I was wondering if anyone can tell me about shaolin do schools in colorado. I think they go be Chinese shaolin center? I recentley saw a demo at CU and was not tottaly impressed as they showed every style one could name. This is my only option if I wish to learn Kung fu, as I can not afford any other program.
Any thoughts on the matter?
newb the greenhorn
Check out Wah Lum Kung Fu in Denver, Sifu Eric Bernsdorf.
He just expanded his school into a gym. His rates should be competitive with others in the area.
Elder Masters Sharon and David Soard host the Denver shcool. The address is:
4012 W. 38th Ave
Denver, CO 80212
(303) 455-4088
Our kung-fu is not designed for performance, so it’s not as “pretty” as many others. It’s functional, it works, and it’s very complete. Any demonstration was probably butchered forms with key moves removed, obviously to keep the full form in the school.
Prices are very good, by month or longer term, with no contracts or scams or other trash. A year’s membership makes it $25 per month, with classes up to four times per week.
And…LOTS of sparring. LOTS and LOTS of sparring.
Do a search for Shaolin-Do discussions on this board. You’ll see a lot of people that differ in opinion with ole’ Wharg0ul here.
My recommendation is to contact NortherPracticioner or StarChaser107 by PM. They take traditional Long Fist in the Denver area. It is authentic Kung Fu.
Becca studies Pai Lum in the Denver area, I think, too.
I’ll save you the trouble…
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23361&highlight=ShaolinDo
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12742&highlight=ShaolinDo
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32782&highlight=ShaolinDo
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32655&highlight=ShaolinDo
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32180&highlight=ShaolinDo
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29536&highlight=ShaolinDo
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29350&highlight=ShaolinDo
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=29244&highlight=ShaolinDo
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, of course. Mine is based on personal experience, and I’ve had nothing but good experiences in our school.
The thread starter asked a question, and I answered it.
oh, and who wants to read 100’s of forum pages of ignorant people being disgustingly disrespectful anyway?
I’ve been a lurker on these forums for some time now, and it shames me to practice the same art as these people sometimes. With the exception of a few people who obviously understand more than the physical aspects of kung-fu, the majority of this forum’s population is nothing but a bunch of trolls.
Besides…the system obviously works, Myself and many others use it in sparring on an almost daily basis. You won’t find any forms or moves with no application or intent…every flick of the wrist has a puprose, and can be used by a creative student. I’d rather participate in something useful, and practical, even if hordes of forum trolls enjoy criticizing it.
Maybe the thread starter will come to think this way as well, and his/her life will be enriched with the wonder of kung-fu…at a reasonable price 
Originally posted by Wharg0ul
Maybe the thread starter will come to think this way as well, and his/her life will be enriched with the wonder of kung-fu…at a reasonable price
That was my point. If he wants kung fu, he should contact NP, StarChaser, or Becca.
If he wants Indonesian Karate with a shitload of inaccurate, flat-out falsified history and distorted lineages, he might look into CSC…
Ask yourself this…do these videos look like good kung fu???
Besides, the Soards are the ones who paid $2000 for that Steele to be erected at Shaolin (where lots and lots of others have done the same), and then told everyone Shaolin paid to put the monument up to honor Sin The’ and his contribution to Shaolin kung fu. Why on earth would you want to study under people who make up bullshit claims like that???
You guys can’t even agree with the Shaolin-Doers on whether or not Sin The’ was Ie Ching Men’s grandson or not. Or even the year he died! I mean, c’mon…you’d think you guys would get the story straight sooner or later.
PM me.. you have several options around Denver.
Shaolin stele
Actually, only a few have been able to place steles at Shaolin. Shaolin-Do, to their credit, managed to do one really early. USSD did one recently too, as I’m sure you’ve heard. Wah Lum has one, also placed early. Taguo placed one a few years ago, but that one is way inside the temple yard, not in the entry corrider where the others are placed. I can’t imagine what it costs to place one now. I have an idea, but there’s so much behind-the-scenes guanxi action that the real cost is probably much more than whatever was paid. I tried to place one back when I was with Wing Lam. We failed miserably, mostly due to lack of guanxi.
