what school should I attend?

[hskwarrior]

I find this response full of $hit! He is hiding something! I guarantee it!

It is called baffling with bull$hit! You cannot verify any of his claims now. See how clever he is? He is adding to the mystique, and you, the unknowing beginner seem to be well taken in!

I have been on my cell and not on a computer, but now I am on my computer so I will check out the a video or two for you.

he's just doing a play on words rehashing the same old drama that has been going on for the last few days...he's just wording it like a story now.

[burningflames]

I should mention that there is a good moy yat ving tsun school here in town.

as well as a shotokan dojo. i was going to wing cun a while ago

most recently i was at the shotokan place.

i could train both shotokan and wing chun at once. i like both schools, the katas and raw power of shotokan, but we didnt ffull contact spar at my level. it was just me and a brown belt with the sensei, good times. all about kime and beauty of the katas, and shifting with the hips.

i could do shotokan and wing chun or the xingyi/bagua school with southern crane and tiger and tai chi and san shou

my gut actually wants to say to do shotokan and wing chun

i would miss out on whatever mysteries bagua and xingyi are offering though

[hskwarrior]

i would miss out on whatever mysteries bagua and xingyi are offering though

Man, go for the mysteries. maybe do some magic as well. good luck.

[bawang]

learn shotokan and wing chun, then learn xingyi and bagua from dvd

[burningflames]

learn shotokan and wing chun, then learn xingyi and bagua from dvd

shut up lol

[Dragkin]

Well, after reading what you've said, I think that you'd really enjoy Xingyi-Bagua. I think that those provide you with the martial and the philosophical side that you were looking for, and they both are really interesting.

Still, like others have said, its up to you to decide what you want to do. And, like others have said before, don't choose the style - choose the teacher. All styles are (more or less) effective in fighting, and all of them provide a rich philosophy - the differences between them is the teacher, and how well they can teach.

[RenDaHai]

I can't watch youtube so can't comment on the Vids,

But I would beware of any extended animal system. It sounds a little off to me. The mix of indian and chinese is not a good omen.

If you want something ancient I would go for the style XingYi. It is not so old, but its a variation on an older system 'Xin Yi quan'. Xin yi has a 1000 year history which makes it comparable to Northern Shaolins. Xing Yi is a great base because it is both simple and complex and you will find it contains the basic elements common to most northern systems. From XingYi it is very easy to make the transition into any other northern style. Plus you will find the theoretical principles in tact and very close to those of the older systems.

Whatever happens try both and see which one you enjoy more. Enjoyment of your hobby is as important as anything.

[Scott R. Brown]

so u think the other school with xingyi and bagua and sanshou is cool?

they also offer southern tiger and crane. although im not really sure what that is.

hell they offer cha quan and han quan too as well as nanquon

but im only interested in the bagua, xingyi and southern crane and tiger. and of course the san shou training

You will have to pick one and try it yourself to know for sure. Like someone above said, the personality and character of the instructor is very important. Personally, I like bagua and xingyi, but if it is a poor instructor then it could be as bad or worse as the 5 animals guy!

maybe it would be appropriate to probe deeper as far as what his lineage is and where his training comes from, there must be a way of asking that wont hurt his feelings. he is 40 years old

It sounds like you want to like this guy. If he has something you like, do it. Just recognize you are not learning REAL, meaning traditional, Kung Fu, and his knowledge of Zen and Taoism is probably rudimentary as well.

It appears you are drawn to the mysterious and mystical nature of his schtick, but know it is marketing and not real. I guarantee it. Even if he doesn't know it is a scam himself. He may actually believe that what he is doing is special, but it is not, and it isn't even very good at it!

So, as long as you remember this when in 5 or 10 years you have invested all your time and money and then find out I was right, you can take responsibility for your own mistake.

[SPJ]

it is your quest

you pick one

then grow or move on from there.

karate is dominating MMA right now.

so go to karate school first.

but I am not you.

learn xing yi and ba gua later

but I am not you.

only you may answer your own question.

---

[burningflames]

it is your quest

you pick one

then grow or move on from there.

karate is dominating MMA right now.

so go to karate school first.

but I am not you.

learn xing yi and ba gua later

but I am not you.

only you may answer your own question.

---

xingyi and bagua school does san shou too, which is very alive training. i think im looking forward to that. i dont know how they work in training all those different styles at once though

[Scott R. Brown]

xingyi and bagua school does san shou too, which is very alive training. i think im looking forward to that. i dont know how they work in training all those different styles at once though

Usually you learn the basics of one first then the other one latter, but I am sure that varies from school to school.

10 years ago I was looking at a school that taught xingyi, bagua and taiji. They made you learn taiji first, then bagua, then xinyi!

[burningflames]

Im working right now so I only practice a little. Will be going back to school and do serious ma training in fall.

The shotokan is nice, its very powerful. I just dont know if the kung fu is as powerful or as crisp as the karate. But Im looking forward to the alive training. It will be good to compare the styles.

I also dont really know what southern tiger or southern crane is.

This is a wushu school. I guess its comparable to the JKA. I just don't know enough

they do nanquon too and i know that is similar to karate. i get the feeling i will learn more at the kung fu school, but it might not be as powerful. i wonder how the overall depth of these styles compare.

[瓜娃子]

Usually you learn the basics of one first then the other one latter, but I am sure that varies from school to school.

10 years ago I was looking at a school that taught xingyi, bagua and taiji. They made you learn taiji first, then bagua, then xinyi!

That is great. Taiji is 8 moves, Xing Yi is 5 and bagua is 8 moves.

Should take 21 classes to learn everything. Then you can study wu xing and bagua on your own to know how to use.

[瓜娃子]

Here are videos from a school that reportedly teaches shaolin five animals as well as mantis, nanquon, chanquon and yoga. People on bullshido said the forms might be sloppy and undeveloped. Im 27 and want to learn kung fu. Im especially interested in the animal styles because they are so ancient to everything else like wing chun and karate. Plus im still reasonably young so I could train and condition to a high level still.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWnu-mCdd7I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC6dm...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtEs6...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-fm5...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXcOnwC07QI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yLeg...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85lDF...eature=related

No....Sifu Les can do some things...I will bet you 5k he was an acrobat or a gymnast first. He does strength and balance tricks that are good...but....he has no power and can't fight. Maybe his snakey hands work if she has two knives..then I would fear him. I also fear a small monkey with two knives or a hysterical woman. The truth is he has no foundation.

[Dale Dugas]

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?t=106992

read up on how our new member is doing something similar but not on Bullshido.