Gene where would you recommend training in china?
well speaking for myself, Shi De Yang would be my first choice if I was going to China.
i of course second that.
[QUOTE=LFJ;903887]i of course second that.
Thanks for the link! Have you trained with Shi de yang? Can you tell me about the training?
yes I’ve trained with him a couple of times, but not formally or over a long period of time, so LFJ would be the better person to fill you in if those are the details you are looking at.
I’ve heard some people say they think a familiarity with Mandarin will open up a much deeper understanding if you train with him, but I consider him to be a very good Ch’an shifu, and the thing is mind to mind and heart to heart is sometimes best delivered without spoken words.
I guess it depends on what kind of experience you want. But 6th patriarch got the robe and bowl by not speaking. Wouldn’t it have been a trip if the girl had won.
there was another thread or two on his school. i posted some information there as well, but i’m having trouble with the search function.
basically, the school has around 100-200 resident students. the classes are divided into age groups and levels and taught by personal disciples of master deyang. when master deyang is there he will also teach. sometimes you may have to speak up if you want to study with him personally, otherwise he’ll assume you are content learning from his coaches, who are all excellent in their own right.
but thats where the importance of language comes into play. shi xingfei, the coach who usually takes the foreigners (although you’ll be tossed in with the other chinese students), speaks some english. but mr. sloan brings up a very important point. just the experience will teach you a lot. without words you just have to be more observant. 
staying in a nearby hotel and eating outside (very cheap) is advised. you may not be used to the living quarters, “toilets”, and the food may not agree with your body’s bacteria. but if you are hardcore and want to really experience shaolin culture, go for it. its actually not that bad if you leave the western comforts behind, lol. last time i took a blender and protein powder though.
the training, whether directly with master deyang or with his disciples, is absolute tops as far as i’m concerned. you can study traditional or modern wushu, qigong, sanda… and of course chan buddhism.
and on top of this, the price for the value is a steal. i’ve never paid the low price they ask for. i would feel so guilty. they even offer to have the cooks buy and cook things you want to make you comfortable there. they really go out of their way with what little they have.
if you have any other specific questions, ask away.
here is the schedule i posted in the other thread. they’ve made everything 5 or 10 mins later since then though:
there are six training periods per day each an hour and 10 mins long, most with only 20 mins break in between.
morning:
5:00am; wake up
5:20- 6:30; morning session (very intense conditioning)
6:50am; breakfast
8:00am; warm-up
8:20- 9:30; session 1 (stretching, forms and whatnot)
9:50- 11:00; session 2
11:20am; lunch
11:55am; noon break
afternoon:
3:00pm; warm up
3:20- 4:30; session 1
4:50- 6:00; session 2
6:20; supper
evening:
7:00pm; warm up
7:20- 8:30; evening session
sleep by 9:00pm.
^ wow, thats sound dope too!
id bet he’d reccomend this one too:
http://www.sdcshaolin-kungfu.com/file_detail/2005-12-3/20051231624508106.htm
yes, of course gene’s master decheng. my top two choices.
[QUOTE=richard sloan;903927]yes I’ve trained with him a couple of times, but not formally or over a long period of time, so LFJ would be the better person to fill you in if those are the details you are looking at.
I’ve heard some people say they think a familiarity with Mandarin will open up a much deeper understanding if you train with him, but I consider him to be a very good Ch’an shifu, and the thing is mind to mind and heart to heart is sometimes best delivered without spoken words.
I guess it depends on what kind of experience you want. But 6th patriarch got the robe and bowl by not speaking. Wouldn’t it have been a trip if the girl had won.[/QUOTE]
Thanks forthe review!
[QUOTE=Cimaroon;904006]^ wow, thats sound dope too!
id bet he’d reccomend this one too:
http://www.sdcshaolin-kungfu.com/file_detail/2005-12-3/20051231624508106.htm[/QUOTE]
Nice web site! Is his training times around the same? How much is he a month?
China is a huge place
So I assume by this that we’re talking about Shaolin, not all of China. And sure, I’d recommend my shifu, Shi Decheng, first (good call Cimaroon!) Deyang’s school is great too. My only hesitation there is that it’s a much larger school so it may be more difficult to get attention. Decheng opened a facility just for foreigners (meaning improved amenities like sit-down toilets) we covered it in the last two Shaolin specials.
