Which Chinese MA would you recommend to others???

**Jeff Burger** · 09-22-2002, 06:19

I think every cMA would claim to offer that, but sadly few do.

If you really want to be able to fight with CMA Id recommend a good kickboxing school for strong bascis and then see if you can add the more technical CMA stuff to your arsenal.

Many CMA dont have grappling but aot of defenses against grappling. Standing locks is not the grappling Im talking about, Im talking on the ground.

And sadly again most the Chi Kung people out there are charlatans.

Jeff

TenchuDude · 10-04-2002, 09:56

I would reccomend both external and internal. It doesn't matter what you want from it because you would get everything, fitness, self-defense, balance. All things related would come from training like this.

SevenStar · 10-04-2002, 22:27

any style can work for a person, but if I had to pick a CMA for someone to train in, I'd pick shuai chiao

TkdWarrior · 10-10-2002, 08:22

i would prefer Bagua or Xing-Yi as they r mostly direct to the point.
agressive ... wat else internal too...

TenchuDude · 10-14-2002, 12:48

I guess if I had to pick one style it would probably be Huang Gar, it's both soft and hard.

**Zujitsuka** · 10-14-2002, 15:00

I'm not a practitioner of CMA but based on my experiences with folks who are, here is what I'd recommend:

Sport: San Shou

Health: Tai Chi (Yang)

I don't have a suggestion for self defense.

Peace & blessings,

TenchuDude · 10-18-2002, 12:13

Zujitsuka- Choy li Fut, Huang Gar, Tiger, Dragon, and Bok Mei are all great for self defense. There are even others. Ask Jeff C. He can tell you more than I think I could ever know.

dine_n_dash · 12-12-2002, 02:37

Originally posted by sean_stonehart

ROCK AND ROLL MANDEIGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My kinda girl!!!!

Good answer & well put. I define the taiji internal arts as: Tie cheeeeee for those who need to love the world & hug the universe & then there taiji for the martial artist. It's a bit more simplistic than your definition, but says the same thing!

Thanks for focusing this topic as you are. The upside is that it would appear that more people are starting to see beyond the New Age-y aspects of taijiquan (can you hear Yanni playing in the background?) and seeing once again the completeness of the art (especially Chen style for those who wish to display some real vigor). Taiji in the States has fallen prey to the same sort of crowd that takes a 3-day qigong seminar and then hangs a shingle offering their 'expertise'. But the true students know the real story and have cast aside the aspersions that may come from their externalistic buddies. Because of a bad knee problem I left my TangSooDo class after a few years and went to a Chen master here in Seoul (Suh Myong-won) whose teacher is the second brother (the one who stays in Chenjiagou to teach while Chen XiaoWang ventures overseas). I can tell you that I feel better since starting Chen Style, and my legs/hips took a whipping the first couple of months despite my TangSooDo training. If you can find a real master who teaches the real deal, you will find the holes in your external training very quickly (and be sore for awhile). Taijiquan is a great art, very well-balanced (of course), and more complete than a lot of people will ever know.

**RobNyc** · 12-12-2002, 21:43

Thanks you guys a lot...

I wanted to train in Bujinkan/Genbukan folks, but the KungFu folks have helped me more or care less about Money than others.
I'm most likely gonna train in Shaolin Hung Fut Kung Fu.

Travis · 05-13-2003, 10:54

Mandeigh Wells

Hey I have a question since you seem to know so much about taiji, who did you learn it from? And if there are so many weak teachers out there teaching, then who do you know of that is a high level teacher or a teacher that is worth learning under?

**Mandeigh Wells** · 05-13-2003, 16:46

Hey I have a question since you seem to know so much about taiji, who did you learn it from? And if there are so many weak teachers out there teaching, then who do you know of that is a high level teacher or a teacher that is worth learning under?

a very good question too. How do I know the difference between a good teacher and a weak one.......its simple 10 years of training with all kinds of people, then finding someone who repositions your body and only says a couple of things that make the penny drop and transforms what you are doing......someone who can demonstrate not only what they are doing but how you get there and probably more importantly why you do what you do in a particular way. But its about more than that too, it about the whole way in which the person 'behaves' in that do they keep their taiji for the class and then change when they come out or do they maintain the body mechanics, demenour, essences in everything they do? When I first saw my teacher I knew that for the first time I was seeing the real deal, because for the first time I could see that this person was completely connected in her body, she had a graceful movement but not like a dancer, it was full of power and control. Later when I started training regularly with her, that power was even more evident in the applications. And all the time her demenour is undisturbed even when she is tying you up in knots. There are plenty of disconnected taiji teachers, their legs and arms finish independently, they 'break' the back, they don't understand ( in their bodies) the body requirements and essences. they alter the movements to make them into applications........
I have studied with a few different people, but with my current teacher for 3 years. She is very focussed and studied initially with Yang Zhen Duo and later with Yang Zhen Ji, with much of her studies with Christopher Pei.

Mandeigh

Travis · 05-14-2003, 12:55

I went to this big library yesterday to see if there were any books on taiji, since you said taiji included hard and soft, and tai chi was just soft. I found nothing on taiji which I thought was interesting since i found a few on tai chi. I just wanted to read a little bit on it so I could understand it better maybe. It seems taiji isn't that popular or well known. I'm afraid I won't find a school on it in my area cause this actually interests me.

Oh I have a general question whats an average price for a class?
I don't have much money and I just want to get an idea. You can put down the money and hours that you know of like how much a two hour class costs where you are from or whatever. Thanks

**Mandeigh Wells** · 05-14-2003, 15:31

Taiji and Tai Chi are the same one is the modern pinyin spelling (Taiji and Taijiquan) and not so widely used as the Wade Giles Romanisation of Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan. Taiji combines both hard and soft and but most books will refer to it as a soft style.....the same way as people think its really gentle

Prices vary depending on where you go. Classes run out of adult education centres tend to be a bit cheaper in the UK classes range from around £2 - £7 for an hour to an hour and a half.

Mandeigh

**2fisted** · 05-14-2003, 17:13

In my short dealings with each, both Lung Ying and Hung Gar seemed very good, well balanced arts.

KansasStudent · 06-03-2003, 16:12

I have found due to real life experiences in both Military and Law Enforcement applications. I would recommend Chinese Kenpo Karate. The fluid and aggressive movements are neccessary in life and death problems. Thanks KansasStudent

**Jeff Burger** · 06-03-2003, 21:01

Welcome to Budoseek Kansas Student

per forum rules please include real name.

Jeff

**jmd161** · 06-04-2003, 11:47

Originally posted by Mandeigh Wells
a very good question too. How do I know the difference between a good teacher and a weak one.......its simple 10 years of training with all kinds of people, then finding someone who repositions your body and only says a couple of things that make the penny drop and transforms what you are doing......someone who can demonstrate not only what they are doing but how you get there and probably more importantly why you do what you do in a particular way. Mandeigh

Martial Arts class: $60

Martial Arts Uniform: $80

Martial Arts Shoes: $40

A teacher to put all this together and make something out of you.

"Priceless"

jeff

**jmd161** · 06-04-2003, 11:48

I could'nt resist doing that.

It's very much true though!

jeff

**Mandeigh Wells** · 06-04-2003, 15:33

Martial Arts class: $60

Martial Arts Uniform: $80

Martial Arts Shoes: $40

A teacher to put all this together and make something out of you.

"Priceless"

Mandeigh