Houston Kung Fu

[laser9]

Hi everyone,

I just moved to Houston from Canada recently and I'd like to find a kung fu school. I am a beginner, but I want to stay away from too much form work. I'm sure this is totally cliche, but I would like to learn what Bruce Lee taught in its truest form, i.e; less 'systems' and 'mechanics' and more 'styless style.' I'm really not trying to sound like an expert here....but can anyone help me find this kind of school...?

Thanks
Laser9

[RGVWingChun]

I don't think you can find that in wing chun. On a personaly note, I don't think Bruce understood wing chun theory. You don't fight with the forms. They are just movement references that teach your body how to move so that when you do fight, proper positions, angles, energies, etc....all come effortlessly. That is what chi sao also help to develop

[laser9]

Alright..sorry about that...would there be a more appropriate forum to ask this question?

[Sihing73]

Hello Laser9,

Before you discount forms training entirely you may want to consider that Bruce had a strong foundation already built when he advocated training "outside" of the box.

The forms are not for fighting and neither is Chi Sau. However, they do provide the keys to the system and allow one to grasp and understand the concepts one will use in fighting. If one learns to open their mind and think outside of the box then the forms can provide keys to mastering fighting and combat. It is not about being able to do technique A or B but in understanding what it is that makes Technique A or B effective and how they deal with and apply energy. With this understanding one is able to adapt and change based on the situation.

Think of forms as the Alphabet of the system. It is far easier to learn to write if one has the basics down first.

[laser9]

Really appreciate the response....it makes sense now. Hope I didn't disrespect any advocates of forms out there, as I am the speaking ignorant!

[Lee Chiang Po]

You really don't have to do a lot of forms to fight like Bruce. Just learn to make silly sounds to distract an opponent, learn to dance around on your toes, practice a backhand right punch and a good side kick with as much speed as you can muster. Bruce was a business man and a showman. What you were seeing in the movies were well practiced action scenes where he was always the winner.

[laser9]

Curious....was Bruce Lee any good then or just marketing invention?

[sihing]

Curious....was Bruce Lee any good then or just marketing invention?

Bruce was very good, you can see it in the way he moves, his balance, speed, the way his body reacts. But to say that he was the very best in the world, no one can ever make that claim, as there are always the unknowns out there as well. His work ethic, before he became famous, was very inspiring, but it was excessive and not many could follow it. He also was a very intelligent person, funny too I've heard, with a bad temper. Trying to compare him to the fighters of today is impossible since he is dead long ago, the man was good and ahead of his time, that's all:)

They say after he died certain people close to him developed the legend that was to become "Bruce Lee", an almost perfect god like figure that was unbeatable with a great philisophical mind and such. That was the marketing done IMO, it brought the bread in and paid the bills.


James

[masherdong]

Hi everyone,

I just moved to Houston from Canada recently and I'd like to find a kung fu school. I am a beginner, but I want to stay away from too much form work. I'm sure this is totally cliche, but I would like to learn what Bruce Lee taught in its truest form, i.e; less 'systems' and 'mechanics' and more 'styless style.' I'm really not trying to sound like an expert here....but can anyone help me find this kind of school...?

Thanks
Laser9

Hi,

I train at Jade Mountain Martial Arts and we are in Katy, Texas just west of Houston. We teach N. Praying Mantis Kung Fu. Here is our website: www.jademountain.org

Come and check us out when you are ready.

[Phil Redmond]

I don't think you can find that in wing chun. On a personaly note, I don't think Bruce understood wing chun theory. You don't fight with the forms. They are just movement references that teach your body how to move so that when you do fight, proper positions, angles, energies, etc....all come effortlessly. That is what chi sao also help to develop
There are movements in the forms that can be used in fighting.

[Songshan]

Hi everyone,

I just moved to Houston from Canada recently and I'd like to find a kung fu school. I am a beginner, but I want to stay away from too much form work. I'm sure this is totally cliche, but I would like to learn what Bruce Lee taught in its truest form, i.e; less 'systems' and 'mechanics' and more 'styless style.' I'm really not trying to sound like an expert here....but can anyone help me find this kind of school...?

Thanks
Laser9

Hello Laser9,

There are some kung fu schools around the Houston area. There are two things to consider when looking for a school. The first one being location (depending what part of Houston you live) and of course the second what particular style you are looking for. There are shaolin schools, wushu schools, wing chun schools, MMA schools all kinds of schools. So, best advice I can give you is try to narrow your search down and visit a few schools.

