My take on Chinese classical martial-arts

[Cobie]

 

4 hours ago, Lois said:

… Uncle Vitya … struck me directly in the head. …

@Nungali Yes, that’s what I wondered about too. Why would his uncle strike him directly on the head? Makes no sense. 
 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Cobie

[Nungali]

Well    ( how can I resist these 'set-ups'  ????  )  ...

 

sometimes I feel like doing the same thing   !

 

 

[Nungali]

1 minute ago, Cobie said:

 

@Nungali Yes exactly, that’s what I wondered about too. Why would his uncle do that, struck him directly on the head? Makes no sense. 

 

 

... and  THAT is the part you think makes no sense ?

 

 

[Cobie]

1 minute ago, Nungali said:

… and  THAT is the part you think makes no sense ?  

Yes it was. 
 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Cobie

[Nungali]

2 minutes ago, Cobie said:

 

@Nungali Yes exactly, that’s what I wondered about too. Why would his uncle do that, struck him directly on the head? Makes no sense. 

 

I like the way he learnt skill from Bruce Lee and  he can grab a blade knife from a magnificently skilled knife and snap it in his fingers , yet when Uncle Vitya lumbers towards him with a raised fist , totally telegraphing his movement , he doesnt seem to know what to do ?

[Nungali]

1 minute ago, Cobie said:

Yes it was. 
 

 

 

 

^ is that a Jewish Ninja ?

[Nungali]

It might make sense in Russia ...

 

Uncle Vitya had been drunk for 3 weeks straight !

[Cobie]

 

 

18 minutes ago, Nungali said:

I like the way he learnt skill from Bruce Lee and  he can grab a blade knife from a magnificently skilled knife and snap it in his fingers , yet when Uncle Vitya lumbers towards him with a raised fist , totally telegraphing his movement , he doesnt seem to know what to do ?

What can I say?

 

Spoiler

I know absolutely nothing about martial arts, zip, zero, nada. 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Cobie

[Lois]

20 minutes ago, Nungali said:

 

 

Dude is a Jewish Jamaican  that did some Korean martial arts , spent some time as a rapper hip hopping then all of a sudden became a traditional martial artist from the time of King David .....   

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehoshua_Sofer

 

I don't think it's that simple... . He says that his relatives did the same and he learned abir from them.

 

 

 

[Lois]

Shaolin

 

https://shaolin.online/free-live-sessions

[Thrice Daily]

This is simply the best thread I’ve ever read. Oh boy, it’s put some Color in my cheeks. 
 

That sounds like one strange night @Lois I don’t know what I’d have found more surprising, the snapped knife or the punch in the face. What a remarkable moment. Crikey.

 

As far as Jewish Ninjas are concerned I’d love to know more, if you have any stories you could share to further bolster your claims…??

 

Jokes aside I have seen some feats of strength you are talking about from over old mother Russia way. There is a chap now who can bend horse shoes and rip a full can of coke tearing the top clean off with his fingers. He did a few things like this. The words strongest man in the West tried to copy these skills and didn’t even come close. Here is some of it;
 

 

[Lois]

On 31.10.2024 at 11:09 PM, Thrice Daily said:

This is simply the best thread I’ve ever read. Oh boy, it’s put some Color in my cheeks. 
 

That sounds like one strange night @Lois I don’t know what I’d have found more surprising, the snapped knife or the punch in the face. What a remarkable moment. Crikey.

 

As far as Jewish Ninjas are concerned I’d love to know more, if you have any stories you could share to further bolster your claims…??

 

Jokes aside I have seen some feats of strength you are talking about from over old mother Russia way. There is a chap now who can bend horse shoes and rip a full can of coke tearing the top clean off with his fingers. He did a few things like this. The words strongest man in the West tried to copy these skills and didn’t even come close. Here is some of it;
 

 

Hi! Glad you liked it. But this is not my field, I am mainly engaged in art and inventions.

