Martial Articles

Why We Compete

2011-12-04T17:10:00.000-05:00

Why We Compete

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." - Michael Jordan

I recently returned from a Hang-Gliding competition in Florida. Having spent years competing in Martial Arts, helping students compete, and then seeing similar patterns in another sport, I had some insights to share. Competition for some, is viewed with negativity, it brings out the worst in their personality, or in those they're competing against.

Some find the prospect of putting themselves in front of an audience, too great of a risk; far outside of their comfort zone. Others view competition as a positive outlet for their desire to prove themselves, the thrill of pitting themselves against others, or the enjoyment of trying to do their best. Some love competition, some abhor it, while others are just competitive by nature.

There are very healthy reasons to compete, in many ways it is the purest expression of life, but it is crucial to keep our motivations in perspective. Are we competing to have fun, to learn, to challenge ourselves, to overcome fear, or simply to win? Once we recognize the why, then we can determine how we should best go about a particular competition so that we can maximize our enjoyment of it. If ego, peer pressure, or high expectations are allowed to gain control, our enjoyment quickly falls into despair.

In some competitive sports such as martial arts or hang-gliding, letting competition RULE YOU, can lead to injury, and or death. It can cause you to take unnecessary risks, increase your stress level in an unhealthy manner from anger or self-defeat, or it may cause you to enter into a level of competition you are not quite ready for. Ultimately it does not suit your original motivation for being in the competition, to enjoy it, and you are quickly swayed from your path.

My original motivation for competing in martial arts, was to overcome personal fears of performing in front of others, or expressing myself before an audience. As an introvert, it is counter to my nature to show off, or 'perform'. I did not want to compete, yet a friend of mine convinced me to try it. I tried it, and I enjoyed the thrill of it, as well as winning. I continued to do more and more competitions over the coming years, and keeping a positive outlook even if I came in 2nd place, or no place.

As my competition schedule ramped up, I ran into more and more of the same individuals at each tournament. After winning 1st place at a number of tournaments, I started hearing odd things when I would arrive - "Oh, YOU'RE here. I knew I shouldn't have bothered to show up; now I'm definitely not going to win." I'd like to say this was only from one individual but sadly it was not, 2 or 3 as I recollect.

These individuals were so wrapped up in winning, that all of their enjoyment and their entire reason for being there, was hinged upon getting a trophy. This caused them to fail to even enjoy the process or experience of the event once faced with steep competition or the thought of losing. I'll leave you to guess how these individuals performed in the tournament. Although I will give you a hint: another article on the 'effects of negative thinking' could be written about it. Perhaps for these individuals, they missed not only the objective, but also when to not compete.

Just as we need to know how to have fun in competition, we need to know when it is time to step away from competition. If we no longer enjoy it, or only enjoy it when we win, then we've already lost before the competition has begun. Eventually I went on to compete on a National level, and after winning two golds and a silver at Nationals, I stopped competing. My reasons were simple, I had accomplished what I set out to do and it was time to take a break. I had put myself in unfamiliar, and uncomfortable arenas, overcome my fears, and gained personal growth. The same year that I won at Nationals, I had started my own martial arts school, and it was now time for me to focus on my students, and promote them to grow from their own experiences and support them in competition.

Knowing when to stop, is important for your spirit. If competition stops being fun, causes more stress than enjoyment, it is time to step away. Keeping perspective on ourselves to be aware of when this is happening, is the most difficult task. This is where we can use what the Buddhist's call 'mindfullness' - stepping outside of a situation to examine it from a distance. This often produces insights and perspective.

Years later, when I entered my first Hang-Gliding competition, the enjoyment, and the lessons were aplenty, just as they were in Martial Arts. I found myself contending with the same dueling emotions and thoughts as I did years before. I watched others go through transformations under the pressures of competition that caused the same old patterns to rear their heads. Tempers, self-defeat, self-doubt, depression, anxiety, all were present in mild or extreme forms. Minds running rampant.
When I competed in Martial Arts, I never payed much attention to what my fellow competitors were doing, or even how they scored as I waited to the side. I went into each competition with the intention of doing the best I could possibly do. If anything, I was in my own world, detached from my surroundings, and competing with myself.

"Compete with no one, and no one can compete with you." - Lao Tzu

This offered me an advantage some of my peers fell victim to; I was able to avoid the self-defeat. I focused my energies and thoughts, waited for my name to be called, did my thing, and then waited for the results. If it was a fighting match, I would do the same thing. Focus on relaxing and breathing, stay sharp, then enter the match and focus on defeating my opponent. I did the best I could and let the chips fall where they may.

If we stay focused on enjoying the experience, without getting distracted or wrapped up in our own emotions, competition can be a great way to express what we do for enjoyment while providing valuable learning experiences often not found in other aspects of our lives. It is when we allow ourselves to become victims of our own thoughts, fears, expectations, and behaviors, that we end up with little gained and much lost.

Sit Up Straight!

2009-11-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

How to Bully Proof your Child - Part VIII - Sit Up Straight!

Breaking the Cycle

2009-11-12T15:46:00.001-05:00

How to Bully Proof your Child - Part VII -Breaking the Cycle

Failed Negotiations & Group Dynamics

2009-11-06T18:50:00.000-05:00

Part V deals with the oft proclaimed "negotiation" tactics prescribed to solve bullying. Part VI is Group Dynamics.

Failed Negotions & Group Dynamics

The Victim Identity

2009-11-06T18:47:00.000-05:00

In Part IV of the series I discuss the nature of the victim when it comes to bullying.

The Victim Identity

The Heart and Mind of the Bully

2009-10-22T14:16:00.003-04:00

Here is part III of the series. Enjoy!

How to Bully Proof Your Child - Part III - The Heart and Mind of the Bully

What Not To Do As A Parent

2009-10-15T15:45:00.003-04:00

In Part II of the series I go over some of the DO NOT's for parents when their child is the victim of a bully.

What Not To Do As A Parent

The Short and Long Term Effects of Bullying

2009-10-08T21:00:00.001-04:00

This is the first in a series of articles on bullying that I am doing for the newspaper per their request. Enjoy!

How to Bully Proof Your Child - Part I - The Short and Long Term Effects of Bullying

Southpaw - An In-Depth Look

2009-07-11T14:26:00.013-04:00

The southpaw term is used for many reasons but for our purposes it is to connotate the position in fighting where the fighter has their right foot forward versus the traditional pose of the left foot forward. Of more interest to us is the advantages and disadvantages of one fighter having their left foot forward and the other having their right foot forward, and the reciprocal.

