bagua students after 2 months

[meeks]

LMAO! ~ screw you guys, I'm goin' home...

[nianfong]

get a shuaijiao jacket man. gi's are for pussies.

[meeks]

what's the diff?

[I am...]

what's the diff?

One is often made in China, and one is often made in Japan

Why not just wear whatever garment is readily available, affordable, and serves the utilitarian purpose it needs to serve best?

[meeks]

again - it's about the 'club' aspect vs the 'group' aspect. I don't want casual wear and casual practice.
Club: Don the jacket, pay attention, and train hard until you take the jacket off.
Group: *punch* so what'd you do last night? *punch* not much - just watched tv. *punch* you still nailin' that blonde? *punch* - yup...

[Haoran]

again - it's about the 'club' aspect vs the 'group' aspect. I don't want casual wear and casual practice.
Club: Don the jacket, pay attention, and train hard until you take the jacket off.
Group: *punch* so what'd you do last night? *punch* not much - just watched tv. *punch* you still nailin' that blonde? *punch* - yup...

I was kidding before but on a serious note, GIs in a CMA studio would totally turn me off. But, that's me. Having learned in both camps I prefer the Chinese "family" style than the Japanese or Korean "military" style.

Also, the GI could be a negative if in the future a student is confronted by a shirtless attacker (or t-shirt), nothing to grab onto... Back in the early 80s I did some Jujitsu training and they relied heavily on GIs to grab their opponent.

But, if it works for you, fantastic.

[64Palms]

I think its actually quite an attracting factor of the arts to not have uniforms. The teachers i have trained with (both here and in China) encouraged self discipline rather than forced discipline. So we dressed casually but trained intently every class - respect came from the individual and not from the clothes they wear. Having said that i also believe that uniforms do enable more of a "team" mentality which can be great for the all to often egotistical student (or teacher) that comes to class. So i guess it really comes down to what one feels comfortable in when teaching and / or training. Nice vids too

[meeks]

the Gi is just a durable piece of cloth that is a little thicker and adds a bit of cushion to the fall. Doesn't tear or wear out as easily as a sweatshirt or Tshirt. I don't give a rat's ass if it came from China, Korea, Japan or the US Military. I bought that particular one because the local martial arts supply store has a shitload of them - that was my reason for choosing a gi. As for shirtless attackers - we're not using the Gi as a holding piece the way guys in Judo train. You guys should all do what my students do when they're wearing a gi - just ignore it.

The teachers i have trained with (both here and in China) encouraged self discipline rather than forced discipline. So we dressed casually but trained intently every class - respect came from the individual and not from the clothes they wear

All of my teachers were the same way. But it always seemed there'd be a few lulls in training with conversation or just a couple guys really intent and everyone else dickin' around. But after experiencing regimented training in the Japanese styles for the last few years I realized there's a true benefit to making them wear a uniform. there's no formality to my classes. no bowing or anything. we put mats down, our jackets on, we train, we take a water break, we train, we pack up.

[rant]
regarding 90% of this thread being questions about their fashion choices - am I on the fucking VIEW* or RSF? *the View is a TV talk show hosted by 5 women.

Jesus H Christ ... do I question people on their vids about their choice of t-shirt or running shoes? "but what if he's not wearing sneakers, what if he's wearing steel toe work boots..." who gives an 'f' what these guys are wearing? It's just something that's durable. They're like 6 weeks in and learning to use bagua in combat...has anyone noticed THAT part yet? Remember I always argued over the last few years NOTHING takes 3 - 5 years before you learn to fight? Well I put my money wear my mouth is and taught a shitload of NOOBS and posted it.
[/rant]

[GrahamB]

what's the diff?

Well, when a man and woman love each other very much....

[GrahamB]

[rant]
regarding 90% of this thread being questions about their fashion choices - am I on the fucking VIEW* or RSF? *the View is a TV talk show hosted by 5 women.

Jesus H Christ ... do I question people on their vids about their choice of t-shirt or running shoes? "but what if he's not wearing sneakers, what if he's wearing steel toe work boots..." who gives an 'f' what these guys are wearing? It's just something that's durable. They're like 6 weeks in and learning to use bagua in combat...has anyone noticed THAT part yet? Remember I always argued over the last few years NOTHING takes 3 - 5 years before you learn to fight? Well I put my money wear my mouth is and taught a shitload of NOOBS and posted it.
[/rant]

Dude, if you make people wear Gi's to do CMA you're going to get comments about it for the next 40 years. It ain't going to change. You might as well just ignore it. You have your reasons - fine. Just accept that other people aren't going to understand.

b.t.w. I went to a Jitsu class a few times once - the atmosphere was so different to CMA - like being in the army. One guy had to 'drop and do 20' because his badge was torn on his Gi. I can totally appreciate why you might want to borrow some elements of that approach to run a class. They certainly trained twice as hard as what I was used to, which was a more relaxed environment. Somebody made a good point about the discipline coming from outside not inside though.

Me, I kind of like the informal quality of no uniforms, but that's just me - each to their own.

[Ian]

here's 1 of me demoing the move:
http://www.chengshibaguazhang.com/gallery/remote-video.php?video=dave

Nice. The 4th app is exactly what I think Yang style diagonal flying should look like.

And it's nice to see students getting real feedback without having to spend 3-10 years doing forms first.

[Haoran]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't agree with Tim Cartmell's approach either but both of you have schools and a business so go for it. I prefer informal, in the park, no level testing, no uniforms, etc that go along with a public school. I also prefer the "gong" approach rather than the "application" approach but again, that's just me. That's what drew me to CIMA.

[meeks]

how come no one makes comments like "what if a guy's not wearing boxing gloves on the street?"...lol....

[nianfong]

shuai jiao jackets are much much thicker than gi's. they are also short sleeved, providing more realistic training--the sleeve grip matches the elbow grip without a jacket. also the sleeves then stay out of your way. also they look much more badass.
http://www.shuai-chiao.org/catalog/shua ... acket.html

[meeks]

that's a good jacket. But can I get it without the american flag on it??