Hi everyone. Gotta question. I met Brian Gray through my work. I email him and I have called him once. I am thinking of taking on his instruction and become a student. I have seen some people talk about his former students who are really good trainers. Now I am asking all of you who may know something/anything about him, about the system, about the students and trainers. I know about his website, and I know about shaolinsan.com as well so don’t tell me about the advertisement. Tell me if the training is legit and worth it. I may be moving to DE where his school is and I wanna know if I should just stay put and keep on w/ my current stuff.
As someone who just reads the posts and doesn’t have any personal opinion about the guy, I think the general consensus is less than positive about him.
All I can say is that he talked up his training of Anthony Michael Hall and showed pictures of him doing his kung fu in a mag. I wasn’t impressed. He admittedly taught the guy a bunch of forms right off the bat, with no basics, and it looks like it. It’d be one thing if he were saying this as a coach of an actor who wants to do a little bit of kung fu for a movie; it’s another when he’s talking about him like a serious, lifelong disciple.
Whether or not that’s adequate to condemn the teacher, is not for me to decide. You gotta go with your own judgement- unless someone else on here comes up with substantial evidence for either side.
First of all, let me preface this by saying, I am not speaking about anyone in particular.This applies to any school. The main thing is to find out what style he teaches. Do some research. Find out about the system, his lineage,who he studied from,other teachers who do that system as well. What forms are taught. Beware of people who claim to teach simply ‘Shaolin’. or “Shaolin Ch’uan”, or “Lo-Han Ch’uan” these are simply umbrella names of what can be many styles, systems, and subsystems.Many people make up a system and just tag these names onto them as if it gives them some legitimacy. Sometimes, a teacher will take forms from books, videos, and throw them together creating his system. You would do better to buy the Wing Lam videos, which take you step by step through a real curriculum. I am wary of a school where the student is practicing a fundamental contemperary wu-shu form,(in a supposedly traditional system) doesn’t know the name of it, and neither does his “sifu”! I have seen this on many occaisions.Run, don’t walk from schools like these.
Watch or join the class and see his skills for yourself. If he has the skill it shouldn’t matter where he got it from. The lineage thing is being played up on, it’s not really that important compared to the skill level of the teacher. I guess the importance of lineage depends on what you want do you want a history lesson or to learn a skill although at some schools you can get both if you have to choose one choose the skill.
Brian Gray wrote a very disparaging article about Shaolin for IKF. It was careless and a lot of people suffered because of it. Furthermore, I was there when he was there to do his research (and could tell you a story or two, but you’d have to buy my a drink first.) Heming, a student of Deyang, posted a response to it. I’ll try to dig it up from the archives and bring it forward.
Thank you for all of your responses. I have 3 of his videos of training. He is somewhat indepth, telling you how things should feel, and what to use it for (only a few samples but we all know techniques are limitless). Anyways, I am not too interested in the lineage, I would like to learn something effective, and something for me. I am also thinking of taking up instruction w/ a Frank Rivera(?sp) who teaches the Tiger-Crane system. But Brian Gray and I had a LONG conversation about Shaolin, and well I HAVE to say it… Sin The! Interesting enough I have a job offer open to me 1 year later from the company I work for to go out to Delaware! However I think I may research this some more before I make my final decision.
Gene I will buy you multiple drinks to hear some stories.
Also if anyone in NM (albuquerque pref) knows anyone that teaches a system of the shaolin arts then please let me know. Email me at rjwiggins@excite.com .
If anyone knows someone out in NM that teaches a shaolin system or subsystem that does not advertise in any paper or phonebook ( i have searched extensively) please let me know. There isn’t too much around here except TKD and AKKA (Kempo).
I can comment on brian grey from a guy that met him. But first, I need someone to define for me:
“Yo-Yo”
As in “Man, what a yo-yo”.
Turiyan gold, Brahmin caste, Ordos clan
“A Brahmin, who is the giver of spiritual birth, the teacher of prescribed duty, is by right the father of an old man, though himself be a child.” --Verse 22 of inner text of Brahminism
I wish that everyone would leave Brian Gray alone. It is obvious you have never attended any of his seminars or talked face to face to this man. Brian Gray is a Master. He walks the walk and talks the talk of a Master. If you don’t believe me face to face him and find out for yourself.
I would comment on his ties with the Shaolin temple but I don’t want to upset Mr. Ching. Thanks for letting me give my two cents.
Please comment! Believe me, after all the things people have said about me on forums, I’m hard to upset. Actually, I’ve been hoping a BG student would jump in on this one…
There realy is nothing to comment and I am not a student of Brian Gray. I have studied the Iron Palm with him and have had some informal training in Shaolin Kung Fu. By the way, I didn’t learn forms first. And see what people say and they don’t know. Master Brian Gray is what I said in my last post. Anyone who thinks differently can check him out and they will see that he is the “real deal”.
Brian Grey does have an air of controversy like Sin Te or Jim Lacy, so I doubt the forum will leave him alone. Such is the nature of forums - true democracy - everyone with an email address can have their say. Don’t be offended by words or you won’t last here very long. And despite the negativity, there are some great conversations we have here.
Thank you for your concern. When we played as children, we would recite a rhyme that went some thing like this, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words (names)will never hurt me. To add to that, I only speak from experience and if I don’t know something I always look for an answer. I am a Chen stylist and the training and questions never stop.
Hello, I just finished some of what you read on another forum about BG. Anyways I went ahead and got some of his videos.. I have levels 1-3. And I have to say that the content is not bad. He describes the stances, and goes through every movement in different angles. I may stay where I am at, and learn the correspondance. I once made the fatal mistake however of asking me where he learned. Needless to say I got back an email w/ alittle bit of anger in it. However the information seems to be in step w/ his full curriculum as I have been to his website. and while I wish they would kinda give alittle more detail on the staff techniques (that’s my focus right now) it is after all a video course, so you gotta do w/ what you got.
And to all that responded, I want to thank everyone for their valuable time on this, both good and bad statements are taken in carefully.
And to Gene, if I am ever out in california again (I am assuming you are mostly in the northern areas from some other posts, I grew up in Sunnyvale) I will be sure to look you up on a drink or so and maybe a chat.
