Looking for traditional Chinese sword art training in St. Louis

Forbs

White Belt
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Looking for an instructor in the St. Louis area teaching Chinese straight sword. Solid Kung Fu also a plus. I have done quite a bit of research and have found nothing on my end.

Thanks!
 

Flying Crane

Sr. Grandmaster
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Messages
15,230
Reaction score
4,920
Location
San Francisco
I would be very very surprised if you found such instruction. Sword tends to be taught as part of a larger system and a Sifu will not likely teach you sword without you first becoming his student and learning the larger system. And sword is definitely not the first weapon taught.

If you simply walk into a school and ask to be taught sword straight away, the answer will likely be no.
 
OP
F

Forbs

White Belt
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Thank you for your response. I understand your point. That is why I said "solid Kung Fu also a plus", as that will end up being a large part of the curriculum.
 

Mephisto

Black Belt
Joined
Sep 26, 2014
Messages
594
Reaction score
236
Thank you for your response. I understand your point. That is why I said "solid Kung Fu also a plus", as that will end up being a large part of the curriculum.
I have a friend that teaches high level filipino martial arts in St. Louis, if I could train with him regularly I would. If you're not familiar with FMA it's worth checking out. You'll start from day one with a weapon and with a quality instructor youll be moving well in no time. I find FMA is a good medium area between traditional martial arts and more modern reality based systems. A lot of the stick training carries directly over to blade and empty hand fighting. If you're interested let me know.
 

Flying Crane

Sr. Grandmaster
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Messages
15,230
Reaction score
4,920
Location
San Francisco
Thank you for your response. I understand your point. That is why I said "solid Kung Fu also a plus", as that will end up being a large part of the curriculum.
Well it's not so much that solid Kung fu would be a plus. It's that it is the only thing, and sword may be a part of that. Then what you really should focus on is simply finding a good kung fu school. If sword is part of what is taught there, then you may learn it. But be prepared to make a serious commitment of time and energy in training the full system, before you ever pick up a sword.
 
OP
F

Forbs

White Belt
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Thank you for both of your responses.

Flying Crane, I desire to study Chinese straight sword and would like to study Kung Fu. I understand how they are usually a package deal. Finding good Kung Fu in St. Louis would be fantastic. My main goal would be to find a respected Kung Fu school that has solid straight sword curriculum.

Mephisto, I have looked into Filipino martial arts before and have always been interested in them. I appreciate the offer of connecting me with a school in the area. However, I would like to search for a Chinese martial arts school first before I travel that path. I will reach out to you if that search ends in failure.
 

Flying Crane

Sr. Grandmaster
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Messages
15,230
Reaction score
4,920
Location
San Francisco
Thank you for both of your responses.

Flying Crane, I desire to study Chinese straight sword and would like to study Kung Fu. I understand how they are usually a package deal. Finding good Kung Fu in St. Louis would be fantastic. My main goal would be to find a respected Kung Fu school that has solid straight sword curriculum.

Mephisto, I have looked into Filipino martial arts before and have always been interested in them. I appreciate the offer of connecting me with a school in the area. However, I would like to search for a Chinese martial arts school first before I travel that path. I will reach out to you if that search ends in failure.
I'm glad you are recognizing the issue for what it is. That is the best way to deal with it.

I do not know the St. Louis area and cannot make a recommendation. If you can find some websites and link them here, a few of us might be able to give you our thoughts. Keep in mind: often the more traditional minded Sifu may not run a public school and may not advertise and may not have a web site. They may train and teach in the back yard or garage. In my opinion, these are usually the best ones, butn they can be difficult to find if you don't have the right connections. So keep looking, ask around, make connections. Let us know what you find and we'll give some thoughts.
 

greytowhite

Green Belt
Joined
Nov 14, 2012
Messages
160
Reaction score
61
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
I don't know if they've gotten to sword work but there is a student of Li Baohua's teaching Ma Gui (Yin Fu lineage) baguazhang. I'll PM you.
 

Latest Discussions

Top