I am currently looking for a good school in my area (Denver, Colorado, USA) and before I started just going around town meticulously going to each school, I thought I would come here, in hopes of finding assistance. You see, I have gone into random schools before and have been supremely disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm that they have had for the fighting arts. One school had a dog kennel inside with barking dogs, and an undeniable smell of dog feces all throughout the dojo. And the rates were high! @_@
I’m personally trying to find a good Kung Fu school where I can safely learn conditioning techiques such as Iron Shirt, Iron palm etc. I practice at home currently and I’m practicing Ba Duan Jin, and Yi Jin Jing. I’m learning the Shaolin Xiao Hong Quan as well.
I would be most grateful for any help/tips, and please let this become a general thread on the Best Techniques for finding good schools in your area.
You will probably have to commute outside your area to learn what you’re seeking. It can be a lot more challenging to find good Chinese Martial Arts (CMA) instruction than other arts like karate, taekwondo, BJJ, etc.
I found my CLF Sifu because I had a friend who was one of his top students. I liked the way my friend fought, and became curious about it. I could see that the teacher and his mid-to upper-level students were very good. So I was introduced in. Not every student of his was introduced in; many saw the small yellow page ad he ran back in the day.
In general, I’ve been lucky in finding good teachers. I found my Mantis teacher in Taiwan because I simply became acquainted with him after observing him and his students over a period of time.
Not all CMA schools do much advertising, and most that do seem to emphasize more on the performance or health aspects. None of the schools I trained at placed any emphasis on ‘kiddie’ classes. If a school does that and you’re interested, make sure they have good adult programs, and if you can, watch the students and the teacher(s).
Denver Shuai-chiao Club () John Hsieh iwalkthecircle@gmail.com
+1 303 840 6370
American Combat Shuai Chiao Association (ACSCA)
last updated: February 13th, 2013 Chang Dong Sheng -> John Wang
Hey guys, many thanks for these informative replies. I was busy the last few days and wasn’t able to get on here.
I had a feeling there wasn’t too many CMA schools here in Denver. But I’m not done searching. I’ll be taking SBJ’s advice and doing a thorough scanning of the metro area.
There is a school that I teaches Bagua and Tai Chi, that I have heard is good. And this one I have considered.
I have also been interested in the Wudang schools, namely two, one ran by Shen Shixing and the other ran by Master Yuan. Anyone know about these schools? I’d be curious to hear from someone who has gone!
I’ve thought about going for years now, but it requires a decent amount of cash.
But luckily I have access to all of the wonderful Shaolin tutorial videos! And for the time being, I will train with these.
