Danjo
Master Black Belt
- Thread Starter
- #21
well I'd agree with you in that it's not just any old mix of certain arts, but rather in HOW they were mixed. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Kaju also have it's own body of unique material, such as kata? If so, those things go a long way in defining what the art is.
Capoeira is an example of an art that typically does not codify the training sequences, but that doesn't mean we don't DO training sequences. Capoeira is all about sponteneity with the technique. So we don't like to rely on a codified body of material, such as kata, that gets repeated over and over. The foundational techniques and methods are certainly codified, but how they are strung together in practice is usually not. Each day can be a very different experience, as the instructor creates sequences on the fly, to stimulate sponteneity and the creative eye in the student.
Yep. Kaju has forms also. Now there is a lot of debate about forms in Kaju. Some like em, some don't. Plus, they were added after the combinations were created to make it more like other arts at the time. But the roots are still the Grab Arts, Punch counters, Knife and Club counters etc.
Capoiera, Muy Thai (although I've seen forms in that too), kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, etc. don't have forms or set combos. Though Judo does have Kata and I've read the Master Text in Gracie JJ which codifies the chains and techniques that Helio and his brothers developed for teaching the art back in Brazil in the 50's (They actually had technique cards that they used in sequence originally).
It seems like certain arts would be nearly impossible to teach properly without the requisite forms or combinations. At best it would be sloppy as hell to try it.