Interesting guy: Chinese kung-fu routines are useless Pt.1

[Trick]

Back when I was young and externalistic I had an real boat fender to hit on.
Lots of those where I lived back then.....

[C.J.W.]

The anti-white stuff at the beginning was unnecessary. I know several white guys and other foreigners that have excellent kungfu and who can fight with it but don't speak a word of Chinese. It can add some understanding but is completely unnecessary. He seems to think being ethnically Chinese is what leads to a deep understanding of kungfu but later contradicts himself by saying a lot of negative things about Chinese kungfu teachers.

Judging from his comments about "kungfu teachers are not honest people" I'm guessing he has discovered a few things about his own style. Half of it is sketchy. None of the hung gar looks like what is practiced in Hong Kong for a reason. Finding out you have been practicing sketchy material even in Taiwan is a real downer, I agree from experience.

Some of the confusion though is related to the long fist forms they do. Long fist is not strong on application, it's mostly exercise. Many of the moves in long fist are deliberately exaggerated to fully develop the body and long fist does it better than nearly anything else. One of my teachers credited his daily long fist practice with his youthfulness, not his neijia. But it is very weak in application, which is why it has been blended with other styles like mantis for so long.

Starting at 11:40 he really had some strong things to say, even calling teachers pathetic, but his points were spot on. Many bad decisions have been made by previous teachers and the situation now may not be reversable. I feel like I'm in the same boat as him. Hope we all find a way forward.

Agree with everything you said except for the part about Long Fist being weak on application.

LF forms have often been adopted by various northern schools as part of the foundation training due to their simplistic nature and extended movements. For those practitioners who have cross-trained in LF in this manner, they are usually unaware of the applications hidden within the forms and simply treat them as basic exercises. But to the small number of practitioners who specialize in LF, such as those from LF grandmaster Han Chin-tang's lineage in Taiwan, it is actually a fully-developed fighting system in its own right.

I used to feel the same way you do about LF until I had the chance to meet with a few of GM Han Chin-tang's grand-students who opened my eyes to a wide range of intricate and effective LF applications. Most of them are grappling techniques similar to those found in Shuaijiao -- as opposed to uselessly exaggerated punches and kicks that they appear to be.

[marvin8]

Part 3 of the useless video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omPeW94oR9k

[Franklin]

why do they have a boat fender hanging up (next to the heavy bags)?

Do you mean the slip ball, punching bag hybrid? It's used for punching and defensive head movement.

The 12″ Head Hunter, a slip ball, punching bag hybrid is one of our classics for fighters– and for good reason. The 12″ Head Hunter is compact, and it’s training goes beyond slipping. You can get in all your punches, kicks, and elbows and all with more realistic movement:

thanks..

ok-- so its a boat fender filled with water..

that at least make more sense to me..
cause regular boat fenders are light as F--- even the big ones
and have way too much give
they would be useless to hit...
sort of like the childrens punching toys from back in the day..

didn't know this was a thing now...
carry on....

[Bhassler]

I thought it was because Taiwan is an island, and they're worried about pirates.

[Trick]

why do they have a boat fender hanging up (next to the heavy bags)?

Do you mean the slip ball, punching bag hybrid? It's used for punching and defensive head movement.

The 12″ Head Hunter, a slip ball, punching bag hybrid is one of our classics for fighters– and for good reason. The 12″ Head Hunter is compact, and it’s training goes beyond slipping. You can get in all your punches, kicks, and elbows and all with more realistic movement:

thanks..

ok-- so its a boat fender filled with water..

that at least make more sense to me..
cause regular boat fenders are light as F--- even the big ones
and have way too much give
they would be useless to hit...
sort of like the childrens punching toys from back in the day..

didn't know this was a thing now...
carry on....

Hey, the ‘traditional’ boat/ship fenders(car tires) works too, suited for the tougher guys....

I myself like the light balls most such as floor to ceiling ball....