Checking out some training tonight..

[Jade Tigress]

As some of you know my search for a new school after moving has been difficult. I finally contacted "Sifu Tony" whom I mentioned here. Yes, I have been procrastinating, summer has been busy. BUT I finally made the call.

Anyway, I talked with him for quite some time yesterday. He trains Wing Chun out of his garage. Training is available Mon, Wed, and Thurs. from 6-10pm and Sat 12-4pm, it's $300 every 3 months. He said you pretty much show up any or all of those days for as much or as little time as you would like to spend training. He works with each person according to what level they are. Said there are usually about 6-8 people there at a time, though at times only 1 person shows up. He works with whoever is there. He has one guy drive down from Wisconsin and another from Antioch. Both of which are further than I will be travelling. I'm still not quite sure how long it will take me to get there. Hopefully less than a hour.

I know very little about Wing Chun so I am sure I will be full of questions here. Be gentle with me! lol

I asked about his lineage, he rattled off a bunch of names that meant nothing to me...though I did get "Augustine Fong" out of the mix, and Yip Man as the final. I do trust his legitimacy solely on the premise of who referred me to him and spoke very highly of him.

I am looking forward to checking it out tonight and beginning to learn a new style. I definitely miss my Sil Lum though...

Any pointers for a WC newb as I go in tonight?

 

[Gemini]

Any pointers for a WC newb as I go in tonight?

Well, no, since I don't know squat about it. Just wanted to say "Hope it's worthwhile, have fun and fill us in when it's over.

 

[7starmantis]

Thats awesome, sounds like you might get some good training there too. I hope things go well. I dont practice WC but I would say, just go in with an open mind and try to leave your past training out of the question at least for the first few times so you dont miss something from having a bias. Not that you would, just I've seen it alot.

 

[JBrainard]

I asked about his lineage, he rattled off a bunch of names that meant nothing to me...though I did get "Augustine Fong" out of the mix, and Yip Man as the final. I do trust his legitimacy solely on the premise of who referred me to him and spoke very highly of him.

I'd suggest Googling Augustine Fong and see if the lineage is for real.

WC rules, by the way.

 

[Kensai]

As some of you know my search for a new school after moving has been difficult. I finally contacted "Sifu Tony" whom I mentioned here. Yes, I have been procrastinating, summer has been busy. BUT I finally made the call.

Anyway, I talked with him for quite some time yesterday. He trains Wing Chun out of his garage. Training is available Mon, Wed, and Thurs. from 6-10pm and Sat 12-4pm, it's $300 every 3 months. He said you pretty much show up any or all of those days for as much or as little time as you would like to spend training. He works with each person according to what level they are. Said there are usually about 6-8 people there at a time, though at times only 1 person shows up. He works with whoever is there. He has one guy drive down from Wisconsin and another from Antioch. Both of which are further than I will be travelling. I'm still not quite sure how long it will take me to get there. Hopefully less than a hour.

I know very little about Wing Chun so I am sure I will be full of questions here. Be gentle with me! lol

I asked about his lineage, he rattled off a bunch of names that meant nothing to me...though I did get "Augustine Fong" out of the mix, and Yip Man as the final. I do trust his legitimacy solely on the premise of who referred me to him and spoke very highly of him.

I am looking forward to checking it out tonight and beginning to learn a new style. I definitely miss my Sil Lum though...

Any pointers for a WC newb as I go in tonight?

Wow, that's a lot of info to take in. Right, where to start.

I can't comment on the prices, as I'm sure there's a world of difference between what you'd get for your dollar or pound sterling. I wouldn't place too much emphasis on lineage either, IMHO it doesn't really mean that much except for people for enjoy MA politics, which I don't.

Wing Chun is VERY simple. No flashy stuff at all. Some great conditioned reflex training through chi sao. Sounds as though it'll be a small group which should give him more time to spend with you on a one to one basis. Check it out, let us know how it goes, and the content of the classes, it's difficult to predict how it'll be for you without being there. I'm sure you'll enjoy it either way. Not sure what your background is, so you may come home covered in bruises to arms and face?

