What do you guys think of this school?

[Fu-Pow]

http://www.leesshaolinkungfu.com/kungfu2.html

[Stacey]

His stances were good. I didn't get the tight shoulder on the iron palm break, but whatever. He's Shaolin. Nuff said.

I would expect to learn lots of cool looking form, weapons and feel like a kung fu guy. I wouldn't go there learning how to fight or the true depth that is gung fu..

Ralek where are you? In this case, I fear that you would be correct. He's anothing Shi Yan Ming. Wu SHu all the way and maybe another Jon Funk.

I doubt anyone who claims to teach 16 styles. I seiously doubt that he really knows any one style. I hate to say it, but you would be better off doing judo.

He is structurally correct, but he doesn't stand like a mountain. For all external purposes, he's the man. If you want any depth or real kung fu, go somewhere else. His fighting is one thing and his forms are another. Whats the point?

He looks good, His school looks good, the price is right, but the only reason I would go there would be to beat the guy up.

[Stacey]

I thinks it completely amazing that he can remember all those forms/dances.

I'm traditionalist to the core, but forms are only good if you know or will know the applications. Applications are only good if you can fight and from his pics I can tell that he isn't a fighter. You can look at someone and tell. Still kudos to him form knowing all those forms, he has obviously been doing it a long time. I really doubt hes ever wrestled, done serious bagwork or fought with anyone other than a weaker student.

Water Dragon, what do you think?

[Buby]

"I didn't get the tight shoulder on the iron palm break, but whatever. He's Shaolin. Nuff said." - What do you mean by this? I train in a shaolin system and we don't break like that, so what's your point?

Buby

[SifuAbel]

It looked a little weak from the pictures, but I haven't seen any video yet.
His legs are a little thin for classical kung fu. Stances are a little high.

The panther fist picture is ok. Front hand is a little misaligned. Looks like our standard fighting stance.

[Kumkuat]

from the pictures, I thought his tai chi stances were horrible. he knows too many styles to be any expert at them. his southern transmission theory of tai chi is even wrong. I don't know about his shaolin stuff though.

[NomortaL]

Since we're on the subject....How about this school? http://www.memphiskungfu.com

[xiong]

Here is my opinion.

The Lee's Shaolin Kung Fu sight is the weaker of the two websites. It doesn't transmit to me personally much of what they do. In and of themselves the pictures don't look too bad to me but I will agree that the stances are a little high, that doesn't really bother me too much. I don't know jack about Iron Palm so I couldn't really comment on that. I will say I respect them for putting themselves out there and showing what they do, I think that takes more stones than blasting them for high stances and "dancing". I coldn't load the curriculum, but I am skeptical in general of the "master of a million styles" claim.

Nomortal, I was impressed by the memphis kungfu site. Flashy presentation, good pictures, and I like the strong statements made in the rules section, not so crazy about sifu always right but I get the point. I also like the uniforms but thats my personal crusade.

All that being said, the only way to tell how good a school is is to go there and observe a class. Pictures can convey a message that is not always accurate. I can tell you from personal experience that it is hard to take pictures of forms that look good. They can also be posed to look better than one can perform them in reality.

[Stacey]

the memphis guy has a cool looking school, nice stances, so if nothing else, you go away with that. His students looked good which is even more important. It looked like the same education you would get if you went to the Shaolin temple. That being said, I think its all wushu with more stancework. Maybe some drills, in which case, its worth it.

