Why do you study CMA's?

[TTEscrima]

What attracted you to the CMA's and what benefits have you seen from training them?

[kingoftheforest]

Because it's the only thing my mom will let me study.

[Tant01]

Because it's the only thing my mom will let me study.

Lets not drag yo momma into this....

Been there, done that.

[Tant01]

What attracted you to the CMA's and what benefits have you seen from training them?

Silat and CMAs have many common principles, Animal forms, weapons, etc...

I liked the rapid destruction methods and overkill strategy.

If it has taught me anything it's an appreciation for a pressurized blood system, strong bones and flexing joints.

Oh and a brain with some oxygen flowing through it...

[TTEscrima]

Silat and CMAs have many common principles,

Jujutsu and Tai Chi also have quite a bit in common. We have the Gracie academy here in town and they're big on telling their students that BJJ needs to be like Tai Chi. In fact the quote from Crosley Gracie is "our jiu-jitsu should be like taijiquan, flowing from one technique to the other, Otherwise if we don't relax we can't get to know our bodies and will just rely on strength and power."

Realistically, the health and power gained from breathwork and other body awareness/control practices can be beneficial to just about any style. Along with these attributes paired work is included to build the necessary resistance and feedback that leads to proficient fighting skills.

[kingoftheforest]

Lets not drag yo momma into this....

Been there, done that.

Yeah she says hi btw.

I study because CMA's seem to incorporate all the things other styles sometimes specialize in. You can grapple or throw, punch, kick, and it has weapons. CMA's also seem to be as was aforementioned more fluid and natural than a lot of the other stuff out there. Also they tend to be less sp-ort related.

[ggg214]

it's a dream from my childhood.
i am also lucky to find two masters in taiji and learn from them

[TTEscrima]

it's a dream from my childhood.
i am also lucky to find two masters in taiji and learn from them

Cool, what made it your dream to learn the CMA's? In what ways have they enhanced your life?

[Red Rum]

As a big guy (and a bit of a brute) many of the Western styles involved what I already had - strength and power. Doing something like karate (which I do actually train) is fairly easy because I'm built for it

Less subtle styles in kung fu, help train the hands in ways you aren't used to. Wing chun has brought my hand speed up in a very short time. While boxing has also helped, I wanted to explore grips, holds and hand techniques without relying on strength

[ttruscott]

You ask, I answer - not trying to start anything.

I started CMA when the International Head of a karate style I just joined gave introductions to tai chi at seminars, back in 86.

I went for many years because it was an insult to not go but I got little out of it, since it was just karate done slow.

Then I hosted a tai chi teacher at my dojo and got to see his style and it was new, different and creative. I decided to learn it and have been a student since.

So far the biggest benefit has been in the cessation of lower back pain which plagued me for years (Video here).

Ted

[kingoftheforest]

You ask, I answer - not trying to start anything.

I started CMA when the International Head of a karate style I just joined gave introductions to tai chi at seminars, back in 86.

I went for many years because it was an insult to not go but I got little out of it, since it was just karate done slow.

Then I hosted a tai chi teacher at my dojo and got to see his style and it was new, different and creative. I decided to learn it and have been a student since.

So far the biggest benefit has been in the cessation of lower back pain which plagued me for years (Video here).

Ted

I have actually heard from several people, myself being one, that practicing Tai Chi seemed to have eliminated their lower back pain. I do warehouse work and have for several years I had chronic lower back pain till I started Tai Chi

[Hardball]

I dipped and dabbed in Wing Chun and I liked the solo training methods. I have a home made wooden dummy that I used to train on and the sil lum tao form is one of my favorites. My WC intructor was a bona fide bad ass and I enjoyed the espirt de corps that he brought to his training center. I didn't get much training in chi sao but enjoyed what I did. All in all, my experience in Chinese martial arts (WC) was a good one.

[ggg214]

Cool, what made it your dream to learn the CMA's? In what ways have they enhanced your life?

i am living in china, there are so many ways to know CMA and get close to CMA, such as reading CMA novels, meeting with CMA practitioners some of who are masters,etc.
but i started to learn it very late, almost 20 years old. because i believe that best masters are not so famous and not teaching in public. so it takes me many time to find a teacher who accepts me as his student or tu di（徒弟）.

to your second question, i think it gives me health and confidence. and it becomes a part of my daily life.

[TTEscrima]

i am living in china, there are so many ways to know CMA and get close to CMA, such as reading CMA novels, meeting with CMA practitioners some of who are masters,etc.
but i started to learn it very late, almost 20 years old. because i believe that best masters are not so famous and not teaching in public. so it takes me many time to find a teacher who accepts me as his student or tu di（徒弟）.

to your second question, i think it gives me health and confidence. and it becomes a part of my daily life.

Great! Good luck in your search, sounds like you're aware of the foibles of the classes taught in public.

[ggg214]

Great! Good luck in your search, sounds like you're aware of the foibles of the classes taught in public.

at the beginning, i don't know much about the foibles of the public classes.there is a traddition in china: if you want to learn real CMA, one teacher to one student is the only way. so in my understand, i've never paid attention to these public classes.

after learning CMA for some time, i feel that it couldn't be taught in public classes. taken taiji as an example, many things are internal, maybe your posture is right,but the internal is totally wrong.so it must be corrected through teacher's carefully checking and touching.it's also a hard work for teacher.this may be a reason for that many taiji students couldn't learn real taiji,because it's too tired for masters in teaching.