IL & Chicago peeps/some schools

[Black Jack]

Hong Chao Zhang

Shanxi HsingI

3720 N. Ravenswood
Chicago, IL 60615
312-883-1016

Richard Baron

Hsing I, Chen Tai Chi, Splashing Hands (McNeal Student)

Chiago and Depaul U.
847-702-7581
warriorof heaven1@aol.com (?)
Group and private lessons

Chinese Gung Fu Club of Dekalb

Tai Praying Mantis and 2 Northen Shaolin Systems

http://www.sifuberry.addr.com/

Enjoy and I hope these work if anybody is looking.

[norther practitioner]

what about the shaolin/ interplanetary karate school?

[Water Dragon]

What about the Golden Mountain?
What about Wai Lun Choi?

[carly]

"Green Dragon Tai Mantis kung fu"? and where did Arthur Berry learn it, who from, etc?

[shaolin kungfu]

Arthur berry is a fraud.

[carly]

http://www.geocities.com/mantiscave/frame.htm
Lanard Martin, Berry's stated teacher of this system "known in Hong Kong and Vietnam" doesn't appear in it anywhere.

[shaolin kungfu]

He doesn't know much shaolin either. Yet somehow he calls himself grandmaster and claims to teach it.

[Nevermind]

Although I am not familiar with Sifu Art Berry, Grandmaster Chin appears to have been the real deal. His senior students still operate his school here in Milwaukee. I visited a couple of times while searching for a Kung Fu school. They seemed to be a really nice group of people. Whenever I meet people in the martial arts community here in Wisconsin, they always speak of him with high regard.

[shaolin kungfu]

When did you stop by? Thanks for the complimant of our school.

[Black Jack]

Just posting some stuff I found on the net incase somebody did not know they existed.

I hear great stuff about Choi from you guys all the time. You guys know about Choi. These might of been new.

[KC Elbows]

Hong Chao Zhang is a great guy, I learned some longfist from him a while back. His accupressure work is also top notch. His stuff is from the mainland universities and from traditional teachers, and he's old enough that the wushu he knows are essentially traditional sets, before they started to move away from applications. He's a total perfectionist.

He also happens to be about the nicest guy I've ever trained under. He's got a book out on the wild goose chi kung set, everyone raved about his tai chi, but I never studied it with him. His senior externals guy is out here now, we spar all the time.

[MasterKiller]

Guo Jianhua runs a school in Chicago.

http://www.cmaawushu.com/

[Nevermind]

I visited you guys' school about 4 years ago. I sat in and watched a beginners class and on another occasion I watched an advanced class. It was all good stuff and everyone was really friendly and made sure they came and introduced themselves. However, at the time, they were not enrolling new students and the schedule for the classes was not going to work for me at that time. So I ended up at another school. Since then, I have met quite a few people who knew of you guys' Sigung and he is always spoken of with much respect to this day. I'm sure he would be proud to know that his students are still carrying on his legacy.

[fa_jing]

www.mantisfist.com

www.ngfamilymartialarts.com

[crumble]

Originally posted by KC Elbows
Hong Chao Zhang is a great guy... the nicest guy I've ever trained under.


I just want to second this. If anyone is sort of toying with the idea of starting martial arts, Mr. Zhang is a great place to start. I trained with him for about 2 years and got into the best shape of my life. I really enjoyed going to class.

-crumble

[IronFist]

Originally posted by Black Jack
Chinese Gung Fu Club of Dekalb


I heard this school is not good.

IronFist

[count]

Do either of You guys know where Zhang Hong Chao is from originally or anything about his background? I have a phone number but it's over 5 years old. Any contact info?

[KC Elbows]

Yeah, let me look it up. He's from Hunan, if I recall right, studied at the hunan university, has an encyclopedic knowledge of forms, traded wushu for an obscure traditional sun style tai chi set, probably got more forms that way, studied chi kung under the grandmaster of the wild goose chi kung set, the one that died recently.

I'll see what I can find.

[The Yellow Dart]

shaolin kung fu, which school do you train at?

And where did you snag that avatar? :D

[crumble]

Originally posted by count
Do either of You guys know where Zhang Hong Chao is from originally or anything about his background? I have a phone number but it's over 5 years old. Any contact info?

