Do you own a firearm?

[ShinShinKid]

David Carradine...no!!!
Los, I think Carradine stole the show idea from Bruce Lee, then had the nerve to play a Chinese national?! My favorite quote from the show:
(Always during a fight scene, always in a drunken Western US accent)
"Make yer move, Chinaman!"

Los, are you in the L.A. area? Ifso facto, you have access to some of the best instruction in the world in just about any art you are interested in.

Shaolin was the name of a temple. It was not the only temple to study the way of the fist. One style to come out of Shaolin was Wu-Tang(Northern Tiger), you might recognize the name from Hipihop.

From my days studying Wing Chun, the biggest thing I remember is centerline. Control yours, control your opponent's, defend from it, attack from it. The story of Wing Chun I have heard is that it was developed by a nun in China to defend against robbers and brigands. As an art, it lends itself to smaller, ligher framed persons, and of course, females. I studied with Sifu Augustine Fong(Si Jong - Yip Man - sorry, I have to brag!) for a few years, off and on. There, I learned that 1000 punches and 1000 kicks are just a warm-up, and the hardest strike is the first one to land.
I've also learned that most people don't train hard in Wing Chun, and that many martial artists give it very little respect because of this. Needless to say, after meeting Sifu Fong, most people get that it is very real.
As a matter of fact, any art that you train hard in can be very rewarding and fun...What about "Kung-Fu" do you like? Do you resemble David Carradine? If not, why? If so, would you consider a remake of Hamlet, but done entirely with dogs? "A Great Dane dramatically wraps his coat around him thusly, and questions, 'Et tu White Fang?'

[jam.fuse]

According to 'Kung Fu, History, Philosophy and Technique' (1977) by Raymond Chow, the Kung Fu television series (1972 premiere) was the brainchild of an American, Jerry Thorpe, and Bruce Lee, after some telephone interviews, decided not to pursue the lead in favor of concentrating on his movie career. I also recall an interview with someone, possibly Thorpe, who claimed Lee actually auditioned for the role but was turned down as not right for the peaceful theme envisioned, the producers instead enthusiastically choosing Carradine despite his being neither Asian or even a martial artist, but a dancer and actor. Anyway the lead character Kwai Chang Caine was only half Chinese and 'whiteboy' Carradine whatever one thinks of him and the show, struck a nerve as the peaceful but deadly renegade Shaolin priest, definitely with me anyway, and together with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon introduced Kung Fu to the Western public, which heretofore was privy only to Japanese Karate due to the post WW2 U.S. occupation of Japan, which also introduced Zen Buddhism to the guailos (Mandarin derogatory slang for white folks).

'Kung Fu' has been translated as 'hard work', or 'effort/accomplishment', or 'doing something extremely well, mastery of an art through hard work and dedication', e.g. Jimi Hendrix had guitar kung fu, Van Gogh had painting kung fu, one can have kung fu of auto mechanics. Ha Jin, a Chinese national who writes novels in English sometimes portrays men in China saying things like, 'I wonder if she has kung fu in bed?" Iirc supposedly Wu Shu is a more accurate term in Mandarin for the fighting arts, meaning something like 'martial training'.

However these days in the Western world, Kung Fu means the fighting arts of China of which there are hundreds of styles, and Wu Shu means a relatively modern CMA (Chinese martial art) comprised exclusively of forms that synthesize elements of various traditional Kung Fu styles into an acrobatic non-fighting art form, currently an Olympic event. There is a debate as to which of these categories what is today called Shaolin Kung Fu falls, while some maintain it occupies a place unique to itself.

I trained at the school of Sifu Shi Yan Ming from around '95 to '04, a great master who enabled me to cure a pernicious addiction, saving, and the same time introducing me to, my life. However he does not teach fighting, at least while I was there (save a month or so experiment at one point which soon ended), or advanced forms, or any weapons forms other than sword, cane and staff, or two person forms. A lot of his more advanced students migrated over the years, to this school:

http://www.sifuchenying.net/

including me, although I am truly not particularly advanced, neither am I any kind of fighter. I do get punched in the face from time to time though.

[jam.fuse]

"Make yer move, Chinaman!"

Good one.

'Eat cold steel, Pajama Boy!' -- from Master of Kung Fu 70's Marvel comic.

One style to come out of Shaolin was Wu-Tang(Northern Tiger)

Wikipedia:

In years past, the mountains of Wudang were known for the many Taoist monasteries to be found there, monasteries which became known as an academic centre for the research, teaching and practice of meditation, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, Taoist agriculture practices and related arts. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD), the mountain attracted the Emperor's attention. During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), the first site of worship—the Five Dragon Temple—was constructed.

Tai Chi has roots in Taoism, kung fu in Buddhism.

If so, would you consider a remake of Hamlet, but done entirely with dogs?

God yes.

[ShinShinKid]

Jam fuse, I love talking CMA, have you happened to read some of the translations of early Taoist masters? They are walking, jumping, fighting, etc, on top of the trees?!?