There is a long history of ancient cultures including the Greeks, Romans, and Chinese that prejudice left-handed use. It is seen as sinister, wicked, evil, etc. and many of the words for such are derived from the word left in these languages (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-handedness). In Chinese culture the major philosophies and religions believe in the universe spinning from left to right and things must always start on the left and move toward the right to remain in harmony. This expresses itself is in many of the Kung Fu forms that we see and is heavily documented in Tai Chi.

It is interesting as to why people usually place the left foot forward. It may very well be the majority of right hand dominant people versus left-hand dominant people. It may be a subconscious desire to protect the right kidney since it hangs slightly lower than the left, partially exposed without full protection of the rib cage. Placing the right side in the rear offers more protection to the flank. Keeping the powerful right in reserve if they are a righty. Who knows. It is not in the scope of this article to determine the root of these beliefs but rather what effect the Southpaw stance has on fighting.

What we do know is that people use this stance when they fight and knowing the advantages and disadvantages to its use can be quite beneficial. Here are some of the pros and cons to having your left foot forward while your opponent has their right and vice versus.

Pros:

Easier to attack the flank.
Cuts off the opponents second hand from attacking when on the outside.
Sets up for trips, sweeps, take-downs.
If dominant hand is forward - offers a stronger jab.
If on the inside it squares up your opponent offering clear shots to solid targets. Exposes the groin to attacks with kicks, grabs, strikes, knees.

Cons:

When on the inside you are in reach of both hands and susceptible to attacks not normally possible when directly in front of your opponent.
Opponent can attack your flank hitting vital or destructive targets.
Groin is exposed to kicks.
Legs are side by side if opponent is on your inside making you more vulnerable to double leg takedowns.
Fighting southpaw allows your opponent to sweep your foot when you shuffle in and if you circle to their inside you are walking right into their cross.
This position also affects your range, placing the jab closer to your opponent and keeping the cross so far away that it is often out of range and awkward to throw unless the other person makes a mistake.

Know your weaknesses and capitalize on your gains.
What to do on the outside:

If you are on the outside you want to remain there if possible, providing you have the correct angle. In this position you should be lighting up your opponent with hooks to the head, ribs, and kidney while attacking the inside line with your other hand using effective combinations.
Ideal position for setting up a few throws like side leg scoop and thigh lift throw.
In fight training it is common to fight one sided. In other words people choose a side to train and often ignore the other side or give it less attention. In these formats a Righty will spend most of their time fighting Righty's while a Lefty or Southpaw will spend most of their time fighting Righty's. This gives the Lefty an advantage as they spend a vast majority of time in this position and develop superior tactics and strategies.

What to do on the inside:

Strike up the middle high and low while being aware of any position changes made by your opponent that may put you at risk.
Kick or Punch to the groin.
Perform Double Leg Takedown.

Examples:
Here are a couple applications from our Kung Fu styles that use this position:

Mantis Boxing
Crazy Ghost Fist - The first move in Beng Bu. This move is a perfect example of proper use of the southpaw. Opponent punches and you move to the outside while blocking the arm and striking the ribs.
Tai Chi
Deflect Parry Punch - exists throughout the long form. In this move you ward-off your opponents arm, use cross circle step to their outside and shift forward to Southpaw bow stance while pinning the arm with your outside hand and striking with the inside.

Southpaw can be a great advantage or a great liability in fighting depending on your skill level with using it. As a rule when I teach beginners I leave it out. If you don't understand the dangers then the advantages are not worth the risk. When you understand match stance (left to left or right to right) then you should begin to play with the Southpaw position.

Go Lean - Applying the Art of Shoulder Stroke (Kao)

2009-06-27T18:05:00.010-04:00

Kao (pronounced Coww) is the often over looked and under appreciated principle in two popular Chinese Kung Fu styles. This principle is defined in the Tai Chi 13 Principles, as well as the Tang Lang Quan (Praying Mantis Boxing) 12 Principles - the hard and fast tenets of these styles.

Kao translates as 'Lean' or specifically "depend upon; lean on; near; by; against; to support" (mandarintools.com). In Tai Chi circles it is often referred to as Shoulder Stroke. The character for Kao is exactly the same in both styles when you review the old texts. This makes sense as both styles rely heavily on stand-up grappling.

As mentioned, in Tai Chi, Kao translates as 'Shoulder Stroke' or 'Lean' for some. In Mantis Kao is translated as Lean. It is actually both but at different times. Striking with the shoulder, or leaning to effect a take down.

How can striking with your shoulder be a major principle in a style? Sounds a bit silly right? I remember thinking so myself at one time. "What is the point of that?", I said. "You would be destroyed trying to pull that off". Yes, and No. On the one hand if you tried to pull off a shoulder strike at long to mid range with your opponents hands ready to maul you then yes, you would be punished severely for this transgression. However, if you are in close range, where Tai Chi and Mantis heavily function, the game changes. When your opponent is controlling your arms, or your arms are occupied controlling theirs, then you have certain limitations on what you can and cannot do. This is where Shoulder Stroke becomes increasingly valuable.

When we look deeper at the application of the moves we have to consider the range in which these styles predominantly function. Here are a few scenarios where Shoulder Stroke is used:

Scenario #1 - I am tangled up and my opponent is grabbing my arms and has them crossed in front of me. I cannot strike, I cannot move backwards, and I cannot use knees or kicks because I am too close to go to one leg compromising my root. Here Kao is used to drive into my opponent striking them in the torso with the shoulder to create distance. Once I have created distance between myself and my opponent I can either free one or more of my arms, or now apply a knee strike or a kick.

Scenario #2 - Another application is the take down. This is evident in over the knee style throws as found in Mantis Boxing's Beng Bu or Crushing Step Form. Again functioning at close range but this time you step behind the opponents lead leg shooting your elbow or arm across the chest. Shoot deep enough to get your shoulder in front of them and then twist the waist into the forward leg driving your shoulder backward to toss them over your knee.

Scenario #3 - In Tai Chi we have a move called Wild Horse Parts Mane. This move uses the shoulder to strike the elbow of your opponent. Using ward-off to deflect the opponents punch/push/grab attempt, you grab the wrist and pluck the arm sideways. At the same time step forward driving your shoulder into the opponents elbow for the break. Again this is used in a mid range position while 'adhering', 'sticking', and 'following' your opponent.

