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  • Looking for a place to train. Suggestions?

    Hey all, I am looking for a place where I can intensely train for a prolonged period of time (>6 months) after the summer. From what I've gathered from this forum, many Shaolin schools come and go, and many schools are there just to rip off foreigners. I've also read that even schools like Shi De Cheng's might not be around anymore, but I'm having a hard time putting together all the info from the forum so maybe I'm wrong about this.

    So I'd like to ask if anyone has recently been to, or has contact with, any good school that provides a full-time and/or live-in training experience. I am a complete novice, I can only speak English (but I am willing to start on the basics of other languages if required), and have around $7,500 for all expenses (travel, food, training, lodging etc.). Oh, and style does not matter to me much; all of the martial arts attract me, and I'm more interested in doing it than "getting it right," because I do not really know what martial art in particular I'd like to study.

    I know this is a common question on the forum, but I can't tell if any of the information I've found on the forum is still valid. I'm hoping that some of you might be able to point me in the right direction, because it seems that what I am looking for is infrequently offered, and even more infrequently made known to outside circles.

    EDIT: I might actually plan to leave around January instead, and make a bit more money, if that changes any of my options. (I think I've heard that it doesn't make much sense to go to Dengfeng in the winter.)

    Cheers,
    Josh
    Last edited by Kodo KB; 06-07-2012, 07:33 PM.

  • #2
    "I am a complete novice"

    Hi Josh. If I may be so bold, you should reconsider why your doing this, and why Shaolin. You say here;

    "Oh, and style does not matter to me much; all of the martial arts attract me"

    I'm glad you feel this way, but I'm still curious why you chose Shaolin? If you know the history of Shaolin, you would know that, untill RECENTLY...like the last 20 years, the only people who really trained Gung Fu at Shaolin were competent, high level martial artists. Thats all changed now, for better or worse who knows? What I'm getting at is unless you have some extreme reason to go(dieing of cancer, its on your bucket list or its your dream to see the "temple") then you should evaluate why your looking to China or Shaolin.

    Doc can definately help you, whether its with De Cheng or De Yang he CAN help you the question is WILL he help you. Maybe he has already contacted you maybe not, I know he just arrived back in the U.S. from Thailand and has a month old baby to deal with, but your looking to go in a little under a year, so youve got time to decide the particulars.

    If you want my opinion, if you really want to go to shaolin, wait a few years, become competent, or better yet extremely efficient at a style of Gung Fu and then go, if you still want to. If you want to go to Asia, and experience alot of culture, and whatever have a good time and for some reason this is the time you decide you wanna do that I would suggest you take up Muay thai, and look to come to Thailand around January its amazing beautiful, theres an endless supply of hot tourists, and lots of other great reasons to go, and when you get here you can get just as extreme as at shaolin, only you would be training Muay Thai.

    let us know what you decide
    "did you ask me to consider dick with you??" blooming tianshi lotus

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    • #3
      Hey Maestro, thanks for the perspective and information, but I guess I wasn't as clear as I meant to be. When I said that style does not matter to me, I wasn't referring to the differences between Shaolin styles, I was talking more universally. I'd love to jump into anything; Muay Thai is actually especially interesting to me. It's more about getting into the culture of a martial art, the daily training with a clear-cut goal of mastery and self-improvement. Martial arts and the ability of experienced practitioners have always inspired me, and now is a time in my life when I can at least start that process.

      I know that this site is mainly for Shaolin information, but after digging through some posts I realized a lot of the posters here have diverse experience and could probably point me somewhere (not necessarily Shaolin) that would be a good first look at martial arts. Speaking of... are there any places you would recommend for Mauy Thai in Thailand? (Or anyplace anywhere now that my options aren't limited to China?)

      Cheers,
      Josh

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      • #4
        Well, its cyclical, it all comes back to Doc once again... I did a month of Muay Thai with his coach in Thailand last year, and it was great. That school no longer exists though as we dismantled it lol but that doesnt mean you dont have options. Tiger, Rawaii muay thai, these are just names to me but are camps I know of that are good on Phuket. But if you go through doc you almost certainly will end up with "master J" who I met this year.