Not a huge amount of flashy kicks. Just feel it. Enjoy it. Let us know what happens, how it goes etc. Good luck. :asian:

 

[arnisador]

I did Wing Chun for the past six months, before moving home. I like it and think it's a good system. Expect a compact, close-in, carefully delineated art, with a relatively limited number of techniques (though of course instructors and substyles vary). Probably one big change will be very little footwork at first--that comes later. I thought it was interesting and effective.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Thanks everyone. I will keep you posted. Our plum blossom strikes in Sil Lum are very WC oriented. I am expecting the biggest differences to be in the area of footwork, angles, kicks, and forms, as I think those are not a big focus in WC. I am looking for something practical, not flashy. It's cool if it looks good, but if it isn't applicable in a real-life situation then it's not essential to me.

I will fill you in tommorrow.

 

[ed-swckf]

I am expecting the biggest differences to be in the area of footwork, angles, kicks, and forms, as I think those are not a big focus in WC.

Whilst they may be different, there is a lot of focus on footwork, angles, kicks and forms in wing chun. In fact footwork is essential to make any art work, angles and kicks tie in with this and wing chun has very practical kicking. Wing chun is often thought of as an art with less focus on kicking because of what people see up top. Try to think of it like this: Wing chun is a duck gliding along on the water, you tend not to see just how much work the feet are doing under the water to move and steer that little ball of feathers. Forms are foccussed on and everything from them is taken into application, they are full of a myriad of stuff that keeps you coming back to them over and over.

Hope you enjoy it.

 

[profesormental]

Greetings!

Sounds like many SiFu's that train for the love of the art! I trained like that teaching at the university grounds before getting my own studio (I have offices there so I got my job and tranining in one place!!).

The price seems fair for the amounnt of instruction. Wing Chun systems in general emphasize strong basiscs... the difference is in the emphasis between flow and structure. Sil Lum Tao (the first form) teaches solid structure. Chum Kiu (second form) emphasises footwork and closing the gap. The Mook Jong (the dummy) trains combinations, entries, throws, unbalancing the opponent, and perfection of execution structure... while Chi Sao integrates these concepts and more into your neurology through alive training.

So you'll be getting a lot of practice! I hope you enjoy... and remember that you get out how much you put in it... the lineage is mostly unimportant... the execution and how better you can become is important!

I also recommend that you get as much Wing Chun materials from all sources possible... books, videos, etc.

Hope that helps!

Sincerely,

Juan M. Mercado

 

[Jade Tigress]

Thanks everyone. Slight change of plans...the WC instruction is located approximately 45-50 min. from my home...I got a good lead on a Mantis school 10 min. from my home. I am going to go get some more information on that tonight and then make the long drive tomorrow if need be.

I have had a very difficult time getting connected with legitimate kung fu instruction of any kind around here, and nothing at all in what I had been studying...so it's been a real process.I will be happy to find something that really clicks with me be it Mantis or WC. All I know is I'm jonesin' to get training again. Will keep you posted on my journey...or should I say saga...lol.

 

[Flying Crane]

Thanks everyone. Slight change of plans...the WC instruction is located approximately 45-50 min. from my home...I got a good lead on a Mantis school 10 min. from my home. I am going to go get some more information on that tonight and then make the long drive tomorrow if need be.

I have had a very difficult time getting connected with legitimate kung fu instruction of any kind around here, and nothing at all in what I had been studying...so it's been a real process.I will be happy to find something that really clicks with me be it Mantis or WC. All I know is I'm jonesin' to get training again. Will keep you posted on my journey...or should I say saga...lol.

Very good. Just make the commitment to the one that speaks to you the strongest, even if it is further away. That is something that only you can answer. In the long run, you will be better for it.

 

[Jade Tigress]

Very good. Just make the commitment to the one that speaks to you the strongest, even if it is further away. That is something that only you can answer. In the long run, you will be better for it.

Absolutely, and I have no problem driving the distance if that's the case.

