Training Feng SHui

While looking at youtube these Hong Kong show came up about the origins of Karate. Basically these two very jacked Hong Kong guys that practice Karate start looking into Wing Chun Bak Hok or forever spring white crane or Fukienese White Crane. Turns out there are a lot of similarities. I could have told you that at a glance of the forms and at the Geography of the two systems. The main thing that I took away is that I am really grateful that I am doing the system I am doing and that I practice where I practice, the way I practice.
Here's what I mean. The guys who are the hosts of the show practice 2-3 hours a day and are jacked as well as pretty bad ass. You look at their gym and it is small but I think that it is supposed to be nice for Hong Kong. It has tons of modern equipment, these guys dress in crisp white Karate Outfits, and then kick as at tournaments and training. But the lighting is terrible. I wouldn't want to spend 2-3 hours a day there at all. Even our old school which Americans would complain didn't look like a school had a homey feel to it. Yeah the tiles kept coming up and it was messy and falling apart and dirty, but you stepped out and there's Tai Tung Village, with trees covered in snow or flowers depending on the season and children playing in the playground. The new school had big windows and in the mornings is really incredible with the golden sunlight shining in. And where I usually practice now is at home or in the playground/park. which are both very nice.
When they start going around to other schools in Hong Kong, one of the schools is in a small room in the Sifu/owners warehouse. Now that is cool that the master happens to own a warehouse and a secret room to practice. But again it is dingy and like a prison. The guys all practice very hard and quickly you can see that though the hosts are jacked, it's like they have developed the wrong muscles because they don't do so hot against the less jacked guys in sparring. I also quickly see how Tibetan White Crane got a reputation in Taishan and Hong Kong for not only kicking ass, but sort for being jerks. The guys sparring are obviously holding back on each other, but in other ways they are going hard too. Luckily their systems are related, because if they weren't it wouldn't look like that. Even if it were my student or son who was holding his hands in the way they were holding them (and assuming my student or son was as jacked) I would be wailing away at their arms and bodies with pows and cups. And if I didn't really know them, and they were coming at me with fast movements, even if they were trying to hold back, I might accidentally hit them because that's how our techniques go. But it seems like they would not be okay with that or think that was going to far. But all of the sparring sessions I've ever heard of from my Sifu, or even about other Tibetan white crane people, or from the systems with longer swinging movements, usually go more like that. Wailing on the other guy or a knockout. I've written about my own experiences before and usually if there are arms to hit, and the guy looks fit I will hit that. Fukienese white crane happens to be really good about blocking hits as opposed to just putting their hand in a position where our blows will just rain on their head but they think they are defended like boxing and Muay Thai. But that has to do with rules. In fact the Karate guys do it more as a sport and mentioned that when sparring with the traditionally trained guys there was a bunch of moves to the eyes and groin which they weren't expecting. Again they were holding back on each other though.) I was amazed that they looked more like they were just slapping each other. When you see them hitting the pads and also just their faces, they look like no nonsense tough guys.... actually they look like assholes. So I was expecting their sparring to reflect that. Turns out they were really respectful about going into the other schools and had a lot of good things to say about the other masters. But still, usually with two different systems there will be a crash of ideology and the sparring will become a fight. It's like if a wrestler who just does wrestling traied to have a friendly match with a boxer who just does boxing. They will both break the others rules of the others sport. Tempers will flare, and a real fight will ensue.
The fact that this didn't happen when a Karate guy went to various Fukienese White Crane Kung Fu Schools has to do with the systems being related. Basically, they are the same system separated by time and culture.

 If two white crane (Tibetan or Long armed Shaolin) people that are from the same school have a friendly sparring match, it might look like the two guys are just circling each other not even touching. Almost like children play fighting. (not always though. Plenty of fights and arguments can break out even among the same school because not everyone is always on the same page with what they are comfortable with in Sparring.)

You will notice in some actual boxing fights there are moments when professional boxers may move around each other for some time without even touching as well. They are waiting for the open shot, and both guys know the other guy has a powerful punch and they don't just want to go in and risk being hit in the face, (and those guys are trying to win for money!)

In the animal Kingdom this is even more obvious. There is a lot of posturing and various ritual games that are played. Because going to a no holds bar fight usually means death. And groups of animals that fight to the death tend to compete badly against other groups of the same species that fight with posturing and rules. In the end, the group with rules has more numbers, which is what really counts.

The hosts go one to other schools in China and Japan which are all similarly related to the Karate (Fukienese White Crane) lineage. There are some incredibly bad ass guys practicing 8 hours a day and training traditionally using internal power etc etc. They were hitting rocks and each other... but I guess I wouldn't trade spots with them either. Because they were hitting a rock, that was on a bench, in a dimly lit school. I wouldn't want to stay inside all day for 8 hours training on various exercises. Why not go to the woods? Or a waterfall? or the mountains? I'm lucky enough to have a park near my house. But in the Mountains in New Hampshire the air and scenery was even better. Plenty of trees and rocks to hit climb and waterfalls to stand under and all that just like in Samurai movies. Just saying, why lock yourself in a room for that long when you can enjoy some scenery and witness some nature and interact with it? You might learn something from watching a bird or a cat or something even more wild. Plus your kids can play too and use their imaginations and you wouldn't be sacrificing for the sake of training, but just increasing the experience of family time.

Now some of the schools in China looked like they worked out in the park. Unless they actually owned that real estate they were on, which I doubt. And that master was pretty good too. The funny thing was he seemed to be out of shape. But I also know that having the skills, and the gung doesn't necessarily mean you aren't fat. Even some of the famous Masters from history notably had bellies. Now I don't look p90x perfect nor do I need too, but as I get older at least having good cardio is becoming increasingly important to me. So if I have to choose a reason to practice, the biggest reason is going to be health, followed by fun/happiness, followed by art/meditative mindfulness, and then a sprinkling of bad assery on all of the above.