About Sifu Richard Mieir-King Expertise Since 1971 I have been involved, trained and instructed in 5 Animal 5 Family Kung Fu and can answer questions on subjects such as Qi Gong, Hand Conditioning (Iron Palm and herbal practices), Southern Kung Fu Systems, Weapons, 5 Animal 5 Family Kung Fu, health aspects of Kung Fu and fighting aspects of Kung Fu, and various techniques. Our system is based on the 5 major Animal Styles which are Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Leopard, and Crane. We also teach a variety of other animal styles such as Black Bird, Peacock, Horse, Donkey, Elephant, Ram (also called Small Cross Set) and other Animal Styles. Besides Animal forms we also teach forms such as Butterfly Palm, Praying Mantis, Combination, Crab, and others. The Family Forms we teach are Hung Gar, Choy Gar, Li Gar, Fut Gar and Muk Gar. We also teach a variety of weapons such as Staff, Quarter Staff, single and double batons, Spear, 3 Sectional Staff, Nunchaku, Iron Sais (Gen), Chain Whip, Kwan Dao, Darn Dao, Single and Double Daggers, Chinese Wand, Axes, and more. Kung Fu is a way of balancing Body, Mind and Spirit.
Experience
Past/Present Clients Besides teaching the general public we have also taught law enforcement officers, prision guards, boarder patrol agents, bouncers and more.
Kung Fu - Traditional Chinese Martial Arts vs Modern Mixed Martial Arts
Expert: Sifu Richard Mieir-King - 8/12/2009
Question Sifu Richard Mieir-King,
I am a Traditional Hung Gar practitioner. Our training involves hard body conditioning, bone conditioning, tendon strengthening, strong rooted stances, hard strikes, ripping/clawing techniques, joint locking, weapon training and daily practice of internal iron wire and qi gong body cultivating exercises. For years I've believed that this was all I needed to achieve confidence and peace of mind from street thugs and bar bullies.
Unfortunately when 99% of the internet, television, everyday conversations with co-workers, school mates, and chumps at the playground result in the Kung Fu does not work against an MMA or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappler, I tend to question my years of training and become greatly discouraged. It seems that MMA is the 'ultimate martial art' nowadays and the common belief is that a striker will not only lose but will be controlled, subdued, and completely embarassed if he were to go up against someone in the street who practices a grappling and ground work based styles such as BJJ.
The UFC and Royce Gracie proved to the world that their BJJ could not be stopped even when the rules of the UFC were minimal in the early 90s. The masses have now labeled Kung Fu as a non-practical flower art which bases their fighting on pure theory. As a serious traditional kung fu practitioner, I take this personal and feel that I need to defend it which only lead to more thought provoking self doubting attacks from the uneducated public.
I've read your profile and I understand you have trained in a 5 Animal system since the 1970s. What is your take on today's poor outlook on Traditional Kung Fu and do you feel an MMA player will really have an advantage in the street simply because of their brute strength, size, and modern day shoot, takedown, and grappling techniques?
Humbly awaiting your response,
Sean Lee
Answer Hello Sean,
Thank you for selecting all experts and me for your question.
I hope you continue your traditional training, always with a pragmatic eye towards how it is benefiting you and how you can apply it to your health, your daily life and the "martial" aspects in your martial arts. If you do this, your style should serve you well through your life in all of those areas.
Here is a question for you. Do you think that the internet, media, television, "chumps at the playground", etc, are purveyors of truth or good advice??
Sadly, we live in a day and age where if Oprah Winfrey says it, or has a guest that says it, it must be true. If Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie says it or does it, then, well, its just gotta be the right thing and truth, and if they wear it or look a certain way then, hey, I just gotta dress, look and be that way too! If Shawn Penn, Brad Pitt, John Travolta, Angelina Jolie or any host of other celebrities endorses it, then, hey, I am sold! Just open up my skull and pump it into by brain and I will be one of the mindless masses to follow them slave and zombie like.
