Wudang Taoist Kung Fu Academy for training

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Kung Fu Forum
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Hi Y’all,

In my quest to find a reputable kung fu school in China I came across Wudang kung fu. This style appears to be quite interesting and the location itself in the Wudang mountains seems beyond breathtaking. However, I’m not sure if this particular style, let alone this school, is right for me.

I understand that Wudang kung fu is an internal style and the only ‘‘hard/external’’ forms come from the cultivation of one’s Chi. However, from what I understand the strengthening of one’s chi is considered ‘‘hard’’ due to its immense power, regardless if it is invisible to a subtle eye. Gene, the Associate Publisher of Kung Fu Magazine wrote an amazing and detailed article on Mt. Wudang, which was crucial in my decision to look beyond Deng Feng and Shaolin.

While I have much respect for soft styles I also have a sincere interest in finding a style that combines both elements of wholeness-a happy marriage of external forms for practical defense purposes and inner development such as breathing/meditation.

I enjoy the fast and powerful kicks/punches/aerobics/5 animal defense forms found in traditional Shaolin gong fu. Unfortunately I’ve found that almost all kung fu schools in China only teach modern Wushu. This is what lead me to look into other styles such as Wudang.

From what I have read thus far it appears that Wudang kung fu in general focuses mainly on inner/softness styles such as taiji, and the external Northern styles with powerful and fast kicks/punches like Shaolin Gong Fu are not a part of Wudang kung fu. Boxing and taiji seem to be the staples of wudang without much emphasis on practical defense moves. If I’m wrong then please correct me

Does anyone know if wudang has any forms that are very similar to Shaolin gong fu or other external styles?

I’m considering going to Wudang Taoist Kung Fu Academy for training so has anyone ever trained there or knows of someone who has?

What’s interesting is I tried to find other Wudang schools but it seems the only one that advertises heavily on the web is this school. I have heard there are over 8 kung fu schools in MT. Wudang but I cannot find any info on these other schools. If anyone knows of another school in this area please let me know

Thanks for all your help;)

Best,

Lara

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Funny you should ask…

dingy asked the same question on the training forum. We’ve been discussing it there. Why don’t you join in?

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If you’re training taiji with someone who really knows taiji it will feel like you’re training externally … lots of excericies to build certain body parts, lots of two man sets, lots of actual boxing drills. Very hands on. If you’re doing it really right you might even get a balck and blue on your forearm every now and then:)

And then there’s the whole internal side.

You need a certain kind of power. Don’t let any taiji fool you. You can’t be like jello. But you need yielding and absorbing as well as power.

You’ll get both.

I might be going to China in Jan. I want to check out Wudang too … from a Taoist perspective. See if any immortals will present themself.

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Wudang Taoist Kung Fu Academy for training?

Hi Gene & Ray,

Thanks for replying!

Gene, funny you should mention Dingy because I read his thread and sent an email directly to him awhile ago.

I remember in your Wudang article you also mentioned your brief visit to this school and that there were a few other prominent wudang schools in this area. I’m not sure if these other schools have a website because after much searching nothing comes up.

Do you know the names of the other wudang schools Gene?

Ray- that was a great explanation of taiji, I never thought of it that way. I understand what you’re saying but most of the taiji quan wudang kung fu I’ve seen consists of slow movements and very little self defense applications. It seems more for inner development, which is of course valuable. There were some videos of one of the Wudang Academy Masters practicing taji. The movements were very slow and didnt consist of any defense moves. This was of course only one example of a particular taji style but it seemed to be common movements. I should look for more live video demonstrations of wudang kung fu to get a better idea.

I’m seeking an art of both external styles combined with internal roots. Traditional Shaolin gongfu deeply appeals to me b/c the movements are fluid, graceful, fast, powerful, practical, and diverse. I don’t think I can find this perfect combination by learning wudang kung fu (taiji, Wudand boxing) or mdodern Wushu.

Shaolin gongfu and Choy Lay Fut are my choices for training. I was considering Wudang kung fu b/c I do have much respect for the softer, internal styles and of course the opportunity to train daily in Mt. Wudang.

I would love to find a school in Wudang that teaches shaolin gongfu but I believe all these schools only teach internal styles such as taiji and wudang boxing. Most of the Shaolin gongfu schools are only in Shaolin/Dengfeng. Also, these schools that supposedly teach ‘traditional shaolin gongfu’ in fact only teach modern wushu.

Maybe I can find a private Shaolin gongfu trainer in Wudang:)

Oh yeah Ray, you mentioned you might be going to China in January. Isnt January the Winter season? Probably better to go in April…

peace:rolleyes:

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I’m going for work … so I have to go when they send me. But I’d still like to go, check it out in the snow. Could be nice.

