What style would be best for moi? (me)

[Julien]

hi everyone

i'm new to the boards and i have recently become really interested in 'kung-fu'

i have been reading about many styles so far and i dunno what to take

i am 15, asian-french-canadian, 110lbs... i am very fast but i probably have an average strength. I have decent flexibility (i can kick up to my head without hunching my back) and i can last for a long time.

i have been really looking at white crane, praying mantis and wung chun

i may be moving near an area where i can find a good 'dojo' (proper term?). So please... help a guy out :D

[apoweyn]

here's the first two pieces of advice you're likely to get from anyone here:

1) take trial classes and see how you feel about them

there's really not a substitute for direct experience. if you've got a friend with some experience, bring them along to watch a class.

2) look for the instructor, not the style

someone summed it up beautifully recently. learning a good style from a bad teacher will ruin the experience.

you could enjoy and benefit from any style you mentioned, depending on the people involved.

now if you want to share some preferences, training goals, etc., people might be able to get specific with you. (interested in competition? enjoy high kicking? don't enjoy kicking at all? and so on)

i hope that helps for starters.


stuart b.

[Julien]

oh, i've been in TKD, have a bit of boxing experience

my uncle taught be a bit of kung fu (not sure what style... i was nine) i would have him come but he's in vietnam :P

anyway, i'm going to Newmarket (near Toronto) in june for 3 weeks and i was going to check out the Dojos for a bit

i will look for quality but i don't want something like a monkey-style

do dojos usually teach more than one style?

oh, and i don't really like high-kicking since it seems like it's more effort than it's worth when low-kicking seems stronger, faster and harder to defend from. (arms are high-up)

[apoweyn]

i think 'kwoon' is the word you're looking for. gung fu schools are called kwoons.

anyway, i'm not going to try and advise you because i'm not a gung fu practitioner myself. i'll leave that to other people.


stuart b.

[Julien]

heh, thx for your advices so far

kwoon... cool :D

white crane and praying mantis have really caught my attention though. (excited as hell)

[KC Elbows]

Try starting a thread asking about good kung fu schools in the area you're gonna be at? That way, you can find some of the more qualified teachers, and choose from them.

Usually, people will title such threads something like "Kung fu schools in Boise" or wherever.

Good luck.

[apoweyn]

no worries.

one more piece of advice. there are some extremely knowledgeable and helpful people on this board. there are also some complete arseheads. you'll figure out one from the other. just keep a thick skin and don't take anything too personally.


stuart b.

[Julien]

heh, i can just ask my mom - who lives in newmarket - about some school and she can get another one of my uncles (related thru marriage... forgot about him heh) who knows some kind of kung fu to check it out with me

so... styles? :D

[DelicateSound]

Which style is not as important as which teacher. But it is still d a m n important. :D

I want to learn Wing Chun. I'm having to wait till I go to Uni 'cause the only school in my area stinks. I have tried a few things, Kung Fu, Judo, Jujitsu etc. Did Judo for 2 yrs. Liked it, but its not for me.


Unless you're 100% sure on a school try them all. Only when you find the style that it perfect for you, with a Sifu that is perfect for you should you then dedicate 20+ yrs of your life for it.



Some guy across an internet forum saying "Do Hsing-Y it's the best" won't solve the problem for you. He may think Hsing-Y is the best. You might hate it. The Sifu near you may be toss...etc.


Only way to find out is to go out, and try everything.




If you go to www.about.com you can get a list of style-briefs, BTW.

[Julien]

hmmm... ya, but it's so long til june

just think of my body-type and try and pull something out of your @ss :P

whenever i like something, i like to know lots on it (precautions... i now know more about medieval weapons and warfare than anyone i have met hehe... and about Neverwinter Nights)

[DelicateSound]

How tall are you?

[Julien]

oh, heh... how could i forget that

um... about 5foot5

[DelicateSound]

Then I'd recommend something closer in. In long-range combat a 6'0 guy will hand you your ass on a plate. Go for something like Wing Chun maybe, or possibly Jujitsu if you like that kind of thing.


BJJ if you like rolling around on the floor with other men also.




Just my opinion though. Some would argue that shorter people need a long-fist style.

[Julien]

ya, i've been seriosuly considering Wing Chun

i really want some information on Praying Mantis and White Crane though... everytime i look at the other styles, those both just draw me in

i really want to learn evasion so that's why i am drawn to White Crane the most.

[scotty1]

Well, I don't know an incredible amount about differing Kungfu styles, but the advice about teachers has been spot on.

I am currently learning kickboxing because all my local Kungfu is a bit, erm, wishy washy.

Welcome to the board. By the way, you might want to use the words 'I have good endurance' instead of 'and i can last for a long time. '

Opening yourself for some jokes about your sex life there mate.

:)

Yeah, being short means that you don't want to hang around in someones kicking/punching range without being able to hit them back. Your style should move you in, so the height advantage is negated. Of course you'll still need evasion skills, but it doesn't matter how good you can evade, unless you are 100% perfect at it if you're relying on evading kicks and punches then you will get hit.

[NPMantis]

Personally I would do what apoweyn said. Often research on the net gives you a false impression, the best way is to go to a class.

I do mantis, it has many long and short range techniques as well as grapplng and anti-grappling techniques, weapons, etc. basically everything I was looking for.

I was originally looking closely at Wing Chun and it looks great but I have a friend who does mantis (southern) which is obviously very different but it got me looking and I decided to try a mantis class (northern) and after seeing the instructor and style (both of which were exactly what I was looking for) I decided to stay.

Have a look but basically remember there are 3 elements which will determine how good you will be : the student, the teacher and the art - all of which must match.

Hope this helps!


DelicateSound - Where abouts you going to learn Wing Chun? (I'm from London)

[Leonidas]

I suggest you concentrate on the styles that intrigues you the most which seems to be White crane or Praying mantis. You can listen to someone a 1000 miles away telling you from his/her computer to study x style based on a few numbers you wrote representing your body type or you could actually learn something you enjoy. Studying an art is 90 % based on enjoyment (someone else mentioned this on another thread) since your not defending your village against an army. You can do an art halfassed and switch to something else in the future anyway or you can gain the most from it and start right away. Body type is really not an issue since Kung Fu was used but Asian men sometimes growing no taller than 5'0, and it is supposed to allow you to overcome stronger opponents using leverage and timing and superior techniques and theories compared to your average arm flailer, all the stuff found in a good art, and most all kung fu styles tell you to kick below the waist even if they contain high kicks which is usually just for training and flexiblity and not for fighting. The general concensus is to base your decision on a good instructor and more importantly what you enjoy learning. Wushu is sure as hell not for fighting but thousands of people sign up for it every year.

On a side note, i'd be crapping my pants if i found a White Crane school, which i cant seem to do. But thats just my personal favorite. White Crane and Wing Chun are pretty similar to each other so thats another plus. Praying mantis is a different animal all together. I'd say their all pretty much equal to each other in effectiveness though which is another reason to choose based on what interests you.