Help I need info on monkey in NY

[ChinoXL]

Hello, I'm a student thats been searching for a good few weeks now to find the monkey style in New York to learn; I would even go and buy videos but its hard finding the real deal... www.monkeykungfu.com with paulie zink is 100% fake.. do anybody know where i can go learn monkey with the 5 forms .. if not a few of the forms??

[jmd161]

Hello, I'm a student thats been searching for a good few weeks now to find the monkey style in New York to learn; I would even go and buy videos but its hard finding the real deal... www.monkeykungfu.com with paulie zink is 100% fake.. do anybody know where i can go learn monkey with the 5 forms .. if not a few of the forms??

Hmmmm

Monkey Kung Fu is very hard to find anywhere ,muchless in NYC. I remember seeing a website for Micheal Parrella that says he teaches it ,he's a kung fu brother of Mr. Ross ( lkfmdc) here on this forum.

jeff:)

[Brad]

Hello, I'm a student thats been searching for a good few weeks now to find the monkey style in New York to learn; I would even go and buy videos but its hard finding the real deal... www.monkeykungfu.com with paulie zink is 100% fake.. do anybody know where i can go learn monkey with the 5 forms .. if not a few of the forms??
For the authentic version of what Zink claims to teach, I think they make you study their Pigua system for about 10 years before learning the monkey style forms. Pigua's good stuff... but if you have your heart set on learning traditional monkey kungfu right away, you're probably out of luck.

[Starchaser107]

or you maybe able to find some wushu monkey somewhere.

[Brad]

Would still probably have to train quite a bit of chang quan to get to that.

[Starchaser107]

Oh well, that sure sucks.
Pay your dues then. I think it's worth it.

[spiraler]

i know that monkey kung fu is one of the most deadly and most difficult forms to master. one would need an extensive training backround to even attempt any of the combat applications. if youre a beginner this is a dam near impossible feat.

[ChinoXL]

well, i kno paulie zink is fake.. and wushu is literally dancing and acting.. shaolin is da real deal but its mad hard to find.. i have a background in muay thai and BJJ and i want to learn monkey.. and dun doubt me cuz i'm a beginner, i can do anything if i put my mind in2 it :D oo yea i went to a few shaolin schools.. they laughed at me -_- told me why dun i learn dragon its more agressive .. ackk... doesn't anybody have any useful info? :(

[Brad]

Just that Shaolin(if you're talking about the monks) monkey is the same as "wushu" monkey :p With them some things are contemporary, some are traditional, and some is a combination... Also, if you're dead set on a particular style... sometimes you've got to travel ;) Have you tried contacting sifuabel? He teaches a monkey style out in California. See if he knows something the rest of us don't. Why do you want to study monkey so bad?

[ChinoXL]

well, to be honest i want to most "practical" one that could be used in a fight, and my most educated guess is its shaolin, because i've seen wushu people use monkey and its really garbage my dad said its like a dance//act//performance.. and its definitely won't help u win against a average fighter

[Starchaser107]

Ok
To be quite honest , I think in terms of practicality you might want to just invest in the long term, learn the axe fist and daitang essentials and then persue monkey.
for that I would reccommend finding a tai shing pek kwar school run by chan sau chung.
You can also contact the forum member SifuAbel as Brad just suggested.
Anyhow good luck in your search, sorry but it doesn't look like practical kung fu satisfies instant gratification, hard work is hard work and time and effort to get skill over time.

Where are you located? If youre in Florida you might also want to give Steve Chin a call. But again I doubt any option you choose is gonna give you traditional monkey kung fu instantly.

[Shaolin Dude]

my sifu yao li is gonna teach me a tradtional monkey staff form

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

i found a monkey crane set if you're interested. it's short and backed to monkey tiger with a mantis flair. not 'true' :mad: anything. it came as what looks like chinese propaganda: the chinese saying that they didn't completely purge all the temples. but it's on the night sect vcd from plum. but what they offer is not true night sect. the chinese succeeded in eliminating them from china and vietnam. :mad:

i'll send you mine if you pm me your snail mail.

elsewhere i heard that all the good monkey **** comes from northern india. i've seen an indian arts instructor in the big city. hit the web, look around, let US know.

[Starchaser107]

d'oh, you said in ny. :o

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

d'oh, you said in ny. :o

didn't you know? half the people who work in NY live in florida. :D

[Starchaser107]

I guess the public transportation system there is really efficient ;)

[ChinoXL]

i finally found a site www.tspk.com but ordering is weird?? i dun get what that market merchant thingy is.. -_-

[SifuAbel]

For the record, I don't go straight into the monkey sets with a student either. So if anyone out there wants to train that stufff without going through the regimen first, too bad. :p

[Brad]

finally found a site www.tspk.com but ordering is weird?? i dun get what that market merchant thingy is.. -_-
Beats me, you should be asking them not us, lol. Anyway, if you look at the website the actual monkey forms still aren't taught unless you do the level four thing which involves actual training with the master... the rest is pigua, ditong(Chinese ground fighting and falling), etc. Very valuable skills. You know... you really should direct emails to the people on the website if you're serious about all this, as they'd know as much or more than any of us :) I think their corespondence course is about as well set up as something like that can get (though I'd still recomend learning from one of the other great teachers of other styles located in NY rather than that). I almost did the program when my first teacher moved away (bought the Yuen Yang Fist vid when they first released it), but ended up meeting my teacher shortly after :p

SifuAbel,

Do you teach the TSPK system, or another branch? Also, is there actually such a thing as an old traditional "Shaolin" monkey style?

