SoCal "Garage Fu" Fight Club

I've been thinking of doing something like this for a while. I was largely inspired by a friend (in the UK) and how he and a bunch of martial artists got together in what they called "Garage Fu," which is essentially a fight club for various stylists to get together, get some full-contact (or light, mid, whatever) sparring sessions in, style vs. style, to learn and improve as fighters.

I feel that many CMA guys are slipping nowadays - not fighting enough, primarily. I also don't believe that MMA/MT/Kickboxing/Whatever is not "the answer" to these problems. CMA systems (especially southern systems) are not *****-whipped hippy styles. They are hard-hitting, raw, aggressive systems designed during times of war to kill, maim, or otherwise beat the crap out of people. Of course in our age we're not looking to kill every single cat that yells at us and disrespects our mothers/fathers/sifus/cats/goldfishes. The legal ramifications can be rather problematic and severe. But that doesn't mean we lose the sight of what HARD training is about, what ALIVE and PRESSURE-TESTED environments are and why they produce SUCCESSFUL FIGHTERS, not dancers and performers.

As a CLF-fanatic, and also as a small, relatively weak guy, all I've been doing over the past several years is trying to refine my fighting techniques. I've had my fair share of slip-ups, laziness, party-filled teenage years but honestly I have to just focus on my studies and work. And of course, Chinese gung fu because that is my #1 passion and it is a damned good one.

I want to start a group based in the LA area where Chinese martial artists can get together and spar, share, discuss, learn, and become comrades in their love of the arts and the realistic application of them. I will be very open and acknowledge that I'm not a very good fighter and that many of you will probably kick my ass - that's a good thing. I'm here to learn, and I'll always view myself as a beginner.

So if you're in the LA (SoCal) area, send me a PM, and I'll try to get a group going. We could do this at a park, maybe a university gym, or whatever we figure out. I think it's about time CMA guys decided to give an ass-whooping to each other so we can all improve our awareness and skills. This is not about ego if it sounds like it. I just wanna do what our systems were designed to do - train hard, fight hard, play hard.

Thanks for reading.

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“	Originally Posted By: KungFuMan I also learned a praying mantis fist style from watching the actual insect itself. This was before I actually learned some seven star mantis.	”

Very cool idea

Wish I still lived in the States, would make an attempt to hook up and pound the living ship out of you J/K

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Oh THAT'S how that works!

Sounds really cool need to read more of your post but am busy right now

I'm all for it. I'm mostly free on weekends, depending. I actually have class on Saturday, but I'm positive if my teacher knew that I was out busting heads or getting my head busted in instead of attending class, it'd be okay.

I'd like to do:

gloves
no gloves
standup only, throws, takedowns (san shou/san da rules)
standup and ground (amateur MMA and pankration rules)
ground fighting only (bjj rules)
sam sing (please for god's sake, I'm an old man, take it easy on me)
drilling ground escapes
drilling chin na/standing grapples escapes
reflex drills

Holy crap! I'm excited! Let's get this done! PM incoming with my information and schedule. There are a few guys in LA that might want to come along. sliver (from MAP), Banditshaw (also from MAP and here) may want to hang. They need to get PMs about this.

There is also a local San Diego crew, about 2 guys, from bullshido that meet over at Balboa Park every saturday at 9 that spar CMA style and do FMA stuff. Excited!!

Yeah man good to hear! I'll PM you my number and stuff. Right now I'm kinda carless as my ride is busted for overheating so I have to take the bus everywhere. But whatever the case hopefully my car will be fixed soon, but even not I can still get around OK (just very slowly).

I made a thread in the Karate forum at Martial Arts Planet asking Kyokushin guys if they are interested. When I lived back in Seattle I sparred with them for a while (due to a lack of anybody half decent in my CLF class before I started training with my Sihing in his garage), they are good, hard-as-nails people who were always up for a fight.

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“	Originally Posted By: KungFuMan I also learned a praying mantis fist style from watching the actual insect itself. This was before I actually learned some seven star mantis.	”

Love the idea not in the right side of the country

Thats a cool idea. I'd like to start something like that in my area (Lexington, Ky). Work on stand up fighting only though. Every one is on the grappling bandwagon and I'm personally tired of hearing about it. I've cross trained enough. Now I'm ready to work on what got me interested in martial arts in the first place, stand up fighting. If anyone is interested in doing this in my area please PM me. I know there are a lot o Ng Family Style Kung Fu-ists and SD students in my area along with some Aikidoists & a lot of Al Tracy Kenpo students (or is it Kempo?) that might be interested as well.

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Mark R.

I'm into it CLF Devil...... Let's do it!

I wish I lived in your area. I wanna participate....LOL.

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Mark R.

“	Originally Posted By: Jade_Dragon_03 Every one is on the grappling bandwagon and I'm personally tired of hearing about it.	”

?????????????????????????

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Wolfgang says:

I could think of a million better things to do in Japan for a month besides jumping off of picnic tables. - x893

“	Originally Posted By: Unkotare ?????????????????????????	”

Didn't you mean

?

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"It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought the fool, than to open it and prove it so." KungFuTze
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." T. Geisel

Or maybe a................

Just Kidding though.

Jade, Chin Na is basically Chinese grappling of the standing variety. Are you more opposed to the BJJ/Sambo stuff?

I myself find the Ground arts to be a powerful addition to anyones MA. Something I would consider looking into to round out my stuff in the future.

I am in the same boat I dont want to start a ground style until I reach a good point in my CLF

A lot of the guys where I'm at do a lot of Sanda, but even in China it's not always easy to find CMA guys who will spar using their system's techniques, however their are some TKD guys and some Karate guys I could train with as well. It should be fun I think.

Jade_Dragon_03,

“	I've cross trained enough. Now I'm ready to work on what got me interested in martial arts in the first place, stand up fighting.	”

But if you leave out the grappling for long enough, then you are going to start making mistakes ( in terms of programming body memory, among other things ), because you won't have to pay for the grappling related mistakes anymore, when you practice. There's nothing wrong with wanting to do mainly Striking. I personally LOVE it. Maybe it's just your calling ? But, you should still have your partners bring you ALL ranges of fighting, so that you are more realistic with your reactions and reflexes.

I don't believe in the "it's like riding a bike" analogy for most things. If you stop doing something long enough, you will lose your skill in that area.

A good example of someone who prefers the stand-up game, and uses it very well, is Jens Pulver. I believe he said "I like to hit, and I like being hit", or something like that.


CLF Devil,

Good on you man ! I think that is a really good idea what you are doing. I hope you guys have lots of fun. I am so pissed that I can't join you, but you understand, it's a little far for me .

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"To alcohol ! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" - Homer Simpson