View Full Version : is there a real school in San Francisco??
I'm looking for a real school in San Francisco.
By "real" I mean a school which:
- Teaches a real fighting style that is effective in real-life situations.
- Has sparring and lots of two-person exercises to actually train people to fight.
- Is run by teachers who are true experts in the style.
- Does not have all kinds of money-grubbing or political issues such as: thousands of dollars required to learn the higher levels, invitation-only acceptance into a sifu program required to learn the 'real stuff', etc.
Anyone have any hints?
I know there are lots of schools in the Bay Area, but I am in San Francisco and am unable to commute to go to class.
I have also been referred in the past to some very worthy teachers who have no school facilities and therefore don't do any sparring. I am convinced that only two-person exercises and sparring will really allow me to be able to put techniques to use if necessary.
Thanks very much for your help!
SevenStar
08-05-2002, 08:47 PM
Talk to MonkeySlapToo
anton
08-06-2002, 01:45 AM
http://www.pantherfist.com/
That pantherfist site is kind of scary: it says nothing about what they teach or how much it costs, and you have to go through a dozen pages or so of self-promotion and abstruse controversy about lineage to even get the phone number of the school.
And they're in Hayward, not SF.
Thanks anyway, though.
Crimson Phoenix
08-06-2002, 04:58 AM
LOL and they don't seem to like our Fu-Pow and Extrajoseph LOL
anton
08-06-2002, 05:59 AM
Well, I'll take the fifth on the site... but I can tell you that Sifu Dave Lacey, is an awesomely skilled master. When he was teaching here, his was one of the few schools that insisted you go at least 3 times a week, at over 2 hours per session - which often included one-on-one time. The grading system was very simple - only 4 sashes. And the fees were significantly below average.
Merryprankster
08-06-2002, 08:55 AM
Fairtex
I also think that Ralph's school is in SF somewhere.
Focus on eating in Chinatown :) I miss San Francisco.
Have a "Nutty Irishman" at the Buena Vista Cafe for me... and find out if that little Russian restaurant at the bottom of Russian Hill is still there. Totally hole in the wall, but the best Borscht ever....
MonkeySlap Too
08-06-2002, 09:05 AM
I don't teach in SF - and just about everyone I hang with is outside the city.
I second the Fairtex nomination as A.) It is a very good school B.) What they teach and how they teach it seems to fit your outlook.
Heck, if they were just a few blocks closer, I'd go there during lunch just for the conditioning.
There are others I would suggest, but I think Fairtex fits your desires.
SevenStar
08-06-2002, 09:28 AM
I miss San Francisco also. Can't wait to go back
Rockwood
08-06-2002, 10:02 AM
Fairtex teaches Muay Thai, lots of brutal conditioning, repetitions of punches and kicks, with trainers who have tons of ringfighting knowledge. Very good stuff. Once you've been there a couple of months, you go get your doctor's permission and you are allowed to spar.
The last saturday of every month is the "smoker" open to all styles. You are matched with someone near your weight, if you're lucky, then you go 3 two minute rounds. I've seen some hardcore knockouts, this is no joke. The guys from EBM in Oakland have done quite well using their Shaolin and San Shou and Xingyi(?) techniques. Haven't seen anyone from a "real" internal school take the challenge yet....
After all that, my opinion is that sparring isn't everything. To me sparring is a tool like two man drills, forms, techniques etc. For Muay Thai, the art IS sparring, the rest of the stuff is just preparation. My advice is to decide for yourself whether you spar as training or you train to spar.
-JessO
I've not visited the school, though I had an opportunity to do so some years back, when I met Master Zhong Luo. Kungfu Qigong Magazine of Dec. 2000 contained a background article.
Can't give any pro's or con's on something I haven't personally checked out.
White Dragon Kung Fu Academy, 2799 Bryant St., SF
(Long Ying and Bak Mei)
Cody
MonkeySlap Too
08-06-2002, 11:35 AM
Oh yeah, I forgot about him as I'm not as social on the CMA scene as I was back in Chi-town.
I've seen this guy - he's top notch. I spent a few years in Chu Gar - so I've got an educated palate for Hakka fist. I thought his Bak Mei was high calibre. Worth checking out.
From what I've heard of Muay Thai, a big part of the training has to do with being hit a lot to develop toughness in the shins and forearms.
That's not the kind of training I really want to do. I want to learn a real style, and do two person exercises and sparring as part of training, but not to the extreme of severe pain in every session!
