Need advice on a Hsing-I school please

[kennysci]

Hello, my first post here.
I live in England and have a backround in Shotokan Karate.
I'm now pushing 40 and injuries are motivating me to move to an Internal Kung Fu.
I found this place teaching Hsing-I in England. Website:
http://manchesterkungfu.com/Hsing%20I/Hsing%20I.htm
Does it look genuine?
The website also says that the school also teaches Tai Chi and Iron hand and some other arts that look very interesting. But I think I would like to start slow and just do Hsing-I.
Here are some videoclips too:
http://manchesterkungfu.com/footage/footage.html
The first one is Hsing-I elements.
Would you recommend this school? I have looked at a few Tai Chi schools but the teachers seem geared more towards health and relaxation. I still want to pursue a martial art with fighting applications.
Many thanks in advance
Ken

[Water-quan]

Difficult to say, Ken - as my computer won't play the videos! Ha ha... James Macneil is quite famous, so I'll check his videos!

"Genuineness" in Hsing Yi is a difficult area, as at one time it had no forms at all, and forms were added fairly recently - some say killing off its real skill level.

What part of Manchester are you from?

[Water-quan]

OK, this is they:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIghRNBhHpA

The music is nice.
Problem with telling people if something is good or not good is that everyone has different opinions, and some people laud the scum while others criticise the deeply skillful. For a beginner, there's no way to know who is telling the truth. Fortunately, the primary skill of wushu is to trust yourself - so right at the start, you have to make a decision; do I like this, don't I like it, is it for me? Later on, if you see something else, you can go and do that.

At your age, there's no time to waste! But, depends on what you are after. If you just want to get out, meet people, do a bit of training in something that's interesting and within your capabilities due to injuries, then you can decide for yourself. If you're thinking that you would like to unfold really deep insight in to kung fu theory and skill, only you can decide which path to take. So - you decide! Heh...

[kal]

Welcome to the forum.

If the kwoon you are considering joining is affiliated with James Mcneil, you should be in very good hands.

Hello, my first post here.
I live in England and have a backround in Shotokan Karate.
I'm now pushing 40 and injuries are motivating me to move to an Internal Kung Fu.
I found this place teaching Hsing-I in England. Website:
http://manchesterkungfu.com/Hsing%20I/Hsing%20I.htm
Does it look genuine?
The website also says that the school also teaches Tai Chi and Iron hand and some other arts that look very interesting. But I think I would like to start slow and just do Hsing-I.
Here are some videoclips too:
http://manchesterkungfu.com/footage/footage.html
The first one is Hsing-I elements.
Would you recommend this school? I have looked at a few Tai Chi schools but the teachers seem geared more towards health and relaxation. I still want to pursue a martial art with fighting applications.
Many thanks in advance
Ken

[Samurai Jack]

I second the James McNiel affiliation. He dosen't pass out teaching certificates unless you can demonstrate proper body mechanics, demonstrate some level of competence with Chi manipulation, and demonstrate real fighting ability.

McNiel is a tough Sifu. If this guy's one of his teachers, he's the real deal.

[brucereiter]

Hello, my first post here.
I live in England and have a backround in Shotokan Karate.
I'm now pushing 40 and injuries are motivating me to move to an Internal Kung Fu.
I found this place teaching Hsing-I in England. Website:
http://manchesterkungfu.com/Hsing%20I/Hsing%20I.htm
Does it look genuine?
The website also says that the school also teaches Tai Chi and Iron hand and some other arts that look very interesting. But I think I would like to start slow and just do Hsing-I.
Here are some videoclips too:
http://manchesterkungfu.com/footage/footage.html
The first one is Hsing-I elements.
Would you recommend this school? I have looked at a few Tai Chi schools but the teachers seem geared more towards health and relaxation. I still want to pursue a martial art with fighting applications.
Many thanks in advance
Ken

hi ken,

you might ask around here http://ukbaguainstitute.co.uk/forum/index.php ... there are a lot of brits there ...

best,

bruce

[shaolin_allan]

Any school can have as good of looking a site as they want and there is no way to tell if they are legit unless you research into the instructors as well as go watch a couple of classes.

[yilishihfu]

Yes- the club you mentioned is taught by Mr. Chris Lomas and is an excellent school. Mr. Lomas teaches primarily Xingyiquan and Baguazhang - also teaches some Splashing Hands on the side.

He spent a fortnight with me in the U.S. - he's a very fine young man and I highly recommend his school.

[kal]

Mr Starr, I presume?

Welcome to the forums!

I'm halfway through your book and really enjoying it.

P.S. I love squid as well

[yilishihfu]

Yes, it's me! I'm very pleased that you like my book - just wait until the second one comes out! We're in the throes of doing the photography work for it now.

And I also love squid!!!

And Chris Lomas is a really wonderful young man. Although he'd never met me, he traveled all the way to the U.S. to train. He stayed in my home and my wife adopted him...she's still trying to get her imitation British accent right. It needs a LOT of work.

[kal]

also teaches some Splashing Hands on the side.

.

That strikes me (no pun intended) as a very interesting style. From what I have seen and read of it, the footwork is very unusual and effective.
Have you come across this style previously anywhere?

[yilishihfu]

No, I've heard of it (only in the martial arts magazines) but never seen it before. Until it was mentioned in the media, I'd never heard of it from any of the Chinese martial arts teachers I've met over the years.


Chris uses it as a kind of warm-up and conditioning exercise but his forte is Xingyi and Bagua.

[kal]

Mr Starr, have you read "Autumn Lightning" by Dave Lowry?

It starts off very similar to your book, except he writes about his time studying Japanese martial arts.

[yilishihfu]

Yes, it's one of my favorites! Mr. Lowry is an outstanding writer and his insights into the nature and spirit of the Japanese (and, for that matter ALL) martial arts is invaluable.

I think I have most of his books-

[kal]

I agree totally about Dave Lowry's books. I think his recent "Clouds in The West" is probably his best.

Anyway, I had a little chuckle when I read about you repeatedly knocking on the door and being told by a Chinese lady that you had the wrong place! Poor Mr Lowry went through the exact same thing!