Uechi-Ryu.com

I used to train moy yat wing chun, then some shotokan.

now i am working somewhere so i cant train but soon it is back to university and i will have some time to dedicate to tmas.

I would like to continue with shotokan and wing chun it fits my schedule, but there is also a place in town that offers "shaolin kung fu" im interested in nan quon and the animal styles

the sifu there said kung fu is the most direct way to access the power of the animal styles

i cant decide what to train

i really like the katas in shotokan

sochin, hangetsu (gichin replaced sanchin with hangetsu kata, it is a similar breathing kata and stance), jion (my favorite), kanku dai, bassa dai, nijushiho, enpi, wankan, chinte, jite

these are all really awesome kata

very powerful things going on

im thinking i should be good with shotokan and the moy yat school too, infact i consider that to be an excellent full time traditional regimen

but i dont want to miss out on what i could potentially gain from animal kung fu or nan quon

i am still young, 27, so i want to get my body really fit and flexible for the next 20 or so years that i have to be in my physical prime

there is also a chinese school offering ba gua and xing yi kung fu.

what to u guys think?

u can look up the shotokan katas on youtube, kanazawa is the name to look for. they are really beautiful. zen japanese. its great. i love jion especially

then wing chun has all the push hands sensitivity drills and the wooden dummy and of course the staff and knives further down the road. the sifu there likes to knife fight. its good stuff.

i think i should do shotokan and wing chun, maybe later in life i can learn an animal form and see how it compares

thanks

Shotokan Kicks ass.. But guess what? So does Uechi!!! I'm coming back to Florida soon.. But Shotokan Katas? I've sparred with Shotokan folks before in States.. Hard to say because everyone is different..But they are pretty basic.. Not saying that Basic isn't good for points.. But maybe we have some things to offer...At least that is what I heard from the guys I worked with...

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SILENCE!!! I Kill You!!!!

I'm not so sure about that.

The kung fu animal work is something you probably want to try when you are younger. These older shaolin styles tend to require more gymnastic abilities, and that's not something you keep with age. But you will retain the martial essence later on. So if you think you're ever going to do this sort of thing, do it now. Otherwise forget about it.

These internal styles now are the kind you can put off until later in life. They're much more forgiving of aging joints, and require a lot less in terms of raw athleticism.

For the most part I think you should work on a "central theme" that you can work around. Randomly jumping from style to style may not leave you with an overall satisfactory martial experience. But finding similar styles (e.g. Goju and Uechi or Uechi and Wing Chun or even several of the internal schools as mentioned above) can help give you fresh perspective to same principles material.

And let's not forget following good teachers. Always sit in on classes and see what you think. I've started many martial styles strictly because a particular teacher was that good.

Let us know how things work out.

- Bill

I think I like the sound of the chinese school. They teach bagua and xingyi and tai chi with sanda/sanshou (looking forward to it) as well as southern tiger and crane. I dont know if this is the crane with sanchin in it or not. he just said southern tiger and southern crane and invited me to visit his school.

I made a thread on a kung fu forum and they advised me away from the animal place. They think he is a scam after I posted his videos and what he told me about his lineage. I still don't know.

My only other issue was that I thought in the long run shotokan is more powerful and has those roundhouse kicks with the toes and other nice kicks that the kung fu might not have. But I am really looking forward to a good sanda/sanshou opportunity. this might be the best sparring since the uechi school here in town closed. And the internal styles of kung fu and tai chi have some throws. too, i hope i learn.

http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/s ... hp?t=60921

The taiji/bagua/xingyi trio schools are all over the place. A small percentage are very good, and very much worth your time. The rest isn't worth the time of day. The problem with throwing these three internal systems in together is that each is worthy of almost all your time if done well. But if they're giving you a mixed bag, well... chances are it's watered down. In the end it depends upon the depth of training the sifu had, and what he's capable of imparting to his students in class.

There are also many flavors of southern crane and southern tiger. We've had people directly from mainland China visit us at camp, chosen by dignitaries in China to represent their country. While the experience of having them here was good, in the end it appears we weren't getting the southern tiger and crane lineages that are of the same schools of thought that Kanbun came across.

However... there are also flavors of southern tiger and crane which are truly the antecedent to what we do. If you are fortunate enough to run across these styles, they can connect to and develop your Uechi Ryu base, and give you a good (and much needed) perspective on our style. By all means look at the forms. But also ask to see their prearranged partner exercises. If those partner training exercises look like Uechi and/or Wing Chun, you are in luck. Jump in with both feet and learn everything you can. Build on your foundation with reckless abandon. And take YOUR martial art in a direction that makes sense to you.

