Smoking in Kung Fu

qwksilver61

Black Belt
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Messages
502
Reaction score
6
Location
central Florida
Alot of Grandmasters smoked. Do you guys think it makes your kung fu worse? Or do you think it doesn’t matter and your kung fu skills is what matters?
I smoked at one time, quit, drank beer ( better than casual) for many years, gave up drinking 3yrs ago, best thing i ever did, approaching 60 I never felt better. I should have quit sooner
 

Steve

Mostly Harmless
Joined
Jul 9, 2008
Messages
21,920
Reaction score
7,475
Location
Covington, WA
I smoked at one time, quit, drank beer ( better than casual) for many years, gave up drinking 3yrs ago, best thing i ever did, approaching 60 I never felt better. I should have quit sooner
Nobody likes a quitter, man.

...


...


...


Just kidding. Good for you. I smoked about a pack a day for 15 years. Quit in 1998 and am glad I did. I still drink beer though. :)
 

geezer

Grandmaster
MT Mentor
Joined
Oct 20, 2007
Messages
7,364
Reaction score
3,571
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Nobody likes a quitter, man.
...Just kidding. Good for you. I smoked about a pack a day for 15 years. Quit in 1998 and am glad I did. I still drink beer though. :)
I'm really missing the "Funny" button.


BTW I don't smoke, and I barely drink at all ...but I am a drug addict.

...sugar, chocolate, caffeine. And they have affected my health. :oops:
 

Dirty Dog

MT Senior Moderator
Staff member
Lifetime Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
23,363
Reaction score
9,102
Location
Pueblo West, CO
I'm really missing the "Funny" button.


BTW I don't smoke, and I barely drink at all ...but I am a drug addict.

...sugar, chocolate, caffeine. And they have affected my health. :oops:
It's still there. In the new software, likes work like FaceBook. Click LIKE and it will pop up options.
 

Tez3

Sr. Grandmaster
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
27,608
Reaction score
4,901
Location
England
well it doesn't make it better, at least it doesn't make their physical condition better, if it helps psychologically is harder to define, there is a case that some people have a phycological disposition towards smoking and if they weren't doing that they would be doing something else equally bad or worse at least as far as conditioning goes,

not many youngsters smoke these days, however there is an epidemic of energy drink abuse, loading your self with caffeine and sugar doesn't strike me as a good idea either, they only seem to imbibe tobacco in order to get their cannabis down, which they need to off set the effects of the energy drinks

a strange amount of top class athletes seem to smoke, this is certainly true of soccer players, rugby players and cricketers, perhaps less true of disciplines which are entirely cardio based, hard to say those that do tend to try and hide it. in order to be a good role model.

they also seem to involve themselves with alcohol and various recreational drugs which also don't help performance

non of this seems to mean they cant be top class athletes so the main question would be, would they be better if they didn't ? don't know, no data

Smoking is rife in the horse racing world, jockeys and work riders need to keep their weight down to what is ridiculously low levels. Smoking helps kill the appetite as does alcohol (spirits no mixers). So many with eating disorders and odd behaviours for losing weight. :( Cocaine is sometimes used as well, not for the usual effect of being high but again to kill appetite and counter the inevitable depression caused by starving yourself.
 

Hanshi

Blue Belt
Joined
Oct 9, 2012
Messages
232
Reaction score
176
Location
Virginia
To quote a famous boxer: "Smoking is hazardous to your health"!
 

Blindside

Grandmaster
Founding Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2001
Messages
5,175
Reaction score
849
Location
Kennewick, WA
My sister was a professional ballet dancer (read professional athlete) with a major US company, the smoking was prolific.

But a lot of these grandmasters weren't professional athletes and weren't getting in 10 round matches with whoever they fought (if they fought), so smoking probably wasn't a major factor to them.
 

greytowhite

Green Belt
Joined
Nov 14, 2012
Messages
160
Reaction score
61
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
I met my first Taijiquan teacher at a cigar shop and I've done a lot of push hands in his old cigar factory. I was exposed to Baguazhang through another cigar shop. My Taiji teacher was able to train with Chen Xiaowang after criticizing the man for his cigarette use and comparing generational knowledge passed down from ancestors at a kung fu expo. Don't you know? Cigars are healthier. LMAO I worked in the cigar and pipe industry for a few years - it's no healthier and the modern processing methods leave more harsh chemicals in the tobacco leaf. Finding aged tobacco that's from a good source any longer is difficult.