My favorite ever, was at a SDer saying…
How come our taiji doesn’t look like that…
Sorry, man. Don’t need to look at the clips. I know how our kung-fu looks. I’m more interested in how it works. And it works VERY well. There’s no “flowery fists and embroidered kicks” here.
You can attack our system and dispute our history all you want. It doesn’t change the fact that it works. There are uncountable elements and forms that are obviously traditionally chinese, and the wealth of material to be learned is enough to keep one busy for the rest of their lives.
It’s a good system. GM Sin The’ is a good man. That’s enough for me, and countless of students who enjoy a FUNCTIONAL system of kung-fu that’s very inexpensive.
Originally posted by norther practitioner
[B]My favorite ever, was at a SDer saying…
How come our taiji doesn’t look like that… [/B]
Some people don’t even realise that tai chi can be used to FIGHT, let alone that there are differant styles of it. Ingorant people exist in any system, race, or nation.
Ingorant people exist in any system, race, or nation.
And for some reason, they tend to congregate at SD and CSC schools…
maybe they seek to learn something to remedy their ignorance?
Then it’s the blind leading the blind. When the teachers pass lies and misdirection as fact, the students have no chance…
That’s your claim. That does not make fact. Are you an immortal being who has sat and witnessed the progression of our lineage? Somehow I think not.
I do think that the combination of time, language, and cultural revolution can can cast shadows on the exact progression of events in history, however. No one can prove beyond doubt weather the claims made by our GM are legitimate or not. But those of us who have met the man are inclined to think he is not a liar.
I don’t claim to know for sure myself. I judge the system by the results, and they are excellant.
Originally posted by MasterKiller
[B]Besides, the Soards are the ones who paid $2000 for that Steele to be erected at Shaolin (where lots and lots of others have done the same), and then told everyone Shaolin paid to put the monument up to honor Sin The’ and his contribution to Shaolin kung fu. Why on earth would you want to study under people who make up bullshit claims like that???
You guys can’t even agree with the Shaolin-Doers on whether or not Sin The’ was Ie Ching Men’s grandson or not. Or even the year he died! I mean, c’mon…you’d think you guys would get the story straight sooner or later. [/B]
Why I even care…but,
To the best of my knowledge, no one ever said that the temple paid for the marker. The Soard’s funded it. Hell, I don’t even associate with them and I knew that. There is also one that was done in Chen Village that was paid for by the students. If someone stated otherwise, they were wrong.
As for the grandson issue, that all came about when the brothers split. I was around both of them for many years and NEVER heard Master Ie being refered to as a grandfather. Only after Hiang left and started his own club did he become the grandson.
As for when Master Ie died, it was Master Haing that came back from Bandung with the news…in 1976! Now perhaps Master Ie died and kept it from everyone until then but that is when he relayed the info. Interesting thing is that Master Sin was promoted to Grand Master in '68. Then after the split, Ie’s death date was moved back to pre-GM Sin’s promotion. Hmmm. Then theres the fact that all the years (late 60’s to '84-ish) Sin and Hiang were together, Sin always had 10 stripes and Hiang 6 (till he was promoted to 7th) and Sin was refered to as Grand Master by Hiang. Then all the sudden, its Grand Master Hiang. Hell, even in the early pics on his site after the split he is still a 7th.
Anyhoo, back to nap time…
Originally posted by Wharg0ul
No one can prove beyond doubt weather the claims made by our GM are legitimate or not.
The Indonesian law banning Chinese martial arts was established in 1965. Sin The’ came to America in 1964; yet, he claims Ie Ching Men established the “tradition” of Japanese uniforms because of the ban.
That’s strike 1.
Oh man…
… and just think, just yesterday I was thinking that this Shaolin forum had been a little dead lately. I was hoping something might liven things up. Little did I think it would be the ol’ SD debate again. Be careful what you wish for… :rolleyes: