Training Kung Fu in China: In The Parks
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- Опубліковано 5 лип 2024
- Following on from my last video about the big "foreigner kung fu schools" in China, today I go to the other end of the spectrum and talk about what it's like training martial arts in the parks of China. This is probably the most common way Chinese people will train Kung Fu, however you do need some language skills and to be somewhat self-motivated to really make progress in your training.
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Do you have similar experiences in China? Share your stories in the comments below!
Spot on. How I met almost all of my teachers on the Mainland.
The schools affiliated to the British Council for Chinese Martial Arts have authentic training visits and host visiting Masters ie Proffesor Li Deyin Fay Yip and my favourite Master Wang Yan Ji
Yes, there were formal class settings, but there are also the informal ones in kampungs and villages.
Guys could be training with chickens and goats running around. lol
This is pretty similar to my experience with training in public areas in Taiwan as well. If I'm doing some personal practice in a park outside of class, I may get approached by strangers who also practice something (usually Taijiquan). I've heard of others experiencing this in Taiwan as well.
China's a big place, but have you (or anyone else) experienced this in China?
All the time. I dont like to practice in public coz it gets annoying
Great overview for what to expect. Those looking to go, very important to know!
So relatable! My teacher was usually pretty tolerant of students with no ambition making mistakes. But when I or any of the more serious students made mistakes, he would get pretty scary!
Its a case of knowing people’s expectations and reasons for training
@@MonkeyStealsPeach Well, my expectations were simply to get stronger and learn how to defend myself. My teacher was a classmate of Yuan Wen Qing in the Shanxi Wushu Team, so 90% of what he taught me was modern Wushu. I felt that Wushu was improving my fitness, but my combat skills were lacking despite the fact that we were made to go through gruelling long hours of duilian (2 to 3 man sparring sets) at high speed with empty hands and sticks with lots of shouting for every mistake. This was really frustrating, but later in my training he started teaching some fighting techniques and those have helped me to this day even as I train in other martial arts. He left in 2012, and it was a great pity. I was busy with 2 jobs when he left, so he told my classmate to tell me to keep training!
I went to china 12 times for period of 2 months and it is like you say!
Very wise words, sage advice not only applicable to China, but useful just about everywhere
That's the way I learned back in the early 1980's. You didn't learn any New techniques, until the Old ones were mastered. Westerners/Americans could deal with that today.
thanks for the insights _/I\_
Great channel, and exactly what I think westerners don't seem to get about Chinese martial arts...The fact that the best training and teachers are actually the guys who teach in parks, garages, their back gardens and so on. I think that all the films about massive temples and wise monks have been taken as documentaries here...You're also spot on about the west's consumer mindset, and however martial arts are seen as yet another commodity to be purchased, and that skill can be bought. It makes me very sad to see the effect all this is having on Chinese martial arts - especially in the West. Many going around here running expensive clubs and selling courses, declaring themselves the all mighty sifu, when in reality they have learned a superficial style and do not know even the real fundemntals of the systems they teach and charge so much money to do so. It shocks me that if I see people training in public (say in Wing chun) - this only happens occoassionaly, say in a park - that they wil refuse to even chi sau with me, or in fact show me even the most basic technique. The reason "my Sifu has told me I am not allowed to practise with anybody outside of the school", i have had this response from even so-called senior students...It is shocking that people who should be kung fu brothers have been told this, and even more so that they stick to it so rigidly as if in a cult or something. It goes without saying that the teachers who instruct students like this, probably do not have much confidence in what they are teaching...I have tried setting up park classes here (in London), because many people approach when I am training in local parks, but it never works out - they never come back for more and cannot seem to grasp the informal concept, and the fact that they need to work on their own, rather than being bottle fed...I will persist however, and hope one day this pays off as I would love to see the day where Kung Fu is taught as it really should be, and as a skill to be worked on with a teacher overseeing you, rather than coddling your every movement. Once again, thank you for your videos, much appreciated.
Thanks a lot man!
Funny you mention that about Wing Chun people, back in my teenage years I was part of a club like that... didn't let strangers mix in. One day I visited another Wing Chun school, told them I had learnt all the way to Biu Jee, and they stuck me in to spar with the seniors. I had my ass handed to me, and I immediately knew I'd been at the wrong place all along!
Keep at it with the park stuff, I think its a great idea!
@@MonkeyStealsPeach Thanks mate: well whatever happens I'll still be in the park training, so who knows...I think in a lot of Wing Chun they seem to have this mentality...I was taught the same in one of these schools, and then one day had fun at a Wong Shun Leung lineage school where they happily put me through the wall during Chi Sao - and then explained everything I hadn't learned properly, which was just about everything. The class was totally different and much less pompous and much less formal...Basically just show up, do some chi sao, practice at home, practise at people's houses, go to class, teacher might tell you how badly you're doing, give you a thing to work on: rinse and repeat. WSL wing Chun also emphasise the need to practise with anybody - any style - and always use oppourtunity to learn and pressure test...I've a lot of respect for this method though, as it works really well. I didn't realise how well until I left the school to go to uni and sparred with lots of different styles in the Uni gym. It may not be as "proffessional" as these big commercial schools, but simply put the substance is far superior.
@@ChrisTheCat21 sounds like you stumbled upon a real treasure there!
@@MonkeyStealsPeach Indeed, I've been lucky, lol, that's probably why it pissess me off when I see so much nonsense being peddled. The other day I was walking through the park and saw someone practicing what looked like Kung Fu with straight sword...Asked them to show me a bit, and so on...As usual this went nowhere and they refused. They study at a local "WuDang Pai" class. Apparently, they've all been taught that internal just means belieing you have power? or Chi? And they never push hands or anything like this...Very odd, and it also saddens me that really good Martial Arts like Taiji have been reduced to this, with students who just think all they have to do is wave their arms around slowly and they've done Taiji...lol, I have many stories like this unfortunately: randomly talking to students practicing these styles and they don't know anything about them, worse, the teacher's don't...
@@ChrisTheCat21 Different people are always looking for different things though. For some people this type of stuff gives a sense of belonging or whatever... I doubt even if you showed them "the real deal" they'd be interested. I just leave them to it.
So if you randomly turn up and hang about, will they teach you something on the first day? I assume having some Chinese helps?
A good point i forgot to mention. Yes, you need at least basic level chinese usually
And normally they will be glad to show you something if you seem interested in learning
Well. Its a generalisation, and having an introduction would smooth things along
I used to live 9 years in China and practiced with my Hebei teacher from the first weekend arriving at university.
He taught me Hebei styles, xingyi, baji, pigua and tong bei basics. I always went to his him after my classes finished. What was awesome he gave me his plate if he was eating and let me finish it. I was the only student who was taught pigua.
I don’t agree what u said about holding back, my teacher would call you out really fast and very direct. I met him when he was 76, sadly he passed away a few years back