[Thrice Daily]

Cool, share some pictures of you dare 😎 

[Lois]

8 hours ago, Thrice Daily said:

Cool, share some pictures of you dare 😎 

[Lois]

[Nungali]

I see you have bars on your TV ... so the monsters dont get out ?

[Lois]

25 minutes ago, Nungali said:

I see you have bars on your TV ... so the monsters dont get out ?

 

These are echoes of invention

[Nungali]

5 minutes ago, Lois said:

 

These are echoes of invention

 

That would make a good picture title  

[Mark Foote]

On 8/13/2023 at 12:51 AM, galen_burnett said:

 

§9. So here are my questions for you? Why do you practice it and do you have any goals with it? Are you tempted by competitive martial-arts? Do you relate to the problems I’ve described in this post, and if so, how do you manage them? 
 

 

I took judo classes in high school and college.

 

I think the arts you're looking for are the ones with actual competition, like wrestling, boxing, ju-jitsu, and judo.

 Judo is literally "the gentle way", but there's often strength mixed in there, especially with the judoka of Europe and North America. If you can find a judo dojo where the instructor depends on relaxation, timing and balance, then you can make some progress with the skills you were looking to practice. Not to mention learning to fall, which has saved my ass a couple of times, in my senior years!

 

I managed to earn my second brown, might have had the first if my instructor had not been called away to the hospital to attend his father (sometimes if it's a close call, the tournament managers will want to speak to the coach, to decide if someone should be promoted).  To win one of the three student ranks, it's only necessary to win two out of three matches, and with the instructor's approval you can win one by half a point instead of a full point (not quite a clean throw).

To be promoted to a black belt, there are more matches, and more wins are required. I always figured the idea was to demonstrate a clear mastery of the art, beyond the specific mastery of a technique (and beyond what many of the other students who were also competing for the black belt had attained).

I think there are parallels in the world of Zen.  There's a clear mastery of some aspect of seated meditation required--in addition to dedication to the temple--in order to be cleared to teach.

At the same time, I think it's possible to master that aspect of seated meditation without ever experiencing "the wind that reaches everywhere":

 

 

Mayu, Zen Master Baoche, was fanning himself. A monk approached and said, “Master, the nature of wind is permanent and there is no place it does not reach. Why then do you fan yourself?”

 

“Although you understand that the nature of the wind is permanent,” Mayu replied, “you do not understand the meaning of its reaching everywhere.”

 

“What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere?” asked the monk again. Mayu just kept fanning himself… 

Kobun Chino Otogawa, a Zen teacher from Japan who came to help set up the Tassajara monastery in the late sixties, described the experience more directly:  "you know, sometimes zazen gets up and walks around." That's the ability you want to rely on, if you are ever threatened with violence (IMHO).  Got nothing to do with what you see in front of you, and everything to do with a far-reaching mind of compassion.

 

You can read more about that, here.

 

Anything that improves balance and coordination can't be all bad!  I used to love pinball machines, they had new ones in the bar I lived above in San Francisco, back in the eighties.  Get yourself one of those wooden pinball machines, they're great!  I used to work one with my toes in junior high, forward and back.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 3 by Mark Foote

[Thrice Daily]

6 hours ago, Mark Foote said:

if you are ever threatened with violence (IMHO).  Got nothing to do with what you see in front of you, and everything to do with a far-reaching mind of compassion.

 

💎 💎 💎 

 

The treasury unobservable …

 

Compassion is easy with kids, if kids are good, my daughter is, I’m lucky. Judo would be so good for her. It looks like she may be going the kung-fu path though. She has a Great responsibility, even now. 

Edited November 4 by Thrice Daily

[Nungali]

14 minutes ago, Thrice Daily said:

 

💎 💎 💎 

 

The treasury unobservable …

 

Compassion is easy with kids, if kids are good, my daughter is, I’m lucky. Judo would be so good for her.

