A CMA conundrum

[Xue Sheng]

Pick 2 and why did you pick those 2?

For this question they all cost the same.

1) Yang Taijiquan from a student of Tung Ying Jie, trained in South Chain, that has been training Taiji for over 50 years and is teaching real taiji – this is about 45 minutes from home and a class of about 10 people

2) Police Military Sanda form a Sifu, trained in North China, that has been training police military Sanda for 30 years.- near work 10 minute walk and a private class

3) Wing Chun from a student of Ip Ching that has been trained in the US and has been training Wing Chun for somewhere between 15 and 25 years – about 20 minutes form home and a class of about 3 or 4 people

All 3 sifus are highly skilled, the only differences are the ages, the styles and thier height.

 

[Steel Tiger]

I would have to choose the taiji and the sanda.

Taiji, because its a massive and comprehensive art and it is the only internal art among the preferences (I like internal arts). It also has an ideal class size and a quality teacher.

Sanda, because its very close and the lessons are private, which I think accelerates learning. It also gives a lot of hands on training and there are significant fitness benefits.

These are just my preferences. I didn't choose wing chun mainly because the little I have done of it I did not feel comfortable. Its just not the art for me.

 

[kidswarrior]

Same as Steel Tiger. Taiji because I have a hunch that the longer you do it, the more ones growth becomes exponential (understanding, fighting ability, and health). Sanda for pure fighting application. Just my preference, tho.

 

[pstarr]

It depends on what you want out of a given martial art...

 

[Jade Tigress]

It depends on what you want out of a given martial art...

I agree. They all sound great Xue. What are you most interested in? The only drawback to #1 is the distance. But even so, it's still a reasonable drive and if that's where your interest lies, it's well worth it. I know you are well experienced in Taiji and Sanda, do you want to deepen your experience in those arts further, or would you rather consider something different like Wing Chun? It's so difficult to choose an art for another person as there are so many factors only YOU can answer.

Another thought, let's say one of the options you choose isn't meeting your personal needs, not that the training is bad, just that you're not getting inner satisfaction from pursuing it, you could always switch to one of the other options at that point, no?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I hate choices like that because they all sound good. So what it really boils down to is what you want the most. For myself time is always important and even though I have driven and flown great distances to train as I get older it is getting harder to do that.

 

[kidswarrior]

BTW, I treated this as sort of a survey, so my choices were completely selfish. If I were to try to help a good friend choose, then I think Jade Tigress' answer would be more to the point.

 

[Xue Sheng]

BTW, I treated this as sort of a survey, so my choices were completely selfish. If I were to try to help a good friend choose, then I think Jade Tigress' answer would be more to the point.

It is both actually and there are no wrong answers.

I have been doing Taiji with the Sifu I used as an example for about 13 years. I am doing Sanda with the Sifu of the example on and off now for a little over a year (he makes multiple trips to CHina and his wife just had a baby so we take breaks). I did do Wing Chun with the Sifu of the example briefly, twice but due to a decision between Taiji and Wing Chun the first time and time constraints the second time I did not continue.

But here is the deal a friend of mine that lives close to me also use to train with this Wing Chun Sifu and is trying to get him to come to the area we live in to teach a class and he (my friend) has asked me several time if I would go to the class and I have said yes. But based on my Sanda training due to my recent pathetic showing I do not see how I can do all three and do any justice. (sound familiar but I am thinking this now not someone else)

This is the conundrum

I do not want to stop Taiji I am finally getting to a point I have wanted to get to for many years and I still have a lot more to learn. And my Sifu is highly skilled and can teach and is teaching me what I need to know and to stop now I believe would be foolish.

I do not want to stop Sanda because I absolutely love it. And it is rare outside of China to find a Sifu that knows Police Military Sanda and is actually willing to teach it so Iagain I think stopping would be foolish and do not want to miss out on this opportunity

But if the opportunity presented itself to train Wing Chun with this Sifu near my house I really want to take advantage of it this too would be foolish to pass up. Not to mention is this sifu agrees it will be based on teh number of people that are going to go and if I don't he may not come teach at all.

And I supposedly live in the middle of a big CMA dead zone so how do I end up with these types of problems. But in all fairness my Taiji Sifu does not advertise and my Sanda sifu is only teaching me and refuses to hold regular classes (I tried to get him to come to my area to teach and he will not teach anyone he does not know) so not many know about them.

 

[Xue Sheng]

It depends on what you want out of a given martial art...

Here’s the thing, I want everything all 3 can offer and I see such incredible (and surprising) similarities between taiji and Sanda and I will also add that when I had to make a choice between Sanda and Xingyi I do not regret my choice at all. I find Sanda more satisfying but then that could also be the teacher. Nothing against my Xingyi Sifu he is a good fighter but I do not feel he is at the same level as my Sanda Sifu or my taiji sifu but then both have been training their art and only the art they teach longer than him. But with that said my Xingyi sifu is much better at Xingyi than me.

Also I use to train Wing Chun with this sifu and he too is highly skilled.

Interesting thing just came to me, all three (Taiji, Sanda, Wing Chun) have only trained the one art for many years where my Xingyi sifu trained multiple before getting to Xingyi. Now there is something for me to think about.... And this is exactly what I was hopping this post would do.. help me think... And I need all the help I can get these days

I agree. They all sound great Xue. What are you most interested in? The only drawback to #1 is the distance. But even so, it's still a reasonable drive and if that's where your interest lies, it's well worth it. I know you are well experienced in Taiji and Sanda, do you want to deepen your experience in those arts further, or would you rather consider something different like Wing Chun? It's so difficult to choose an art for another person as there are so many factors only YOU can answer.

