Good Chinese Martial Arts are one of the best investments you can make. Bad CMA are one of the worst. If you find yourself collecting forms, Don’t go. If you find yourself spending a huge amount of time on 1 or 2 movements, with the instructor continually checking your form giving small refinements and explaining them in terms of expressing power, you found yourself a winner.
Real CMA are much more concerned with power development than technique. First you learn how to develop raw power, then you ingrain it so you don’t have to think about the mechanics. Only then do you learn how to apply that power to technique. This is the same thing as most good boxing schools not having you spar for a year or two. Your training, if real, should feel almost “scientific. Learning CMA is like learning mathematics. Count then add and subtract, then multiply, THEN comes algebra.
CMA are boring at times (as you’re not learning a million techniques) But the first time you hit someone on the arm and their feet leave the ground, it’s worth it. Have patience and good luck.
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Although there are many styles, they all rely on the strong beating the weak and the slow yielding to the fast. These are not related to the power which must be learned. -- The Taiji Classics
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