Scenario #4 - Countering. Kao is used predominantly to counter the effects of the Mantis or Tai Chi pluck, and the Roll Back (Lu) principle in Tai Chi. Coiling and using the body in quick stepping and direction changes, the shoulder affords you opportunities you might otherwise be missing or gives you an exit from an otherwise bad position.

These are a few of the manifestations of Kao that show its potential. In the solo version of the Tai Chi form it is difficult to see Kao. Often the applications are countering someone using Kao against you after you have countered or neutralized their attack. Without seeing the application of the attacker side, or understanding the when, where, and how of Kao's function it is exponentially difficult to understand. Once the principle is examined in and of itself it becomes evident how effective it can really be.

Clearly the founders of these two styles realized the importance of this move and rightfully placed it in the list of main principles. When properly understood and placed, Kao can be a valuable tool when playing Supreme Ultimate Boxing or Praying Mantis Boxing.

G.I.G.O. - Garbage In Garbage Out

2009-06-18T01:04:00.015-04:00

In software programming there is a common acronym - G.I.G.O. 0r Garbage In Garbage Out. The meaning is pretty simple - if you have a piece of code that is meant to perform a calculation but you feed it garbage input then you get garbage output on the other end.

The same thing can be said for your Kung Fu training. As a teacher I am always striving to find the best way to teach. Simpler is better in my book. I like things to be easy for people to pick up, complicated is usually unproductive. When complicated things are difficult for people to learn and learners who do not have successes - inevitably quit. They will fail to see the value in what they are doing and as human beings if we do not see the value in what we are doing - we no longer do it. That is how we are wired.

There are however those that enjoy challenges, complexities, or are almost never happy with things the way they are and always strive to be better, do better, and make things better. The end result is usually a higher level of skill because you put more into it and therefore get more out of it. The point I'm getting to in a round about way is practice, dedication, commitment, and perseverance are extremely important.

When I started Kung Fu training I had very little money as I was working a low wage job and living on my own. I had decided I really wanted Kung Fu and I wasn't going to study another martial art till I found Kung Fu. After searching for some time I discovered one school in my area that taught any sort of Kung Fu and they had no regular class for it. So the man who would become my first Kung Fu teacher said he would teach me once/week in a private lesson for a rate I could afford. The catch? I had to work my tail off. If I showed up the following Saturday and had not practiced, I was done. The deal was off.

So not being one to shy away from a challenge - I accepted. I showed up to my first class with a notebook and wrote down everything I learned (not a lot of material but a lot to do, and my notes filled up quick). I practiced when I arrived at home, I practiced again later in the day, I practiced before bed, I practiced again on Sunday mornings when I awoke, and I practiced 2 more times before the day was out. The rest of the week I practiced on a daily basis at least once.

As the weeks turned into months my 1 hour Private lesson turned into an 1.5 to 2 hours, to sometimes longer. My teacher poured more and more into me and eventually formed other classes in the school that I could attend to train even more (probably so I would stop sucking up most of his Saturday afternoon!). Anyway, the more I put into my training the more he gave in return.

I remember about two to three years into my training he became afflicted with a virus that destroyed his feet. He was barely able to walk and each step was excruciatingly painful. Walking on pins and needles he would still show up to teach me for every class even though at times I was the only one there and he was clearly in great pain.

Now I am certainly not the best martial artist out there, nor was I always the best in everything I did, but I did win a heck of a lot of tournaments and ended up making it to Nationals. The only way that happened was because I did the work and wasn't satisfied with just showing up for class once or twice a week.

I've been teaching on some level for quite some time now, close to nine years. I've owned a school for over 5 years. Some people in the past have questioned how I was helping to teach after only a year and a half of training, how I had a school after only 5 years of training. I look back now and know that in many ways I was under qualified, but in many other ways what gave me the ability to do what I did, to make it work, and see it through, was again a direct result of what I put into that first 5 years of my training. How many hours I trained each week not only in class but also on my own.

In my martial arts journey I cannot count the number of times I have heard the phrase, "I don't have time to practice." Whenever I hear this I laugh (or become frustrated) and shake my head. When I was doing much of my training in those early years I had a full-time job, I was attending college at night and on weekends, and I had a second job on the weekends to help make ends meet. I showed up for all of my classes and still made time to practice on my own because I wanted to be good, no, I wanted to be the best I could at Kung Fu.

In my school I have developed streamlined programs to teach efficiently and effectively to help students learn faster. To accommodate peoples different learning types/challenges, defeat boredom factors, and cope with busy lives and hectic schedules. This is because of my belief that simpler is better, and that people learning anything should get the best results they can in the best possible way, not to enable lazy training practices.

After running my school for a couple of years I came to understand that not everyone had the time or desire, or wanted to be, a high level martial artist. Not everyone wanted to dedicate their life to martial arts. Some want fitness, some want to learn, some just want a hobby. No matter what their reasons are for doing martial arts they will always get out of it, what they put into it. As with everything in life not just software engineering - Garbage In = Garbage Out.

Does this mean that you can't or shouldn't take martial arts if you don't have the time, money, energy, or commitment level? Definitely not as doing something is better than doing nothing at all. It simply means that healthy expectations are a good thing and one healthy expectation for people to know and hear is - if you work hard in martial arts or fitness - you will get results. Martial Arts is one of those activities in life that you can actually dedicate more time and energy to and gain a higher result.

"How do I practice on my own?", is a common question. "I don't have a partner" is another common statement. Here are a few suggestions:

Write notes after class. Highlight key points, exercises, drills. I used to write a list of every drill I did in class even a new stretch I learned.
Set up a routine and schedule it on your calendar. Make time to practice, don't say I will do it later as later never comes to fruition.
Pay particular attention to solo practice portions of class if there are any. If not then act out the move without a partner or do the strength training or stretching so you can improve in other areas.
Create devices. Build things to suit a training method if you need an actual object to manipulate.
Purchase equipment. Many schools are suppliers for martial arts equipment and you can not only get a tool that will allow you to practice at home but support your school in the process. Many new and innovative devices have come to market in the past 5 years to help people train without hurting each other. You have throwing dummies now which come in very handy when working on your throws in your basement or backyard.

Bottom line - where there is a will there is a way. You simply need to get the process started.

