help the newbe

[Mic]

Hi there,i am very interested in Kung Fu have been researching it becuase i really want to make it the first martial art I take but here is the problem.The more i find out about Kung Fu the more cunfused I am.There seems to be a never ending list of types and styles and types within types within types.could some one explane it all to me it would be more apreseated than you could ever know.

Also i know there are a ton of martial arts where schools i live but good luck finding them on the web.If anyone knows of any kung fu schools of any kind in or around Cincinnati please let me know so i can go check them out and see what i think.thank you

 

[Xue Sheng]

OK, I am going to show the world I am in fact old.

Try checking the phone book; it is likely that many are listed in the Yellow pages.

You seem to be going about this correctly, you REALLY need to go check out the school before you go and in some cases train a style for a bit in order to decide which I best for you.

You may love the style but not like the teacher or his/her teaching style and that is important to learning CMA too.

And yup, there are a lot of CMA styles and many of those styles are broken down into variations of that style.

As to schools around your area, I am sorry I do not know any there but it is likely there is someone on MT that does and they will be along soon

Good luck in your search

 

[Jade Tigress]

I'm sorry I can't help you with a specific school in your area but I will say the task of finding the right school can be daunting. How do you know it's a good school? You're just gonna have to visit a few and see what clicks for you. As you gain more experience you'll be able to better determine if it's something you want to stick with or if you run across red flags in your training.

What styles are available in your area? Do have any instructor names? Good luck on your search! :asian:

 

[MA-Caver]

sometimes being a newbie can be like... this!

 

[theletch1]

Caver, are you suggesting that he look into one of the feline styles of kung fu?:ultracool

There are some very knowledgable folks here on MT so post what you can about styles and instructors and see what kinda feedback you get. As for actually finding that perfect school, well, Jade was right on the money. MA is a lifelong pursuit for any serious martial artist and the first school you attend can make or break your desire to continue in the arts. You're gonna have to pound the pavement from school to school and sit and watch and talk to instructors and students and research the styles on the web and ....well, you get the picture. Follow your gut about the schools you visit but not so far as to buy into too much of the eastern mysticism that instructors are demi-gods. I'd put chosing my school second only to the choosing a wife. The difference is that unless you sign one hell of a bad contract, when the school boots you out they don't keep all your stuff.:ultracool

Good luck. Keep us posted and don't get frustrated.

 

[wesley]

my best advice is to try a lot of different schools..

and meet a lot of different teachers..

you might think an art is cool...but if you dont like the teacher, well, it's not worth doing..
find someone you will truly learn from.

i skipped around from tae kwon do, to several different types of karate, and ended up in this back woods dojo learning a mixture of about 6 different Martial Arts from an old hermit.

but i learned more about fighting, control, and disipline from him in ONE MONTH than i did in 8 years of study at all the other schools put together!

good luck mic. it can be very hard at first... but when you find a good school it makes a world of difference.

 

[Mic]

I want to thank everyone for the advise and plan on keeping you posted on what I find.I know it will be hard but I have great willpower and wont let that keep me down.Again thank you all very much

 

[newtothe dark]

One other thing is as you get styles and or names of the teachers in your area come back to the forum with that information. Alot of the posters here have been around the CMA and other arts along time they might be able to guide you some with more definate info. They are a passionate bunch but the are here to help.

Just teasing guys dont set me on fire lol.

 

[MA-Caver]

Caver, are you suggesting that he look into one of the feline styles of kung fu?:ultracool

Yeah, because with all those dobies... I'd think he'd need a fast, fierce and devastating style ... like Tiger

 

[xiongnu_lohon]

if you live in cincinatti then you could train at western hills. the style is tien shan pai which is a northern style and the instructor is cool - I've met him and I like him.

I live on the east coast but I went out that way in summer of 04.

 

[Rabu]

I have met Shifu Martin Ware, good man, good shifu, good students.

See if it matches what you are looking for.

Best regards,

Rob

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

Hi there,i am very interested in Kung Fu have been researching it becuase i really want to make it the first martial art I take but here is the problem.The more i find out about Kung Fu the more cunfused I am.There seems to be a never ending list of types and styles and types within types within types.could some one explane it all to me it would be more apreseated than you could ever know.

Also i know there are a ton of martial arts where schools i live but good luck finding them on the web.If anyone knows of any kung fu schools of any kind in or around Cincinnati please let me know so i can go check them out and see what i think.thank you

I don't think anyone could explain all the different styles and types and what not it would take a while! I think you should consider what your aim is in learning Kung fu. Why Kung fu, What attracts you to it in general. Usually the best thing to do is go all the schools and ask the Sifu questions that fit what your looking for. Maybe try a class or 2 because seeing it and doing it are 2 different feelings.

 

[CatNap]

You might try posting on www.Craigslist.org

Belive it or not, you may actually get lucky by some of the replies. For myself, I did a lot of searching on the Internet more than anything and asking around in general. Yes, the phone book helps but not every school is advertised.

 

[LanJie]

Hello,

I agree with what most people in this thread have said. It seems you have been doing your research but have not come to very many conclusions to what you like about kung fu.