I was under the impression all CMA were descended from the Tang dynasty.
Hence, Funakoshi's translation of "Ka- Ra- Te", not as "empty hand" as many would assume; but "Tang hand". Or hand to hand fighting from the Tang dynasty. Have you ever done Okinawan Shuri-Te, or Shorinji (Japanese for Shaolin) Kara Te?

[Hammer of Los]

...

Kung fu is like the Way, or the Path.

I have studied taoism and buddhism, and practice different forms of meditation daily.

It is all One thing.

I sometimes call it the integrative science.

Of course it involves hard work, diligence, action in the world of materia.

Yet the only kung fu that I know, is the kung fu of the cleaner, the kung fu of the laundryman, the kung fu of the househusband.

The kung fu of the washing up bowl.

And the kung fu of the karma dharma. Be where the pain IS NOT!

And you know what? That really is excellent kung fu.

You should see me wipe on and wipe off.

My hands are like lightning.

I did knock a fly out of the air once with a chopstick. I didn't catch it, that would be impossible. Besides, that would have hurt the fly. I just gave him a tap. Remember the karma dharma?

I am guessing you have seen the karate kid.

What a great movie that was!

Cya later!

...

[jam.fuse]

Jam fuse, I love talking CMA, have you happened to read some of the translations of early Taoist masters? They are walking, jumping, fighting, etc, on top of the trees?!?

I was under the impression all CMA were descended from the Tang dynasty.
Hence, Funakoshi's translation of "Ka- Ra- Te", not as "empty hand" as many would assume; but "Tang hand". Or hand to hand fighting from the Tang dynasty. Have you ever done Okinawan Shuri-Te, or Shorinji (Japanese for Shaolin) Kara Te?

The only Taoist text I have read is Tao Te Ching translated as I think the Way and the Power by Lao Tse who allegedly invented Tai Chi.

According to the legend CMA were either wholly descended from, or highly influenced by the works of the first patriarch of Shaolin Temple, Da Mo, who was an Indian dharma heir of Shakyamuni Buddha, the original Buddha, called Bodhidharma in India. He traveled from India to Shaolin and according to the story found the monks to be too physically weak to attain enlightenment and after some years meditating in a nearby cave eventually accepted a disciple from the temple who he taught yogic and martial arts he learned in his native land, and probably developed further on his own. This was the beginning of the union of mind, body and spirit that flowered into CMA, 'the jewel of the nation'.

[jam.fuse]

Perhaps CMA spread to Japan during the Tang Dynasty which would account for the etymology. The Tang dynasty was one or two hundred years after Da Mo's arrival at Shaolin, so that would make sense.

Other than the schools I mentioned I have studied only some Yang style Tai Chi with Robert Ante, which was a great class. My kung fu master dismissed it, however, as 'for old people', so I stopped practicing it.

Translated by David Chow and Richard Spengler, relying 'heavily on an ancient Shaolin text, written by an obscure monk scribe, Wu Toy San Ling Qung who revealed the dynamics of Kung Fu in the 'Treasured Secrets Book.'

WALL CLIMBING KUNG

Can a man emulate a gecko, a harmless small lizard, streaking across the side of a wall? Kung Fu experts say yes, labeling the training Wall Climbing Kung, or more commonly Gecko Crawling. They claim that anyone well versed in this art, can, with his back against the wall, move freely on and along the surface, horizontally and vertically, by using the controlled strength of his heels and elbows. While perfection of this Kung is indeed similar to a gecko darting as a matter of routine up any wall, it is certainly not easy for humans to master precarious Wall Climbing... Generously estimating, one out of a hundred students might master this Kung.

Should you seriously wish to practice... begin by lying on your back. Brace the body weight with the strength of the heels and the elbows. Arch the body upward and slowly crawl on the heels and elbows. Perform this excercize from one to three years until you can lie on your back and move with the dexterity of a four legged, long bodied reptile. Then construct a solid brick wall, ten feet tall and ten feet wide, with the bricks protruding unevenly from one to six inches. With your back against the wall, place your elbows and heels on the edges of the protruding bricks and move along gradually with the center of gravity aimed toward the wall. At first the disciple may fall off without even getting both feet off the ground. but he should not be discouraged. Continue this climbing practice until you are fatigued, for two sessions a day. After several months you will begin to get the 'feel' of Gecko Crawling and in a few years you will be able to freely traverse vertically and horizontally along the rough wall.

Then tie a five pound lead weight around your waist and practice. At your own pace over the next few years, increase the weight of the belt to thirty pounds. If you still can advance with ease over the uneven wall, you are ready for the next step. Gradually begin hammering off the protruding bricks. Continue training with the weight belt until the wall is hammered completely smooth. This little by little brick chipping process will take no less than five years, probably longer, for ultimate success. Finally, remove the weights from your body and glide along the wall gracefully and silently. The student will have become a gecko master, capable of following any lizard's path across a wall. However, a total of ten year's assiduous training is required to reach this lofty level of Wall Climbing proficiency. So, with a decade of dedication at stake, Gecko Crawling rarely is achieved, with most students falling by the wayside.

After this maybe one could learn to jump around in the trees and such.