Thoughts? [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFdKjGGLbtk"]Freestyle Karate - YouTube[/ame] MOD Note. spg, you can't remove the video and expect us to be still be able to discuss the matter.
I believe the question is what is going on with this organisation: http://www.taspmartialarts.com/index.html They do seem to be offering "freestyle karate" which looks very little like other styles of karate I've seen, and they mostly train in kung fu. In the video in question, the demonstration doesn't lead me to believe that the student in the video should actually be wearing a karate black belt, let alone one with multiple dan grade stripes. In particular, the kicking from 2:02 onwards is terrible, with almost all kicks being performed without power or balance, certainly not what I'd expect to see from a karate dan grade. I can only assume this reflects badly on the instructor teaching this stuff rather than on a student who has stuck with it long enough to get high grades from the instructor. They have a couple of other videos to look at here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzowKMpY_YXjGBs2H-o8Rmg There are a few bold claims on the association's website, namely that this is the best martial arts training in Hampshire and that the instructor is a 10th dan in kung fu and an 8th dan in karate, so naturally there are some questions to be raised there given how rare such grades should be and what his students look like. On a purely superficial note, their kung fu outfits look really odd to me. Huge open black robes with gold trimming and an enormous sash showing all the dan grades each person has. I can't recall seeing anything like that before.
The instructor claims 40 yrs experience , with dan's in karate and pak mei but offers no lineage or history whatsoever. Further digging reveals the club is a member of this organisation ; www.allstylesmartialartsassociation.co.uk This might be where his dan's come from as they seem to offer a 'ratification service'. I guess calling everything freestyle (he also offers ' freestyle taichichuan ' ) is a handy get out clause against accusations of shenanigans.
As their CLF and Bak Mei are also terrible I wouldn’t worry about it. Seriously if that guy is an 8th dan in Choy Li Fut then I must be a 15th Dan. Rockin' it Bujinkan style!
I see none of those styles at all in there. Seriously. Me sitting on the sofa has more relevance. Although I've seen his work on youtube before. Years ago.
The website said CLF video's coming soon. Where did you see some CLF from them? I did find this quote though. No, IMO they don't seem to have a good basic understanding of CLF if this statement (from their website) is representing their CLF knowledge. CLF is known for our long circular motions, but it also has plenty of straight forward and short attacks in the system. So no, "each movement is a fluid circular motion" is incorrect. Many are, but also many are not. If someone is not at a distance, CLF teaches plenty of ways to handle that too. I can only assume that anyone making a statement like that has a very incomplete understanding of the entirety of the CLF system.
I suspected this would be bad. Then I watched the video. What does he believe he is doing? I wonder? Moshing?
I recognise their work from years ago. The old bloke and their "sparring". These videos are only a year old, so I'm assuming this guy is the 'new guard'. As much as it makes my blood boil of someone going around claiming to be a high ranking Pak Mei (and talking to Sifu Ben he feels the same)...I actually feel pity. The guy looks fit and healthy but its the brainwashed idea of their abilities. The main guy on his website keeps mentioning he is fully SIA licensed but to be fair, if you're breathing and not stupid enough to trip over your shoe laces, anyone can get SIA (Tesco security, G4S etc). Its the other qualifications that matter.
Sad, after a few lessons from a live person, a book, or a video, how many people are "self proclaimed" TASP : Totally A Spoof Practice
The guy in this video fid show promise at times. He also made me laugh. At his foot! What is he afraid of?
If you start the video at the same time as you start Smooth Criminal, some parts sync up surprisingly well.