White Tiger... i know you are
far superior when it comes to knowledge/practicing of martial arts. I'm still a n00b, a teenager, practicing one, but you've got vast loads more experience than me. I just have never heard of some of the things you're talking about. And when i argue i'm not disputing what you're saying and saying you're lying, i'm just confused generally because i've come to trust what i've known.
Originally posted by Kamikaze
so... I'm kinda thinking about getting into a martial art again (I did kendo for about an year, or is that a martial art?) but I don't have enough information to decide...
could ya outline some dtails (that I can undersand) about each one and it's advantages/disadvantages and possibly where I can learn it? I'm kinda confused on "internal" "external" "soft" "hard" and suchlike... do they affect your body differntly?
Advantages of any martial art are always speed and strength.
Disadvantages of any martial art are they generally take a long time to practice and require some form of discipline.
EXTERNAL = "hard" types, usually rely primarily on muscular power. most martial arts are external, including forms of kung fu, taekwondo, karate (probably the most external you can find!), wushu (already mentioned), ninjitsu, jiujitsu, etc.
INTERNAL = "soft" styles, usually rely primarily on the body more than the muscles. Internal styles always have far greater benefits compared to external arts, such as balance, stamina, reflexes, strength, breathing, etc. However while some external forms can be learned in a matter of months, you can learn how do all the forms, etc. in an internal martial art in 6 months, but you'll only become 'good' at it after many, many years of practicing it. However the physical and mental benefits come gradually during this time.
i'm just gonna give a brief description... white tiger will probably be better at doing this than me, because while i've only practiced the following for anywhere from a matter of months to a few years, he's done them for far longer:
Kung Fu = many forms, including (some well-known forms) mantis, crane, tiger, etc. Hung Gar (my favorite, because Donnie Yen does it
) etc. they are very effective and have great benefits.
Karate = very muscular... generally straight, direct, and incredibly powerful movements. rely on kicking as well as punching. very violent martial art. I don't like it (although i practiced it for a few months) because nowadays it's become more of a 'sport' than a martial art, and i don't think that's what martial arts were created for.
TaeKwonDo = rely 99% on kicking. One benefit to this martial art is balance, as well as lower body strength, and flexibility. I don't believe in kicking (which is why i quit this martial art) because you're supposed to use hands for fighting, not feet. "Legs and feet are for standing; hands are for fighting" also by kicking you open yourself up to other attack, and put yourself at a disadvantage because you're off-balance.
Judo = mainly take-downs; throwing, a couple of locks, etc.
Aikido = mainly holds
The above are all external. below are some internal. note that you should (it's possible to get by not, but it's highly recommended "babies rarely walk before they crawl, so therefore they should learn to crawl before learning to walk" taking an external martial art prior to an internal)
The three "orthodox" internal martial arts (White Tiger has convinced me that there's more than the generic three... i'm going to ask my instructor anyway though
)
Note that spelling may be different through the Chinese --> English conversion, but it's pronounced the same:
Baguazhang = all movements are based on a circle. I could speak for hours on this, but basically the art is based on a circle, and the fighter fights primarily with palms, generally deflecting blows, constantly moving in a circle. Because of this there are no 'stances' as there are in most external martial arts, because the fighter constantly moves. This is what i currently am training.
Hsing-I Chuan = very, very muscular... a more effective version of karate (think of it that way)... movements are linear, and the fighter never avoids anything (as in Bagua), always goes straight for the opponent. Very different from the other two internal arts.
Tai Chi Chuan = the most performed martial art in the world. Movements are very slow, and the health benefits are extraordinary. However, in combat, movements performed over and over and over again over years and years of training are used and executed very swiftly and powerfully, so the training and actual combat are entirely different, yet use the same 'moves'.
A very good movie to check out to see what Hsing-I and Bagua actually look like in training and also in combat is "THE ONE" starring "Jet Li"... it's an awesome movie... somewhat new (2001), and it's the first Hollywood movie i've seen that has a prominent actor practicing an internal art
:wink: very nice if you want to see what they look like, and it's definately impressive, and performed by one of the most well-known martial artists in the world.
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god i don't know. most of the details i've given are correct, but white tiger can help you if you have any specific questions about a specific martial art. Regardless which one you choose, be assured that there will be benefits to taking it