TRAIN-ING Wreck

2009-05-03T00:07:00.010-04:00

Many of us make mistakes in training/practicing martial arts outside of class. When I was starting out I made an all too common error of collecting every drill, form, and exercise my teacher gave me. By the end of 1.5 years I had 2 pages of itemized material to train every time I practiced outside of class (which was quite frequently).

After a while my practice time went from 30 minutes to 2+ hours. I didn't always have 2 hours in a row so I had to start dividing up sessions during my day and training some things on my lunch break at work, others after work, and more when I left college class at night before going to bed. What I didn't know at the time was, that certain drills are meant to give you a skill, and once you have that skill, you leave the drill behind, or it becomes cumbersome or even counter productive to other training.

For example - if I have an intermediate student and they are still practicing Level 1 footwork and not working on Level 2 footwork then they will constantly be at a disadvantage when fighting their peers in the same level. So in essence they are holding themselves back by not directing their efforts in the appropriate place and spending more time on practicing their newest and least proficient skill.

I am a strong advocate for the saying, "practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect." This can seem perplexing as how is one to practice something perfectly when they first learn it? That is a misinterpretation of this quote. Perfect practice means effective practice that focuses on the target, and hits the material needing practice at that time; not jumping all over the map or practicing material from 2 years ago that is not currently relevant to your training and skill advancement. It does not mean that one should have mastery over something before they decide to practice it; otherwise how would we get anywhere?

It will take you on average 10,000 repetition before you are really good at something, in this case maybe throwing a punch, blocking, or moving. The longer you put off those reps the longer it will take for you to master these skills and the more delayed the evolution of your abilities.

Many people have jobs, school, and families, finding practice time outside of class can be rather difficult. That is why it is crucial that the material you do practice is 'focused', 'effective', and 'enjoyable'. To do this you can follow some simple guidelines

Take suggestions you were given in class from the instructor, coach, or a peer and train fixes. If you lack the knowledge on how to fix that quirk then you should speak to your instructor and perhaps they can give you a drill you don't know about to fix the problem.
Current material - take the current material being taught and focus on practicing that. Isolate and annihilate the current defects in your training instead of skipping around like a new puppy sniffing every tree you can find and getting lost in the smells.
Beware the Rat - rats are innovative and cunning, but they collect things, and if you collect drills, forms, etc., make sure you are cycling your practice appropriately so you are not ineffective. Rather instead, fix things and move on to the next task at hand when appropriate.
Boredom - Likely you have more than one thing that needs to be fixed, so in order to prevent boredom in practice (making you not want to practice at all) mix up your practice routine with multiple drills for the same task, as well as incorporating one or two other skills you know you are weak on.

These are some tips to make your practice mean more to you in the long and short term. Practice does not have to be a chore, but if you make it boring, monotonous, or cumbersome, then you'll be all the less interested in taking part in it.

Speed Kills

2009-04-11T20:19:00.005-04:00

In martial arts there is a significant importance placed on speed. Why shouldn't there be, this trait is often times what gives one fighter an advantage over another fighter. The problem is that speed in training actually has more negative effects than positive.

All too often speed is the culprit that inhibits learning and growth in training how to fight. This is easily explained by the emotional state of the student who is stressed out, in unfamiliar territory, confused, and/or trying to multi-task. Once a student can slow down they will see that there is much to learn when you play things out slowly.

Do not mistake this as advocating an abolition of speed as speed is a necessary component when introduced at the right time in the training process. Speed is used heavily to test skills to determine if one has attained them but has to go away if failure is the result or if new material is introduced.

A great example arose in class this past weekend - a moment came up in Footwork training where two students were going too fast for their skill level. One had never done the drills at all before last week and was as green as a zucchini. At the speed they were going they were wandering all over the ring with no concept of where they were and why they were moving, just moving for the sake of moving. They were failing to use all of their new footwork skills we trained earlier in the class.

As a student when you are learning footwork think of it this way - if I say freeze, can you explain to me the reason you stepped there? The advantages and disadvantages of that position? What the last 3 moves were that landed you there? And what your opponent has to do from here to counter you? If not then you are going too fast for your skill level and need to slow down. Slowing down the footwork allows you to see your mistakes and either do it over again or move on, knowing the next time not to repeat your previous mistake.

This principle applies to almost all other aspects of fight training and is not restricted to just footwork. When going fast you have no ability to analyze and are throwing your training to the Fates. As a rule of thumb - Fast as you can, slow as you must!

Speed increases with skill not the other way around.

Divide and Conquer - Unlocking the Essence of Yang Style Tai Chi

2009-03-20T19:01:00.010-04:00

As part of the analytical approach to form and function in Yang Tai Chi I have created a categorization of the moves based on the 4 main elements of all Kung Fu systems (Striking, Kicking, Locking, and Throwing). This tells a pretty interesting story about the fundamental purpose of the style.

Striking Applications:
White Snake Spits Tongue
Chop with Fist
Intercept and Punch
Twin Fists Strike Ears
Golden Rooster Rises Up (Knee Strike)
Punch toward Groin
Punch Downward
Single Whip

Kicking Applications:
Separate Feet (Toe Kick)
Kick w/ Heel
Cross Kick
Lotus Kick

Throws/Trips/Take Downs:
Embrace Tiger
Needle to Sea Bottom/Fan through Back
White Crane Cools Wings
Brush Knee/Push
Bend Bow Shoot Tiger
Grasp Sparrows Tail
Repulse Monkey
Raise Hands
Sealing Tightly
Flying Diagonal
Cloud Hands
Snake Creeps Down
Fair Maiden works Shuttle
Retreat Astride Tiger
High Pat on Horse (both variations)

Locks/Chokes:
Tame Tiger
Grasp Sparrows Tail
White Crane
Step Up to Seven Star
Strum the Lute
Wild Horse Parts Mane
Fist Under Elbow

% of Strikes = 24%
% of Kicks = 12%
% of Throws = 45%
% of Locks/Chokes = 21%

When you look at Yang style Tai Chi in this light Throwing is it's main intent/focus. Given that Yang Style Tai Chi functions at Mid to Close Range the Kicking component is there but not a primary focus. Striking is secondary and Locks and Chokes are there but the focus is smaller for control or finish.

The focus on throwing also explains why so much emphasis is given to Rooting, Balance, Central Equilibrium, Posture, and Push Hands. In order to throw someone you must be rooted and balanced or you go down with them, and in order to not be thrown you need to be rooted and focusing on Central Equilibrium.

