Sorry for my ignorance as my web fu is pretty rusty. What is USSD?
Since I have nothing really relevant to say on the topic, afterall I don't even know what USSD stands for, I'm just kinda throwing out things to a bunch of various topics in the thread.
Shaolin is based on Chan first and foremost. Shaolin based kung fu then in turn being a system of defense utilises that same religious/philosophical background. Chan being about self discipline and all that jazz, the horse stance training and conditioning and stuff that tattooedmonk said kinda follows right up in that line. Isn't kinda funny though that Shaolin has embraced the "fluff" of its own name in recent years. Isn't Chan about stripping away excess in route to personal development? I mean, I'm glad those guys finally got things like ummm, plumbing and all. But I thought all that other material stuff was kinda the whole problem that Tamo original scoffed at some 1500 years ago and started this whole Shaolin thing to begin with?
I do have to agree with the monk though; Gi's, belts and all that stuff doesn't make the art. If you really wanna get down to it, that whole orange shaolin suit thing that all the monks wore was just a uniform like any other. They all wore the same clothes, yeah I know they had that grey one too, at least they do for sell here And they all had the same haircut. But that just went along with the whole removing the individual self which aided in the transition of the material world to a state which could lead to personal mastery. You know how in the movies they have the guy at the altar getting his head shaved and they rename him and all that
Heck I usually just train in a ratty old shirt. And I hate wearing my sash. The only time I'm in "uniform" is on those occassions I meet my sifu at the kwoon. Usually when I'm with my friends though we are out in the yard wearing whatever. To quote that cheesy old movie Sidekicks, " No need Gi to break brick." I can see though why a lot of school use the Gi's now though, it does stand up much better when training throws and Chi' na type things.
The only thing that seperates kung fu as a martial art from other arts is the way in which it applies its use. All realistic MA are just different routes to the same end. Kung Fu, and TCMA as a whole are just one of them. And since TCMA are so broad even to define itself is impossible. The lines aren't so black and white. The only real noticable difference is that TCMA in general apply more circular force than the other Asian arts (though that's not all exclusive) and the one other thing is that it is also so linked with medical application. The old masters realised that in their times, just like in present day. One is much more likely do die of old age or illness than by a physical assault. So kung fu in general, places a lot more emphasis on physical development that the TJMA and Korean arts. Do those other guys PT too? Sure. But its not really placed within the curriculum so much.
You know one interesting thing. When I used to live in Okinawa and watch the old guys doing karate. There were a couple styles (Shohei Ryu is the only one I learned the name of) which really does still have a lot of kung fu flavor. The footwork is a bit more streamlined, a lot of emphasis on 3 stances (horse stance, forward stance and that weird karate not horse stance but not pok ma). But the hand technique was very much the same. They had the tiger and mantis and all that jazz going on. It was very interesting. I wish I could have spoken to the guy about the apps and stuff but well, my Japanese just wasn't that good and I didn't want to offend the guy, just walking up out of the blue and asking him about his MA.
Ummm...hmmm...the only other thing I can think of...Kung Fu masters were not killers as TT put it. Though they weren't all the scholars either. They were just people. They were farmers, doctors, soldiers, cops, religious leaders...a lot like everyone today. The only difference is that they took their training a lot more seriously. Cuz well that's how people fought back then. Kung fu might have been a lot different if guns were invented 300 years sooner or so... But to say that they were deadly perfected killers is just as much an exaggeration as to say they were all divine beings that could float on clouds and played flutes all day. They were human. Skinny, fat, tall, short...they got happy, mad, jelous, apathetic just like the rest of us. Not to debunk anyones faith in the art or anything. If anything I would hope it refocuses you. Those guys got so good but yet they were just human. There is no reason why with the same effort anyone here couldn't be just as good. If anything people now days have more time to train. No one I know is waking up at 4:00 am to milk a cow and plant rice. People have a lot of excuses not to train now days. But work, kids, bills...these aren't new things, people 400 years ago had the same problems. And hey you aren't going to be hanged for bouncing a check
Anyways, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, what's USSD?