From how we should dress, to how we should look. From what we should think, to what we should or should not believe in. Our morals, our values, our ethics, to science and more. People look at celebrities and the media as their ultimate truth. The truth is that most of those people cannot keep their life together, or their noses clean. From narcissism, multiple divorces, to unhealthly relationships, to using drugs and alcohol and driving, to carrying concealed and unpermitted weapons, to abusing other people, to having uncontrolled rage problems to obeying authority figures - and, no, it isn't a sign that you are cool because you don't obey authority figures, we agree to live by rules, to use a toilet and not urinating on the first wall you find. This would and should include politicians. Yet, people look to them as someone to emulate - you go figure that one out. However, don't spend much time trying, it is like trying to figure out someone that has lost their mind. Besides, where has individual thought gone?
All of that is to say, why even listen to people "barking at the moon" and spewing off opinions which are vacuous when you weigh them on their merit or their lack of merit. And why worry about what the general public believes, because they are going to believe what the media, politicians and celebrities pump at them anyway.
A huge industry has been made out of MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. There is a saying that honor dies where interest lies. Entertain this thought, can you trust what they say when they have so much to gain with their agenda and so much to loose financially if people do not buy their proverbial bill of goods? The answer is, no, you can't trust someone like that because their opinion is not objective.
I cannot talk you out of questioning yourself or your training. I cannot talk you out of your discouragement. That comes from within. What you need to do is question what is being feed to you, in the apparent bucketful’s, by people who, as I have indicated, have an agenda and things to gain from getting you to question and doubt. Perhaps they have been sucked into some other style and are currently enamored, brainwashed and inculcated into the style and they fervently believe that they are doing the only true and the only best martial art. Perhaps they are someone that would like to get you to question what you are doing and to drop it and sign a contract with them. Perhaps they are hoping that you will see a need to cross train with them so that, even if you don't drop your style, at least you will drop some money on what they have to offer. They could be verbally "mad dogging" you to intimidate you and beat you down psychology by making you question what you do and it's effectiveness.
You must develop a discerning mind, think for yourself and guard your mind from what you let in. Consider this, people can be very good at sales. Consider people that develop a problem buying things from those home shopping networks. Other people who have shopping problems and have a compulsion to buy. It isn't all just them having a problem. Many people buy unnecessary things because sellers knew how to push their buttons. They are good at trying to convince you that to be healthier, safer, faster, better looking, sexier, more appealing to the opposite sex, more of a man, or more of a woman, or some combination of the above you have got to have their product, their service or them working for you in some capacity.
Fear and sex are 2 major motivators to get you to buy things, ideas, services, etc. Sex - to get you think you need their product or service to appeal to the opposite sex. Fear - that you will only have yourself to blame if you don't act on this information that ONLY they have and that you can ONLY get from them.
It is both sad and amazing how many people buy into this form of nonsense but it does work extremely well, you only have to look at HOW MANY people have bought into get rich quick schemes, weight loss schemes diets and machines, and much more.
They show people thinner and sexier, more appealing, smiling, happy, getting attention of others. How timely, in the process of this e-mail, believe it or not, I just saw a commercial on TV for a BJJ DVD collection where "you too can now learn this devastating art that cannot be beat, the superior of all martial arts" - their words on the commercial, not mind ;-) hahahaha. The commercial showed them fighting and dominating on the mat, beating everyone they take on, you see still photos of them teaching police, of them teaching military, You see them with trophies and awards and more. Well, of course nothing is 100 percent and you are not going to see any losses, dissatisfaction with their classes, people who have been injured because the style didn't suit them, people who have been beat on the street, people who do not endorse their classes, contracts that were not successful, or numerous other shortcomings. These are all about showing you, the consumer, what is favorable to create a sense of urgency and an impulse to buy.
You are in a martial art that has been used through history, has been tested, techniques that do not work typically died off with the practitioner in the battlefield where that technique was being attempted. The techniques either survived on their merit or died with the practitioner due to their demerit. Techniques that persisted were the ones that worked and survived combat. Consider this, MMA and the "Brazilian" version of Jiu Jitsu are infants in the scheme of martial arts and CANNOT make that claim. They were not tested in battlefields where there were Zero rules and where the name of the game was fighting and hacking your way through the bodies of your opposition.
