I
have done some Wingchun, Chan Taichi, Xingyi, Northern Shaolin
from Eric Tuttle Sifu and his teachers like Master Ma Hong
from
Hebei, China, Master George Xu from San Fransicico, also
with Master Joseph Chen from Edmonton, to name a few. Currently
I am learning from Kiem-Hou Lee Sifu, he is teaching me
Bei Je (Ba Ji) (Eight Extremes).
Qn:
Sensei could you please tell us what for you are the traditional
karate styles and which are not and what is Meibukan Goju
Ryu?
Ans:
For me, the traditional karate styles are all the main Okinawan
styles like Goju, Uechi, Kobayashi-Shorin, Matsubayashi-Shorin
and
other smaller styles plus several others in Japan like To'on
(of Kyuta), Shito (of Mabuni Kenwa), Shindojinen (of Konishi
Ryosuke), Shotokan, Shorinji, etc. Meibukan Goju Ryu is
the Goju Ryu of Grandmaster Yagi Meitoku.
"The
things I don't like are the sport and marketing approach"
It
is his interpretation of Goju Ryu as taught to him by Grandmaster
Miyagi Chojun. I started my training in the lineage of Grandmaster
Miyasato and switched to Meibukan in the middle of 1980's.
I
think each school has its own merits. I am more comfortable
with the Meibukan system, however.
Qn:
What do you think have been the positive and negative effects,
both morally and technically of the west on the Asian martial
arts?
Ans:
There are good martial artists and there are bad martial
artists in the east and west.
The
things I don't like are the sport and marketing approach
the west has brought toward the asian martial arts. Everything
seems to be revolved around making money.
As
for the technical aspect, in general, Asians are generally
smaller and have to rely on techniques and finesse (and
internal power and "chi" for the internal Chinese
martial arts) while people in the west rely more on muscle
power.
I
have learned and seen from several Chinese Taichi, Xingyi
masters and they are usually the same size or smaller than
I am, yet they displayed the most astonishing "chi"
I have ever seen.
Kiem-Hou
Lee Sifu whom I have been learning from in Ottawa for the
last 5 years is merely 5 feet one or two in height and weight
no more than 110 pounds, yet he has the combination of devastating
power, finesse and timing.
"To
me, traditional martial art means hard work, repetitive
and long workouts on details"
Qn:
Sensei, could you tell us what according to you is a traditional
martial art?
Ans:
To me, traditional martial art means hard work, repetitive
and long workouts on details - basic, basic and more basic
in which Mirakian Sensei and Lee Sifu have always impressed
upon me over the past several years.
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