 

[Cryozombie]

I keep telling ya... theres a GOOD south mantis school right there in your town...
​

 

[Jade Tigress]

I keep telling ya... theres a GOOD south mantis school right there in your town...
​

That's where I went last night and it was awesome. My initial hesitation in taking up mantis was my idea that the low stances would be hard on my knees. Low stances were stressed in my previous style and I can hold a very low stance, I was thinking there is no way I get lower than this without having knee issues.
I have since learned (thanks to Adam) that while mantis does focus on low stances, it is often not lower than any other southern style, and that the low focus is more on center rather than stance.

Anyway, I was very encouraged by what I saw. Some of the things I desire in training are circular/angular movements, developing chi as a by-product of training in addition to including chi gong exercises, and real-life application.

This school focuses on all these things. The class I observed and will be attending has about 10-12 students. Unfortunately there are no childrens classes for my son. My son is 12 and the youngest this school will take is 13 and they have to train with the adults.

But he will be happy to do TKD. He is immature and I believe will get more enjoyment from an art with a different focus. He wants board breaking for one...and wants to train with other kids his age. And that's cool with me. He's young and can investigate as many styles as he wants to find what he wants long-term training in.

Sifu Richard L. Gamboa is the instructor. It is southern praying mantis style. He has been teaching since '86 and training since age 7.

Here is an excerpt from the school brochure:

At our school, our goals include not only buildiing self defense skills, but in developoing each person as a whole. Because we teach a traditional form of Kung Fu, the focus of the training is not solely Martial Arts techniques, but on building positive values in our students.

Although we base our techniques on centuries old knowledge, it is our application of that knowledte that sets the instructours and students at Action Kung Fu apart from the rest. We realize that each of you possess different natural abilities, size, and strength. Therefore, once you have acquired a strong foundation and ability in the basics, we individualize our program, based on your physical capabilities, to mazimize your self-defense skillls. Should the need arise, you will possess a firm understanding of exactly what it takes to both mentally and physically defend yourself and you loved ones.

Regarding Sifu Gamboa:

...His perserverance and hard work resulted in being the younest to test and qualify to instruct in the Souhtern Praying Mantis system. Sifu Richard still receives advanced training in Kung Fu, Chi Kung and Chinese medicine.

A martial arts instructor with a degress in Tui Na massage, Sifu Richard's chief interest is the positive effect that martial arts training has on the community.

...he gives seminars and has initiated special programs to encourage people from all backgrounds to take advantage of marial arts training, which he feels is the best way for both kids and adults alike to reach their full potential as individuals. Kung Fu is a way of life for Sifu Richard and that is what he teaches his students.

So, needless to say, I am quite excited. My first class is Monday at 7pm. Woohoo!!!!

I will start a new thread on my training progress.

 

[Cryozombie]

That's where I went last night and it was awesome.

My nephew teaches there too... unfortunatley he fell off a roof last weekend and broke his collarbone in 3 places... But if you do train there and see a shaggy kid with lots of tats teaching classes named Riley...

 

[Jade Tigress]

My nephew teaches there too... unfortunatley he fell off a roof last weekend and broke his collarbone in 3 places... But if you do train there and see a shaggy kid with lots of tats teaching classes named Riley...

Cool. I'm sure I'll see him at some point. Sorry to hear about his accident. Hope he heals quickly. There are no if's about it my friend, I am training there. Yeah Baby!

 

[ed-swckf]

Thanks everyone. Slight change of plans...the WC instruction is located approximately 45-50 min. from my home...I got a good lead on a Mantis school 10 min. from my home. I am going to go get some more information on that tonight and then make the long drive tomorrow if need be.

I have had a very difficult time getting connected with legitimate kung fu instruction of any kind around here, and nothing at all in what I had been studying...so it's been a real process.I will be happy to find something that really clicks with me be it Mantis or WC. All I know is I'm jonesin' to get training again. Will keep you posted on my journey...or should I say saga...lol.

well that would be cool, i'm not that up on mantis but i hope whatever you end up doing gives you enjoyment. I Just hope you get training again soon, look forward to hearing how it goes.