        Anyway, start training and stop talking. Go find a Muay Thai gym or a Boxing gym or something and have fun, make sure you really get into it, read, watch videos, talk, make sure your instructor knows his stuff and you aswell so you can avoid injury or just waste your time. And be smart and get your nutrition right and pop back in occasionally or whenever and let us know how are things, I personally have quite a bit of experience and passion for Muay Thai and other arts and would be glad to talk, but words can only go so far and if your sincere you will definitely enjoy yourself.

        Just make sure to be smart and take it slow.
        "did you ask me to consider dick with you??" blooming tianshi lotus

        Comment


        • #5
          What do you mean, "WILL" doc help him...

          Of course I will. But you know, this means that the wife will be yelling at me because "I'm spending too much time on the computer..." Oh you guys will learn this shit when you get married.

          OK, few things. For one, the stuff on this forum is old, and possibly out of date. My apologies for that, but I don't go to China anymore. With that said, I am still in touch with what's going on back there, and the four schools that I recommend can be found on the main russbo.com page, which shows Decheng, Deyang, and the Shaolin Temple Wu Shu Guan. Now, I've been out of touch with Decheng for a bit (not sure why, he's been traveling a lot) and I don't know if he is still running his school back in China. I know he's in the USA at this point, heading back to China afterwards, so I assume his school is still functioning. You can click on his box in the appropriate section of the main page of russbo.com to be taken to his site. He used to have an English speaking secretary taking care of the email; if you have issues, contact me. The Wushu Guan is a good choice, especially for first time travelers there, but it's a bit more expensive. De Yang's school is primitive to say the least, but it will be an experience. Why you want to go in January is beyond me; it's a horrible time to go, and most schools are closed. Plan on March instead.

          As for Thailand, the MT schools are all generally good. One of the problems with these places are the ever increasing numbers of steroid crazed MMA wanna be's, who tend to get drunk and get into trouble fight wise in Patong. The schools are becoming breeding grounds for low life degenerates. You have to be careful which one you choose, and also be careful of who you hang out with when you are there. There have been some serious issues in the past with some of these guys, including, murder.

          I think I covered everything, let me know if I missed something. OH, being a complete novice is not an issue. But, you really should play with the martial arts in your home town to really see if you like this sort of stuff, before you head over to bum fuck china and get completely enveloped in it. Remember, not everyone likes their China trip. God knows why I went there over twenty times... I must be some sort of sick bastard to have put up with it all those years.
          Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

          "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

          (more comments in my User Profile)
          russbo.com


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          • #6
            I'm glad you'll help him or any of us lol.

            as for thailand why you gotta make it sound horrible? lol

            read his old posts where he says Thailand is so cheap...the fruits and vege are fresh from the ground and the seafood is taken outta the water and put on your plate lol that shit that got me sold on the idea and had me saving and saving and eating cup o noodles for years just to go.

            but he tells you be careful of the muay thai murderers and steroid monkeys.
            "did you ask me to consider dick with you??" blooming tianshi lotus

            Comment


            • #7
              And the idiot Buddhist Thais who will execute someone for fifty dollars. But, it's not a problem, they come back and live again. This story from the Phuket Gazette really describes some of the nonsense that you'll find there:

              PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested a brother and sister who they believe orchestrated the execution of Sumittra Namfak, 55, in Phuket on Saturday.

              Ms Sumittra was shot at close range in the back of the head while watching television in her home in Thung Thong.

              Winaporn Rathakarn, 46, was arrested in Pa Khlok, Thalang, near the Heroines’ Monument.

              Her brother Sirawat Rathakarn, 44, was arrested in Koh Yao District in Phang Nga.

              An officer at Thung Thong Police Station told the Phuket Gazette that the siblings are originally from Klong Thom in Krabi.

              “The woman has confessed to paying 100,000 baht for the contract killing. She gave the money to Sirawat and another man, a Thai man, who we are still searching for.

              “This other man is suspected of teaming up with Sirawat to hire the killers,” the officer said.

              The gunman, Savit Jongruk, 28, from Loei province, was to be paid 20,000 baht to pull the trigger, while the other 80,000 baht was to be shared among the whole gang.