Although an occasional fine cigar is not very damaging it's still not the best idea for your health. Some people get lung cancer from regular incense burning in their homes but there are definitely more people who smoke that get lung cancer. Cigarettes are poison. I watched my great grandfather slowly die of emphysema. My grandmother has it now. When I was going through mental health struggles I smoked for almost 5 years. It was the stupidest thing I have ever done other than alcohol abuse and trying meth that was mistaken for MDMA. There is an interplay of MAO-I and nicotine that causes an anti-depressant and social reward effect. Succinctly - tobacco smoke makes you feel like you're having a good time with friends.
 

jobo

Grandmaster
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
9,762
Reaction score
1,514
Location
Manchester UK
I met my first Taijiquan teacher at a cigar shop and I've done a lot of push hands in his old cigar factory. I was exposed to Baguazhang through another cigar shop. My Taiji teacher was able to train with Chen Xiaowang after criticizing the man for his cigarette use and comparing generational knowledge passed down from ancestors at a kung fu expo. Don't you know? Cigars are healthier. LMAO I worked in the cigar and pipe industry for a few years - it's no healthier and the modern processing methods leave more harsh chemicals in the tobacco leaf. Finding aged tobacco that's from a good source any longer is difficult.

Although an occasional fine cigar is not very damaging it's still not the best idea for your health. Some people get lung cancer from regular incense burning in their homes but there are definitely more people who smoke that get lung cancer. Cigarettes are poison. I watched my great grandfather slowly die of emphysema. My grandmother has it now. When I was going through mental health struggles I smoked for almost 5 years. It was the stupidest thing I have ever done other than alcohol abuse and trying meth that was mistaken for MDMA. There is an interplay of MAO-I and nicotine that causes an anti-depressant and social reward effect. Succinctly - tobacco smoke makes you feel like you're having a good time with friends.
as a point of order

what the intrinsic difference between having a good time with friends and feeling like your having a good time with friends ? isnt a good time just a feeling anyway
 

greytowhite

Green Belt
Joined
Nov 14, 2012
Messages
160
Reaction score
61
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Intrinsic difference is that one comes from the environment and those around you - that is something to help reinforce behaviors that lead to positive social interaction. When smoking alone or with those who may not be connected to you you are gaining a false perception. What is the difference between a concrete object and an illusion?
 

Buka

Sr. Grandmaster
Staff member
MT Mentor
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
12,952
Reaction score
10,444
Location
Maui
Well, never once have I had a cigar while sparring. 🤗
 

Attachments

  • DDC6E4F2-ECCA-4DBE-9C30-FACE16FE6E56.jpeg
    DDC6E4F2-ECCA-4DBE-9C30-FACE16FE6E56.jpeg
    873.8 KB · Views: 111

qwksilver61

Black Belt
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Messages
502
Reaction score
6
Location
central Florida
I smoked at one time, quit, drank beer ( better than casual) for many years, gave up drinking 3yrs ago, best thing i ever did, approaching 60 I never felt better. I should have quit sooner
i suppose as long as you can defend yourself it doesn’t matter what bad habit you might have, better answer? P.C?
 

qwksilver61

Black Belt
Joined
Sep 15, 2007
Messages
502
Reaction score
6
Location
central Florida
Nobody likes a quitter, man.

...


...


...


Just kidding. Good for you. I smoked about a pack a day for 15 years. Quit in 1998 and am glad I did. I still drink beer though. :)
i reaaally liked beer, good beer! a hard choice!😬
i suppose as long as you can defend yourself it doesn’t matter what bad habit you might have, better answer? P.C?
ha ha i’m joking sort of, really there are people out there that you wouldn't even expect to kick butt that can wail
 

Latest Discussions

Top