21
votes
Accepted
Could a non-Buddhist person become a monk/master at Shao-lin temple?
Short answer: Yes, they teach foreigners. No, it wouldn't be possible for an outsider to become a monk there. You can, however become a disciple under a monk. And you can become a sifu of your own ...
- 19.4k
15
votes
Is Kung fu useful for self defense?
Stances
Like squats or push-ups, stance training is often not directly about fighting, but in acquiring strength, flexibility, and coordination.
Acrobatics
Modern wushu is closer to gymnastics, a ...
- 14.4k
14
votes
Which will be the best style for kung fu for self defense for a weak person?
Protecting yourself from bullying has more to do about confidence than about martial arts. Learning martial arts will raise your confidence, but coming across as unsure and uncertain, even if you're a ...
- 796
14
votes
Is Kung fu useful for self defense?
I don't think it's possible to give an answer to such a broad question, other than to say something along the lines of
It can be, to the extent that...
It trains on realistic, damage-inflicting ...
- 1,457
13
votes
Which will be the best style for kung fu for self defense for a weak person?
Source: Black Belt in Ju Jitsu
First, I completely agree that learning to fight won't fix your problem; it'll probably just get you into trouble. However, learning a martial art is a great way to ...
- 229
11
votes
Accepted
How do you call a practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan (or Kung Fu in general)?
It depends on context, skill and time spent training.
If they just start training they're a student 学生(xué'shēng), when they become an official disciple they'll be called 徒弟(tú'dì).
Then when they ...
- 226
10
votes
Accepted
Does Kung-Fu come from Kalaripayattu?
NO, or at least not until about 900 years after both Buddhabhadra and Bodhidharma died.
In Meir Shahar's The Shaolin Monastery: History, Religion, and the Chinese Martial Arts, there is a whole ...
- 7,866
8
votes
Translators at the Shaolin Temple
When I went to train at Shaolin temple (Songshan mountain), I was with a group of English speakers. Our monk grew up in the temple and had moved to the U.S. to teach there, so he understood English. ...
- 19.4k
8
votes
How does one "become like water"?
Bruce Lee's training partner, Dan Inosanto, gives some insight in an interview for the book The Masters Speak in regards to forms (emphasis mine):
Q: What do you think about forms?
A: I have ...
- 241
7
votes
Accepted
What is the purpose of slow movements in poomsae / kata / taolu for?
The answer to this question entirely depends on the form and the history behind it.
Most forms have changed in small and often big ways since they were first created. Sometimes movements are repeated ...
- 19.4k
7
votes
How to make knuckles bigger like Bruce Lee's knuckles?
I suggest you do not actually want big knuckles. The enlargement of the knuckles may be osteoarthritis, a painful, degenerative condition where your hands will stiffen over time. Although it may serve ...
- 14.4k
6
votes
How do martial artists make stronger fingers via hot sand?
This is a traditional toughening exercise in some martial arts, sometimes referred to in Japanese martial arts as Jari Bako. The long and short of it is that it works by traumatizing your hands, ...
- 12.2k
6
votes
What do Chinese Kung Fu Instructors Look for in a Good Display?
There is good kung-fu and bad kung-fu. The same is true with all martial arts. You can spot the difference when you have enough experience.
I disagree that kung-fu in general is messy or sloppy. If ...
- 19.4k
6
votes
Is there any relation between IQ and martial arts?
Why would you want to convince students of something you don't know to be true? There are so many other known benefits to learning martial arts and claiming an increase in IQ specifically caused by ...
- 956
5
votes
Which will be the best style for kung fu for self defense for a weak person?
Let's keep in mind that your goal is safety. Depending on what kind of danger you are facing, martial arts may, or may not help.
First, consider if there are any adults who you can turn to for help....
- 8,393
5
votes
Which will be the best style for kung fu for self defense for a weak person?
Fighting will not solve your problem
Learning how to fight will not help. It will take too long, land you in trouble with the law/school, and even if you succeed at becoming a fighter, all you ...
