[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW00KBhtIWE"]Sup Kyun Tao Slow - YouTube[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MmMd3N8My8"]Ma Bo Fa - YouTube[/ame] Stumbled across these on Youtube (as a related link to the Lau Gar DVD trailers), and was wondering what other Lau Gar practitioners think of them; whether they are in keeping with the essence of Lau Gar, and whether they would be useful as part of a syllabus (perhaps as an extension to Kay Boon Sau Fa).
My personal view is that he needs to either practice more or actually watch himself and then watch how the sets (Kay boon sau fa and Jong sau) are demonstrated by Master Yau in the DVD's. He has way to much big swinging arm moves and constantly opens himself up. That's beside the fact he is doing both sets very badly, lots of moves are bad or just plain wrong and wtf is with the 'ready position' bit at the beginning of KBSF? The 'fast' section of Jong Sau is terrible, even when he slows it down. The rolling punch/kick combo is supposed to be more to the side not head on (how i have always seen it done and how i have always been taught). As for the 'unofficial sets' (god i'm using lots of inverted comma's) well, they look made up but they could be from a different style although i doubt that, there is too much Lau Gar in them. Including his big swinging arm thing he does, which is why i think he has made them up, (or he has just butchered somebody else's creation). Lau Gar is a 'short fist', no room to swing a cat, style. The set contents were O.K. but nothing seemed to flow very well, again it could just be his interpretation. They keep in essence of Lau Gar in that they contain portions of the other sets (and swinging arms) I can't see how they could be useful for the syllabus as it already contains the moves. Kay Boon Sau Fa has plenty of extra bits anyway (two handed version, two handed staggered starts, walks, backwards). My two penneths worth.
Two points of pedantry really: first, they are by definition unofficial if he teaches them as part of a Lau Gar curriculum (unless you believe that identity is destroyed the moment anything is changed and that it is thus not Lau Gar at all, which is an iffy position because it would eliminate the very idea of a style being able to develop post-codification; I don't really want to start a debate on that though), and second, aren't all sets 'made up' at some point? It does look like a mish-mash of later content though, especially the butterfly stances. I agree that his performances were very poor, and contained numerous movements that he appears to have taught blatantly wrong according to how they are taught normally (fortunately he has posted a video of one of his students doing it just as wrong so that we can all know that the poor form has been propagated).
Well, he doesn't seem able to do, or spell, jorn sau. I don't think that either would be particularly useful -swallow fist just looks like a lot of arm-swinging, and the horse set, as pointed out previously, is just a combination of moves that can be found in other sets. Who is this person anyway? Anyone got a name / know where he teaches / know who his teacher is?
Pedantry noted The point i was making is that HE or another made them up with no clue as opposed to them being created by someone whom knows Lau Gar well. We are encouraged to expand on our learnings and I believe that you are required to create your own set showing your understanding of what Lau Gar is for 6th Degree. The demonstrator in the vid doesn't have anywhere that understanding. Whilst i am sure Master Yau is open and interested to learn of new ideas and such, I doubt that those sets would get more than a frown of dis-interest.
I'm afraid I have to agree that these sets have little or no value whatsoever, and the KBSF form is just terrible! What has happened to the "harvest hand" movement? If it like this in the form, then what does it look like in #8 hand block???? I don't see why people post stuff like this on the web as it is just open to being ripped apart. Does this guy really think this stuff he is doing it good? Sorry to sound harsh, but why make up crappy new forms when there are plenty of forms within Lau Gar that will take a lifetime to master?
Might be worth actually asking the guy if he's making up LG forms, or happens to just do lots of forms including LG ones before accusing him of "making it up". surely?
Jorn Sau used to be spelt, Jong Sau. And if you here M. Yau saying it it sounds like Jung Sau!! Chinese pronunciation doesnt transfer very well to written english, you cannot read intonnation.
Ah bless you Tarty, You still trying to keep track of all these splinter groups and various forms slowly deriving from LG?
Meh. I'm unemployed. Gotta do something, right? Besides I think it's bizarre to accuse someone of "making up Lau Gar forms" without actually asking him. Never stopped Jeremy Yau, nooch.
Ah man, unemployed, why? (if you dont mind me asking) Does this mean you have all your time to now master Lau Gar and seek out the interview you have always wanted from J.Yau himself?
poorly done, i know the guardians had to come up with a unique set at 5th degree, but i think he has along way to go before joining them and why he choose the two most basic sets that were only added to strength the legs and the upper body before you get to the real sets is beyond me
The first two sets are not just for leg conditioning, If anything KBSF is over in 20 seconds so Horse stance training alone is better for leg strength. KBSF and JS practice the basic hand/arm positions of Lau Gar and prepare the student for using them practicaly; First through the hand and kick blocks and later through forms and sparring/applications. :hat:
ok maybe i should have said they were brought in to help strengthen the legs and upper body as well as re-inforce certain hand blocks...although i cant remember seeing jong sau having any of the handr set knife defence moves in it anywhere , and only one of the kick blocks (i always thought it was mainly for dynamic tension and a way to cash in on wing chuns popularity)
JS uses Bong Sau, Jor/Yau Dong, Jor/Yau Jurn and Gau Choi. All things aside though, the use of basic movements to create a set is not necessarily a bad thing in itself, may not even be pointless, the fact that the techniques were poor and the intention was empty is what is terrible.
on a side note is the bong sau in any other set aside from that one? its been a while since i practised all the sets but i cant remember it in any other form, before or after balck sash
Out of interest, iv noticed that the new syllabus dvd now says that jorn sau is done with no tension in it. Which is odd cos we've a;ways done it with dynamic tension!? This seems to be a new addition.