Then come back to the Uechi fold. I'll be waiting!

- Bill

Thank you Bill et al. I hope this is one of the good schools.

Thought I would post the online resume

to me it looks promising.

Michael Yuan Zhang
2108 Wind Drift Ct, Tallahassee, FL 32311
Michael.Zhang@ChineseMartialArtsCenter.com
www.ChineseMartialArtsCenter.com
850-386-5021

My name is Yuan Zhang and my American name is Michael Zhang.

I graduated from Beijing Teacher’s College of Physical Education in Chinese martial arts with a degree of Bachelor of Education in 1987. I also received a master degree in Physical Education and Training from Beijing Physical Education University in 1999.

I love the career of martial arts training and enjoy teaching students. I have been teaching physical education and Chinese martial arts for over 20 years. I worked as the director of physical education department in Beijing ZhongGuan High School from 1995 to 2000. I received 5 excellent coach awards in Chinese martial arts in Beijing from 1994-1999. After I came to the United States, I taught martial arts in some Chinese school in New York City for a couple of years. Since 2002 I have been teaching Chinese martial arts in Tallahassee, Florida. Our Chinese Martial Arts Center has trained more than 200 students since its establishment in 2002. The students in our martial arts center have participated in many competitions. Four students got international Chinese martial arts Awards, four second places and four third places. Twenty five students in our Tallahassee martial arts center have received award in Chinese martial arts tournaments.

I actively participates martial arts tournament competition in the U.S. I participated in US Open Wushu Tournament in Washington D.C. and won six first places in 2007. I received two first places from the 20th International Kung Fu and Tai Ji championship of United States at Hunt valley Baltimore, Maryland in July 2008. I also received one second place in the 10th International Chinese martial arts championship in Orlando Florida in May, 2008.

Our Chinese martial arts center cares our community. We have been an active member participating in Tallahassee spring time parade for several years. We performed dragon dance and martial arts in the parade. We have also participated in many local community events including Asian culture festivals and FSU International culture buzzer for years.

I am experienced in organizing martial arts tournament. In August 2008, I organized South East America Chinese martial arts tournament in Tallahassee, Florida. The participants were from Tallahassee, New York, Washington D C, Tampa and Jacksonville. Their ages ranged from 5 to 70.

I enjoy teaching physical education and Chinese martial arts. I would love to build a cultural bridge between America and China through teaching Chinese martial arts!

Professional Wushu Background:
 Senior Certified Martial Arts/Wushu Coach of China
 Chinese National Certified Martial Arts/Wushu Referee
 Sixth duan/degree black belt of Chinese National Martial Arts Association

Formal Education:
 Bachelor’s degree majoring Chinese Traditional Martial Arts, Beijing Physical Education University, China, 1987
 Master degree in Physical Education and Training from Beijing Physical Education University, China, 1999

Professional Wushu Education:
 Start professional martial arts/wushu training at the age of seven
 Systematically study Kung Fu for seventeen years
 Forms practiced and teaching: Tai Chi/Taiji Quan, Xing Yi, Bagua Zhang, Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, Shuai-Jiao(Chinese Wrestling) and San Shou(free fighting), Sword form, Nine-Section Whip/Jiu Jie Bian, Dao(Chinese wide edge sword).

Experience:
 Coach and founder of Chinese Martial Arts Center at Tallahassee, Florida, USA, 2002 to present.
 Wushu team leader and senior coach, school affiliated to University of Science and Technology of China, Beijing, China.

Achievements:
 First places in XingYi and DaoShu, 20th International Kung Fu and Tai Ji championship of United States at Hunt valley Baltimore, Maryland in July 2008
 Second place in traditional form, 10th International Chinese martial arts championship in Orlando Florida in May, 2008
 Champion in sword form, US open Wushu tournament, Washington D.C, 2007
 National Wushu Coach Award, China, 1999
 Beijing Wushu Coach Award, China, 1996
 Tai Chi Quan Champion, Beijing International Kung Fu Tournament, 1988
 Xing Yi Quan Champion, National Kung Fu Championship, China, 1988
 San Shou/Free Fighting Champion in 165 lbs division, Beijing Free Fighting Tournament, 1987
 National champion, China National Kung Fu Contest, 1986
 San Shou/Free Fighting Champion in 154 lbs division, Beijing Free Fighting Tournament, 1986
 Nine-Section Whip/Jiu Jie Bian Champion, Beijing City Kung Fu Championship, 1985
 Xing Yi Champion, Beijing City Kung Fu Championship, 1985

Well his tournament pedigree is good enough. Tournament martial arts is what it is. But he's obviously in the upper tier in that venue.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

- Bill