This is just a quick post to introduce everyone to my shifu, Shi Heng Fu.
I am surprised that Heng Fu is not more well known – there is hardly a mention of him in these forums (except for a thread about the school he runs) – as he is a very accomplished martial artist.
Heng Fu practices traditional Shaolin gong fu – don’t expect him to teach you fancy low stances and butterfly flips etc – which in my experience is sadly very rare in Shaolin nowadays where almost all monks only know Beijing Quan.
Forget the acrobatic wheel-of-life stuff you see on stage and on DVDs. Instead to visualise…Traditional Shaolin is more similar to Taiji than Beijing Quan. Ah, the real stuff.
Coming from the old skool of teaching, don’t expect constant pats on the back from Heng Fu who does shout a lot. It was not unusual for him to teach me one move of a form and watch me do it all day, or leave me practicing by myself until he was satisfied I’d perfected what he’d taught me. This can take some time to get used to, especially to us westerners; I think we’ve become too reliant on constant attention and encouragement from our teachers, which can be very bad for self discipline. Heng Fu is not great at dealing with foreign students (many of whom he has managed to scare away unintentionally!) and I have often joked with him over his abrupt manner.
Don’t seek out Heng Fu if you want a coach. I can guarantee you’ll be disappointed.
But do seek him out if you want to learn good quality Shaolin Gong Fu. It will take a hell of a lot of patience and getting used to, but you will learn a hell of a lot.
Give me an email if you’re interested and I’ll give you contact details. 151354@soas.ac.uk
Gerry
I am surprised that Heng Fu is not more well known – there is hardly a mention of him in these forums (except for a thread about the school he runs) – as he is a very accomplished martial artist.
Heng Fu practices traditional Shaolin gong fu – don’t expect him to teach you fancy low stances and butterfly flips etc – which in my experience is sadly very rare in Shaolin nowadays where almost all monks only know Beijing Quan.
Forget the acrobatic wheel-of-life stuff you see on stage and on DVDs. Instead to visualise…Traditional Shaolin is more similar to Taiji than Beijing Quan. Ah, the real stuff.
Coming from the old skool of teaching, don’t expect constant pats on the back from Heng Fu who does shout a lot. It was not unusual for him to teach me one move of a form and watch me do it all day, or leave me practicing by myself until he was satisfied I’d perfected what he’d taught me. This can take some time to get used to, especially to us westerners; I think we’ve become too reliant on constant attention and encouragement from our teachers, which can be very bad for self discipline. Heng Fu is not great at dealing with foreign students (many of whom he has managed to scare away unintentionally!) and I have often joked with him over his abrupt manner.
Don’t seek out Heng Fu if you want a coach. I can guarantee you’ll be disappointed.
But do seek him out if you want to learn good quality Shaolin Gong Fu. It will take a hell of a lot of patience and getting used to, but you will learn a hell of a lot.
Give me an email if you’re interested and I’ll give you contact details. 151354@soas.ac.uk
Gerry
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