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That's amistake though. Styles themselves do nothing, it's what you do with them, that is important.
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This is a cop out, it's just a way to glibly side step the fact that a lot of styles teach things that are irrelevant. Kung fu forms don't do anything to teach you how to fight, yet they are a required part of the curriculum. It was like being in a math class that required the students to spend half the class verbally counting to 1,000 every day before they ever worked an actual math problem; it's just not a productive way to spend your time. During the time that kung fu guys practice forms and choreography boxers practice punching. As a result the kung fu guy gets good at choreographed moves and boxers get good at punching. One of these skill sets can be used in a fight while the other cannot, thus if one is trying to learn to fight one is undeniably superior and the other is inferior.
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You're right, that doesn't seem like a lot to take away?
Is it the school to blame though, or do you think you maybe had your own blinkers on for a while?
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The blame lies with the curriculum in Hung Gar. I have the same work ethic and physical abilities as ever but I've progressed much much more in the year that I've been boxing than I did in three years of kung fu. I practiced forms hour after hour and because I worked hard I was able to make them look good but they DID NOTHING to make be a better fighter. There's no getting around the fact if I'd been hitting the bags, training on focus mits and sparring instead of spending a lot of time learning the choreography of the forms I'd be a lot better at fighting than I am.
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What if all they are looking for is good information.
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There's lots of good information in this thread; it may not be complimentary and it may not be what people want to hear but that doesn't make it any less true.
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What if they are looking for histories and philosophy?
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If someone made a thread about the history of Hung Gar I would post about the Shaolin temples being burned and how the monks fled and hid on opera boats to plot their revenge but this thread is about fighting so that isn't relevant.
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What if they think fighting is for really, really stupid people, who can't control their own ego?
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Than obviously they have no use for martial arts what so ever and should find some other way to spend their time.
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Maybe they just won't bother with the forum and go elsewhere, as it doesn't matter how hard you pull, you can't make a horse drink if it doesn't want to.
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If my posts in this thread have that effect than hopefully those people will have enough sense not to let the door hit them in the ass on their way out; one way or the other they won't be missed.