Just wondering about this.. logically if you spend a year in china training 6 hours a day, 6 days a week you should learn a hell of a lot more than you would back home training a couple of evenings a week at your local kung fu club.. but is this really the case?
I would certainly expect your fitness level to be much higher after a year in china (barring food induced near death experiences) and perhaps you would be better at the stuff you learn there after drilling each move a million times over..
I see quite a few schools over there that mention a 3 year program.. the implication being that after 3 years you are 'qualified', you 'know your ****' or something.. but I see similar timeframes in local schools where many seem to say 3 years or so to get to 'black belt' or equivalent (in any style, not specific to kung fu). Now of course black belt status earned locally may have no relation to the level of a 3 year trained dude in china but anyway, just seems a common theme.. I have a sneaking suspicion its all commerically driven.. locally and in china.. ie. you want your paying students to be around for as long as possible so no point teaching them all everything you know in one year!
Of course training in china has other less tangible benefits or attractions.. the whole 'aura' of being in/near shaolin no matter how manufactured it may be now.. its still cool.. I'd be there in a blink of an eye if the opportunity arose!
I would certainly expect your fitness level to be much higher after a year in china (barring food induced near death experiences) and perhaps you would be better at the stuff you learn there after drilling each move a million times over..
I see quite a few schools over there that mention a 3 year program.. the implication being that after 3 years you are 'qualified', you 'know your ****' or something.. but I see similar timeframes in local schools where many seem to say 3 years or so to get to 'black belt' or equivalent (in any style, not specific to kung fu). Now of course black belt status earned locally may have no relation to the level of a 3 year trained dude in china but anyway, just seems a common theme.. I have a sneaking suspicion its all commerically driven.. locally and in china.. ie. you want your paying students to be around for as long as possible so no point teaching them all everything you know in one year!
Of course training in china has other less tangible benefits or attractions.. the whole 'aura' of being in/near shaolin no matter how manufactured it may be now.. its still cool.. I'd be there in a blink of an eye if the opportunity arose!
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