Kung Fu at Wei Wu Si, Dali, Yunnan, China

Has anyone done this or training in Shaolin?

I started lifting for strength 5 months ago (I’m 22 now and weigh about 165lb at 5"10)

I walk alot but do no specific intense cardio training.

Any training recommendations? Any info on kung fu training?

I read about how the “shaolin” brand become pretty much a tourist fad over the years. There are many genuine “temples” over that area, where slightly obese western kung fu fans face basically an eastern, old school, volume-rich martial arts training.

Chances are, if you’ll go and train for a month or two, you’ll likely drop to 140. But on the other side, your “reverse healthy panda” kick will get to new levels.

A lot of guys who were there for a longer period, like half a year, retold that your body needs at least a month to adapt to hours of continuous training, working out with cramps and soreness and getting over the initial diarrhoea.

I think today we got better options. Fly to Thailand for some Muay Thai, for instance.

Yeah, I think you’re right about the big drop in weight but I think this kind of training will add a new level to my flexibility, endurance and discipline that can be used to rebuild my strength and size to new heights.

If I rapidly lose weight but I’m doing what is effectively 5 hours of HIIT a day will it be incredibly difficult to build that back once I start eating normally and get back into strength training?

I just spent 10 days in thailand, Muay Thai is gross. I like the flips and graceful movements of kung fu. Head shots, elbows and knees in Muay thai are just bad.

[quote]Tryin2BRipd wrote:
I just spent 10 days in thailand, Muay Thai is gross. I like the flips and graceful movements of kung fu. Head shots, elbows and knees in Muay thai are just bad.[/quote]

but effective

Unfortunately 95% Kung Fu is not genuine.
You really don’t want to go to the “temple” in Henan province as all the monks had to flee in the laste 1920’s when the temple was burned down. The people now there do not teach KF.

If your lucky enough to find a Real master of any style of KF and he/she accepts you then I would stick with that school for sure.

I wouldn’t waste my time with Wushu though as you will not be able to defend yourself as Wushu is intended for display only.

Oh and genuine KF will employ head shots, elbows, knees and striking the balls/eyes/throat.

To be honest genuine KF is very tough to train in.

cool. Thanks.

Wushu is Shaolin, I’m planning on doing it at Wei Wu Sei, apparently a lot more genuine.

Have you heard anything about that?

I was in the Wu Dang mountains a few years ago, and we saw several kung fu schools scattered around all over the mountain, and people practising alone outside their houses etc. There was one school right next to the little hotel where we stayed, I took some photos but unfortunately they are on my desktop comp at home so I don’t have access to them.

While both the students and teachers all looked very fit they certainly weren’t “big” by any means. I’d assume their diet is near what we were served at the hotel; rice, vegetables, nuts, gallons of green tea and not much else. We saw students walk to the school; all uphill for miles. There were no buses, or cold cokes from vending machines, etc. Good for discipline, for sure, but I doubt there’s anything other than discipline that you can take back home and have help your strength training.

If you want to practice “real” kung fu then IMO you’d be better off going to china and finding a school or club there. A school with a homepage in english, or who offers “package deals” sounds like a tourism thing to me. Very few kung fu styles are actually “cool looking like in the movies”, and even if you find one that is, they’ll have you training basics for years.

The Beijing Sports University also has a really good wushu program, but you need to sign up for for the whole program which is 4 years (I think you also have to be fluent in chinese, so, yeah… ).

[quote]Tryin2BRipd wrote:
cool. Thanks.

Wushu is Shaolin, I’m planning on doing it at Wei Wu Sei, apparently a lot more genuine.

Have you heard anything about that?[/quote]

Wushu is not Shaolin. Why do you believe that KF still exists in China today? After the Cultural Revolution KF was wiped off the face of China.

If you want to learn Wushu then I understand because China has the Best Wushu coaches/teams.

If you want to learn Genuine KF then look for a traditional school outside of China. There are a couple in the USA/Canada and I know of only two in the UK and mainland Europe.

If you want me to suggest a good school then PM me.

[quote]Shire wrote:
Tryin2BRipd wrote:
cool. Thanks.

Wushu is Shaolin, I’m planning on doing it at Wei Wu Sei, apparently a lot more genuine.

Have you heard anything about that?

Wushu is not Shaolin. Why do you believe that KF still exists in China today? After the Cultural Revolution KF was wiped off the face of China.

If you want to learn Wushu then I understand because China has the Best Wushu coaches/teams.

If you want to learn Genuine KF then look for a traditional school outside of China. There are a couple in the USA/Canada and I know of only two in the UK and mainland Europe.

If you want me to suggest a good school then PM me.[/quote]

Yeah… most of the masters escaped to other countries.
And to the OP, the most effective styles of kung fu are just like muay thay… “ugly” and without flips.
Ving Tsun for example, certain schools of Hung Gar…