Needle to Sea Bottom & Fan through Back

2009-03-13T22:22:00.022-04:00

In Tai Chi these two moves follow one another. They are often separated in application yet they consistently follow one another in various Tai Chi forms of different lines/styles which in forms analysis, is usually an indicator that the moves belong together. Needle to Sea Bottom is usually depicted in application as being a Small Wrist Bind. Here is an alternate application which stays truer to Tai Chi principles.

Small Wrist Bind always bothered me for a few reasons; it did not mimic the hand movements in the Tai Chi form such as the left hand moving across to the right (see white arrow in the photo to the bottom right), nor did it line up with the fact that I cannot recall one hand form in Kung Fu that I've learned that shows a small bind lock, nor did it account for the counter to the small wrist bind, and lastly it did not account for the secondary hand.

Contrary to the common belief held by many that Tai Chi postures have multiple applications - I do not believe there are multiple applications to each move. This in my experience has been the bi-product of Tai Chi applications largely not being taught in Tai Chi for the past 100 years, or teachers withholding real applications to guard their material. This has caused speculation to enter the mix without the proper controls or filters to test and analyze.

Controls and Analysis
When you test these applications with realistic fighting principles such as: dueling against an attacker that has 2 arms and 2 legs, adheres to the principles of the style, does not violate the overall tenets of the style (as in Stand Up Grappling), use compliant and then non-compliant partners, you can dispel of certain applications immediately. It is not a matter of what you could 'make' work but rather what 'does' work given the above criteria. In addition, did the move stay consistent with the movement in the form, or is it consistent with an older version of the form?

The recent forensics I did with these two moves showed a clear similarity between Beast Head Pose/Flash Back in Chen style, and Needle to Sea Bottom/Fan through Back in Yang Style. In other moves, tracing back the postures through Chen, Wu, and even multiple sects of Yang style has helped me dissect similarities and differences in the postures to determine, or in some cases speculate - what, when, why, and where the move changed. The similarity of the Chen and Yang moves to one another did not offer much assistance in this case as they have different movement patterns. Although in Chen the rear hand instead of dipping low, was positioned as if holding the head of a beast, or possibly in application - the opponents leg.

Needle to Sea Bottom = Small Wrist Bind - the issues
Going back for a moment - the problems I had with the Small Wrist Bind were:

The movement of the left hand to the right side followed by the dipping hand moving down. This did not show the bind or anything similar to getting into the bind.
The hand pose - you would not perform small bind with the fingers in a knife posture waiting for your opponent to counter with a finger press lock.
Nor would you want to disengage the fingers that are wrapping your opponents forearm as they assist in turning the arm and forcing the lock into a deeper and far more painful range.
It also did not explain the Cat Stance which would actually drop your center of gravity when applying the lock, thus changing the angle on the arm, thereby alleviating the pressure on the lock, and ultimately allowing your opponent a reprieve defeating the purpose of the lock to begin with.
Lastly, the small bind does not contain any of the styles main principles - Ward-Off, Roll Back, Press, Push, Split, Pluck, Elbow, Lean.

All of these conjoined create a strong case against the application being Small Wrist Bind.

Trial and Error
After playing out Needle to Sea Bottom from further out, I went back to our determination that Tai Chi is a 'Stand-Up Grappling Art' based on its applications and principles. I put this to task with these moves and went into 'Clinch Range'. At this range the knee strike (Golden Rooster Rises Up) while pulling the head down was the answer that worked consistently with the form and can be used as a counter to Golden Rooster Rises Up - another plus in reverse engineering forms when one move counters another from the style.

Here is how this application unfolds:

The left hand blocks the opponents left knee to the face.
The right hand reaches under the opponents left leg from the outside while you do the closing step advancing forward and pressing on the opponent.
Next the cat stance (purely transitional) is the lead leg snaking out inside, and behind the opponents standing leg.
You then transition the left hand to the upper body of the opponent and shift your weight forward into the left bow stance.
Simultaneously lift the right arm to pick up the opponents leg and let go (Fan through Back) - down they go. Notice the last photo shows the right hand a bit lower than the form and not stylized with the palm flashed.

PHOTOS - step-by-step through the application

Size Matters - In Chin Na

2009-03-01T15:30:00.009-05:00

Size Matters - in Chin Na

'Why Chin Na works, and does not work'
By Randy Brown

Chin Na - the Chinese art of bone and joint locking found in many styles of Kung Fu including Praying Mantis. The human body has a plethora of ways that it will, and will not bend. Chin Na capitalizes on these anatomical weaknesses with the objective of controlling, or destroying ones opponent. Locks exist for every joint from the head to the toes; and quite possibly 20 to 50 variations of each one depending on who you talk to, or what reference you use.

Having spent years studying these locks, I found it awkward to pull some of them off in 'live' situations. A great many of them if even attempted, would have landed the practitioner in a world of hurt from their opponent. Simply from the person reacting by punching them with their free hand/arm. This article attempts to clarify some of the misunderstanding of how and why Chin Na does, or does not work.

Qing and Republican Era

Much of the documentation I have been able to find on Chin Na, comes from the late Qing Dynasty (late 1800's when China's Martial Arts practice was in decline), and the Republican Era; with some emerging during the Communist reign. These sources are often littered with a ridiculous amount of locks; and include locks that are completely irrelevant to fighting. I recall one technique involving a hair grab from the front - the victim is attempting a forward hand press lock with no leverage to counter the attacker grabbing hair on the front of his head. A simple counter-attack to the persons groin would suffice, yet here lies an ineffective lock.

Forms - Our Window to the Past

Forms are perhaps our oldest and most reliable documentation of Kung Fu's history of techniques. They are our library or catalog of applications that are relevant to each system or style. Given the lack of documentation on Chinese Martial Arts through the ages, we have to rely on forms as our window to the past. If you look at the majority of Kung Fu forms they are comprised of strikes (fists, elbows, knees), kicks, throws, and locks. The locks however, typically focus on gross motor movements; attacking the most accessible joints - elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee. Earlier in my training I studied close to 25 to 35 hand forms, and rarely, if ever, have I found a small binding lock within those forms.

Motor Function and Stress

The primary reason Chin Na often fails to work, or has no place in certain situations, is our motor function skills. According to the National Police Association the level of accuracy in gun fights across the nation was reported at 12% for 2008. These are individuals that train to use their weapons over and over; yet there is a problem hitting their targets when under intense pressure; proving we as human beings lack accuracy and fine motor skills under stressful situations.

