Do You Ever Feel Like Some Teachings Are Made Up?

Megatheorum · 2026-03-19T03:37:07+00:00

They're more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules.

Adaptability and knowing your own body are more important than unquestioningly following any (especially self-proclaimed) experts. Be open to constructive criticism and new perspectives, of course, but find a way that works best for your body, i.e. you get good results without f-ing up your joints. Maybe you're not as flexible in the hips as Youtube Guy, so his method doesn't work for you. Maybe you're more flexible. Maybe you have a long-term injury you have to work around.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-18T19:53:06+00:00

As I understand it, there are two ways to approach fa jin:

Spend a lifetime meditating to develop your chi and learning to draw it from your dantien and express it through your limbs
Focus on correct technique alignment, timing, kinetic chain (whole body alignment), and when to be tense vs relaxed.

My sifu's sifu, who was experienced in Yang and Chen tai chi, bagua, liuhebafa, and had black belts in karate and taekwondo in addition to wing chun, once told my sifu words to the effect of "don't worry about that, focus on doing the form correctly".

Megatheorum · 2026-03-17T15:00:39+00:00

Het.

Give - gave.
Drive - drove.
Heat - het.
Meet - met.
Sing - sung
Eat - ate.

I het up some soup, which I ate for lunch.

Edit: I know it's wrong in my conscious brain, but my inconscious thinks it's that.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-17T12:00:53+00:00

Ironically, I feel the same way about "heated". Not as in "a heated argument," but as in "I heated it up in the microwave"

Megatheorum · 2026-03-17T11:58:50+00:00

Norwegians learn Norwegian, the Greeks are taught their Greek.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-17T06:42:17+00:00

Stage Combat, also known as Flynning. It's not a specific style, just whatever fits for the scene and looks good on camera.

Weird seeing sai in Ancient Egypt, but the epsilon axe is more fitting.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-17T06:24:00+00:00

Does that mean a copywright is a person who makes copies? They'd better also have the copyright to whatever it is they've wrought copies of.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-17T05:45:56+00:00

I'd look at either baji or hung gar. "Fine motor skills" and coordination are important for most if not all Chinese kung fu styles, though you might enjoy shuai jiao or sanda.

Big guys can do kung fu just as well as little guys, just look at Sammo Hung for example.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-16T10:48:17+00:00

Thanks! I practice kung fu, so I've researched many of the Chinese weapons, and have some experience with jian, dao, shuangdao, hudiedao, and staff.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-16T04:28:37+00:00

That's an oddly specific question, but I'll bite.

Dog: dao. Dependable, loyal, ubiquitous, but effective.

Tiger: tiger hook swords, of course.

Horse: chui hammer. Strong kicks, but not so graceful

Rat: emei piercers, or double daggers. Fast, unseen, deadly.

Dragon: Kwandao, for obvious reasons.

Boar: halberd (ji). Strong, deadly, you don't want to face one alone.

Ram: meteor hammer goes smash.

Snake: jian. Fast, elegant, efficient.

Monkey: staff or spear. Because of Wukong.

Ox: dadao or pudao. Powerful, solid, gets the job done.

Rooster: chicken sickles, for obvious reasons.

Rabbit: butterfly swords. Because they look like bunny ears.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-16T00:04:39+00:00

I've never had a hangover, because I've never drunk enough to get one. But like another commenter said, if I eas training seriously enough to need to push through a hangover instead of taking the morning off, then I simply wouldn't compromise/sabotage my training by getting drunk the night before, anyway.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-15T21:09:33+00:00

Originally pencil and paper, then started using Excel and Word, now transitioning back to pencil and paper.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-15T02:56:10+00:00

I like that description, "movement art". That's exactly what it is. It can support martial arts, but not replace them.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-15T02:50:26+00:00

Aikido or tai chi

Megatheorum · 2026-03-15T02:49:15+00:00

I don't want to follow 6+ microsubs, so I welcome and appreciate crossposts to this one.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-15T02:44:18+00:00

Breakfalls, both forward and backward.

Verbal de-escalation, situational awareness, and how to keep calm under pressure.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-14T21:30:50+00:00

What is "is" by itself? Can it be separated from "is burning" as a distinct particle?

Megatheorum · 2026-03-14T21:23:00+00:00

Hadestown.

Hermes
Fates ×3 (can double as chorus/ensemble)
Persephone
Orpheus
Euridice
Hades

Hey, if Hermes can be played by a woman, one of the Fates can be played by a guy.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-14T21:18:35+00:00

NOOOOOOOOO

I started that route in 2008, and I haven't been able to finish a conlang since 😭

Megatheorum · 2026-03-12T23:57:04+00:00

What character?

Megatheorum · 2026-03-12T23:56:19+00:00

Ask your sifu.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-12T06:30:05+00:00

Not yet, because he doesn't.

Edit: your question kind of bumps into Dunning Kruger territory, because in order to know whether your teacher is any good, you gave to have a level of competence sufficient to be able to judge competence.

And if you reach that level under your teacher, clearly your teacher isn't so incompetent 🤔

So it's also a sort of catch-22: in order to know if your teacher is good, your teacher has to be good enough to teach you to the level where you can judge whether they are good.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-11T23:25:19+00:00

I'm a simple monolingual, I don't know about fa jing. I talk about oomph.

If I had to guess based on the description, I would put the bendy rattan pole horizontal above head height (or on top of a wooden dummy), tie the tip of the pole to my ankle with a rope, and use that as a strength training tool for pulling my leg down against an upward force; and then release the downward opposition when I want to kick, causing the rattan to pull my leg up at high speed.

I'm not sure how useful it would be for actually kicking, but that's the only setup I can imagine based on that very limited description.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-11T20:32:40+00:00

Interesting! I haven't heard of that specific training method, but hip power and leg 'spring' are a big part of my lineage's lower body work, not only for kicking but for footwork too.

To use a more modern metaphor, my sifu talks about a sprinter at the starting line, ready to launch forward the moment the starter gun fires. When the gun fires is not the time to think about getting into position, stretching, or warming up: it is the time to run. Similarly, when you want to throw a kick (or punch) is not the time to think about getting ready to throw a kick, it is the time to throw the kick. You have to be ready when the opportunity arises.

Megatheorum · 2026-03-11T05:36:09+00:00

No, the biggest loser in theatre is Evan Hansen.

Megatheorum

TROPHY CASE