Martial Arts in or around Albany NY

[Oso]

I have a student moving there in about a year. She'll just be 12 then and has been training with me since she was 8. Looking for a good school to recommend to her and her parents. Style doesn't matter of course. She'll probably only be there for 2 years or so while her parents go to school.

links to websites are appreciated

[unyma]

Hi,

The school I go to is in Glens Falls, about 45 minutes north of Albany. Kids classes are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:00 pm to 5:45 pm. No web site to link to but if you'd like to PM me I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have.

[Satori Science]

I recommend Sifu Allen Wong, his kung fu is really excellent and he a great guy,
http://www.saratogafestival.com/wong.html
you can read his bio here and get his email, although I am not sure if he teaches kids.

[unyma]

I've met Sifu Wong, he seems very friendly and my Sifu speaks highly of him, he even came up to our school and did some work with our Lion Dance team. His school would be closer to Albany then Glens Falls if that's important.

[Sicilian Tofu M]

Some day I want to move back upstate, and hopefully train with Sharif Bey in SYRACUSE even if I move back to windham, ny.

[bodhitree]

there is a group at some university up there, they are praying mantis and a few of them fought (sanshou) at an event I was at, they all seemed pretty cool but I can't remember any details. :confused:

[Oso]

thanks, i'll follow up later...just wanted to get an idea of what's available.

any ideas on the japanese styles or mma groups?

[bodhitree]

You could try this list of judo schools in NY state (http://www.judoinfo.com/contacts/browse2.php?Country=United%20States&State=New%20York)

[Kevin Huang]

There's a good deal of martial arts around Albany, but I haven't lived there in 10 years.

I'd recommend my old teacher Jiang Jianye of "Capital District Tai Kung Fu Association". His classes are nonstructured, but he has enough longtime students that help him instruct.

Another guy that had some knowledge was Frank Cichon of "Cichon's Kung Fu". That's traditional Yip Man style Wing Chun.

I wish that the Uechi Ryu master John Izzo still had his school in Schenectady. Izzo was a real master and a very good instructor.

[Oso]

thanks, kevin.

i liked your post in the 'let's talk kung fu' thread. :)

[Kevin Huang]

Thanks, oso.

You will be pleased to know that Jiang Jianye studied 7 Star Mantis with Yu Hai, who helped train Jet Li for the "Shaolin Temple" movie. At least that's what Jiang told me.

Jiang considers 7 star mantis his personal specialty. I've witnessed it myself, and indeed he's a real master of the art. However, I'm speaking from strictly a modern wushu demonstration standpoint. I am NOT talking about with Jiang's ability to apply the moves in combat, as that wasn't Jiang's focus when he taught me years ago.

Jiang's 7 star mantis has a lot of detail compared to what one typically sees in that art form. I learned a bit of it, but I didn't stick with it because I do kung fu for combat and not demonstration.

Your student might want to look into studying mantis privately with Jiang. It's not that he won't teach it in a group class, it's that I am not sure if a lot of students request him to teach it to them.

[Oso]

thanks...she's just a kid...a good kid and starting to maybe become a decent martial artist...but she's not very intense in her training, which is fine, so a decent group class will probably be best.

[Kevin Huang]

There's always "Pai's Tae Kwon Do", then.

Thomas Pai is a well known TKD instructor in Albany. He runs a chain of TKD schools all over.

I have heard good and bad things about Pai's schools. Personally, I didn't think that anything said about those schools was out of the ordinary for TKD in general.

[Oso]

just kidding, if he's the best instructor around then fine...but, I still have some biases against TKD...but, not enough to tell her not to go check it out and see for herself.

[Oso]

ok, second call...the girl is moved up there and getting settle in school and seems eager to move on to something else.

I can't find too much on Cichon's place...his FB page is old.

anything good that isn't too much of a money sucker would be ok though she wants to sick with kung fu.

TIA

[jpaton]

it's pretty much a barren waste land for ima and cma up here, as far as i can tell. the hung gar school that someone mentioned in glensfalls is supposed to be ok. i know someone who went there and he said they are a little obsessed with teaching forms and not so much with technique. you mentioned cichon's which i didn't like that much cause he had no senior students and it looked like he only had 4 students when i visited. which from my perspective isn't a good sign for someone whose been around as long as he has. not a comment on his skill of course. he could be very good. Jiang Jianye is over priced for the area and teaches competition wu-shu stuff. There is mostly tae kwon do up here. like on every corner. i've given up on finding anyone decent and have been doing muay thai for the last year it was kinda a shock after studying some very good yi chuan and tai chi but catch as catch can. i'd rather study good muay thai then bad ima/cma...

[Oso]

thanks. it has looked kinda dead.

her mom is sticking her in ballet for now...if I know that kid she will be hating it :D

[Oso]

last I heard, she went to the WC school, liked it, and will be training there.

thanks for the input.

Her mother said the instructor seemed to appreciate her skill/previous training...so, either he was being nice to the 12 year old or maybe I managed to do something right :)

[SwaiingDragon]

There is a Yee's Hung Ga branch in Pittsfield -

Shifu Carter- is an excellent instructor