productive getting shot to find out if its real or not, and yet the other aspects are very reasonable actives that help prevent one from getting shot, and insuring one understands what shooting is all about...no matter if they encounter serious violence or not, I'd say they were well prepared.

what say you?

That's why I asked which method would better prepare oneself for "serious violence:"

Gun owners can “practice things like trigger pull, reloading, drawing the weapon shooting from different positions and angles.” Or they can practice using their gun like a hammer by breaking bricks? Which method do you think gives a better “understanding” of martial arts or martial arts “is all about?”

Is it not reasonable for a martial artist to practice his martial art with other non-resistant opponents to "learn" skill in "different" timing, “positions and angles?” No one is saying practice self-defense by getting in a real fight and injuring or killing people.

[northern_mantis]

it would be counter productive to get involved with fighting.

You can test your MA skill without going through fighting.

After I have invented my "rhino guard", I have tried to meet as many boxers as I can find to test my strategy. I only ask them to punch me 20 times and I will play 100% defense and not punch back. I want to see whether or not my creation can have any combat value and deserved to pass down to the next generation.

I may like fighting when I was young. Now I just want to test my theory/strategy. I don't want to teach my students a new theory/strategy that has not yet been tested.

That seems like a good approach. I expect you have probably shared it before but do you have any information on your rhino guard? Would be interested to hear about it.

In my comment I was suggesting that everything from LARPing to full on combatives is all good, as long as the instructor is honest about what it is.

[johnwang]

do you have any information on your rhino guard? Would be interested to hear about it.

1. offense:



2. defense:



3. set up throw:

[everything]

I like it a lot. It seems like there would be pros and cons vs. holding the hands in a similar shape but not necessarily gripped together. Stronger structure vs. independent moves. Is it possibly a good idea against a grappling entry or against those casting punches (that may try to hit the guard, remove the guard, off-balance, set up throws or takedowns)?