the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

I'll be interviewing Tim for my blog / joint podcast on Monday the 14th. Drop your questions below and I'll try to work them in.

Surprised I am the first person to comment on this but personally Qs I'd like to ask Tim would be:

1. AFAIK you were the translator for the 1994 Pakuachang Journal trip to Beijing and Tianjin where students worked with several famous bagua teachers such as Zhang Huasen of Liang style, Ge Guoliang of Gao style plus Jiang style bgz with Liu Wanfu. Did you have an interesting stories to share of that trip, or teachers who particularly impressed you?
2. What do you feel are the main differences between the Tianjin Gao style group and the material you learnt from Xu Hong-Ji in Taiwan?
3. What made you decide to study with Sun Jianyun, given that there are other Sun style teachers whose performance looks much more 'martial'?
4. What practices do you feel are key for students to get good root, connection and whole body power? Is practicing a form even necessary?
5. You also spent some time studying with Liang Kequan, who has since passed away (and who doesn't seem to be v well known in China nowadays). What impressed you about him and his xingyi?
6. I remember you learnt a Zhaobao taiji variant while you were in Taiwan. Do you still practice and/or teach that set? What sets that Zhaobao system which you learnt apart from other styles / branches of taiji?

How important is zhan zhuang in your practice? Can you describe your method? How do you integrate zz into your martial practice? Is your zz style-specific or is there a one-size-fits-all approach for all the arts?

I've already spent an hour asking Tim questions, so I won't add any more. However my interview with Tim might help people think of more questions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfodZauTqVM

How has BJJ changed your approach to traditional martial arts practice?
Coming from a background with a more regimented form-based teaching method, how did you find the standard class format of BJJ (warmup, drills, 3 techniques and rolling) - and is your personal teaching format for BJJ different as a result?

Maybe ask him about the challenges of hosting one of the earliest, or maybe even the first, IMA discussion board.

From what I can figure out, the old Empty Flower was launched in 2001, Tim's Shen Wu discussion board in 2002. Both of the domains are a couple of years older, Shenwu.com seems to be one or two years older than the ol' EF.

Looks like Ashe has already made the interview though.

I look forward to it. Recently read the one with Serge and also the one with Alex. Cool.
Thanks Ashe

There's a Shen Wu group on FB if anyones interested.. Had an interesting discussion on there not long ago.. hmm.

It's all going on there now to be fair, so many of the old folks from here doing their thing. Funny how things change.
The old style forums are dead or dying (like this one), and you have all these little tribes on FB. When everyone was together you had more fireworks, kind of more fun you could say. In a melting pot kind of way. Now in MA groups it's, well, a bit different shall we say. But hey, is what it is. I still find things to love and hate as always !