5
votes
Which will be the best style for kung fu for self defense for a weak person?
Wing Chun/Jeet Kun Do. It originated (according to legend) as a style for women and has a focus on efficiency rather than strength.
That answers the question, but the solution, I think .. is to gain ...
- 151
5
votes
How do you call a practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan (or Kung Fu in general)?
It is complicated in Chinese, and often depends on who is referring to whom, and what dialect is being used. In Japan, the term "-ka" is added (and in Korean "-in") to denote a "practitioner of". ...
- 4,141
5
votes
How do you call a practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan (or Kung Fu in general)?
There are several good answers here. I'll only add that there are specific names practitoners call other practitioners depending on relationship.
Very commonly utilized are the terms:
Si Hing ( ...
- 3,189
5
votes
Why is wrestling considered an Olympic sport whereas karate and kung fu are just considered martial arts?
TL; DR: It has to do with the fact that they have separate international governing bodies (see breakdown below).
The Olympics have a tiered classification system, that can be a bit confusing if you ...
- 4,686
5
votes
Accepted
Has a trained martial artist ever used their hair to gain advantage or attack opponents?
Your question reminded me of a Chinese Buddhist Nun, who is also a Kung Fu Master. She pulled eight (8) cars with her hair. True story! It was reported by both BBCNews and The Telegraph.
"Zhang ...
- 692
5
votes
Accepted
Is South Korean tae kwon do based on Japanese karate? And then what about Chinese kung fu? Is kung fu based on either karate or tae kwon do?
The origins of Tae Kwan Do are mildly controversial, in part due to politicization. To quote the Wikipedia article:
The historical influences of Taekwondo is controversial with a split between two ...
- 12.2k
4
votes
Accepted
What are the corrects words to greet our shifu?
In Mandarin, "hao" means "good", and is used as a greeting. (As in "ni hao". "Ni" means "you", but can also be replaced by a title, in this case Shifu.)
The end of class phrase is probably "shi fu ...
- 86
4
votes
Accepted
What are the origins of the Isshin ryu's vertical fist with thumb on top?
I don't know how authoritative it is, but this article credits Isshin ryu's founder as deciding on the thumb position through experimentation:
For over 30 years, Shimabuku experimented with ...
- 4,170
4
votes
Accepted
Repetition or new exercises while leading a Martial Arts club in a University?
Ok, what I think you need cannot be expressed purely in comments, so I have to write an answer...
Regarding the main question
First of all, both is important. As long as you have the feeling they (or ...
- 7,866
4
votes
Why do chinese martial arts sometimes move the sword around the neck?
One reason it's done in that specific way is that dao were an infantry weapon and pulling in tight around you like that reduces the chance of you cutting the guys beside you in a formation or a melee. ...
- 486
4
votes
Accepted
What are basic kung fu stances?
Ma bu and gong bu are the most basic stances, and I'm sure every other martial art has them. Ma bu gets referred to as horse stance alot here. Gong bu is basically a standard attack stance. Pu bu is a ...
- 796
4
votes
Which will be the best style for kung fu for self defense for a weak person?
Frankly, you probably don't want to actually fight (you can encounter some pretty severe penalties in some areas, including much of the United States of America) and no martial art is going to quickly ...
- 12.2k
4
votes
How do you call a practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan (or Kung Fu in general)?
Adding on to Wigwam's answer, other options are
武者 （wǔ zhě）
武人（wǔ rén）
功夫者 （gōng fū zhě）
功夫达人（gōng fū dá rén）
Although the last one translates to something like "Kung fu expert", I've heard it used ...
- 413
4
votes
Accepted
Can long wet cloth really be used effectively as a weapon?
Well, you can block with flexible objects (T-shirt, towel, chain, scarf) and trap arms, legs or strangle someone.
But there are limits as an impact weapon. If you hide a padlock in your towel, it can ...
- 145
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