In the world of Chin Na - humans in the midst of situations such as physical altercations, use gross motor function and react with adrenaline coursing through their system; the heart rate is up, breathing becomes erratic, palms sweat. These factors alter the reality of trying to attempt a finite lock on someone as they attack; grabbing a hand out of mid air becomes increasingly difficult.

Training the same technique over and over through repetition, helps eliminate this problem, but only if the training approaches live scenarios in its charter. In essence, if the locks are simply practiced with compliant partners and/or in fixed sequences such as line training, then we will find them unreliable in combat. To counter this, we can train the locks with 'feeder drills' that lead to random sparring to increase effectiveness.

Size

The where, when, and on who, of locks is the most crucial element of lock training. What we cannot recover from, is attempting a lock on a larger and stronger opponent when we tried to use the wrong lock on them. This is typically where we get punished trying to use joint locks.

A human body is a human body; no matter what size the person is. Aside from certain individuals who are double jointed, locks will work no matter how big the person is. The problem isn't whether a joint will lock, the problem is with a larger person - they also have larger muscles. It becomes increasingly difficult to manipulate these larger muscles when we are a smaller fighter. We need the appropriate strength to turn/position the joint and apply the lock. The battle becomes strength on strength, instead of technique winning the day.

As an analogy - joint locks will work on animals just as they will work on people, but you will see drastically different results if you attempt a lock on a dog vs. a horse. The two animals are not only different sizes and weights, but possess far different strength potentials. 12 dogs to pull a sled vs. 1 horse to pull a wagon. In the human world of Chin Na, there is no difference. If you attempt a lock on a much larger opponent, they will resist with strength and then counter with a punch, grab, or counter lock.

Working with different sized partners can give us insight and kinisthetic feedback to this phenomenon. Learning to move from compliant to resistant training, will train us on how to detect and become sensitive to the when and where of applying locks; so when we meet someone that resists, we know automatically to switch to another lock, or resume striking to soften the target.

Target Fixation

Military and civilian pilots have a term - 'Target Fixation'. For a military aviator it is most common when we are diving and attacking a ground target. We become so fixated on our target, we fail to realize our altitude change, and leave insufficient altitude to pull the aircraft out of the dive - then crashing into the target or ground.

This same principle applies to joint locks. It is a common occurrence when we train Chin Na in fixed patterns, to get lock fixation. As we attempt a lock, and the initial attempt fails, we become fixated on making the lock work, and continue attempting to apply the lock while our opponent is first resisting, then changing position, and then starting to hit us, throw us, or reverse the lock.

We can avoid these instances by dynamic lock training, or principle based lock training. Instead of opponent throws X punch or Y grab, we train the principles of locking by themselves; direction, fulcrum, refined technique. Then once we have an understanding of these, apply feeder drills to train dynamic locking and counter locking. In this type of training, opponent attacks, we counter and apply X lock, and our opponent resists and/or applies Y counter, and then we can apply our counter. The lock, the counter, and the counter to the counter, so each of us learns to move fluidly from one joint lock technique to another, or even transition back to striking. Since fighting is random, it only makes sense for us to recreate this randomness in our training without full on fighting. If we try to apply in sparring, stress will take over and we operate in survival mode rather than learning mode.

Small vs. Large Binds

We can narrow locks down to two major categories:

Large Binds - locks attacking major joints such as the elbow, shoulder, knee, ankle.
Small Binds - locks that attack small joints such as the wrist, fingers, toes.

The key is for us to know when and where to use each of these locks. Given that stress is involved in a live situation, and as previously stated, gross motor function is more likely - large binds should be used for initial contact. The larger joints take larger motions, which fits into our first response to an aggressive act. Gross movement is more reliable and quite possibly why we see these in the Kung Fu Fighting Forms and a lack of small binding locks.

Small binds are more appropriately used when we are responding to a grab, in the clinch, on the ground, or finishing the opponent after softening them up with a throw. When we are tied up (grappling) with an opponent and have access to the occasional finger, toe; wrist, or ankle, then small binds are extremely effective. After we have thrown the opponent and they are stunned, we have access to time and movements that were otherwise difficult to pull off and can score a small bind as well if appropriate.

Leg Locks

Leg Locks are effective when we are able to pull them off; keeping in mind that the legs are proportionally stronger than the upper body of a human being. When we are attempting to lock up an opponents legs, we are fighting strength, maneuverability, and multiple weapons - other foot/leg, arms.

These are best attempted after a throw, or when our opponent is least expecting it - such as rolling in a ground fight. Basic knee bars can be applied as a counter to a kick, but attempting to maintain the lock on the ground after you have tripped them, is foolhardy at best. Our arms alone lack the strength to keep their knee from bending, and once they bend it, they will be more than willing to use their fists on our head.

I mention these due to our applications of trapping a kick and trying to apply a leg lock in the air. This works to effect a takedown, but enters problems when trying to maintain that lock on the ground without using larger parts of our body as the fulcrum and lever such as the hips or torso.

In conclusion, Chin Na is a highly effective and rich part of our art and can be of great benefit. Training and practicing with appropriate measure is crucial to success, as well as understanding when it is appropriate to use each lock. We are wise to avoid the over complication that is commonly seen in much of the reference material on Chin Na. Seek out the K.I.S.S. method (Keep It Simple Stupid) when locking and you will find success.

The Dirty History of Tai Chi

2009-03-01T15:29:00.004-05:00

The Dirty History of Tai Chi

By Randy Brown

The history of Tai Chi, actually called Tai Ji Quan, disseminated to the masses is often a mythical story that involves an art form thousands of years old with Taoist immortals, monks, and fairies. Commonly it is propagated that a non-existent type of magical energy will heal the practitioners body and/or throw opponents without ever touching them. This is a fictional portrayal that in the West we call a fairy tale and in the East they call Wu Xia.

The notion that one can achieve unequivocal power without ever having to perform a day of rigorous training or hard work is certainly the stuff of movies and legend. In contrast the truth is far less enchanting as it involves hard work, physical exercise, redundant practice, mental endurance, commitment, perseverance, and a history full of violence, bloodshed, and
oppression. In comparison one can see why the truth is less enchanting and the fantasy is more amenable to the general public.