You can also go on to say that the martial art "Gun" trumps MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and other martial arts as well. So, should we all then just drop our physical training and run out and get a gun and make that our sole training?
Your question stated "a striker will not only lose but will be controlled, subdued, and completely embarassed if he were to go up against someone in the street who practices a grappling and ground work based styles such as BJJ". Most complete martial arts look at close range combat, fighting on the ground and joint locks. In Kung fu we have Chin Na, Dog or Fukien ground boxing, and more. Also, at some point striking does enter the picture - so do your teeth,. Do you see a lot of scars from biting on the people in the UFC? I don't see anyone missing parts such as ears (ala Mike Tyson) or fingers or other parts of their bodies do you? There are no missing eyes, no ruptured eardrums, no crushed windpipes/larynx, etc. This is also NOT about meeting in a ring but fighting on the street where, if you are attacked there is a strong likelihood that there will be multiple attackers, while you are busy subduing and locking up that attacker on the ground one of his buddies is going to "kiss" the side of your head with a lead pipe and a great deal of velocity. Now the art of "Lead Pipe" has prevailed over MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and other martial arts that put themselves in a position to be vulnerable to that attacker. Or, perhaps that attacker and/or his buddy also have a knife or gun. Now, again the martial art of "Knife" or "Gun" has prevailed over Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA or other martial arts.
Let me share this with you which many will not consider a pretty picture, so be it. As much as it is up to me, I will get along with everyone. If I cannot, and I meet that person in the street, it will not be because I wish to, it will be a life or death matter. I don't fight over other matters. If I have a gun, I will simply shoot you and be done with it, simple. Guns can also be used close range and concelled, muzzle against the abdomen, at just about the navel and aimed downward at a 45 degree angle and fired at least a couple of times can end things quickly. If I have a knife I will open you up from "stem to stern" (meaning from your pubic region to your sternum) and be done with it. I will break your knees, gouge your eyes, rip at your throat, and pull your throat out with my teeth should I need to. If need be, bite off your fingers, your nose, part(s) of your face, etc., spit in your face and eyes, and more. Did I mention using my teeth?? :-) it is a great close range weapon. Your jaw can exert hundreds of pounds of bone crushing pressure over extended periods and is an excellent and often overlooked weapon.
I am not going to fight you pretty, I don't care if you are enamored with or impressed with me or my technique or fighting methods. The only thing that I care about is that you stop breathing.
Where I cannot survive I will take you with me to the other side, we will keep each other company.
That is what it boils down to, what it is about in that eventuality, and in the final analysis. That is the price of the ticket and the bill you have to pick up.
Make all the tough faces and martial arts poses you want, thump your chest, flex your muscles and spout martial arts propaganda, take pictures with trophies, etc. Bottom line is what you CAN and WILL do when rules are zero. To me, that is not "flower", that is not "theory". Words are flowery and exercises in ego. Theory is useless and academic. It is not about how many trophies you've won, how many DVD's you've sold, who you know, how you may feel priviledged or entitled, etc.
As far as an "uneducated public". The public can be largely ignorant and uneducated. There is a saying that there are none so blind as those that cannot or will not see. Once again, we live in an age where people eagerly and greedily gobble up nonsense from the media, from celebrities, the likes of Oprah Winfrey and her latest guru's and fad personalities, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Madonna, John Travolta and other people spouting their miasma.
What can you expect but for the public to be not only uneducated but willfully ignorant if they will gladly eat the proverbial defecation that these groups of people drop on a plate in front of them. We are a junk food society that welcomes such clap trap rather than investigating in with they minds they were blessed with and expected to use rather than waste. For some, having to think for yourself is "too much work", maybe it hurts their head. This kind of person is just a speed bump on the road to survival, when you come to them, keep rolling.
Well, there you go, I am sure my opinion and answer is a bit rough around the edges. However it is what experience has taught me in my 51 years. It is my proverbial 2 cents for you to consider, to find useful or not useful. I do hope, however that it has shed light on a few things for you and has given you some things to think about.
Good luck in your training and keep your training going.
Sincerely,
Sifu Richard Mieir-King
Kings Kung Fu and Tai Chi - www.kingskungfu.com, http://home.sprynet.com/~rmieir
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