tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed May 29 09:55:33 1996
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RE: Klingon writing tool
- From: [email protected]
- Subject: RE: Klingon writing tool
- Date: Wed, 29 May 1996 11:58:16 -0500
TL>>Hmmm, I'd say the weapons themselves more resemble Chinese martial arts
TL>>weapons. Japanese weapons are a bit more austere. Both the betleH and the
TL>>meqleH are much to 'busy' to resemble Japanese weapons.
TL>As I don't know what you mean with austere in this sense, I couldn't
TL>comment, except to say that if austere means severe then I'm completly lost.
TL>A large curved two handed blade, not very severe, I know not of a Japanese
TL>hand held weapon which could have the same attack probability as a betleH.
TL>The d'k tahg resembles early Japanese sword and knife making, with the gutte
TL>---------------
TL>In this sense; austere - simple.
TL>The traditional Japanese weapons were all very simple in form.
TL>Traditional Chinese weapons range from the simple to the much more elaborate
TL>The betleH and mekleH both qualify as elaborate in comparison with the most
TL>revered of the Japanese weapons; the katana.
TL>---------------------------
TL>>As for the martial arts; the Klingon version of Tai Chi, mokbara (sp)
TL>shown by Worf is, well, Yang
TL>>Tai Chi in its appearance - Chinese, not Japanese.
TL>Not that I'm a martial arts expert or anything, but I thought that, that
TL>which you call Mok'bara, resembeled kata, more than Tai Chi,
TL>----------------
TL>Kata is just a sequence of moves and postures, in Chinese MAs we call them
TL>forms or sets, same thing. Tai Chi is just that; a series of postures and m
TL>or a set/form/kata.
TL>----------------
TL>but even more
TL>so because of the fight that Worf had with that Bajoran youth, which gave
TL>her the chance to speak out against her teacher. Don't forget why Mok'bara
TL>is taught, that is to enhance one's agility in hand-to-hand combat, it
TL>helped to revive the dormant warrior spirit in "Birthright I" Stardate
TL>46578.4. In this way kata is also used to heighten the hand-eye and
TL>hand-to-hand combat ability of the karate user.
TL>----------------
TL>Kata/forms/sets, in Japanese or Chinese MAs, are used for a number of purpos
TL>including agility, physical exercise, hand-eye coordination, and improving t
TL>ability to move from posture to posture smoothly, quickly, and with power.
TL>----------------
TL>Tai Chi is in no part a
TL>physical fighting exercise, thus would be a useless comparison to be used in
TL>conjuncture with Mok'bara. This naturaly means that Dan Curry [see ST:E] is
TL>not as much of an expert as he thinks that he is, but neither are the writer
TL>----------------
TL>Hold on, back up the wagon pardoner. Tai Chi, in it's original and pure for
TL>*exaclty* a fighting art. There are three major 'internal' fighting arts fr
TL>Tai Chi, Hsing-I, and Pa Kua. Among the Tai Chi styles are; Yang, Chen, Wu,
TL>Sun, and others. Every one of these was developed SPECIFICALLY as a fightin
TL>art. Trace the lineages for yourself.
TL>Don't be fooled by Western NewAge Tai Chi, every Tai Chi posture is a block,
TL>grapple, or take down. If you can't see it in the movements then the moveme
TL>being executed correctly and with the intent and focus necessary.
TL>Don't be fooled by the lack of speed, there are Japanese karate kata that ar
TL>slowly as also there are Chinese 'hard' or 'external' styles that have sets
TL>performed slowly.
TL>Also understand that the religious (Taoist or Buddhist) connection to the or
TL>Chi is nonsense. Tai Chi was used as a training adjunct by Taoist and Buddh
TL>but it did NOT come from these religious teachings.
TL>-----------------
TL>>As for the fight scenes we've seen, I'd say they look just like
TL>>Hollywood martial arts, and not very good Hollywood martial arts
TL>>at that.
TL>That is indeed the case, but that we can again atribute to the lack of
TL>understanding that Dan Curry shows on the subject of martial arts on a whole
TL>-----------------
TL>I can't comment on Dan Curry's MAs knowledge but then I also don't think som
TL>doesn't recognize Tai Chi as martial art should either. :-)
TL>Virtually nothing in Star Trek should be used as a basis for an 'official' K
TL>Typically there would be many MA styles as there are on Earth, some develope
TL>refined in 'religious' settings such as monasteries and others developed wit
TL>and passed own from generation to generation.
TL>That I know of there are two 'fan' styles of MA developed outside of Paramou
TL>Qinlat Monastery developed a style based on Kempo, I believe, in a philosoph
TL>setting. I have developed a style called Hung family style based loosely on
TL>Hung Gar style kung fu and Sun style Tai Chi.
TL>Qapla'
TL>HetaQ
I find this extremely interesting. I also have made the dichotomy
between what the Hollywood folk are doing and what ought to be done,
sort of a kind of schzophrenic style to be sure, but one in which I
accept there is a fighting art simliar to Tai Chi which has not been
fully developed by the writers, but which we ought imagine as being
developed for persons of the heft of a tlhIngan--.
Remeber they are big and strong with great endurance, not small and
needing to use weight against a larger opponent.
Their art would naturally be a bit different from our Oriental arts, and
we can not rely on script writers who are trying to fill a scene to give
us useful moves.