As for Taiji and slow. I train it slow too. Something as simple as walking … drive off the back leg and feel the hip driving. Anyone can do it fast. But doing it slow increased the hang time, trains your back leg to have control, thos way you can change to drive left or right mid-movement. A lot fo stuff like that, that’s why it’s done slow.

When no one’s looking, than you put the gearon and train the movements… how to drive in and jam a kick, etc, etc.

Don’t know about Wudang, but this is how we train Taiji.

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I probably have the business card somewhere…

…but where, but where? I only visited two schools. One was Zhong Yun Long’s, the other was this other master’s school who’s name escapes me now. It was in the middle of nowhere. Just this school buried somewhere in the mountains. And it was very surreal because as we visited, there was this mountain wind ripping tiles off the rooftops and sending them smashing all around us. The possibility of being struck by what amounts to half an empty flower pot disrupted any sort of tai chi tranquility.

If I find that contact info, I’ll post it, but don’t hold your breath.

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Gene, in all your wanderings over there, have you come across anyone, particularly old men, that “had it,” … that internal mastery. Have you met any one on the path of immortality.

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of course!

Those are the best ones - the ones I really try to seek out. :wink:

I wouldn’t have said they were on the road to immortality in the literal sense, but there’s some tough old people in China, that’s for sure. Not just men either. I took some private lessons with the late Sun Jianyun, daughter of Sun Lutang, and she totally had it.

Speaking of Wudang, there’s supposed to be this 100+ year old nun living up there, some outrageous qigong master. I’ve never met her, but have heard of many who have. I think she’s still alive.

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How far is Wudang from Shanghai? And, in general, is it easy to get around; in that you can hop in a rental car and just go? Or are there restrictions?

PS
Too cool about Sun Lu Tang’s daughter. And that old nun is exactly the type of person I’d like to spend some time with. I think I learned something in regards to man’s vitality, how to stand and revigerate myself and how to seperate orgasm from ejaculation to remian vigurous, but don’t know anything in regards to the female system.

In general, now that I have felt something, this topic interests me greatly.

Thanks

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Wudan Green Dragon Kung fu

If I had the oppertunity to train there I would, So go for it. :slight_smile:

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rent a car?

I’d take a cab actually. Rent a driver with that car. Labor is cheap in China, and I’d probably have a heart attack if I had to drive in China. I’ve been in a car accident there. Most everyone I know who has travelled extensively has experienced some sort of driving mishap.

There are several other old masters to look into. I’ve never met Cai Longyun, but I worked on his cover story in our current issue (Nov/Dec 2005). He’s in his late 70’s and still strong. Another well known old master is Lu Zijian, who is 113 now I think. We covered him in our Mar/Apr 2003 issue. I’ve never met him either, but I’ve seen recent footage of him and he looks more spry than me (which isn’t saying much really…)

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Wudang Taoist Kung Fu Academy for training

Hi Gene,

I think I know what school youre referring too and I just found their website. But thanks anyways!!

You mentioned you took some private lessons with the late Sun Jianyun. May I ask what style you learned?

I was actually thinking about working with a private trainer in either XingYi or Shaolin gongfu as opposed to staying at one of the many live-in schools.

I need a flexible schedule anyways. Do you have any recommendations on how to go about finding a private trainer?

Talk to ya soon:rolleyes:

Best,

Lara

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Grandmaster Sun taught me Sun style

I studied Sun style tai chi - that was a long time ago and I don’t practice it anymore. I was shown some kind of combined xingyi form in a group lesson, but I had to drop out because I was sick with Mao’s revenge. That was a very surreal lesson for me - it was in this auditorium built just for martial arts demos in the Beijing sports complex, but it was being demolished so there was rubble all over the place. Most of my memories of that day were spent in this nasty squatter toilet upstairs, hoping I had brought enough toilet tissue to last me the rest of the day.

Here’s an article I did about Sun style back in '97.

Anyway, how to find a private teacher. Good question. There’s no easy answer to that, really. There are so many factors to weigh in - where you are, what you’re looking for - not just style, but regimen, price range, so many factors. The bottom line is that it’s all about guanxi.

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“that was a long time ago and I don’t practice it anymore.”

That kinda made me curious. Since you have so much exposure to alot of the top masters in the world do you find yourself switching or training in different styles allot?

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Found this browsing plumpub today…

Hey Ray, it’s a bit pricey (main reason I never bought it myself :p) but Jiang Jian Yi has a Wudang/Qingdao tour video where he visits various sites including that old nun who lives in the mountains (130 years old! :eek: ) http://www.plumpub.com/sales/bagua/jiangbaguavids.htm

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do you find yourself switching or training in different styles allot?

