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View Full Version : Does anyone have any thoughts on these teachers?



KoldNet
01-23-2007, 02:01 PM
I am interested in learning some form of internal martial arts, and I live in central jersey so all the teachers in Bergen and such are way too far away (over an hour to get there!) However, there are two places in my town, and I am wondering if anyone knows whether these places are worthwhile. I am looking to learn not for fitness purposes but rather for self defense and combatives.
The two teachers are andy lee from taichiusa.com and the wu-tang (don't they rap?) school wutan.org

anybody with any input would be appreciated!

thanks
brian

cjurakpt
01-23-2007, 03:21 PM
who's in Bergen? I may be moving out there in the next few months myself, curious as to what's around...

as for the wutan school, they look ok - they've had a school in Flushing NY like forever (if it's who I'm thinking about), so I guess they can't be that bad to have survived that long? the tai chi school, all I can say is that the pakua / hsing i is from BP Chan, who has since passed on, and his stuff was about as authentic as you can get - but not many of his students "got it" so to speak, so I can't say anything beyond that...

KoldNet
01-23-2007, 03:45 PM
there's an old post in this forum about teachers in NJ, and i believe a few of them are located in bergen, one of them being earle montague or w/e's student. Now I don't know how good this earl dood is, all i know is that dim mak thing is really suspicious( and the fact that you would teach it through a course? I mean seriously, its not even about the "don't teach to outsiders" thing, its like everybody can run around killing ppl!) Yah they have a school in Flushing, but I don't know anything about it.
as for BP chan, you're referring to Andy right? Does anyone have any first hand experience? and cjurakpt if you can't find the old posting i'll find it for ya...

brian

cjurakpt
01-23-2007, 06:57 PM
there's an old post in this forum about teachers in NJ, and i believe a few of them are located in bergen, one of them being earle montague or w/e's student. Now I don't know how good this earl dood is, all i know is that dim mak thing is really suspicious( and the fact that you would teach it through a course? I mean seriously, its not even about the "don't teach to outsiders" thing, its like everybody can run around killing ppl!) Yah they have a school in Flushing, but I don't know anything about it.
as for BP chan, you're referring to Andy right? Does anyone have any first hand experience? and cjurakpt if you can't find the old posting i'll find it for ya...

brian

I don't know anything about Monaigue except he looks wacky and the clips on his website are really no big deal - he looks kinda stiff and disconnected; and yeah, I have an almost reflexive distrust of anyone selling dim mak / death touch (a totaly incorrect translation, btw) on video / in books...

I don't know about Andy personally, but on his website they mention the guy who teaches bagua as having studied with BP Chan - it says since about 1995 or so; I was with him only a very short time from early 93 to late 94, most of that time spent with a senior student of his who had been with him 15 years or so; all I can say is that what the regular class did and what the in the door guys did were very different, and that if you spent less then at least ten years with BP you didn't get too far into things - bu that's just one person's perspective

KoldNet
01-23-2007, 07:12 PM
ok so the bagua guy at Andy Lee's place is out the door
Oh, i also found George Sandoval at Tai Chi combat & health...seems what i'd like to do, however they teach Yang form, which I am led to believe is less combative than Chen? Anybody got any information to add? I'm at college right now so I won't be able to try any of these schools out until I return home in the summer. When that happens, I'll be sure to write about my experiences incase someone is in the same predicament as me!

brian

samson818
01-23-2007, 09:31 PM
The Wutan group in NJ is of the same line as the one in Flushing.
They do teach differently....
Master Charlie Chen recently passed away and his group is being led by his senior students.
They teach a range of Northern style arts - Chen Taiji, Longfist, Bagua, Mantis, but their core is Baji. I highly recommend the Jersey Wutan group.
You may, however, get bored sitting in your horse stance and practicing very basic movements. They train the basics alot.
If you are looking for a quick course of sparring and fighting, they may not fit your needs.

I believe one of Frank Yee school's is also in Bergen.

Are you primarily interested in kung fu or other style as well.
I know some great Filipino Martial Arts guys in NJ.

KoldNet
01-24-2007, 07:00 AM
samson,
thanks for the reply
i don't believe there's anything wrong with the basics, as i believe in most sports that's what it is all about (plus proficiency in IMAs take a while, so i shouldn't be in a rush?)! But these senior students, are they able to teach competently and in depth? Also, I shall be taking boxing too, so that should take care of my self defense in the short run. I am interested in learning the internal arts, something sophisticated, even if it does take a long time (but the names of those FMA teachers would still be nice, i'll check them out)
Also, I don't know much about Baji, is it an internal martial art? I was more interested in the way of taji, xingyi or bagua and I am wondering if it fits in that category?

thanks for your time!

brian

samson818
01-24-2007, 09:39 AM
Brian,

To answer you question, yes they are to teach.
Some have been with him for a very long time (10-20 years).
His passing was very unfortunate and sudden.

All their Bagua and Taiji is influenced, IMO, from Baji.
Baji is a great art, classified as internal/external.
Also, the mechanics of boxing do not mix well with Baji.
But boxing is a sweet science as well.

Best thing to do is try a class out.

KoldNet
01-24-2007, 08:44 PM
Is baji as indepth an art as like taji? (not to insult any arts...) But from what I know, the internal arts are deep, something like a lifetime journey, I am wondering if the same can be said of baji? I will try this school as soon as i can, and i will report as my findings. Thanks for your help!

brian

Ronin22
01-29-2007, 10:34 AM
cjurakpt,

Does this mean you won't be training with Master Hon anymore, just curious?

Ray Pina
01-29-2007, 02:27 PM
I would say that the odds of finding a true internal master that just happens to live in the neighborhood is rare.... traveling an hour is nothing.

I used to walk blocks to take the LIRR 50 minutes to Penn Station to take a Subway to Chinatown to walk up Canal Street and then climb 7 stories of stairs to train good internal. Total time traveling back and forth was close to 4 hours!

I'm about to take a train (getting spared the usual 2 mile walk to the bus and then train) to Penn Station to train with Renzo Gracie.

Time to me is the real cost of training not the money. I would highly recommend you check out master David Bong Chan now teaching in Queens. He teaches on weekends and every night. If you want to learn how to fight, good health, structure... real internal. It is definitely there, no doubt about it.

PM me if you're interested.

KoldNet
01-29-2007, 03:26 PM
Sorry Ray Pina, NYC ATM is way too far...especially since I don't have the time to train their. College, and then work in the summer. However, when I graduate, I plan to move to NYC...so maybe then! Thanks for the information though...do you know of anyone in Jersey?


brian

DDG
02-02-2007, 10:45 AM
It appears Bergan may be associated with the Yang Family. Yang Jun is advertising a workshop on his site. That is all I will say about the Tai Chi part.

His Bagua and Xingyi come from BP Chan who was a very good Internal Martial artist and who is also my Sifu's Sifu. If he is as well trained as others I have seen from BP Chan it is a good thing.

Can't tell you much about the other except he appears to know an awful lot and that may or may not be a good thing.