[SifuAbel]

SifuAbel,

Do you teach the TSPK system, or another branch? Also, is there actually such a thing as an old traditional "Shaolin" monkey style?

No, what I teach is different from TSPK. So far I have seen very different systems sharing the name PK. Although I think people are getting too hung up (pardon the pun) on the description of the name. Some PK teachers claim monkey and eagle as their animal symbol. The footwork is definatley monkey.

The closest thing to my style is nam hou kune, southern monkey.

[Starchaser107]

No, what I teach is different from TSPK. So far I have seen very different systems sharing the name PK. Although I think people are getting too hung up (pardon the pun) on the description of the name. Some PK teachers claim monkey and eagle as their animal symbol. The footwork is definatley monkey.

The closest thing to my style is nam hou kune, southern monkey.


was that directed to me?

[SifuAbel]

was that directed to me?

"Originally Posted by Brad"

[Starchaser107]

"Some PK teachers claim monkey and eagle as their animal symbol. The footwork is definatley monkey. "

uhh this line specifically. :rolleyes:

but I guess not.

[paradoxbox]

sorry to drift this thread, but would you recommend the TSPK system to a newbie of CMA? I am a traditional Japanese martial artist; Genbukan (Though some of the systems within my art closely resemble chinese systems)

Are they teaching a legitimate style? (Not Paulie Zink). I understand that they teach some other type of system before you are introduced to the 'REALLY good stuff'. But I also happen to live about an hour away from the address they give on their website, so...

The whole CMA world seems very large and it's difficult for a newb like me to navigate it. Where in the Japanese arts community, you can prove you're legitimate by not straying too far from the 'traditional' arts, in CMA it seems like the more variations the better. How do I know if these guys are teaching what they claim to teach?

[Brad]

TSPK is actually to systems in one. First comes the Pek Kwar, then the Tai Sheng(the actual monkey forms). I've got a video of one of their begining forms (Yuen Yang Fist) and I think it appears as newbie friendly as any other system. Their PK portion has a variety of different forms from some other styles (plenty of long fist type stuff from the little bit I've seen on the vid). It's all defenitely legitimate though. You can see it in the forms (I'm a 9 year longfist guy and I think the longfist stuff in their system looks pretty good), plus some TSPK guys proved themselves in full contact competition back in the 70's (SE Asia fighting championships or something like that). They've also been in Hong Kong a long time without being run out of town too ;)

I guess the best way for a newb to check up on a CMA school is to ask around about them and check out any other verifiable evidence of skill (like their fighting championships which they show photos of). Usually legit schools will have the respect of a nice variety of other styles teachers too... Then the final and best test is to check it out in person, ask some questions, and ask yourself if you think you'd benifit from the training :)

[SifuAbel]

"Some PK teachers claim monkey and eagle as their animal symbol. The footwork is definatley monkey. "

uhh this line specifically. :rolleyes:

but I guess not.


No, Chin wasn't what I was talking about.

[Starchaser107]

cool was just wondering.

[ChinoXL]

hi Sifu Abel i'm curious what kind of monkey do you take? can u give me a little background of it and where the place to learn is? can it also be used for street fighting? And is there only 1 or is there a few forms in your monkey? Thanks

[SifuAbel]

I already gave the name. It has 5 forms. I learned from my teacher in florida. It would take you about 3-5 years before you got to that material in our school. So don't hold your breath if you aren't really serious.

As to my reference,

http://www.plumpub.com/info/knotebook/boxpigua.htm

"PiGua, also known as Long-Armed Ape Style, is truly unique in execution. The arms are move with such extreme looseness that practitioners often seem to have no bones. (In fact, for emphasis, many performers were their sleeves extra long to heighten the effect. Because of this PiGua is particularily appropriate to female players with high flexibility). PiGua is a popular style in China and sometimes mixed with other forms. The most famous marriage is that of PiGua and BaJi two styles which really seems to compliment each other. And, indeed, there are bridge forms such as PiGua/BaJi first which cross both styles. PiGua, due to its loose arm flapping and extremely sinuous appearance is often said to resemble the animal actions of the Snake and the Eagle."

[CLFNole]

Me and couple of my kung fu brothers were lucky enough to get to hang out with Sifu Chan Sau Chung, his son and some of Sifu Chan's long-time disciples, Chow Keung and Lei Fei Biu as well as well-known HK movie star Wong Chow San (Anthony Wong). Sifu Chan and my sifus, Lee Koon Hung and Li Siu Hung were good friends so when they came we gave him a lot of face. ;) We got together for dinner and drinking during Sifu Chan Poi's Tournament 2000 in Orlando and then we showed them around South Florida after the tournament for a few days.