[El Zorro 71]

I agree with alot that has been said and posted here but the one thing that I do not agree with is that Chi Sao is not for fighting..... Now let me start by saying that no!! no two fighters will engage in poon sau and then the fight starts...but chi sao is what makes bridging effective and no matter what anyone says there is always contact in a fight. Now it is up to you and your abilities to survive or falter. To many people have the misconception that because they train wing chun then they are good... well that is the furthest from the truth. If you cannot apply, IN COMBAT, what you have been training , then no matter what level you are you will loose. You see Wing Chun are the tools, and you are the user of those tools, you select the wrong tool for the job then you are done. What does all of this mean, well Chi Sao is about contact reflexes and learning without thinking of how so destroy your opponent from first contact.....Ip Ching teaches Fan Sau, (returning hand)... very effective!!!!! Again you must possess, inside of you, the ability to become aggressive to the point that you will survive the encounter...if you dont have that spirit, then not even a gun will save you. As a former police officer I have seen countless people claim to be ready for battle and when it happens they get the "flight syndrome"......So dont count out Chi Sao but reevalute the way that you train Chi Sao....Train it to destroy and survive not just boring random drills that do not create a true training enviroment..You will react as you train. You must train to survive, if you dont then what the hell are you training for!!!!!!

all the best and my comments are from my humble point of view

[RGVWingChun]

There are movements in the forms that can be used in fighting.

I agree...what I meant to say was that movements from the forms might not follow in succession from each other in a fight situation....

For instance, in the Siu LIm Tao form, tan sao, gan sao tan sao.....I might not need that order in a fight. I would certainly need a tan sao, but it could be that bong sao follows after the tan, or a pak sao.... hence, each movement represents a principle of movement for attack , defense or control.

Moses

[Phil Redmond]

I agree...what I meant to say was that movements from the forms might not follow in succession from each other in a fight situation....

For instance, in the Siu LIm Tao form, tan sao, gan sao tan sao.....I might not need that order in a fight. I would certainly need a tan sao, but it could be that bong sao follows after the tan, or a pak sao.... hence, each movement represents a principle of movement for attack , defense or control.

Moses
Exactly, a good analogy would be the 26 letters of the English alphabet. You don't write using them in order but those 26 letters can create great poetry. ;)

[RGVWingChun]

Exactly, a good analogy would be the 26 letters of the English alphabet. You don't write using them in order but those 26 letters can create great poetry. ;)

I totally like that analogy =)

Moses

[Dragonhand]

SiFu James Sasitorn
5627 Royalton St.
Houston, TX 77081
832-212-8549
sifusasitorn@ gmail.com

Beginner's Classes: Tuesday 7:00pm-8:00pm
Thursday 7:00pm-8:00pm
Saturday 11:00am-12:00 noon

[RGVWingChun]

Master Tony Massengill (certified through the Samuel Kwok Wing Chun Martial Arts Association and recognized master instructor VTAA) will be hosting his first ever Wing Chun seminar in the Lone Star state of Texas!!! Master Massengill is also the co-author with Master Samuel Kwok of the new book and DVD series "Mastering Wing Chun: The Keys to Ip Mans Kung Fu".

The date will be Saturday May 10,2008. The location will be in Mission, TX which is in DEEP SOUTH TEXAS at the Sharyland Bantworth park...this is the kind of place where all the stories you’ve heard of Texas are TRUE!!! Bigger food, bigger drinks....EVERYTHING IS BIGGER IN TEXAS even the comradery.

If anybody is interested in attending the seminar feel free to contact me at RGVWINGCHUN@yahoo.com.

Seminar fees are only $50. Books and DVD's covering the empty hand forms will be available as well.

Master Massengill also has some slot time available for private instruction. As a senior Rep. for the Traditional Ip Man Wing Chun Martial Arts Assocation, Master Massengilll along with his sifu, Master Samuel Kwok, are always looking for people who are interested in spreading the Ip Family Traditions. No one knows them like Master Samuel Kwok who has had the privilege of training with the Ip family since 1978 being a disciple of Ip Chun and then becoming a disciple of Ip ching in 1994. Master Kwok has the best of both worlds and more and is graciously passing on that knowledge to his disciple, Master Tony Massengill and on to me as well. If you are looking to be a part of this, this is a chance to learn and inquire. You can email him at sifu@massmartialarts.com for more info on instructorship and private training.

If traveling from out of town, the closest airport would be McAllen (MFE) or in Harlingen (???).

God bless and train hard,

Moses Flores
Certified Instructor, Samuel Kwok Wing Chun Martial Arts Association
Senior Texas Representative, Tradition Ip Man Wing Chun Assocation