I think the first thing you should do is look in your area to find the kung fu schools that are available. You can do this buy looking in the yellow pages and internet searches

Then from your research try to determine which type of kung fu interests you more Northern or Southern. Northern deals more with jumping, flying kicks and movement to bridge the gap with your opponent while Southern styles use deep stances and the bridge hands for self defense. Southern styles also tend to have the focus on the five animals of Shaolin (Crane, Dragon, Leopard, Snake, Tiger). Northern School more commonly will focus on one animal like Northern Mantis or Eagle Claw.

(Common Northern Styles are Northern Mantis Schools, Ying Jow Pai: Northern Eagle Claw, Bak Sil Lum:Northern Shaolin, and Chang Chuan: Long Fist)

(Common Southern Kung Fu Styles are Hung Gar, Choy li Fut, Hung Fut, Bak Mei: White Eyebrow)

After you determine what you like and what is available you should then start call schools and asking to watch a class. I would tell the Sifus that you are checking out many schools and you will make a decision later.

I also think it is a good idea to check your local paper for information on times for traditional Chinese festivals, Chinese New Year(anywhere from January to February) and Harvest Moon (Late Summer). When you attend these free events you get to see many local area kung fu school without even asking.

Also remember the ancient Chinese martial proverb, It is better to search three years for a good master then to spend ten years with a bad one.

Good Luck

Sincerely,
Steve

 

[Jade Tigress]

Hello,

I agree with what most people in this thread have said. It seems you have been doing your research but have not come to very many conclusions to what you like about kung fu.

I think the first thing you should do is look in your area to find the kung fu schools that are available. You can do this buy looking in the yellow pages and internet searches

Then from your research try to determine which type of kung fu interests you more Northern or Southern. Northern deals more with jumping, flying kicks and movement to bridge the gap with your opponent while Southern styles use deep stances and the bridge hands for self defense. Southern styles also tend to have the focus on the five animals of Shaolin (Crane, Dragon, Leopard, Snake, Tiger). Northern School more commonly will focus on one animal like Northern Mantis or Eagle Claw.

(Common Northern Styles are Northern Mantis Schools, Ying Jow Pai: Northern Eagle Claw, Bak Sil Lum:Northern Shaolin, and Chang Chuan: Long Fist)

(Common Southern Kung Fu Styles are Hung Gar, Choy li Fut, Hung Fut, Bak Mei: White Eyebrow)

After you determine what you like and what is available you should then start call schools and asking to watch a class. I would tell the Sifus that you are checking out many schools and you will make a decision later.

I also think it is a good idea to check your local paper for information on times for traditional Chinese festivals, Chinese New Year(anywhere from January to February) and Harvest Moon (Late Summer). When you attend these free events you get to see many local area kung fu school without even asking.

Also remember the ancient Chinese martial proverb, It is better to search three years for a good master then to spend ten years with a bad one.

Good Luck

Sincerely,
Steve

Excellent advice, and welcome to Martial Talk! :asian:

 

[Steel Tiger]

I think it is a good idea to try out a lot of different styles before choosing one. Having said that you can focus your search with a bit of research into the various styles. Some will just appeal and others won't. There is no point in going along to a class in a style you don't like, you won't get what you want from it.

The next step would be to take the ones you find most appealing and consider the teacher. It really all comes down to the teacher. As LanJie said its better to take the time to find a good teacher, by that I mean one you are comfortable with, than spend too much time with a bad one.

The results of your search might surprise you. You could very well end up studying a style you didn't expect.

 

[ChukaSifu2]

All of the inputs you have received so far are great. Here are some other.
A few things you may want to consider as well are,

What is your body structure/small-thin-tall-large framed.

What are your personal strenghths./upper body-lower body strenghth

your age/ meaning if this is the only art you wish to train will you be able to adapt with it as you age.

Do you have the time it takes to committ to some of the styles/ internal,long and deep systems/external, mechanics of movements may come easier and quicker to actually apply and see benefits of training.

Will you be able to keep training in this style even if the kwoon you are training in closes. Meaning is it esoteric like some of the Mantis systems, hard to find alot of Sifu's teaching it.

How deep does it get/meaning like Tai Chi, performance improves with proper applications and age.

Do they offer weapons forms with that style should you choose to learn one or many.

How far down in generations is the teacher from it's founders./A lot could be lost threw the handing down of the system.

Why are you doing it/for health/for self defense, so on.

I hope some of this helps.

 

[JadeDragon3]

I live about an hour away (Lexington, Ky) from Cincinnati. I don't know if thats to far for you to travel but there is a school there that is really good. It's called Four Seasons Martial Arts School. The owners name is Michael O'Donnell. They teach Sil Lum Kung Fu, Wu Shu, Boxing, BJJ, and MMA. They have a octagon ring for MMA & BJJ, a boxing ring for boxing, and a room with floor mats to do kung fu.

All the teachers there are very knowledgable (sp?). The kung fu & Wu Shu teachers are Lily Li, Hugh Samples, and Gary Dezarn. The style of kung fu they teach is Sil Lum Kung Fu. (Cantonese pronounciation for Shaolin, not to be confused with Sin The' and Shaolin Do).