Another thought, let's say one of the options you choose isn't meeting your personal needs, not that the training is bad, just that you're not getting inner satisfaction from pursuing it, you could always switch to one of the other options at that point, no?

Yes it is up to me and only I can decide but any and all input helps and is helping

The issue is Taiji is meeting my needs as is Sanda but I have always wanted to know much more about Wing Chun, I did train it briefly and I have been reading more about it of late and I am getting more and more intrigued by the internal side of it that I certainly would not have got into at the level I was at, I just finished siu lim tao.

I hate choices like that because they all sound good. So what it really boils down to is what you want the most. For myself time is always important and even though I have driven and flown great distances to train as I get older it is getting harder to do that.

This is true also my taiji class is in the evening and (to make things worse) gotten longer because I am being shown what I want to know after the regular class is over. And it is harder and harder for me to leave my house after a day at work when my youngest daughter wants to play with dad and I know she will not be little forever. To many I may be mean and nasty and opinionated but that little girl has me wrapped around her finger

 

[kidswarrior]

And I supposedly live in the middle of a big CMA dead zone so how do I end up with these types of problems. But in all fairness my Taiji Sifu does not advertise and my Sanda sifu is only teaching me and refuses to hold regular classes (I tried to get him to come to my area to teach and he will not teach anyone he does not know) so not many know about them.

Ugghh! :erg:

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Here’s the thing, I want everything all 3 can offer and I see such incredible (and surprising) similarities between taiji and Sanda and I will also add that when I had to make a choice between Sanda and Xingyi I do not regret my choice at all. I find Sanda more satisfying but then that could also be the teacher. Nothing against my Xingyi Sifu he is a good fighter but I do not feel he is at the same level as my Sanda Sifu or my taiji sifu but then both have been training their art and only the art they teach longer than him. But with that said my Xingyi sifu is much better at Xingyi than me.

Also I use to train Wing Chun with this sifu and he too is highly skilled.

Interesting thing just came to me, all three (Taiji, Sanda, Wing Chun) have only trained the one art for many years where my Xingyi sifu trained multiple before getting to Xingyi. Now there is something for me to think about.... And this is exactly what I was hopping this post would do.. help me think... And I need all the help I can get these days



Yes it is up to me and only I can decide but any and all input helps and is helping

The issue is Taiji is meeting my needs as is Sanda but I have always wanted to know much more about Wing Chun, I did train it briefly and I have been reading more about it of late and I am getting more and more intrigued by the internal side of it that I certainly would not have got into at the level I was at, I just finished siu lim tao.



This is true also my taiji class is in the evening and (to make things worse) gotten longer because I am being shown what I want to know after the regular class is over. And it is harder and harder for me to leave my house after a day at work when my youngest daughter wants to play with dad and I know she will not be little forever. To many I may be mean and nasty and opinionated but that little girl has me wrapped around her finger

Glad I don't have to make this choice. Stick with Tai Chi and Sanda is my opinion.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Here’s the thing, I want everything all 3 can offer and I see such incredible (and surprising) similarities between taiji and Sanda and I will also add that when I had to make a choice between Sanda and Xingyi I do not regret my choice at all. I find Sanda more satisfying but then that could also be the teacher. Nothing against my Xingyi Sifu he is a good fighter but I do not feel he is at the same level as my Sanda Sifu or my taiji sifu but then both have been training their art and only the art they teach longer than him. But with that said my Xingyi sifu is much better at Xingyi than me.

Also I use to train Wing Chun with this sifu and he too is highly skilled.

Interesting thing just came to me, all three (Taiji, Sanda, Wing Chun) have only trained the one art for many years where my Xingyi sifu trained multiple before getting to Xingyi. Now there is something for me to think about.... And this is exactly what I was hopping this post would do.. help me think... And I need all the help I can get these days



Yes it is up to me and only I can decide but any and all input helps and is helping

The issue is Taiji is meeting my needs as is Sanda but I have always wanted to know much more about Wing Chun, I did train it briefly and I have been reading more about it of late and I am getting more and more intrigued by the internal side of it that I certainly would not have got into at the level I was at, I just finished siu lim tao.



This is true also my taiji class is in the evening and (to make things worse) gotten longer because I am being shown what I want to know after the regular class is over. And it is harder and harder for me to leave my house after a day at work when my youngest daughter wants to play with dad and I know she will not be little forever. To many I may be mean and nasty and opinionated but that little girl has me wrapped around her finger

Family first Xue. That would be my numero uno suggestion. Then make it work out so that you can study what you want.

(I understand all about kid's as I have two of them myself

)

 

[geezer]

Family first Xue. That would be my numero uno suggestion. Then make it work out so that you can study what you want.

(I understand all about kid's as I have two of them myself

)

Me too. And if you're in this for the long term...you will have time to study the WC later. I'm in the same boat, dividing my time between Wing Tsun and FMA's. I'm just happy that I have too many good choices rather than too few.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Family first Xue. That would be my numero uno suggestion. Then make it work out so that you can study what you want.

(I understand all about kid's as I have two of them myself

)

Agreed and that is what I am going to do.

Me too. And if you're in this for the long term...you will have time to study the WC later. I'm in the same boat, dividing my time between Wing Tsun and FMA's. I'm just happy that I have too many good choices rather than too few.

Agreed and thanks

Besides I have been in it this long, why stop now

 

[JadeDragon3]

Go with the first one. I like the internal styles and the whole chi thing.