The version closer to historical accuracy shows that Tai Chi was developed roughly 400 years ago in Chen Village, Henan Province, China and was known as Cannon Boxing. Yang style in specific, was created as recently as the mid 1800's by founder Yang Lu Chan who lived and studied in Chen Village during his younger years and later went on to create his own system of Taijiquan originally called 'Small Cotton Boxing'. He taught his art to the members of the Imperial Court as well as passing the style on to his descendants.

Around the turn of the 20th Century the Chinese became disenchanted with their martial arts after repeated embarrassing incidents involving firearms. Arguably the most famous of these is known as the 'Boxer Rebellion'. It is important to recognize that the general population of China did not at this time, or previously, hold Martial Arts in high esteem. Martial Arts was considered beneath the scholar class and to the average person its highest regard was a soldiers task, at its lowest, and more commonly known, it was associated with criminals, gangsters, ruffians, or charlatans. These firearm incidents further cemented the general publics poor opinion of their Martial Arts considering it a rather fruitless endeavor and waste of time.

Coincidentally at this time the Chinese were also being called the 'sick men of Asia' by the International Community. As part of a movement to change this view, and perhaps in an effort to keep their arts from dying, Chinese Martial Arts teachers began teaching their Kung Fu for health rather than fighting. The early 1900's saw the creation of organizations such as the National Guoshu Institute and Chin Woo Athletics Association in a national effort to combat the 'sick men of Asia' accusations and affect positive national change. Within the Yang Family, Yang Chen Fu (Yang Lu Chan's grandson) decided to teach the family art to the general public for health purposes using slow motion practice and longer movements as the focal point; removing much of the application and fighting elements.

Thus was born a form of exercise that was accessible to the young, old, weak, sick, and those of poor physical condition. Prior to this, Yang family Tai Ji Quan was taught as a martial art and involved such training methods as striking, kicking, joint locks, throws, sparring, fighting, weapons training, forms practice and push hands. Forms practice and Push Hands in contrast to present day were only a small portion of the training. Due to Yang Chen Fu's efforts Yang style went on to become very popular and is more widely proliferated than any other style of Tai Ji Quan - albeit grossly watered down.

Three decades later the Communist Party took control of China and outlawed the instruction of martial arts for fighting purposes. During this period many Traditional Martial Artists fled the country or were killed, not for fear someone would attack a rifleman with a spear or sword but because they needed to control the populace. This task becomes exponentially more difficult when it involves those training in the fighting arts. Martial training empowers an individual and empowered people do not do what they are told blindly following commands.

After this period of unrest China formed a committee of martial arts teachers who had stayed behind and used their martial arts for health or had returned to the mainland from their exile. This committee created the Standardized Wushu Sets that summarized the broad spectrum of China's martial arts styles and presented them to the rest of world in a neat clean package that could be government regulated. The movements left behind the fighting elements of old and replaced them with sharp anatomical lines, clean corners, fancy acrobatics, and gymnastic or dance style 'timed' routines.

As part of this standardization the Tai Ji Quan 24 Movement Form (a.k.a. Beijing Short Form) was created and based off of Yang Style Tai Chi. This was to represent Tai Ji Quan and become a National exercise that China's citizens would practice every morning in local parks for decades. As China opened her doors to the rest of the world Westerners glimpsed the large organized gatherings of Chinese performing the beautiful practice of the short form in the parks. Foreigners began learning this art form while spending time overseas and the Western world's interest was piqued.

Many teachers who had fled China began moving to the West and helped further spread this art. Throughout the 1960's, 70's, and even the 80's there was a reluctance with Chinese to teach outsiders their national or personal martial arts. This helped contribute to the spread of misinformation or false data making it difficult to validate much of the material being practiced outside of the standardized sets. Without the trial by fire checks and balances that a fighting system uses to hold its validity, such as - 'fail to do this technique correctly and you get hit' - an environment was created ripe for esoteric practices to include but not limited to: mysticism, numerology, archaic medicine, fancy legends, mystical energy, and pseudo-science.

Even still the health benefits are clear. There have been many studies by qualified medical professionals substantiating the health benefits of Tai Chi, these health benefits are not unique to Tai Chi and can be attained through most forms of physical exercise like running, swimming, cycling, or sports. However, the advantage of Tai Chi over these other forms of exercise is its accessibility to those unable to perform rigorous exercise. This is especially important to Seniors or those with debilitating injuries.

Tai Chi is a martial art and can be taught to people of all ages and allows them to have fun doing so. Whether it be those looking to improve balance, circulation, stress reduction, those who always wanted to study martial arts and never had the chance, those who think they are too old, or those who think they are too out of shape - all can find a welcome home in studying the soft style of Tai Chi while having fun and not worrying about being injured.

The Science of Bridging

2009-03-01T15:27:00.002-05:00

The Science of Bridging

By Randy Brown

You charge in on your enemy filled with the hope that you can capitalize on that weak spot you spy in his guard. As you are about to land your punch suddenly, without warning, BAM!!!! POW!!!! SMACK!!! His strike has met you mid-stride and square in the nose. As blood begins to rush down your face you pause and wonder why you were unable to hit that giant hole that encouraged you to enter to begin with.

If you have fighting experience then you are likely familiar with the above scenario. After countless bouts most of us have found tricks of the trade that allow moderate success at gaining the advantage as we move in on our
opponent. Alternatively, some have decided to become counter-fighters, and instead patiently await their opponents charge because they know full well the advantage will be theirs.

To help avoid circumstances such as these this article includes some solid tactics to incorporate into your training so that you may gain control over this most unsure of moments in fighting.

The following are a few definitions:

'Bridging' - the act of moving from outside of striking or kicking
range to inside striking or kicking range.

'Critical Distance' - The line that separates the two ranges. Critical Distance is determined by the range just outside the reach of your opponents longest weapon - their rear leg.

'Bridging Tactic' - a method of occupying the enemies mind, body, or both, so that they are unable to move or launch a counter attack the moment you cross the 'Critical Distance' line.

As we explained in the scenario above - the danger in bridging is that you are vulnerable when moving or transitioning. Timing (another bridging method) works in this regard. If you are in the midst of steaming headlong into your opponent's waiting defense while preoccupied with striking then you are vulnerable. The solution is to incorporate Bridging Tactics into your fighting toolkit to give you the advantage.

Some examples follow:

Feint:

A body movement that simulates a movement in one direction while then moving in another direction. This works as a great precursor to an attack if at the proper range. As the enemy flinches, plants, or reacts in some regard, they are locked into their movement and unable to react to the real attack that immediately follows the lie.