It’s one of my tragic flaws. I do tend to sample a lot of stuff and I would be a far stronger martial artist if I just stuck to one thing. However, I’d be a must less talented reporter. After all, our readers might enjoy an annual Shaolin special, but I doubt they all tolerate if every issue was a Shaolin special. It gets a little frustrating because my head is filled with so much theory, but my ass spends way to much time in front of this here computer writing, doing research, coordinating stuff for the next issue, event or whatever, etc, etc. If there was a chengyu for my current state it would be “full head, fat ass.” But still, I enjoy my position - it’s a small price to pay to be able to bear witness so many great masters. It’s a privilege to work on the magazine and I can only hope that my work inspires our readers as much as I’ve been inspired by the martial arts.

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I believe she is a practitioner of the Silver Flower system. My teacher knows her well.

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Wudang Taoist Kung Fu Academy for training

Hi Gene,

“It’s a privilege to work on the magazine and I can only hope that my work inspires our readers as much as I’ve been inspired by the martial arts.”

Well Gene, just by reading two of your articles I can honestly say that not only am I deeply inspired to train in either Shaolin or xingy but I’ve also gained valuable insight into China as a whole and into different styles of martial arts. Thank you for displaying your contagious passion for this truly beautiful art form.

I narrowed it down to Shaolin gongfu or xingy although I know it will be a challenge to find a reputable master who’s willing to teach on the side.

You mentioned that regimen and not only style is important. I’m not sure I follow you here. What do you mean by regimen and how it relates to this? Are you referring to the big picture of training; daily schedule + diet plan?

I understand that it’s all about guanxi…although this takes much time and usually direct contact with several Masters. However, I do respect this process and I’m open to cultivating relationships but I have a limited time in China so I don’t think guanxi can be developed under this time frame.

As with everything else, a direct contact and connection with an influential person would be the best method for me considering the language barrier and schedule.

Maybe we can work together to achieve very similar goals…possibly a story on my adventures with Q & A so your readers can personally experience the realities of living/training in China..Just a thought:)

Best,

Lara

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Did I say that?

Forgive me, kayzen, but I write a lot and I can’t remember the context of your question about regimen and style. I’ll answer more sucinctly if I know where I said that. And thanks for your kind words about my work!

As for writing, we do publish personal warrior’s journeys on our ezine, and a few forum members have written up their adventures and shared them there. You’ll find our guidelines for submissions online here.

I’ll be frank and tell you that the language barrier is significant in finding a good teacher in China. Unless you have knowledgible guanxi, you will surely be directed to modern wushu teachers, which is fine if you want modern wushu. If you’re looking for traditional Shaolin or xingyi, it’s a little trickier. A lot os schools and teachers will push wushu versions of both, even at Shaolin or Wudang - especially at Shaolin and Wudang. Because they see so many tourists, there are a lot of people that take advantage of the tourist, just like any tourist trap. In fact, it was a government edict when Deng Xiaopeng first initiated the Open Door policy - get foreign money from tourists.

So where are you going exactly? Do you have an itinerary?

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how to find a private teacher

Hi Gene,

No worries. You stated this about regimen and style;

[B]“Anyway, how to find a private teacher. Good question. There’s no easy answer to that, really. There are so many factors to weigh in - where you are, what you’re looking for - not just style, but regimen, price range, so many factors. The bottom line is that it’s all about guanxi.”

"I’ll be frank and tell you that the language barrier is significant in finding a good teacher in China. Unless you have knowledgible guanxi, you will surely be directed to modern wushu teachers, which is fine if you want modern wushu. If you’re looking for traditional Shaolin or xingyi, it’s a little trickier. A lot os schools and teachers will push wushu versions of both, even at Shaolin or Wudang - especially at Shaolin and Wudang. Because they see so many tourists, there are a lot of people that take advantage of the tourist, just like any tourist trap. In fact, it was a government edict when Deng Xiaopeng first initiated the Open Door policy - get foreign money from tourists.

So where are you going exactly? Do you have an itinerary?"[/B]

I know I’m in for a challenge in finding an honest traditional Shaolin private trainer:confused:

I dont have an exact itinerary yes as I’m still in the planning stage. Most likely I will be in HK, Beijing, or Shanghai. I might go to Shaolin first for a few months to train b/c it appears all the authentic monks who have trained in traditional Shaolin live there.

My goal is to have a few leads before I arrive so i know who exactly to go to. But I need to establish a set plan first.

Any ideas are welcomed:p