              The gang received 40,000 baht in advance, with Savit receiving 12,000 baht in advance. The rest was to be paid after the hit was complete.

              Police are trying to contact a 62-year-old British man who had been romantically involved with Ms Sumittra for two years, a relationship brutally cut short by her murder on Saturday.

              “This man met Winaporn first and was in a relationship with her for four years before he met Ms Sumittra,” explained the officer.

              “He was very much in love with Ms Sumittra. He apparently gave her lots of money. We have been told the amount is in the millions of baht. This apparently made Ms Winaporn very angry.

              “We have emailed the British man and are awaiting his reply,” he said.

              Phuket Police are expected to hold a press conference today to release more details about the crime.
              Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

              "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

              (more comments in my User Profile)
              russbo.com


              Comment


              • #8
                And the idiot Buddhist Thais who will execute someone for fifty dollars. But, it's not a problem, they come back and live again. This story from the Phuket Gazette really describes some of the nonsense that you'll find there:

                PHUKET: Police yesterday arrested a brother and sister who they believe orchestrated the execution of Sumittra Namfak, 55, in Phuket on Saturday.

                Ms Sumittra was shot at close range in the back of the head while watching television in her home in Thung Thong.

                Winaporn Rathakarn, 46, was arrested in Pa Khlok, Thalang, near the Heroines’ Monument.

                Her brother Sirawat Rathakarn, 44, was arrested in Koh Yao District in Phang Nga.

                An officer at Thung Thong Police Station told the Phuket Gazette that the siblings are originally from Klong Thom in Krabi.

                “The woman has confessed to paying 100,000 baht for the contract killing. She gave the money to Sirawat and another man, a Thai man, who we are still searching for.

                “This other man is suspected of teaming up with Sirawat to hire the killers,” the officer said.

                The gunman, Savit Jongruk, 28, from Loei province, was to be paid 20,000 baht to pull the trigger, while the other 80,000 baht was to be shared among the whole gang.

                The gang received 40,000 baht in advance, with Savit receiving 12,000 baht in advance. The rest was to be paid after the hit was complete.

                Police are trying to contact a 62-year-old British man who had been romantically involved with Ms Sumittra for two years, a relationship brutally cut short by her murder on Saturday.

                “This man met Winaporn first and was in a relationship with her for four years before he met Ms Sumittra,” explained the officer.

                “He was very much in love with Ms Sumittra. He apparently gave her lots of money. We have been told the amount is in the millions of baht. This apparently made Ms Winaporn very angry.

                “We have emailed the British man and are awaiting his reply,” he said.

                Phuket Police are expected to hold a press conference today to release more details about the crime.
                Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                (more comments in my User Profile)
                russbo.com


                Comment


                • #9
                  Oh,, back to helping this guy.

                  I spoke with Decheng today. He'll be back in China in five days, to spend the rest of the summer at this school. I would suggest, if you had the time or the inclination. to head over there for the summer and train with him. If you like it, you can then go back next March for however long you might want to. I always recommend to people to make the first trip relatively short, to get a feel for the place. Don't pressure yourself into a predetermined time period.
                  Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                  "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                  (more comments in my User Profile)
                  russbo.com


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                  • #10
                    I think he would enjoy it more if he was more adept at martial arts, going all the way to China for shitty food, a billion gawkers, ugly women and he probably wont even learn anything or remember or understand anything.

                    Save your money, go to Phuket in January ish. It's peak season, it's beautiful and you will eat great food, hot women, you'll probably get your ass kicked and learn a lot and remember everything and understand a lot more.
                    "did you ask me to consider dick with you??" blooming tianshi lotus

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I disagree.
                      I think that shitty food, a billion gawkers, and ugly women are worth the trip.
                      And he will learn things. It will be an experience for him.

                      Now if he's limited to January on, then I agree. January and February training in MT in Thailand, followed by shit in China for a few months. That would be a good trip.
                      Experienced Community organizer. Yeah, let's choose him to run the free world. It will be historic. What could possibly go wrong...

                      "You're just a jaded cynical mother****er...." Jeffpeg

                      (more comments in my User Profile)
                      russbo.com


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