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Thread: Any real Shaolin teachers in Columbus Ohio?

  1. #1

    Any real Shaolin teachers in Columbus Ohio?

    A brief history of my martial art experience.

    I first started out in Jeet Kune Do for about a year and half. While I was there I was also studying all of Bruce Lees books and couldn't help but to notice that they were going against the very thing that Bruce Lee preached. Bruce said no belt levels, instead this school used shirts. He said it was important to practice forums and stances when you are first starting. They said Bruce Lee was completely against them. The biggest of all, they were pretty much against full contact sparring. Bruce Lee would have compared it to learning to swim on dry land. Long story short, I ended up leaving seeking a better teacher.

    One day when I was training in Jeet Kune Do the teacher assign me to practice with one of the new students. I thought, hey he's new and probably isn't going too hit or kick to hard. He used a skipping side kick. The sound of the kick was so loud it was like a gun had went off. The kick sent me flying for about 3 feet, then I hit the ground and rowed the next 10 feet stopped only by the wall. I had to find out how he did it.

    I shared with him the problems I had about the current class I was in. He agreed and said he didn't know much but could teach me the little he did learn back when he had a real kung fu teacher.

    A few months later he lets me know that he has located his kung fu teacher again and invited me to come train with him. The training only lasted for about 6 months. During that 6 months all he really thought us was the basics.

    The training was like nothing else I've been through. Each and every class he reached the bar beyond what me and my friend thought possible but somehow we'd make it and he'd congratulate us on making it through training for that day. Our choice was simple. If you couldn't do something he'd beat punish you till you did if he thought you were holding back. If you didn't want to be punished you could either do what was asked of you or leave and never return.

    Well, I don't really want to go into the reasons as to why I left. Lets just say our trainer was a little...on the weird side and made us feel really uncomfortable. If you want more info just pm me and I'll let you know.

    After I left his class I learned of the "famous" Shaolin Do and how they were actually Shaolin Kung Fu. I trained there for a few months only because I couldn't find anything better. Finally I talked the teacher into letting us join in on the sparring matches even though we were only white slashes. That was the dumbest thing this teacher could ever do. The teacher had us all line up and fight against the highest ranking people in the class. Since the school was fairly new the highest ranking was only a second brown slash. I finally got my chance after he went through nearly the whole line. I wasn't even trying to hurt him. I was only playing around and he just bowed out right in the middle of our match. He told me that after training there for 4 year he didn't stand a chance against me.

    Since then I went to quite a few different schools in Columbus. The result is the same. It would seem as if these teachers are only out to make money and not there to actually teach their students self defensive.

    I've tried giving up on martial arts all together but somehow I just can't. I've stopped training but not a single day goes by that I don't think of the training I went through during that short 6 months of my life. Somehow it changed me. I just can't explain it.

    Well, there is my introduction. Sorry for the length. I've giving up on looking for good trainers in the phone book. I've found two really good trainers and neither of them were in the phone book. My search has brought me here. I wonder how many others are here for that same reason.

  2. #2
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    lol, a good side kick is a great weapon

    The only really good teacher I can think of that's in the phone book is Tony Brown's kungfu school. He' a phenomenal Hung Gar teacher (also teaches southern mantis, I think), and former full contact fighting champ. Hung Gar is southern Shaolin related (at least through legend). It's an awesome system, you might like it. He's a very honest and high quality teacher too. For northern Shaolin styles, I know of two Chinese teachers who aren't in the phonebook, though they also teach other systems (baji quan and taiji quan for instance). One may have retired from teaching Shaolin related material though. You could also look into Muay Thai, as I think there's supposed to be a pretty good teacher in the area. Even if it's not a perfect fit for you, I think you'll learn some good basic fighting skills that will translate well if you do find your perfect kungfu teacher. There's a lot of alternative choices here in Columbus, I think.

  3. #3
    Wannabemonk,

    Wow.....I thought I was the only one who truly felt this way. Interesting story. I too sit in the same chair as you. I have had a long history of martial arts. I started out with a local Karate school in high school and eventually ventured out. I was always fascinated in the speed, power and grace of Kung fu. So my search began. I drifted through a few yellow page kung fu schools around my area. I found a school I liked but a year later he closed it and moved to the far north side of town which was out of my area. Then one day I found the ultimate school. Trained there for years only to be truly disappointed and left hurt in the end. For personal reasons, I will not disclose school names or persons involved.

    So needless to say It feels like I have embarked on my search again. I have been out of a school for a few months now....but I practice what I have learned. Looking back at my experience I have questioned if there are truly any martial arts school out there that teach to pass the lineage or teach to make money, use people or invent the next big "craze". I don't know. I find a lot of martial art schools lack the spirit, tradition and discipline that was once associated with martial arts. In the age of modern technology and guns it almost feels like there isn't much need for martial arts. I can drive a few miles and see the "Fitness martial art clubs" or see Olympic Tae Kwon Do schools around every corner. Now, wushu itself is going down the same road when it becomes an olympic sport. Is this really martial arts?

