Martial art study abroad

[Naomi]

Ok so I'm new, please don't shout if I started this thread in the wrong forum..

After searching for martial art training abroad I came across this http://www.worldlinkedu.com/martial_arts.html a while ago, and I'm fairly interested but I'd like to see what opinions other people have on this?

I've trained in Tang Soo Do on and off for from about the age of ten (with a recent 4 year gap). I am currently aiming to grade for my 2nd dan in september. I've always been interested in branching out and trying some different styles, and have always wanted to try Chinese martial arts in particular.

This program looks pretty good, but obviously it's a big commitment, financially and timewise. Opinions from anyone who trains in chinese styles who can shed a bit more light on this for me, or anyone else for that matter willing to share their thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

[Xue Sheng]

I am not familiar with this program.

But is sounds similar to what you can do at the Beijing Wushu College (The actual name slips my mind).

Generally these programs are fairly generic and mostly Wushu for forms.

And it all comes down to what you’re looking for and what you want to train.

You can also study a martial art like Yichuan in Beijing with a very good teacher that would give you a more in-depth understanding of a CMA. If you are interested I can send you the link.

Also I believe the Chen family (Chen Zhanglei) offers something like a year study with room and board for around $2000. But it is a major commitment to train. And you will probably be training with Chen's advanced students more than him.

But here is the kicker, do you speak the language?

This is almost required to train well. However the colleges and I also believe the Chen family offer language lessons. Where the Yiquan master does not.

Also if you study with someone like the Yiquan master you have to find a place to live and pretty much fend for yourself. Where the colleges and Chen family give you room and board for a price of course.

And if you do go to a city like Beijing to train, understand it is an awfully big city, gigantic to be honest and incredibly different from The US. However the food is great.

 

[Phadrus00]

Ok so I'm new, please don't shout if I started this thread in the wrong forum..

After searching for martial art training abroad I came across this http://www.worldlinkedu.com/martial_arts.html a while ago, and I'm fairly interested but I'd like to see what opinions other people have on this?

I've trained in Tang Soo Do on and off for from about the age of ten (with a recent 4 year gap). I am currently aiming to grade for my 2nd dan in september. I've always been interested in branching out and trying some different styles, and have always wanted to try Chinese martial arts in particular.

This program looks pretty good, but obviously it's a big commitment, financially and timewise. Opinions from anyone who trains in chinese styles who can shed a bit more light on this for me, or anyone else for that matter willing to share their thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Naomi,

I think you will find that there are a lot of MT Members that cross-train in different arts and find it a very enriching expereince and that it indeed enhances their abilities in all the arts that they study. Having said that some Arts are more complimentary than others. Two Punching/kicking Arts might have completely different philisophies about stance and body posture and could lead to more confusion and difficulty developing your muscle memory so you should be careful in what arts you select. A great strategy is to choose arts that have little overlap and focus in on different ranges such as grappling, trapping and boxing/kicking. By selecting arts that focus on different ranges you can minimize any contradictions between systems.

You interest in the CMA is admirable! I have studied several systems myself and love tham and continue my studes in Tai Chi currently and find it greatly benefits all the other arts I study and teach (I am primarily an Escrima and Silat practicioner). Many of the Kung-Fu and Wu Shu systems have very intricate and unique movements which may be very different than what you have expereinced to date. this can certainly be a learning expereince foro you but it may require you to "unlearn" much and could slow your progression towards your second Dan.

The program you linked to looked amazing and an incredible opportunity to learn the arts in China from highly qualified instructors, but it would seem to me a trmendously large leap of faith given that you had never tried these arts out before. If it were me in a similar situation I would seek out a local resource to try out the arts to see if you liked them and they complimented your own TSD training before committing the time and money to the program.

Best of luck! I think you will find many wonderful resources here at MT in all the varios arts!

Cheers!

Rob

 

[Naomi]

Thank you very much for your replies, they both gave me some food for thought.

With regards to picking different styles carefully, yes that's a really good point. I've often thought I'd like to try something like ju jitsu, as I have little/no experience with grappling or floorwork etc and I feel like in order to feel more confident within my all round self defence ability this is a gaping void I should probably be looking to fill!

With regards to the CMA I'll take your advice and try it out for a while here to see whether or not it's for me and if the possible benefits are worth the commitment.

You can also study a martial art like Yichuan in Beijing with a very good teacher that would give you a more in-depth understanding of a CMA. If you are interested I can send you the link

If you could that would be great, thanks.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Shuai jiao
http://www.answers.com/topic/shuai-jiao