 

 

 

You mean if she is naughty ?  

 

Oh wait   ... it would be good for her to take up ... not for you to do on her when she is naughty .... got it ! 

 

 

14 minutes ago, Thrice Daily said:

 

 

It looks like she may be going the kung-fu path though. She has a Great responsibility, even now. 

 

 

Lucky girl .... my Mum had a martial art ... this is what I had to put up with  !

 

Spoiler

 

... and she used to dress me up as  a girl  too !

 

 

[Thrice Daily]

6 minutes ago, Nungali said:

 

You mean if she is naughty ?

Haha, no. I’m more ahead of the curve on that one. She gets storytime if she is bad, and story time if she is good. Just different stories  

6 minutes ago, Nungali said:

 

Oh wait   ... it would be good for her to take up ... not for you to do on her when she is naughty .... got it !

Yep we only fight for fun. She got some anger though. We diffuse it with comedy. I allow rage and outbursts directed at me only if comical and not too painful, making it up as I go along. I think it’s good strategy long time though. She will be ok eventually… 🤞 

6 minutes ago, Nungali said:

Lucky girl .... my Mum had a martial art ... this is what I had to put up with  !

 

  Hide contents

Not knife throwing literally I hope, brutal nlp that is, wow that is an interesting parenting tactic, I’ll certainly ponder it.
 

 

... and she used to dress me up as  a girl  too !

 

That’s pretty hardcore, I’m guessing it was necessity more than design that did that?. Either way it’s a good job things come full circle and often seed their opposites.

 

I’d rather be born back then, than now with these sorts of shenanigans. Nature takes its course and irons us out way better than surgery and drugs imo… 

Kids these days have got it tough in that regard.

 

[Mark Foote]

14 hours ago, Thrice Daily said:

 

💎 💎 💎 

 

The treasury unobservable …

 

Compassion is easy with kids, if kids are good, my daughter is, I’m lucky. Judo would be so good for her. It looks like she may be going the kung-fu path though. She has a Great responsibility, even now. 
 

As I'm sure you know, Thrice Daily, martial arts instruction is all about the instructor.  Certainly, my advice to someone who is deciding  which art to pursue would be judo.  Second on the list might be Tai Chi, particularly Cheng Man-Ch'ing's lineage.  Tai Chi because there's less pretense of the form being useful in confrontation, while at the same time imparting amazing lessons in cross-body coordination and bent-knee discipline.

I  suppose the reason your daughter is interested in kung-fu is precisely because she wants to be able to respond with force if necessary. Well, if the instructor is good, that will be discouraged.  If not, waste of time and money.

 

Really good instructors, who emphasize relaxation and openness, are rare.  I hope your daughter finds one. If a good martial arts instructor is not available, then she should learn to free-style rock 'n roll, and take it to the clubs where people dance in close proximity (so to speak).  Probably not what her dad wants to hear! 



 

 

 

[Thrice Daily]

22 minutes ago, Mark Foote said:

As I'm sure you know, Thrice Daily, martial arts instruction is all about the instructor. 
 

Yeah it’s funny you know, when I think about most of my training in Wing Chun, considering all the simulation of smashing people faces, heads and jaws off it’s always put me off fighting rather than turned me on to it.

 

My intention is always to get on the outside of my opponent and control motherline from there , somehow my teachers lessons went that way with me. I respect the basic Buddhist premise of it, always seeking to block first and adjust footwork, but never with aggression.

22 minutes ago, Mark Foote said:

Certainly, my advice to someone who is deciding  which art to pursue would be judo. 
 

It would be good with the right club I agree.

22 minutes ago, Mark Foote said:

Second on the list might be Tai Chi, particularly Cheng Man-Ch'ing's lineage.  Tai Chi because there's less pretense of the form being useful in confrontation, while at the same time imparting amazing lessons in cross-body coordination and bent-knee discipline.