After a few drinks we all got into discussing kung fu and inquired about the TSPK system. They explained to us that it takes quite a long time to learn of the the Pek Kwar stuff and very, very few students ever get into the monkey stuff. Also from what we gathered and from talks with our sifu, the TSPK stylists who were very successfule in the 1970s full contact tournaments and with the fight with the Muai Thai fighters in Hawaii primarily imploy pek kwar for their fighting.

If you really want to learn monkey you have to be dedicated and learn everything that comes first. This is the old way of doing things and Sifu Chan is quite traditional.

[ChinoXL]

very well said Nole; I am dedicated.. i do have the time and patience but i need a place to learn it; and if i have to learn styles before monkey then so be it; but would you happent o know where i can learn? or what I can learn from? thanks

[CLFNole]

Sadly is Vancouver, Canada is where Sifu Chan Sau Chung's school is. Other than that Hong Kong. You would likely have to follow someone for at least 10 years before you learned the monkey sets. I know for a fact they don't teach them openly and that type of dedication is few and far between these days.

Since your in NY you might want to look into other styles more readily available like hung gar, mantis or dragon. I know NYC has quite a few styles available in the Chinatown area you just have to look around.

Good luck.

[ChinoXL]

hey nole, does the videos help at all from their official website? if it does I would want to order them but I have a minor problem; everytime I even do try to order them a freemerchant.com thingy pops up; and none of the emails work to the administrators.. :( but i think its worth it; i can't get good at something over night

[CLFNole]

The videos they offer are all Pek Kwar and will not really get you to the monkey forms you seek. Monkey is a difficult style to be able to learn. There are many good styles out there for fighting so if I were you I would find a real sifu and forget video tapes. Video tapes are nice for reference material but you can't learn the subtleties of a style from them. You just copy movements from a 2-D source. There is no substitute for "live" teaching.

Again good luck.

[ChinoXL]

guys is this school legitiment?? http://www.nykungfu.com/school/style.asp it claims it teaches tibetian lama pai; bok mei; and it also has tai shing pek kwar under others sounds a little 2 go0d 2 b true?? o.O

[Reggie1]

If that sifu is Michael Parella, then I think he trained w/ lkfmdc on this site. You might try and ask him.

[norther practitioner]

that is sifu ross' gung fu brother..

if he is anything like ross, he is legit.... ;)

[Ground Dragon]

Any tai shing pek kwar practioners on the board? I was wondering, on the website it says that Pek Kwar was the style for the bodyguards of the emperor and it goes on to say how deadly and advanced it is etc. So why does monkey come *after* that? What makes monkey more advanced? Is it just that it's more difficult to practice and perform or are the actual techniques that much more advanced?
And from what I remember of reading this thread, is the consensus that Pek Kwar is one of a number of northern longfist styles and similar training could be found for example in northern shaolin? I've heard the claim of being the official style of the emperor's bodyguards made about other styles, including hsing-i and Pi Qua. So is it just conjecture or did different emperors employ bodyguards with different training?

[oasis]

nice question GD...

[phantom]

ChinoXl, living in New York, I do not know why you think shaolin is hard to find, as there are quite a few schools in New York that teach shaolin? Anyway, another option you may want to consider is learning Ape Kung Fu, also known as Tong Bei. If you are a tall person, if may actually be more suitable for you to learn than monkey style. If you are willing to make the drive, I know of two schools in New Jersey that teach it. I do not know anything about the quality of instruction at those schools though, but at least I know that they come from a strong lineage, specifically Sifu Hsu Fun-Yuen"s. If you are interested, let me know, and I will look up their web addresses for you.

[Mr. Horse]

I am a TSPK stylist.

In two years, there is going to be a Tai shing Pek Kwar school in NYC.

It doesn't take ten years to be able to learn monkey. Have to become a closedoor student.

[mickey]

Hello ChinoXL,

It was politely suggested that you check this guy (Sifu Parella) out. I would if I were you. I would rather start there before going to any other monkey school. I would tell you more but it is not my business to say on a forum. Go there for the art. Enjoy.

mickey

[ChinoXL]

yeah micky my thoughts exactily i'll probably check it out, and by the way horse in 2 years would u happen to know whos going to start the school?

[Mr. Horse]

There hasn't been a date set, but it will be in about 2 years. It will be a REAL TSPK school that is authorized by Sigong Chan Sau Chung.

[SifuAbel]

For the billionth time. Pek kwar IS an ape element style. Ape and eagle to be exact. It enjoys much of the monkey footwork.

And the question about "the emperors bodyguards." Which emperor? There were more than one.

[norther practitioner]

Which emperor? There were more than one.

really, I thought they lived forever....

:p

[SifuAbel]

With the way people talk about "THE" emperor, He must be immortal. :rolleyes: :D

[norther practitioner]

Well he did have the resources of the best TCM in all the land....

[Sow Choy]

If any of you who are interested in learning from a top Tai Shing Pek Kwar Master...

Master Chow Keung from Hong Kong will be in South Florida the end of June... He is a top student of Grandmaster Chan Sau Chung "The Monkey King"...

Click the link for details...

http://www.leekoonhungkungfu.com/Seminar.html

Hope some of you can make it...