Neijia in real fight

[Appledog]

I liked, I think it was, wanderingdragon's comment about your breath and fatigue level.

I'd like to point out that there is a big difference as NK pointed out that a real fight does not necessarily mean you are in the ring with someone, and that there is in fact a vast difference between being in the ring with someone, i.e. facing off with swords, or whatever, than something like what we saw in the video early in the thread where the cop swung the man's arm around and took him down.

Most real fights I have been in could be best described as brawls erupting out of anger, and filled with emotion. During these encounters I have always been able to arrive first and get my grip or my control but I have very infrequently been able to apply strength against opponents who are bigger and stronger. This is primarily due to my strengths, which is a fast eye and fast and accurate hands which would probably lend themselves to striking had I considered it -- fast eyes, hands, and thinking from a clear mind -- yet which shows a deficiency in my training. Which I would say in the long run is mostly my fault. I would also say that knowing that is also my greatest strength and what gives me the greatest hope for the future.

If you are facing up against an opponent and the encounter feels like you are squaring off you should ask yourself why you are there. In this sense, I believe that it is not really important to learn the best or most pure tradition anymore nor that you necessarily have to know the best and deepest secrets of neijia to have any worth as a martial artist. As a result I have shifted away from being a circular and soft Taiji person into someone who finds that it might have been better had I studied Xingyi instead. I believe it's just faster than tai chi or bagua as far as training path is concerned, without being overly short like wing chun.

As windwalker pointed out xingyi and taiji are in fact very different, then very similar, then very different and then very similar again. Today Chinese martial arts is like this too, it is open, and secret, and open, and secret again. This is a rather depressing situation for me and it should be a depressing situation for you too.

Frankly

Other than my current teachers, who I study with because I like and because I can explore my limits with them...

I would never train under, nor advise anyone to train under, anyone but a direct name-brand teacher who is willing to produce a paper signed discipleship certificate. With photos.