So what do y'all think?
I tried checking out the White Dragon Kung Fu Academy's web site... it's gone. I then tried calling them at a number I found through a web search... the number is an answering machine with a young woman's voice saying "I can't get to the phone right now".
I think they must have moved or be gone... any more hints???
Thanks.
Abstract
08-06-2002, 06:23 PM
teach Choy Lay Fut in San Francisco? or no? is he any good? i dunno, i've never been there to see his school/students. just throwin it out there...
I looked at Tat Mau Wong's school, and there are a few warning flags:
- They wear special uniforms.
- They have a "black belt" program
- They have a "masters program"
Maybe I'm deluded, but I feel as if a genuine school would be more traditional-chinese in style: no special uniforms, no belts, no special levels, etc.
Is anyone familiar with this school?
Abstract
08-06-2002, 06:53 PM
- They wear special uniforms.
- They have a "black belt" program
- They have a "masters program"
hmmm..okay...didn't know all that, i'd be alil' apprehensive too.
I tried checking out the White Dragon Kung Fu Academy's web site... it's gone. I then tried calling them at a number I found through a web search... the number is an answering machine with a young woman's voice saying "I can't get to the phone right now".
Dude, if you really want to check the school out, PM me and let me know. I think I can probably help to arrange that for you. The school has recently moved.
anton
08-07-2002, 04:23 AM
forearm conditioning only hurts for the first month... and its not that bad anyway. You gradually hit harder and harder, after a month it hardly hurts at all - after two months your forearms are hard as steel - definitely worth doing if its not part of your training. Besides -as one sihing used to tell me- "its only pain - it never hurt anyone!"
Water Dragon
08-07-2002, 07:50 AM
Fong Ha is in San Francisco
Fong Ha, judging from his website: http://www.fongha.com/ici.htm doesn't emphasize the fighting aspects of his art... seems to focus on chi gung and tai chi as meditation... he does mention self defense but it seems more of an afterthought. Or maybe I'm wrong about that?
http://www.hungfayi.com teaches wing chun, which I hear isn't one of the more effective styles of Kung Fu... again, am I wrong about that?
Thanks again everyone... any more suggestions? :)
anton
08-07-2002, 07:43 PM
I'd say wing chun is one of the more easily-applicable styles around, I suppose this depends on the teacher... but I'd say definitely worth a look - watch a couple of training sessions. The style of training/teaching is just as important as the style, when you're looking for a MA.
Syre,
You hear and you know little...
Hey, I want to learn. I'm not saying I know anything.
What I heard was that Wing Chun has only 3 sets and lacks many of the useful techniques of other styles.
I also heard that one reason for this is that there were many breaks in the Wing Chun lineage, during which certain parts of it were lost.
Is it true? I don't know. I don't want this thread to turn into an argument about Wing Chun... I'm still just looking for a genuine school in SF which teaches an effective style and has some sparring where helpful.
Yea, i think you are better off with a flowery style...like choy li fut...
or 8 step mantis...they have tons of sets and forms for you.
forget i mentioned wing chun. ;)
brothernumber9
08-09-2002, 09:54 AM
i do not study choy lay fut or under Sifu Tat Mau Wong but I will attest that they are a good traditional chinese martial arts school at least by the limited experience i've had meeting some of them and watching some of them. Sifu Tat Mau Wong was a high ranking student under Sifu Lee Koon Hung whose name and repute are known world wide, so thier root is impeccable. Uniforms wether required or not should be no indication of anything at least as far as "warning" flags are concerned. There's hype both positive and negative for probably any public martial arts school/program/family that has a large number of students. Don't believe the hype, go try a class anywhere that a trial is offered, make your decision from there.
Anon:
I am sorry if I offended you, but it may merely be ignorance on my part. Muay Thai is said to have very few techniques, yet is known to be effective. Perhaps this is true for Wing Chun as well. I have also heard the saying "I don't fear the man with a million techniques, I fear the man with a technique he has practiced a million times".
Perhaps I should ask elsewhere about styles, if it turns out there actually are a few good schools to choose from.
Thanks again, and if anyone else has any more suggestions I'll appreciate getting them.
anton
08-10-2002, 02:35 AM
Originally posted by Anon
Yea, i think you are better off with a flowery style...like choy li fut...
or 8 step mantis...they have tons of sets and forms for you.
forget i mentioned wing chun. ;)
Where did you get the idea that CLF is "flowery" ?
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