Thanks Crumble and KC
After more than 25 years I’m not exactly looking for a foundation and god knows I could live without learning another form, but I’ll definately look this guy up sometime. It’s obvious anyone serious about Chinese martial arts in Chicago has but one option.
Re: Thanks Crumble and KC
Originally posted by count
It’s obvious anyone serious about Chinese martial arts in Chicago has but one option.
NOT true.
"Master Jianhua Guo is a trained professional Wushu Master from the Wuhan Institute of Physical Educational, China. He studied under the well known Grandmaster Jinmin Wen, Grandmaster Yuhua Liu, Master Bailong Jiang, Master Guangwen Gao, and Master Shanshan Wu.
Master Guo was a member of the Hubei Professional Wushu Team and the Wuhan Institute of Physical Education Team. Later, he became the head coach of the teams. His expert teaching produced many national individual and team championships in China.
Master Guo has been teaching in the U.S. since 1987. He began his American teaching career at Ball State University in Indiana where he taught Chinese Internal Arts from 1987-1989. Master Guo then moved to Chicago, IL in 1990 where he taught at various locations; He later opened Championship Martial Arts Academy (CMAA) on August 1991.
Master Guo teaches Northern Style and Southern Style in addition to bare-hand and all related weapons and self-defense techniques. He also teaches internal styles: Tai Chi Xing Yi, Ba Gua, Chin Na, and Chi Kung."
My Sifu trains with Guo. He comes highly recommended. 
One his students, Dan Pessina, recently opened his own school as well: Chicago Wushu Guan
Count: are you only looking for Bagua?
Yes, and I’m definately not looking for contemporary wushu.:rolleyes: I’ll look these guys up though.
Re: Thanks Crumble and KC
Originally posted by count
It’s obvious anyone serious about Chinese martial arts in Chicago has but one option.
I imagine I know what you are saying and where you are saying. I don’t know if I agree, but that’s where I train now. 
(Hsing I and Chi Kung.)
But I don’t regret training at Zhang’s at all. I’m picking things up very quickly as a result, much quicker, I think, than if I jumped straight into what I’m doing now.
-crumble
Count - for Bagua, you are probably correct.
However for Northern Mantis, Southern Mantis, Wing Chun, Northern Shaolin, Tai Chi (Chen, Wu, Sun, Yang), JKD, Choy Li fut, there are some good options.
Than you tell me,
Who do you think teaches traditional martial arts at the same level as Choi? Who teaches bagua as a fighting art and not as wushu dance? I haven’t lived in Chicago for 2 years now so I honestly don’t know.
On a side note, it would be really funny if I ended up training with Choi again after all this time. I started in martial arts learning Lama Crane from one of Choi’s students and met him several times. I shared an apartment here in California with a Hsing-I student of Choi for 5 years. After training all these years with other teachers, it would be like coming full cycle to start over again where I started in the first place. But I guess that’s balance. The pity is that he charges three times as much as when I knew him and three times as much as I pay now, not that the money would be a determining factor.
OOOPs, thanks fajing
I’ll give you a shout out when the time comes. Sounds like some other good stuff. On the Northern mantis, do you know which line and style? 8 step, 7 star, 6 harmonies, taji mantis? Also, there is one other good Tai Chi teacher I know of there. I think you know who I mean? Do you know any others?
Re: Than you tell me,
Originally posted by count
…pity is that he charges three times as much as when I knew him and three times as much as I pay now, not that the money would be a determining factor.
Good god, I wish I could say the same. The market for english majors doesn’t look good at all.
I have an English degree. Basically, you can do anything you want with it.
When you go to interviews outside the ‘English’ pedicure, just tell them your English degree taught you how to creatively think and solve problems, where as other degrees seem to train people for specific tasks. Therefore, you can adapt to any situation and you’re not programmed to do one specific thing.
Works like a charm.
OK, we cross-posted. But to clarify: for Bagua, I haven’t heard anything. Also to say that someone teaches at the same level as Choi- well Choi is world reknowned, so that would be hard to say, although I’ve never experienced his teaching personally. But I have experienced great teachers -
Master Kwan for NPM, he graduated at the top of his class in a famous 7* school in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and was in some Kung-fu movies…one of his students has the school for which I posted the first link, his own school is not on the web.
My Wing Chun/JKD sifu Johnson- only teaches privately and semi-private, involved in the NHB scene a few years ago - 28 years in Wing Chun, also 10-year student of Ted Wong, Bruce Lee’s second student -
Dr. Wu Shih-Cun on N. Clark Street, famous medical doctor from China and also expert in 4 major styles of Tai-chi, weapons, Tai-Chi ring etc. - Author of 8 books in Chinese and English on Tai-Chi - although may focus more on health than on combat. This is a guy worth checking out.
I have heard of other good teachers, such as the Choy Li fut guy (the second link I posted), SPM, Brian Eble at Golden Mountain in Naperville for Northern Shaolin, the Shaui-Chiao group.
Some good schools with students in the tournament circuit such as Bei Mei Shaolin, Chicago Guo Shu…
And for TMA in general, there’s some good Okinawan Karate around…
When I lived in Chicago, I used to play in a band with a very quite, saxaphonist who was learning White Crane from someone privately. All I know is he was Chinese and taught pure White Crane, and good from what I have seen from the Sax man. Any idea who that was and if they are available?
Originally posted by count
Yes, and I’m definately not looking for contemporary wushu.:rolleyes: I’ll look these guys up though.
Well, this is kind of innaccurate.
Although Zhang teaches wushu sets, he also teaches traditional fighting sets. He has sparring, for those who choose to pursue it, and is very good at this.
The fact is, the guy started kung fu as a kid, long before the whole university gig, and learned from so-called traditional teachers also, as opposed to solely wushu coaches.
His sword sparring is top notch, as was his sparring.
Now, some students only studied wushu with him. That doesn’t mean that’s all he taught, or what he was best at.
Their is a white crane teacher in the Aurora park district but I don’t know if any of you would find him any good. I watched him once and almost feel asleep.
BlackJack, I doubt that would be him than.
KC,
Although Zhang teaches wushu sets, he also teaches traditional fighting sets. He has sparring, for those who choose to pursue it, and is very good at this.
The fact is, the guy started kung fu as a kid, long before the whole university gig, and learned from so-called traditional teachers also, as opposed to solely wushu coaches.
His sword sparring is top notch,…
Precisely why I will look them up.
Originally posted by Black Jack
Their is a white crane teacher in the Aurora park district but I don’t know if any of you would find him any good. I watched him once and almost feel asleep.
naw. it was a secret technique. had to be.
shaolin kung fu, which school do you train at?
Yin’s Chinese Kung fu Center. Here’s the website.
And the avatar is from here
Master Hsu Fun-Yuen and Master Waysun Liao are two well-respected Yang style tai chi instructors in Chicago. I believe they each have a unique aspect to the version of Yang style that they teach, although they do not both teach the same branch of Yang style. I believe Master Hsu Fun-Yuen’s style has some moves from shaolin kung fu, tong bei, and hsing-I in it. I think he may actually be retired now, but a couple of his students still teach in the Chicago area. Here is a list of his students schools: www.wukungtaichi.com/schoolist/html. I hope this helps. Peace.
6015 N. Broadway? That’s near me. I should check it out - but I don’t remember seeing anything there. I’ve probably been by it a million times. But it sounds like it’s open…