OT: Western v. Eastern martial arts

[Lavaere]

I really wish I had been given the chance to do Martial Arts growing up. But alas there where none and not till High School was there a Tae Kwon Do teacher in the area.

But that doesn't mean I don't have some skills that could be applied during such a period. Growing up I wrestled with friends at the beach, others in the area prefering fisticuff. Making bows and arrows (stone tipped or just none) or using sticks for sword and homemade shield or staffs for sparing contests. Going up the hills and in the woods for teamed war games.

Plus being a Maori you need to learn Kapa Haka. If you have ever seen any sport with a New Zealand team then you've seen a Haka. But part of Kapa Haka is also learning to use Patu and Taiaha. Which in war time are basicly a Club and Spear. Which I guess is New Zealand Martial Arts now in the form on song and dance only.


The thing is I'm sure everyone has at somepoint in there life learnt some sort of Martial Art, be it self trained from playing games or convention ones learnt from teachers.

[Panpiper]

Originally Posted by Lavaere

Plus being a Maori you need to learn Kapa Haka. If you have ever seen any sport with a New Zealand team then you've seen a Haka. But part of Kapa Haka is also learning to use Patu and Taiaha. Which in war time are basicly a Club and Spear. Which I guess is New Zealand Martial Arts now in the form on song and dance only.

Capoeira is a recognized legitimate and respected martial art that for generations was studied uniquely as a dance form. Brazilian slaves practiced it as a dance because this way their masters would not recognize it as being dangerous. But you do not want to cross a well practiced capoeira dancer, trust me. ;-)

Your Kapa Haka is much more of a martial art than you realize. The dance is highly stylized, the techniques in it don't have much use. But performed properly, you are practicing all those principles I mentioned and as I also mentioned, the techniques don't normally get actually used in combat, but the principles always do. Plus, combat is three times the mental as it is to the physical (to paraphrase a French general). The ritual side of Kapa Haka is extremely martial and if studied taking the ritual side very seriously, could easily hone a true warrior spirit.

Do not sell your culture short, you have a great heritage there. My advice would be to go back and thank the teachers who taught you Kapa Haka and ask them if there is anything more you might learn.

(By the way, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that your most skilled teachers will tell you that the dance starts in your belly. Listen to them, this is a very important martial 'secret'.)