chen taiji or lung ying?

[Mantis9700]

Hi everyone...i am getting back into training kungfu after moving to a new state. In my area there is chen taiji and lung ying. I have tried classes in both locations and liked them both but i am having a hard time picking one. I am hoping to get advice on which one to pick. It would be great to hear from people who gave experience in these 2 arts. Most of my training is based in northern mantis kungfu with heavy emphasis on applications...kao da...conditioning...etc. any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am hoping this turns into a very informativr thread fot chen taiji and lung ying practioners to promote their art especially if u started in a differnet style of kungfu.

[Shaolin]

Don't ask anyone here. Make up your own mind.

Make a list of positives and negatives you see with each system and each school. Make another list of the goals you want to achieve. Study your lists and figure out which school/system is going to help you to achieve those goals.

If you want help from the others here posts links to each of the schools websites; maybe someone here has had experience with either of the schools which would be more beneficial to you making your own decision then us telling what system to study.

[YouKnowWho]

Since you train mantis, I'll strongly suggest you to cross train Chen Taiji. It's great idea to learn "speed generation" from mantis, and "power generation" from Chen Taiji. That will be a perfect match. The Taiji prey mantis system was created for this reason.

The advantage of cross training these 2 styles is it will give you a clear picture about the relationship between "speed and power".

[Eric Olson]

Chen Taiji. It's also a Northern Style and the transition will be easier. Take it from someone who transitioned from Southern (CLF) to Northern (Chen Taiji).

[xinyidizi]

Chen Taiji is a must for people who want to learn the internal martial arts. I don't mean that it's the most effective art but I believe it has the most complete teaching system and can teach the principles of IMA as well as strong (but flexible) roots better than any other style. After learning Chen taiji you can learn the other styles better and faster than other people.

[Jimbo]

Ideally, you'll probably have a smoother transition to Chen Taiji, as some have mentioned. BUT, in the end, you really have to decide which one YOU really prefer. I went from Northern Mantis to a southern style (CLF), and did not have any problems transitioning. And when I trained Mantis, I did it with a northern flavor, and I do CLF with a CLF flavor. Some applications have similarities, but there are many differences, too. You can transition between northern and southern systems if you really want to...sometimes there's too much emphasis on the north/south divisions, as opposed to how well you relate to the art, the teacher, the training environment, emphasis, etc. The thing is that, although your previous experience can help you greatly, you must enter any new art with a blank slate.

[Gru Bianca]

I think that your safest bet would be to go for the Sifu rather then the style. No matter how good a style can be in theory, if the Sifu isn't good in teaching it chances are you won't be able to get much benefit.
Just a thought

[Golden Arms]

If you want to throw people around and do lots of solo practice, likely the Chen Tai Chi. If you want to learn something that will potentially allow you to kick some ass, Lung Ying.

[Syn7]

I think that your safest bet would be to go for the Sifu rather then the style. No matter how good a style can be in theory, if the Sifu isn't good in teaching it chances are you won't be able to get much benefit.
Just a thought

It may just be a thought, but it's a great point.


We are so spoiled for styles over here in Vancouver. I can't imagine only having two choices. Must be a real small town huh...