Is it fair to ask why a style has not produced a sucessor?

[Appledog]

Hello, I'd like to maintain a 'cool post count' of 108 posts. This particular post has gone beyond that number and has therefore expired.

I'm sorry if you were looking for some old information but I'll do my best to answer you if you send me a DM with a question in it.

[johnwang]

The new generation live in a different world. In today's environment, nobody wants to spend 10 years of hard pole hanging training just to develop a strong "head lock". People want to spend time to learn skill. They don't want to spend time to develop Gong (ability). The issue is for some skill, without Gong (ability), the skill won't work.

[marvin8]

The new generation live in a different world. In today's environment, nobody wants to spend 10 years of hard pole hanging training just to develop a strong "head lock".

"The new generation" realizes to "spend 10 years of hard strength training just to develop a strong 'rear naked choke'" is not enough.

People want to spend time to learn skill. They don't want to spend time to develop Gong (ability). The issue is for some skill, without Gong (ability), the skill won't work.

"People want to spend time to learn" the art of self-defense/fighting (ringcraft, craftsmanship). "They don't want to spend time to develop" only one strength/technique. The issue is for some technique, without Gong (fighting ability/skill), the technique won't work.

[MaartenSFS]

The new generation live in a different world. In today's environment, nobody wants to spend 10 years of hard pole hanging training just to develop a strong "head lock". People want to spend time to learn skill. They don't want to spend time to develop Gong (ability). The issue is for some skill, without Gong (ability), the skill won't work.

Exactly. They are impatient at best, or just plain lazy.

[middleway]

Firstly, I would say that its really very possible that there are a whole bank of individuals out there who can legitimately fight using all manner of different things but whom simply don't care about the lime light and have no desire to teach. I have met a few people like this. People who were on par with famous teachers, but were content just to train and train. IMO they are likely to surpass the famous teachers because they dont have the burden of teaching.. they have more time to train! But you will never hear about them, or know they exist. So the absence of a 'successor' may well not be indicative of the training methods validity.

So for example, I would have absolutely no problem (as a Chen stylist by preference) walking into a good Wu style school and going through the Wu style program, but if there was a Kungfu school that taught the 24, 48, and combined 56 or something, I would not really want to go to that school (even if nothing else was in the area).

Ironically, I have heard from several teachers with very complete lineages of Yang Style, who could fight, that they teach the 24 form as a primary initial form before being bogged down in the 108. Even though it was never actually part of their traditional syllabus. So i wouldn't assume that the 24 form = Wushu performance = crappy. I think its a common 'add on' for a lot of Taiji schools.

IMO, for fighting, the form itself isn't particularly relevant, neither is the purity of the lineage. The meat of the matter is in the method of training the body and the approach to partner work. Many Taiji schools, even ones with very good lineages, fall down on the second part of that equation IME.

thanks.

[MaartenSFS]

I totally agree with all of that. It's that first part that people don't understand - that there are amazing practitioners/fighters that don't want to be known for various reasons or who are only known in their own small circles and just haven't been discovered. China is a HUGE place. Every small city has an Wulin, a society of martial artists. Some are better than others, but most have masters that are quite skilled in fighting.

One of my friends in China is studying with one of my Master's Gongfu brothers. This guy has no other good students. He used to be a bodyguard/enforcer in Zhuhai/Macao, but most people are scared of training with him. My friend, an American from Rochester, New York, is kind of a crazy guy. He is a really good fighter and eats, drinks and breathes Gongfu all day, every day. He is a glutton for punishment and loves to scrap with this master. He's going to get even better than when I last saw him and, through encouragement from my Master, just became this master's first disciple (and likely his last as well). This American has no interest in the spotlight either, not even in teaching. He just loves to fight. Both him and his master will probably train until they die, only known by a select few.

[Trick]

The new generation live in a different world. In today's environment, nobody wants to spend 10 years of hard pole hanging training just to develop a strong "head lock". People want to spend time to learn skill. They don't want to spend time to develop Gong (ability). The issue is for some skill, without Gong (ability), the skill won't work.

i think even during old(pre guns)wartimes soldiers had not 10 years of preparing and developing "gong"