Contact info:

Chinese Gong-Fu Institute (773) 728-8682
4614 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

http://www.smartpages.com/home/chinesegongfuinstitute2


I don't know much about his background. I think he would categorize his teaching as wushu (yeah, in the normally perjorative sense), but he knows the appliclations, etc. That's why he's a good first school to go to if you are considering CMA. It will build a great foundation for anything you want to do.

-crumble

[count]

After more than 25 years I'm not exactly looking for a foundation and god knows I could live without learning another form, but I'll definately look this guy up sometime. It's obvious anyone serious about Chinese martial arts in Chicago has but one option.:(

[fa_jing]

Originally posted by count
It's obvious anyone serious about Chinese martial arts in Chicago has but one option.:(

NOT true.

[MasterKiller]

Gou Jianhua's website (http://www.cmaawushu.com/):

"Master Jianhua Guo is a trained professional Wushu Master from the Wuhan Institute of Physical Educational, China. He studied under the well known Grandmaster Jinmin Wen, Grandmaster Yuhua Liu, Master Bailong Jiang, Master Guangwen Gao, and Master Shanshan Wu.

Master Guo was a member of the Hubei Professional Wushu Team and the Wuhan Institute of Physical Education Team. Later, he became the head coach of the teams. His expert teaching produced many national individual and team championships in China.

Master Guo has been teaching in the U.S. since 1987. He began his American teaching career at Ball State University in Indiana where he taught Chinese Internal Arts from 1987-1989. Master Guo then moved to Chicago, IL in 1990 where he taught at various locations; He later opened Championship Martial Arts Academy (CMAA) on August 1991.

Master Guo teaches Northern Style and Southern Style in addition to bare-hand and all related weapons and self-defense techniques. He also teaches internal styles: Tai Chi Xing Yi, Ba Gua, Chin Na, and Chi Kung."

My Sifu trains with Guo. He comes highly recommended. :D

One his students, Dan Pessina, recently opened his own school as well: Chicago Wushu Guan (http://www.wushuguan.com/)

[fa_jing]

Count: are you only looking for Bagua?

[count]

Yes, and I'm definately not looking for contemporary wushu.:rolleyes: I'll look these guys up though.

[crumble]

Originally posted by count
It's obvious anyone serious about Chinese martial arts in Chicago has but one option.:(

I imagine I know what you are saying and where you are saying. I don't know if I agree, but that's where I train now. :) (Hsing I and Chi Kung.)

But I don't regret training at Zhang's at all. I'm picking things up very quickly as a result, much quicker, I think, than if I jumped straight into what I'm doing now.

-crumble

[fa_jing]

Count - for Bagua, you are probably correct.

However for Northern Mantis, Southern Mantis, Wing Chun, Northern Shaolin, Tai Chi (Chen, Wu, Sun, Yang), JKD, Choy Li fut, there are some good options.

[count]

Who do you think teaches traditional martial arts at the same level as Choi? Who teaches bagua as a fighting art and not as wushu dance? I haven't lived in Chicago for 2 years now so I honestly don't know.

On a side note, it would be really funny if I ended up training with Choi again after all this time. I started in martial arts learning Lama Crane from one of Choi's students and met him several times. I shared an apartment here in California with a Hsing-I student of Choi for 5 years. After training all these years with other teachers, it would be like coming full cycle to start over again where I started in the first place. But I guess that's balance. The pity is that he charges three times as much as when I knew him and three times as much as I pay now, not that the money would be a determining factor.:cool:

[count]

I'll give you a shout out when the time comes. Sounds like some other good stuff. On the Northern mantis, do you know which line and style? 8 step, 7 star, 6 harmonies, taji mantis? Also, there is one other good Tai Chi teacher I know of there. I think you know who I mean? Do you know any others?

[CrippledAvenger]

Originally posted by count
...pity is that he charges three times as much as when I knew him and three times as much as I pay now, not that the money would be a determining factor.:cool:

Good god, I wish I could say the same. The market for english majors doesn't look good at all. :(

[MasterKiller]

I have an English degree. Basically, you can do anything you want with it.

When you go to interviews outside the 'English' pedicure, just tell them your English degree taught you how to creatively think and solve problems, where as other degrees seem to train people for specific tasks. Therefore, you can adapt to any situation and you're not programmed to do one specific thing.

Works like a charm.

