martial arts myth
saw this on a martial arts' forum the other day. think its rather true thus posting it on my blog although i dun agree on some points.
Myth1: You can defend yourself because you have MA training. NO! Like swimming. No amount of training in strokes can teach you to swim unless you touch the water. This is a dangerous false confidence that can get a person into more trouble than if he believes he is a wimp.
Myth 2: Modern wushu will preserve Chinese MA Wrong. Modern Wushu have roots in gymnastics, not martial arts. It is a form of expression and has nothing to do with traditional Chinese MA except in the expression of it. It is a performance art and not a martial art. 90% of the teachings in Chinese MA is not taught in modern wushu.
Myth3: Chinese MA can be preserved by preserving the forms Wrong. Forms are the means of training the essence and has no value in itself. The true ability of Chinese MA comes from the essence and not the forms. What is essence? It is the control of execution. The old saying, "教功不教法" refers to this. Without the essence, the forms are useless because the movements cannot be properly use.
Myth 4: MA teach honor and respect Like real! It depends on who is your teacher. I have very little respect for most teachers because their interests lie more in fame than MA. Medals chasers. Lineage chasers. Just to name a few types. Such teachers cannot possibly be passing on the right values. The worst part is when they claim to be.
Myth 5: MA is a best form of health exercise False. MA has no higher value than any other form of sport exercise and like all sport exercise, it also has potential for injuries. (Not even referring to sparring, just from training)
Myth 6: You can do MA till old age Not if you are learning the forms and not the essence. Most traditional systems are design to focus on techniques, not brute force or speed. The more experience one gets, the less strength or speed is needed, so you can practise till old age. If you are using speed and strength till old age... unlikely..
Myth 7: Modern Wushu will educate the public in Chinese MA Personally, I felt more like mislead! I rather they market folk dance than performance wushu. Modern wushu must shed the image of itself being traditional Chinese martial arts because it is not a martial arts, it is a performance art. In countries where self-defence is still part of survival, ppl believes wushu is Traditional Chinese MA and associate both as useless MA. Modern wushu creates, as a MA, the impression of old Qing Imperial China, a lot of show but not much substance. I remember recently a Singaporean teenager said to me, "I don't train in Chinese MA, I TRAINED JAPANESE!". His reason is simple, Chinese MA is useless. Is this the impression we want on the next generation? Really what honor is there left?
Myth 8: Modern wushu is the evolution of traditional MA because traditional has lost its value in the modern world Changing something from its original purpose is not evolution of the art. Evolution is when it is made more effective for its intended purpose. Modern wushu is a new art by itself. A gun is intended to fire an object in a distance. Whether you use it for war or otherwise, the purpose is to shoot an object at a distance. Scenario: Let's say ppl decided that gun can only be use for war and since there is no war, there is no need for guns. Then ppl decided that all guns can be used as hammers. After years as hammers, the guns are rusty and can no longer fire. So is the gun a gun or a hammer? Then if war started again, and people remember the gun. They took out their hammer, which is suppose to be a gun that can no longer fire. Is it a gun or a hammer? hmm.. is something what it says to be because it claims to be or what it says to be because that is what it is?
Myth1: You can defend yourself because you have MA training. NO! Like swimming. No amount of training in strokes can teach you to swim unless you touch the water. This is a dangerous false confidence that can get a person into more trouble than if he believes he is a wimp.
Myth 2: Modern wushu will preserve Chinese MA Wrong. Modern Wushu have roots in gymnastics, not martial arts. It is a form of expression and has nothing to do with traditional Chinese MA except in the expression of it. It is a performance art and not a martial art. 90% of the teachings in Chinese MA is not taught in modern wushu.
Myth3: Chinese MA can be preserved by preserving the forms Wrong. Forms are the means of training the essence and has no value in itself. The true ability of Chinese MA comes from the essence and not the forms. What is essence? It is the control of execution. The old saying, "教功不教法" refers to this. Without the essence, the forms are useless because the movements cannot be properly use.
Myth 4: MA teach honor and respect Like real! It depends on who is your teacher. I have very little respect for most teachers because their interests lie more in fame than MA. Medals chasers. Lineage chasers. Just to name a few types. Such teachers cannot possibly be passing on the right values. The worst part is when they claim to be.
Myth 5: MA is a best form of health exercise False. MA has no higher value than any other form of sport exercise and like all sport exercise, it also has potential for injuries. (Not even referring to sparring, just from training)
Myth 6: You can do MA till old age Not if you are learning the forms and not the essence. Most traditional systems are design to focus on techniques, not brute force or speed. The more experience one gets, the less strength or speed is needed, so you can practise till old age. If you are using speed and strength till old age... unlikely..
Myth 7: Modern Wushu will educate the public in Chinese MA Personally, I felt more like mislead! I rather they market folk dance than performance wushu. Modern wushu must shed the image of itself being traditional Chinese martial arts because it is not a martial arts, it is a performance art. In countries where self-defence is still part of survival, ppl believes wushu is Traditional Chinese MA and associate both as useless MA. Modern wushu creates, as a MA, the impression of old Qing Imperial China, a lot of show but not much substance. I remember recently a Singaporean teenager said to me, "I don't train in Chinese MA, I TRAINED JAPANESE!". His reason is simple, Chinese MA is useless. Is this the impression we want on the next generation? Really what honor is there left?
Myth 8: Modern wushu is the evolution of traditional MA because traditional has lost its value in the modern world Changing something from its original purpose is not evolution of the art. Evolution is when it is made more effective for its intended purpose. Modern wushu is a new art by itself. A gun is intended to fire an object in a distance. Whether you use it for war or otherwise, the purpose is to shoot an object at a distance. Scenario: Let's say ppl decided that gun can only be use for war and since there is no war, there is no need for guns. Then ppl decided that all guns can be used as hammers. After years as hammers, the guns are rusty and can no longer fire. So is the gun a gun or a hammer? Then if war started again, and people remember the gun. They took out their hammer, which is suppose to be a gun that can no longer fire. Is it a gun or a hammer? hmm.. is something what it says to be because it claims to be or what it says to be because that is what it is?
posted by Ken Wong at
9:55 AM
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