I’m hoping so, she will know when times right, for now she can copy along bits with me, the cool thing is she is interested . I know of other Dads and that was never the case.

22 minutes ago, Mark Foote said:

I  suppose the reason your daughter is interested in kung-fu is precisely because she wants to be able to respond with force if necessary. Well, if the instructor is good, that will be discouraged.  If not, waste of time and money.

It’s my fault really, I show her bits to just give her a healthy take on physical conflict and they are just sticks (hands and legs) and she has the right to knock them away.. then I show. Hopefully she continues to be interested and is a life long martial artist. That would be ace , we will always have training partner while spending time. That is cool to think. She is young now so we see.

22 minutes ago, Mark Foote said:

 

Really good instructors, who emphasize relaxation and openness, are rare.  I hope your daughter finds one. If a good martial arts instructor is not available, then she should learn to free-style rock 'n roll, and take it to the clubs where people dance in close proximity (so to speak).  Probably not what her dad wants to hear! 

Haha no not at all, dancing is great. I love it too and tried many types of group dancing over the years. Mainly in workshop and therapy settings. Not quite rock and roll proper but it rocks all the same.

 

Now what you mean though, it’s a good tip.

[Nungali]

17 hours ago, Thrice Daily said:

Haha, no. I’m more ahead of the curve on that one. She gets storytime if she is bad, and story time if she is good. Just different stories  

 

LOve it !  Thats how I worked it .  and boy did I have to cough up ... as I made up those stories !  More than 50 of them ;

 

Young Jah  -5  ( with the two little boy twins - 2 sitting there agog listening ) : " I want a story about a space ship, a boy, a spear , a sskateboard , a flying saucer a dog and ... um mmm a tiger ! "

 

me  < think think think ....... )  Okay , once upon a time .....

 

of course there was the story about the naughty boy that had a pet monster  .... boy did he end up in a mess    

 

There was sleepy night time stories  ( the Moon dream lady ) or exciting ones   - the boy that had a pet tiger . and even older more mature ones  with developmental morals and themes relating to maturity, individuation, etc .

 

 

 

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Yep we only fight for fun. She got some anger though. We diffuse it with comedy. I allow rage and outbursts directed at me only if comical and not too painful, making it up as I go along. I think it’s good strategy long time though. She will be ok eventually… 🤞 

 

Sounds good man , good onya !  The BEST  girls and women in the world had a good mum and dad . One woman I was amazed at .. she could do soo much and was so competent  ... I had to ask ;  answer " My Dad taught me .  If he went rock climbing ... wanna come and learn ?  Fix the car?  Wanna watch and learn  ?  "  etc .

 

and the best behaved  and happy girls I even met was due to their excellent , clear, respectful  ( to them but not forgetting she deserved respect as well ) , firm yet CONSISTENT  (soo important for kids )  .. and the wise regulation of the 'revealing of truth '  and her support of directions they wanted to go in - Mother  .  Great Mum !

 

- force not a goat into a pool or a fish into a field    

 

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That’s pretty hardcore, I’m guessing it was necessity more than design that did that?.

 

 

 

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Either way it’s a good job things come full circle and often seed their opposites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One time  I grabbed the knife thrown at me ,  snapped it in half with my fingers ... but then , Uncle Vitra rushed forward and delivered a blow directly to my head and  .....

 

ummmmm .....  I could have a wire crossed here  

 

Spoiler

 and I cant believe you took that serious  about the knife throwing .

 

I am putting it down to  a very straight faced sense of humour on your part ......

 

I friggen hope ! 

 

 

 

 

 

Quote

 

I’d rather be born back then, than now with these sorts of shenanigans. Nature takes its course and irons us out way better than surgery and drugs imo… 

Kids these days have got it tough in that regard.

 

 

Social media is worse !  and tougher for kids !

 

I been saying that for years here  ... check the latests stats   - Nungers  not be such a crank after all !  

Edited Monday at 11:24 PM by Nungali