COMMON SENSE

 by Yang Xuangxing

Sometimes we just have to use a little common sense. I have been, over the years, directed to certain websites that are devoted to various martial art system(s) that the website owner has allegedly studied for years. And there have been many occasions wherein I've been approached by an enthusiastic student or teacher of some odd system(s)...that were supposedly developed and practiced in some secluded monastery somewhere and maintained in absolute secrecy for hundreds of years...

Not likely.

Records of martial arts systems in Japan have been (and still are) well-maintained pretty much since the ancient inhabitants of that island nation established a system of writing. Back in the day, the local daimyo (lords) of a given village(s) were more than a little concerned about the possibilities of their subjects rebelling...records were kept and VERY close scrutiny was maintained regarding any and all activities that might suggest that prospect. There were no martial systems taught that they didn't know about. Period. And the records regarding martial systems that were taught are still available today! “Secret” Japanese systems? Not.

As for Chinese systems...I've often been approached by people who claim to practice a rare form of gong-fu and the name of it is either part Chinese and part Japanese, Korean, or Yiddish...and IF they know the founder's name (many of them don't), his name is certainly NOT Chinese (although someone tried to make it sound authentic). It would be like introducing someone who claims to be an American, but whose name is non-sensical, like “Mr. Bhjkifls.”

This kind of thing wasn't uncommon in the 1970's, when most Americans knew next to nothing about China. But nowadays, there's just no excuse for coming up with some bizarre name that doesn't exist in that culture...if nothing else, a quick trip to a nearby Chinese restaurant would easily remedy the problem.

Many of these people can specify the rough time that their form was founded...like 1,500 years ago, but they can't name anyone who practiced it before 1984. Some of these folks can readily provide anecdotes and the like about their art and/or its followers (who they usually can't name) that took place centuries ago (the further back, the better) but if you ask about more recent events or followers, dates, and places, they start to mumble or fidget.

It may not be the current student's fault...this kind of chicanery was more than a little common back in the 70's. If the history/lineage of an art isn't clear to one of its followers, a little research is necessary. And some common sense.