See the following articles:
Dengfeng City Expansion: Shaolins Neighbor Continues to Grow By Salvador Redner
2007 November/December
What’s New in Dengfeng 2008 By Scott Jeffery
2009 January/February ON THE NEWSSTANDS NOW 
Hey Ktkungfu,
Have you ever considered traveling or training with the monks in the US? It would give you a good idea what kind of training is involved considering if you don’t already train with any of them here or live outside the US. Just a suggestion
[QUOTE=Songshan;905530]Hey Ktkungfu,
Have you ever considered traveling or training with the monks in the US? It would give you a good idea what kind of training is involved considering if you don’t already train with any of them here or live outside the US. Just a suggestion :)[/QUOTE]
I second that. Depending on how much time you are planing to spend, I’d recommend that if you are going to spend a couple of weeks training versus a longer term stay, you could contact one the monks here in the US and ask if they can accomodate a Shaolin experience. I bet most would work with you. Essentially you’d be getting private classes throughout the day and probably participate with the regular school curriculum at night (however many sessions they have). Most of the monks I’ve met are very happy by enthusiastic students who want to apply themselves more.
[QUOTE=DeHui702;906035]I second that. Depending on how much time you are planing to spend, I’d recommend that if you are going to spend a couple of weeks training versus a longer term stay, you could contact one the monks here in the US and ask if they can accomodate a Shaolin experience. I bet most would work with you. Essentially you’d be getting private classes throughout the day and probably participate with the regular school curriculum at night (however many sessions they have). Most of the monks I’ve met are very happy by enthusiastic students who want to apply themselves more.[/QUOTE]
I was thinking that or going to boxing again.
[QUOTE=GeneChing;904285]So I assume by this that we’re talking about Shaolin, not all of China. And sure, I’d recommend my shifu, Shi Decheng, first (good call Cimaroon!) Deyang’s school is great too. My only hesitation there is that it’s a much larger school so it may be more difficult to get attention. Decheng opened a facility just for foreigners (meaning improved amenities like sit-down toilets) we covered it in the last two Shaolin specials.
See the following articles:
Dengfeng City Expansion: Shaolin’s Neighbor Continues to Grow By Salvador Redner
2007 November/December
What’s New in Dengfeng 2008 By Scott Jeffery
2009 January/February ON THE NEWSSTANDS NOW ;)[/QUOTE]
thanks for the link!
Someone mentioned taking a protein shake with. I think if you going to train anywhere in china, this is probably the best advice to take. Last year April I was with a group of Foreigners from all over the world doing an international san shou instructors course in wuhan, and nearly everyone eventually went out to buy some protein shakes. Chinese food usually consist of loads of carbohydrates and very little protein. Probably ok for smaller Chinese body types, but for the bigger westerners I suppose a supplement could be welcome.
I never found any shortage of protien in food when I lived in Xi’an, or when travelling to various parts of the country.
If you really work out and focus on muscle endurance etc, you need about 2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight you have. So a man that weighs around 100kilos, would need about 200 grams of protein a day. Even in the usa, that’s a pretty tall order unless you really look out for that sort of thing.
Off course, this is just advice, never meant it in any negative way or anything against training in china. Im a vegetarian living in china, so its particularly hard for me (theres always some kind of meat soup in the food), but I know many athletes who struggle to get the right nutrition from the food you buy around here.
Walnut milk
Walnut and almond milk is available in cans throughout China. It’s high in protein and easily digestible, perfect for hardcore training as long as you don’t have a nut allergy. I used to live on that stuff at Shaolin, that and Jinlibao.
There’s actually quite a lot of meat to be had too. It’s just most Americans don’t have the stomach for real meat. If it’s not a Mcburger or nugget or something, if it’s got a head or tendons or tripe, a lot of Americans wimp out. Back when I was eating meat, I was really impressed by the meats in China. It’s gamier, for sure, but far more satisfying to me.
I think I consumed my own body weight in Yak meat over two weeks in Tibet.