I have a friend who does MT, and BJJ who is very intetsted in the internals. You know how difficult this can be…I was hoping some of you guys could recommend some very good Bagua or Xingyi teachers in the San Antonio area. I would hate for this guy to get into some crappy school and miss out on what the internals are about.
Sorry…you won’t find GOOD Bagua or Xingyi in San Antonio.
Closest you can do is to travel to Houston…
Chinese styles are EXTREMELY limited in San Antonio. You CAN find a bit of Taijiquan and Wing Chun…but not much more.
That’s kind of a real bummer to hear. Guess those of us with close good teachers are pretty lucky.
GLW is quite correct. There is very little in the way of CMA here. There are a couple good W/C schools and old folks tai chi. Other than that it’s pretty much TKD and Kenpo. And of course the Kali school I just started training at.
Where does your friend train at Mike Rangel’s?
I am not sure where he trains. Sad thing is, he said he took about four months of Tai Chi there, and he had no idea the things I am talking about with internal principles. He was extreemly interested in my blocking and deflecting methods, which I think are really basic kung fu in the internals.
This guy has been in street fights I would never want to get into. Real multiple attacker stuff, gettin beat up real bad type stuff. So he knows what fighting is. He said he wants to get away from the mat rolling and hard Mui Tai stuff, because it is just so abusive to the body.
We worked a project in Dallas a few months back, and he was going around Dallas trying different Mui Tai places. The thing I noted from him, is that when he fights Mui Tai, he is not in the mind set of taking someones center or balance, and then controlling them. He is just sport fighting, which is fine if you win, but you can take quite a few shots in the process. Also, that is not a good recipe for street fighting or self defense.
I’ll bet I can find out where he trains…more to come
BTW ewallce…I know how important a good teacher is in ANY style that understands fighting principles, and body dynamics, situational and emotional stress, etc. What have you heard around San Antonio about really top level teachers? Any art.
As far as Wing Tsun goes, William Parker is a 4th level technician. I have heard good and bad things about that school. I went to check it out and it wasy okay. Just wasn’t for me though.
There is also Gilbert Leal. A couple of his students post on this forum. I hear he is a good teacher too.
BJJ- There is a purple belt that teaches at concorde karate. His name is Karun Fiederer and is a student under Pedro Alberto. I have not been to check out this place but I have heard nothing but positive things about it. If I somehow come up with an extra 75 or 85 dollars a month I will train there.
I have done countless searches on the web as well as visited quite a few schools before I finally decided on pekiti-tirsia. The instructor really went out of his way to accomodate me and they really make you feel like part of a family. It was also the most realistic training. They train very hard but the environment is somewhat layed back. Class is a helluva workout too. I haven’t left once where I wasn’t totally drenched. Then again I am not exacty in shape like a world class athlete.
I really would have loved to find a Longfist school here, and Sifu Leal does teach N. Shaolin LF, but only to his more advanced wing tsun students.
If you do not see, you did not look
For those who don’t know about good internal in SA, it’s only because you keep looking in the phonebook. You gotta hit the parks. I was in SA for 6 years and I had 3 private teachers. My Yang style sifu was 70+ years old and a university professor from Beijing. I also studied Tang Shao Tao Hsing I while I was there and did 3 years of Bagua. There is some good stuff in SA but you gotta dig for it. My Hsing I Sifu moved, but the Bagua school is open and practices regularly.
As for Gilbert, I’d advise against him. Same for Horracio Lopez. Sal De La Rosa does Chen and while I haven’t met him we have several mutual acquantiences and I have heard good and bad about him. As far as his Tai Chi, mostly good things.
If you’re looking for some really good self defense and Muay Thai, Phet Fong Savane is on Austin Hiway. I know there was also a guy teaching Tai Chi and Shuai Jiao on Lackland a few years ago.
San Antonio is defintly grim for Kung Fu, but if you really want to find it, it is there.
Bill
Ewallace… Who are you doing Pekiti with? Ricky Rillera? Or Gabe Martinez?? They are both really stand-up guys. I went to the Tim Wade seminar they sponsored last year right before I moved.
Say hello to them for me, whichever you’re practicing with.
IMA in San Marcos, TX
Dr. Gary Stier teaches Sun Style Tai Chi, along with some Ba Gua and XingYiQuan in San Marcos, TX.
Last I heard, he was teaching Tai Chi on Monday evenings and was available for privates in Ba Gua and XingYiQuan during the week.
Is Sifu Steir in San Marcos now?? I trained with him like 6 years ago when he lived out south of Austin but north of Johnson City. THe commute was killing me and from what I remember he was REALLY pricey… San Marcos woulda been A LOT closer… Too bad…
TaoBoxer
I’m training under Gabe Martinez. He just opened a new school at wurzbach pkwy @ perrin beitel.
Gabe is a great guy…very dedicated…very serious. You’re lucky to have him.
So Mr. Steir is teaching Sun style huh?? He told the the only kung fu he ever practiced was a family style he learned in Michigan. Interesting…
I could be wrong, but if my memory serves me right (based on a conversation I had with him over a year ago) he is teaching Sun style.
And yes, last time I spoke with him he was teaching in the parking lot outside of his Acupuncture business in San Marcos.
I have heard of Gary Steir. I know a guy that had some trouble last year finding out exactly where he was. Mike Patterson lists him as a resource.
Is he pretty good with the internals? Anyone know his mix between forms, and fighting applicaitons?
Dr. Stier
I can only speak from limited experience when I participated in one of his Tai Chi classes over a year ago.
However, from that one class and my surrounding conversations with him, I got the impression that he was the real deal and knew his stuff when it came to Chinese IMAs.
The class I participated in was focused mostly on Tai Chi form practice with emphasis on correct body mechanics, alignment, and use of the internal principles. There was also some push hands work and some basic Chin Na.
That evening, the class consisted of about 8-10 students ranging from mostly beginner to one or two advanced students.
At the time of my visit, I was particularly interested in Ba Gua and Hsing I (in addition to Tai Chi). However, his only public class was the Monday night Tai Chi class. He said that he did teach Ba Gua and Hsing I to advanced students and also was available for private lessons in the other styles depending on his schedule during the week.
He came across as a nice man who was very knowledgeable and serious about teaching quality stuff. Yet, I live in North Central Austin and the reality of commuting down to San Marcos on a regular basis weighed heavy on my decision to study with him. I continued my search here in town and found someone right up the street teaching similar styles.
CD,
You might want to ask Chris McKinley. He may be in Oklahoma, but has exceptional contacts all around the south west/south central portions of the U.S. He is a regular contributer to these boards, and is decent about providing/researching those i.m.a.'s that seem decent enough. If Chris doesn't respond, e-mail me, and I'll have him get in contact with you directly.
(my e-mail is in my sig.) Good luck.
Thank you guys very much for the help. I have emailed Chris and hope he responds. Quality takes time right?
There was an author in the Nov/Dec 2001 KungFu QiGong magazine by the name of Bill Lewitt. The article’s author information gave San Antonio as his home. He is a bagua practitioner. I have no idea on his level of skill in practice or in teaching as I only know of him through the article.