Example on how to Feint-

Pretend to move left with your body and then quickly move right. When your opponent moves to gain advantage or reposition themselves for defense they create openings in their guard. Strike the targets now available.

Common Pitfalls -

Body movement is jerky and unrealistic. Opponent doesn't believe it.
Feint and then move in the same direction you feinted. This gives your opponent warning of where you are going to move.

Fake:
A false strike that triggers the opponents block or counter. Again, as the opponent flinches you immediately follow the flinch with your real strike to a different target.

Example on how to Fake-

Throw a forward punch (jab) but do not follow through with it. Done properly the opponent should emit a jerk-type response and attempt to block the non-existent punch. Immediately strike the opponent in a different target right after they jerk or twitch.

Common Pitfalls -

If there is too much of a break between the fake and the real attack the opponent will have reset and snag the actual strike.
If you try to attack the same target as the fake attack then the opponent will likely block because their hand is already in that region and they previously witnessed an attack to that target a split second before, so they are now expecting a real one.

Distraction:
an act of motion, sound, or use of surroundings that will trigger a response from your opponent and cause them to momentarily flinch or become distracted.

Example on how to Distract-

Make a loud noise by yelling, stomping, or banging your gloves together. Upon witnessing your opponents twitch immediately bridge and enter past the critical distance and attack.

Common Pitfalls -

Too quiet or not convincing.
You have tried it too many times without following up with a live attack so the opponent is not appropriately conditioned to it and will not respond, making them dangerous if you try to enter.

How to train bridging:

When bridging the tactic either works or does not work. This is immediately determined by whether or not they blocked your attack. If unsuccessful, the bridging tactic needs to be corrected or refined by training your ability to perform a realistic fake or feint so your partner believes the lie.

The above is a small example of how to occupy your opponent so that you may safely close in to attack range (bridge). This is a small excerpt from our curriculum. Some of the other tactics used include position change, programming, and timing, to name a few.

Karate vs. Kung Fu FAQ

2009-01-10T13:24:00.000-05:00

Karate vs. Kung Fu FAQ

What are some differences between karate and kung fu?

	Karate	Kung Fu
Country	Japanese	Chinese
Famous	Ninjas	Bruce Lee
Where	Dojo	Wu Guan
Uniform	Gi	no set uniform
Forms	Kata	Taolu
Main Styles	Shotokan, Shito, Goju, Wado	Hundreds. Shaolin, Tai Chi, Praying Mantis are well-known in the US

Which is older?

Most styles of kung fu are older than karate; there have been Chinese martial arts for as long as we have written records. Karate was invented in the late 1800s - early 1900s (although it was based on older forms of Okinawan martial arts).

What does karate mean?

The word karate has had at least two meanings. The first documented written use of the word karate seems to have been a 1908 letter to the Japanese government by Anko Itosu, considered by many to be the father of Karate. It literally meant “China hand.” This may be because karate was very strongly influenced by Chinese martial arts; Chinese culture was a dominant influence over the entire region. For example, archaeological evidence indicates that early Japanese straight swords (which became the modern katana) were based on designs from China that made their way to Japan through the Korean peninsula. Also, it is generally agreed that Southern Chinese kung fu has been particularly influential to karate.

On the other hand, Itosu and his peers were sinophiles; Japanese elites at the time were usually educated in Chinese calligraphy and classical literature, and traveled to China to observe and to study. As a result they had an affinity for Chinese culture similar to how some Americans feel about British culture. So, Itosu and others may have called it “China hand” just because they thought it sounded more important that way.

Later on, when nationalism became more important and the political situation between China and Japan deteriorated, the word was changed to mean “empty hand.”

What does kung fu mean?
Kung fu means something like “skill achieved through hard work.” It was originally used as a compliment, but not necessarily about martial arts. For example, you might say, “His calligraphy has kung fu.” That would mean his calligraphy was really good, and you were acknowledging that he had practiced very hard to make it so. Kung fu became strongly associated with martial arts during the 70s, when a lot of Chinese martial arts movies were made in Hong Kong, and Bruce Lee became famous in the U.S.
So what is gong fu?
That is the modern way to spell (and the correct way to pronounce) kung fu.
Wait a minute. I’m confused. Is it kung fu or gong fu?
Well, neither, really. It’s 功夫. But Chinese doesn’t use an alphabet; each character represents a word, rather than a letter or a sound. The correct way to pronounce 功夫 in Mandarin Chinese is gong fu.
So why is it written as kung fu?
Because Westerners learning to speak Chinese needed a way to write down the sounds. Some of the systems that people invented for writing down the sounds were better than others. Some examples that don’t work for English speakers include: Peking vs. Beijing, T’ai Chi vs. Tai Ji, Tao vs. Dao (as in Taoism-Daoism).
So which is better, karate or kung fu?
Kung fu, of course.
So a kung fu fighter will always beat a karate fighter?
Nope. The better martial artist will win. Karate is an effective martial art; if the karate fighter has studied harder and longer and is a better athlete than the kung fu fighter, he’ll probably win. But if you have two highly skilled martial artists who are in other ways equal, the kung fu fighter will win.
Why do you think kung fu is better than karate?
Karate was created as part of efforts to promote nationalism in the Japanese people. In the early 1900s, Japanese elites wanted to modernize and strengthen Japan against foreign intrusion and exploitation, particularly by the West. So, when karate was founded it emphasized simplification (for ease of teaching to a broad audience, such as to children in public schools), and health (to make the Japanese people stronger)

Simplification and public health goals are not going to produce the “best” martial art. Obviously, simplicity is limiting to the advanced practitioner. Making skills easy to teach to large groups means that you have to eliminate or ignore subtleties, complexity, or variations that average people will not have the time or the interest to learn. The focus on public health also had effects. Highly skilled martial artists, like other high-level athletes, can push themselves to higher levels of physical training than normal people. So karate’s original focus on building the health of the Japanese nation necessarily limited its scope to things that a majority of people can reasonably practice without injury.

So kung fu is complicated and for talented athletes?
Kung fu can be complicated, and talented athletes can pursue it to a high degree. A good kung fu teacher teaches skills and offers training regimens that are appropriate for the level (fitness and skill) of his/her students.
So which should I study, karate or kung fu?
You should study with the best teacher you can find, whether karate or kung fu. Most people are not going to pursue martial arts to the level that they’ll notice the difference.