[templefist]

well, i guess its time for me to defend my school, thank you for all the comments though. first off, i know that the website is kinda weak, it was done by a student in one of his college classes and hasnt been worked on in quite some time. i welcome any questions any of you have on what we study, im only a junior student of sifu lee but i will answer the best i can. as for every one commenting on the styles on the website, our sifu has studied kung fu his entire life and he will impart the knowledge he has learned in any style to his students. i know that he has never called himself a "master" of all those styles, i dont think he even thinks of himself as a "master" in the styles that he is very profecient in. i think that someone said that they could tell that our sifu wasnt a fighter, well i can tell you that he is a really great fighter and a great teacher for that matter, and the forms that we practice are not "dances" we learn and practice practical applications from them constantly. anyways, i welcome any questions that any of you may have. the only way you can really judge if a person is a fighter, or a "real" stylist is to meet them in person, anything else is coming second hand. thank you

-templefist

[templefist]

i just saw this, its was also said that our sifu hadnt done much fighting (except with a weaker student). well first that was a pretty $hity thing to say about someone you have never met, and two he has competed in extensive professional and amatuer muay thai and san shao (san da) matches. he has a couple of muay thai championship titles (not too sure of the details, he's a pretty humble guy and does talk about them much, he'd rather just train than worry about that kinda stuff). anyways if you have any questions feel free to ask me.

-templefist

[xiong]

Hey Templefist

I hope you didn't think I was ragging on your school, or even on the website too much. It's not a bad website, it just looks very amateurish compared to the memphis one. You explained the reason for this.

I know from personal experience that makeing a webpage is not that easy, at least for your average Joe like me. I applaud your teacher and school for putting it out there, many here seem to have the courage to bring down what somebody else is doing but don't put themselves up for any scrutiny.

Lastly the main thing is that you enjoy it and get something out of the training. I train wushu, and while that seems to be a five letter word to some, I like it. I have access to other traditional schools, but I like the teacher and the vibe of the students and school. I don't think I'll ever be able to do the cumpulsory competition forms, too old and slow, but the more traditional ones are not a problem.

Good luck with your training.

[Shaolindynasty]

Lee's shaolin
To me that kinda seems like alot of styles to teach or even practice. Especially since some the the styles mentioned are very vast. I am usually weary of any 1 person claiming to know over 3 styles due to personal experience. To say you know 17? Well maybe it is possible but that is spreading yourself to thin I think. If he is only teaching portions of those systems and is honest about it there is nothing wrong with that since if you would like to advance further in that particular style you could somewhere.

On second hand I took another look and it seems the systems he teaches are very vast to the point that I could only truthfully see a person learning one well in a lifetime. I am not bashing the school but I think the sifu is spreading himself to thin to make a buck.

Memphis Kungfu
I Talked with the web master of that site before. I know where the sifu learned his kungfu. He does not teach wushu or the modern shaolin curriculum. He teaches some type of pre cultural revoution shaolin style. The best I can guess is that he prefers the robes as a uniform since the style is shaolin in origin and he did most of those stances on the site cause they look cool. Knowing the teachers background I'd assume he is a competent fighter and runs a good school.

[templefist]

Thank you all again for the comments. The main style that we study in our school (the style that is open to the pubilc) is the northern shaolin system (Ku Yu Cheongs system with the 10 core forms, tan tui lines, etc). About 95% of the students study this while a few others have taken interest in studying secondary styles (hung gar, tai chi, bagua, etc.) I have been in his office before and seen the multiple instructor certifications on his wall (i think the lowest is a 3rd or 4th black, not too sure though) I'm not really at liberty to speak for my sifu on his ranks and lineages, but i think that some of them (lineages) are on the site under each catagory. Thank you.

[EARTH DRAGON]

I may regret this but while I have you guys constructive critasism I would like you to check out our site and tell me what you think, I never heard any comments other than from people out here , people I know and my students both of whom would not really say anything negitive to keep from hurtiing my feelings, but please tell me how you think it can be improved and so forth thank you in advance......www.kungfuUSA.net

[Reappah-X]

Nice pics, looks like you had fun tossing that guy around : )

Reap

[EARTH DRAGON]

Thank you , actually he is one of my top students and has been thrown several 1000 times so I think he used to it, however for the pictures, I threw him a little hard so it looked better, but in the ma bu ti shot and he landed on his head on the wooden floor that bent and hurt his neck, so the next week I held my hand under to tuck his head so he would land on his shoulder blades instead, safer sometimes is better. thanx