ok everybody check in

[theneuhauser]

because there is so much variety in the CMA world, lets find out what's represented on the board here. im pretty sure we havent done this before, now that we are up to 666(geez) members and counting, let's have everyone check in.
what CMA do you study or have studied?

i think it would be good to know a little bit more about everyone, and this would be a great way to start.
and if your style is a little bit exotic, throw a brief description up with your post to help me relate.

 

[arnisador]

See also this thread:
Martial Arts Experience

I studied Tai Chi for a year (instructor moved) and Mo Duk Pai Kung Fu for a year (I moved) but no longer practice a CMA.

 

[Matt Stone]

Yiliquan / Yi Li Chuan since 1985... It is Baixingquan (Shaolin derivative system) as a beginning foundational base, then Xingyi (Shanxi style), Taiji (Yang) and Bagua (Zhang Zhao Dong's lineage) are studied. Shake, mix well, and out comes Yili.

More can be read about it here: http://www.cyberkwoon.com/html/article.php?sid=184 and here: http://www.cyberkwoon.com/html/article.php?sid=195

 

[Matt Stone]

Yiliquan / Yi Li Chuan since 1985... It is Baixingquan (Shaolin derivative system) as a beginning foundational base, then Xingyi (Shanxi style), Taiji (Yang) and Bagua (Zhang Zhao Dong's lineage) are studied. Shake, mix well, and out comes Yili.

More can be read about it here: http://www.cyberkwoon.com/html/article.php?sid=184 and here: http://www.cyberkwoon.com/html/article.php?sid=195

 

[fist of fury]

I study Wing Chun

 

[Dronak]

I started taking classes with a martial arts club at my university in fall 2001. We're doing primarily northern Shaolin long fist style kung fu. I'm sure I've talked about it in some other threads if you want to know a bit more about it. Try the A Newbie's Intro thread I started back then. About 2-3 years ago I started trying to learn some tai chi on my own from books, videos, and TV shows, the simplified 24 posture form mainly, but I did a little on the 48 posture combined form. I probably didn't learn it exceptionally well without a teacher. Fortunately, our kung fu teacher is also teaching Yang style tai chi, a long form, to some of the people in the class. I'm in that group, so as of spring 2002, I've started getting real training in Yang style tai chi. That's all I've done so far. Martial arts in general are interesting to me, but I've never really studied any until recently.

 

[Hu Ren Qianzai Long]

Kung Fu and Wushu, but, I'm interested in Wing Chun. I'm also studying and reading about Wuxia Pian.:asian:

 

[theneuhauser]

hu ren,

pardon my ignorance but what is wuxia pian?

 

[Chiduce]

I study kung fu ( five animal fists), shorin-ryu karate, combat judo, military clandestine combatives, qi gong (iron fist), cheng hsin tou shou, kenpo and several other systems. I teach, clandestine black dragon kenpo karatejutsu and butokutsuru ryu kenpojutsu ( white crane kenpo)! Sincerely, In Humility; Chiduce!

 

[LanceWildcat1]

I study mainly southern Shaolin. I have a background in Jujitsu and boxing.

 

[theneuhauser]

what are some of the differences between southern and northern shaolin?

 

[Dronak]

A quote from _The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu_ (The Secrets of Kung Fu for Self-Defence, Health, and Enlightenment) by Wong Kiew Kit: "Southern Shaolin Kung Fu is characterized by solid stances, powerful arms and elaborate hand techniques, in contrast with the elegant jumping, extensive movements and wide range of kicking attacks of the Northern Shaolin version." _Taijiquan, Classical Yang Style_ by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming contains a short section on northern and southern styles in its general introduction. He gives some reasoning as to why differences developed in the section, but there's too much to quote the whole thing, so I'll just quote the conclusions here (which are still a bit).

1. Northern Chinese are generally taller, and therefore prefer long or middle range fighting, while southern Chinese are shorter, so middle and short range fighting are emphasized.
2. Northern styles emphasize more kicking techniques for long range fighting, while southern stylists specialize in more hand techniques and a limited number of low kicks. This is why it is commonly said: "southern fist and northern leg" in Chinese martial arts society.
3. Southern stylists focus on training a firm root, while northern stylists like to move and jump around. Moreover, northern martial stylists have more expertise in horse riding, and martial techniques from horse back, while southern martial styles specialize more in fighting on boats and on the ground. [historic difference in transportation methods]
4. Because southern styles generally emphasize more hand techniques, grabbing techniques such as Qin Na have developed more.

So there's a little bit on the difference. The one major one I had heard was the emphasis of kicks in northern styles and hand techniques in sourthern styles. Someone with more knowledge can probably provide more and/or better information than this though.

 

[theneuhauser]

good call; also, in addition to boats, rice patties in the country and crowded streets in the city would make close combat more practical while the frozen ground and wide open spaces of the north lends itself to more kicks and distance fighting. (we all know how hard it is to kick when you are knee deep in some rice patty?)

that was all just speculative B.S. by me

 

[Dronak]

Actually, that's mentioned in the section before the concluding points. The northern terrain is more open, "large fields, highlands, and desert" while the southern terrain has more "plains, mountains, and rivers". And it says the population density is higher in the south. It also says that northern Chinese tend to be taller than southern Chinese, probably from dietary differences, and that may have helped contribute to the different prefered fighting ranges, too.

 

[ECYili]

i study the art of fighting with out fighting

I studied Tang Soo Do under Kwon Ho Chan for 1 1/2 years and now I practice Yi Li Chuan for the past 7 years.

 

[theneuhauser]

i study the art of fighting with out fighting

ecyili-
pardon my ignorance, is that just a joke you were making, or is the phrase a common monacre for yiliquan?

 

[ECYili]

Naaaaaa, that was just a joke.

 

[theneuhauser]

:cheers:

 

[skeet]

Hung Gar for about 3 years (still training)
Choy Lee Fut for a few months now
South Mantis
Wing Chun
Ng Family 5 Animals stuff

 

[Wormtail]

Newbie on this site. I've been reading through this website all day yesterday and today (while at work), this is great stuff on here guys. Glad to be a part of it. 

I did some Tae-kwon-do way looong ago (never graded), took time off the MA world. Now I'm back and happy to be a part of a way of life: YiliQuan Kung Fu. It works for me and have been practicing for the 1.5 years under Sifu Hachey.