[fa_jing]

OK, we cross-posted. But to clarify: for Bagua, I haven't heard anything. Also to say that someone teaches at the same level as Choi- well Choi is world reknowned, so that would be hard to say, although I've never experienced his teaching personally. But I have experienced great teachers -
1. Master Kwan for NPM, he graduated at the top of his class in a famous 7* school in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and was in some Kung-fu movies....one of his students has the school for which I posted the first link, his own school is not on the web.

2. My Wing Chun/JKD sifu Johnson- only teaches privately and semi-private, involved in the NHB scene a few years ago - 28 years in Wing Chun, also 10-year student of Ted Wong, Bruce Lee's second student -

3. Dr. Wu Shih-Cun on N. Clark Street, famous medical doctor from China and also expert in 4 major styles of Tai-chi, weapons, Tai-Chi ring etc. - Author of 8 books in Chinese and English on Tai-Chi - although may focus more on health than on combat. This is a guy worth checking out.


I have heard of other good teachers, such as the Choy Li fut guy (the second link I posted), SPM, Brian Eble at Golden Mountain in Naperville for Northern Shaolin, the Shaui-Chiao group.

Some good schools with students in the tournament circuit such as Bei Mei Shaolin, Chicago Guo Shu....

And for TMA in general, there's some good Okinawan Karate around....

[count]

When I lived in Chicago, I used to play in a band with a very quite, saxaphonist who was learning White Crane from someone privately. All I know is he was Chinese and taught pure White Crane, and good from what I have seen from the Sax man. Any idea who that was and if they are available?

[KC Elbows]

Originally posted by count
Yes, and I'm definately not looking for contemporary wushu.:rolleyes: I'll look these guys up though.

Well, this is kind of innaccurate.

Although Zhang teaches wushu sets, he also teaches traditional fighting sets. He has sparring, for those who choose to pursue it, and is very good at this.

The fact is, the guy started kung fu as a kid, long before the whole university gig, and learned from so-called traditional teachers also, as opposed to solely wushu coaches.

His sword sparring is top notch, as was his sparring.

Now, some students only studied wushu with him. That doesn't mean that's all he taught, or what he was best at.

[Black Jack]

Their is a white crane teacher in the Aurora park district but I don't know if any of you would find him any good. I watched him once and almost feel asleep.

[count]

BlackJack, I doubt that would be him than.

KC,

Although Zhang teaches wushu sets, he also teaches traditional fighting sets. He has sparring, for those who choose to pursue it, and is very good at this.

The fact is, the guy started kung fu as a kid, long before the whole university gig, and learned from so-called traditional teachers also, as opposed to solely wushu coaches.

His sword sparring is top notch,...

Precisely why I will look them up.:cool:

[CrippledAvenger]

Originally posted by Black Jack
Their is a white crane teacher in the Aurora park district but I don't know if any of you would find him any good. I watched him once and almost feel asleep.

naw. it was a secret technique. had to be. :D

[shaolin kungfu]

shaolin kung fu, which school do you train at?

Yin's Chinese Kung fu Center. Here's the website. (http://www.chinesekungfucenter.com/intro.html)

And the avatar is from here (http://www.gamespy.com/avatars/)

[phantom]

Master Hsu Fun-Yuen and Master Waysun Liao are two well-respected Yang style tai chi instructors in Chicago. I believe they each have a unique aspect to the version of Yang style that they teach, although they do not both teach the same branch of Yang style. I believe Master Hsu Fun-Yuen's style has some moves from shaolin kung fu, tong bei, and hsing-I in it. I think he may actually be retired now, but a couple of his students still teach in the Chicago area. Here is a list of his students schools: www.wukungtaichi.com/schoolist/html. I hope this helps. Peace.:D

[fa_jing]

6015 N. Broadway? That's near me. I should check it out - but I don't remember seeing anything there. I've probably been by it a million times. But it sounds like it's open...

[Black Jack]

If this is the same Master Hsu. He had a school in downtown Roselle by the train station for a number of years by my old house. A friend of mine studied their for a bit and I believe I saw his son do a Hsing I demo their one day.

If this is the same guy I will say he had to be one of the most friendly and kind martial art teachers I have ever had the chance to meet. When you think about the universal term of a sweet old man he fit the bill to a T.

Really a good natured person. Always had a cup of tea and cookies for ANYBODY who stopped by. I think he is retired now.