    In answer to your question, I never been to Columbus Ohio. I can't tell you if there are any good schools there. But for now keep searching. You will get that right feeling when you find the right one.......if the right one exits.

  4. #4
    I know this post is quite old, but has anyone discovered a solid school for Kung-Fu training? I'm relocating to Columbus, OH and would like to continue my Kung-Fu training but I am a bit dubious in trying the schools that I've seen...

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Pearsof View Post
    I know this post is quite old, but has anyone discovered a solid school for Kung-Fu training? I'm relocating to Columbus, OH and would like to continue my Kung-Fu training but I am a bit dubious in trying the schools that I've seen...
    I don't know of any in Columbus per se but I'm sure there is, ask Ginosifu or even Mooyingmantis who is in the Akron area, Gino teaches northern shaolin he may have friends or knows someone in the Columbus area, just be patient. You should come to the Great Lakes kung fu tournament sometime in Cleveland there's a topic on it now in the Kung fu training section I think.
    Last edited by Raipizo; 04-26-2013 at 11:14 AM.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pearsof View Post
    I know this post is quite old, but has anyone discovered a solid school for Kung-Fu training? I'm relocating to Columbus, OH and would like to continue my Kung-Fu training but I am a bit dubious in trying the schools that I've seen...
    find a chinese cultural center/hometown association

    im assuming by "avoid dubious" you mean you want the hardcore sh1t

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  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by bawang View Post
    find a chinese cultural center/hometown association

    im assuming by "avoid dubious" you mean you want the hardcore sh1t
    I'm sure there is, O.S.U probably has a martial arts club/team also.

  8. #8
    Thank you for the recommendations, Raipizo and Bawang.

    Great Lakes Kung Fu in Cleveland sounds like a great way to integrate myself a bit more in the midwestern community for martial arts.

    And yes... I do want the hardcore stuff

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    This is the part where bawang tells you to bang trees and squat.
    For whoso comes amongst many shall one day find that no one man is by so far the mightiest of all.

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    Wannabemonk, I live in the Dayton area, and I have a lot of contact with Columbus with friends, other martial brothers & cousins, etc. I personally don't know of any legit teachers of Shaolin quan (by that I assume you mean the Songshan Shaolin Si curriculum like hong quan, louhan, tongbei, etc. and weapons like yinshhou gun, meihua dao,etc.). That's not to say you won't find some individual practitioners and so forth, just maybe not actual teachers with schools, programs and such. There could be, I just haven't discovered them.
    OSU does, I believe, have a wushu team, Dragon Pheonix Wushu Team. Don't know for sure if they're still doin their thing, but you could check.
    There are other CMA in Columbus tho. Some good Chen taiji from some of my gungfu cousins,and others.
    What you should do, is go check Asian Festival in Franklin Park this weekend. Fri.Sat. & Sun. I think. You should see martial arts demos and be able to bump into all kinds of people who may be able to steer youin a good direction. Just google it.Columbus Asian Festival. You shouldfind all kindsa info.
    At the very least, you could link up with me sometime as I practice various forms of Shaolin Quan, but I am not a teacher or anything, but I have over 30 yrs CMA experience and I'm really into Shaolin everything! I am willing to share my meager knowledge on a mutual basis,until such time that we uncover some real Shaolin wuseng somewhere nearby. Herndon VA. has a good representative but I don't know of anything closer.Maybe ChicagoI believe. Anyway, peace. Amitofo.

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    I guess I should have directed my reply more towards Pearsof than wannabemonk, since the thread was started more than 6 years ago! Got to pay more attention. But, actually, I just discovered today a school that says they teach Shaolin Quan in Columbus. They are called Huiguang Martial Arts Association. Here's a link:
    www.huiguang-martialarts.com
    They're going to be doing a demonstration at Columbus Asian Festival this weekend. You can google the schedule. Hope this helps your search.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shaolin Rasta View Post
    I guess I should have directed my reply more towards Pearsof than wannabemonk, since the thread was started more than 6 years ago! Got to pay more attention. But, actually, I just discovered today a school that says they teach Shaolin Quan in Columbus. They are called Huiguang Martial Arts Association. Here's a link:
    www.huiguang-martialarts.com
    They're going to be doing a demonstration at Columbus Asian Festival this weekend. You can google the schedule. Hope this helps your search.
    looks fake

    Honorary African American
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    Quote Originally Posted by bawang View Post
    looks fake
    Yea, Bawang, I'm naturally skeptical most of the time too. Only thing to do is go check them out. And if they aren't legit - I will challenge them to death match!

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    you dont need to go check it out. click on the webwsite gallery. its full of skinny old people.

    Honorary African American
    grandmaster instructor of Wombat Combat The Lost Art of Anal Destruction™®LLC .
    Senior Business Director at TEAM ASSHAMMER consulting services ™®LLC

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by bawang View Post
    its full of skinny old people.
    Welcome to the world of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts.

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