Tai Chi Schools/Qi Gong in Chicago?

[Nexus]

Looking for a friend, if you could provide quality sources that my friend in Chicago could visit please do so. Much appreciated, and good health and practice to all!

- Nexus

<font size="1">"Time, space, the whole universe - just an illusion! Often said, philosophically verifiable, even scientifically explainable. It's the <font color="blue">'just'</font> which makes the honest mind go crazy and the <font color="blue">ego</font> go berserk." - Hans Taeger</font>

[swmngdragn]

Wai Lun Choi.
2054 W. Irving Park Road
Chicago, Il.

Best regards,
R. Drake Sansone
(swmngdragn@home.com)
http://www.liuhopafa.com/
"Train, or go to hell." Terry W.

[Royal Dragon]

Hey Drake,
I too live in the west burbs. i do the Chao fmily Taji and Tai TZu Quan (both north and southern versions). The founder of our style was a frist generation student of Chen Po, founder of Li Hu, Ba Fa of which Wai Lun Choi is the current lineage holder. Our Internal (Chao family Taji) is based on partial traing, so i have always wanted to study under Wai Lun Choi to learn his Li Hu, Ba Fa, but he is toofar form me to do so from here with my buisy scedual.

Do you know anyone in our area that knows his line of Li Hu, Ba FA? and if so, can you hook me up with them so I can learn the system?

Royal Dragon
royaldragon@netzero.net


"Chi is Chinese for Spinach"

Check out the Royal Dragon Web site

http://www.Royaldragon.4dw.com

[swmngdragn]

R.D.,

E-mail me with your location, and your needs. I *may* be able to help you out.

Best regards,
R. Drake Sansone
(swmngdragn@home.com)
http://www.liuhopafa.com/
"Train, or go to hell." Terry W.

[KC Elbows]

Zhang Hongchao is also out there. He's a very good teacher and an extremely pleasant person, but he's incredibly picky on people's form(I can't count the number of times I heard him tell students, myself included, "Do it again, but not so...sloppy.") I beleive the school's name is now Zhang's Tai Chi, Health and Wellness Center, but don't let the name fool you, he's a good fighting teacher.

Choi is also excellent, but when I was living in Chicago, his prices were a bit high, though you're paying for good stuff. I studied privately with zhang for slightly more than group lessons at choi's, though Zhang's prices may have changed since then.

[crumble]

> Zhang Hongchao is also out there.

For what it is worth, I studied with Zhang over the last few years. I second that he is a very good teacher and an extremely pleasant person. From what I saw, he wasn't so picky on people's form, but he does tend to to teach according to where people are at (a good thing), and I was in a beginner's class.

I'm pretty sure the name of the school is chinese gung fu institute (on western, near lawrence).

Although he has demonstrated fighting skills, the classes I took/saw weren't arranged to focus on fighting. We didn't train techniques or spar. (Of course, I was in a beginner's class so the time may not have been right).

I would *highly* recommend Zhang to a beginning taiji/qigong student or a student wanting to focus on health. Choi seems better suited for people who already have some foundation.

For what it's worth,

-crumble

[KC Elbows]

Actually, the picky thing was good in my book.

As far as the fight stuff, Zhang is funny about that. He won't teach you fighting unless you want that teaching. He generally had sparring classes, but one had to be at a certain level for those. Even in the forms classes, you had to 1)figure out the applications for yourself, or 2)ask repeatedly, but once he felt that you were just an honest person who loved the fight aspects of kung fu, and not a thug, he would teach all sorts of applications. I can vouch for the fact that I have practiced with no one who matched Zhang's iron arms, and I'm an iron body freak. As for his tai chi, he was out here to help judge my teacher's competition a few years back, and he and Grace Wu engaged in the most impressive pushhands that most of the people there had seen. Tai chi is Zhangs love, and he has the best knowledge of chi kung of any of the teachers I have practiced under. I've heard that his Sun style is impressive, though I've never seen it-he traded form with a rather secretive sun stylist to get the form. His rope dart is great, though most of the people who I've seen do rope dart have been quite good.

Anyway, there's plenty of fight stuff at Zhangs, but you won't get there until he knows what kind of person you are. My best friend practiced external styles under Zhang, and now teaches occassionally, though he's in KC now. He's a good fighter, especially for a guy as light as he is.

Not trying to take away from Choi, the guy is **** impressive as well. Just sharing my knowledge of Zhang.

[Water Dragon]

No need to speak for Wai Lun Choi. He is well known.

As far as Zhang, when I met Crumble, he had already been studying with Master Zhang. It was evident he received good training.

You may take my life, but you will never take my Freedom