Xiao Long Wu Yuan Shaolin school in Henan, China

[Greg]

Xiao Long Wu Yuan is one of the largest schools just outside of the famous Shaolin Temple in Deng Feng, China - Henan province.

The Shaolin Temple is where all martial arts disciplines began and there is a lot of history in the place. The town eats, breathes, sleeps martial arts and it is no big deal to spot a Shaolin monk or students running up the steep road to the mountain.

The school is cheap, US $450 (Updated Jan 2010) a month covers your room, food, Chinese class, and training - 6 days a week, 12+ hours a day. Where else can you eat and sleep for that a month? Uniforms, special shoes, and other necessities are very cheap to buy from the school.

The food is terrible, the rules are strict (you are locked in the school and can only sign out to leave one day a week), and the training is tough - but if you can last a month, it is very rewarding. Don't go looking for the old-school kung fu training grounds that you see in the movies. The teachers are young (not gray eyebrowed masters) and you wear a shiny modern Wu-Shu uniform. The living conditions are rough, many days there was no water, and injuries are a daily occurrence. On my second day there I was asked to do a back bridge (the start of a back flip) on concrete with no experience whatsoever. Needless to say, it hurt.

The students are an international mix of hard core types which stay there for a year or longer, people that have military experience or want to be kung fu teachers in their home countries, and wandering backpackers that want the experience or a cheap place to crash. Not everyone even lasts the 1 month minimum. Everyone does get along though and you feel the comraderie  when people help each other during training and after injuries.

Living at the school is a bit like basic training. You wake up at 05:30am every day to run, a (10K run on Thursdays!) and get yelled at and even thrown on the ground. Don't even think about being late for formation, or you will be doing pushups.  It is hard, but can be fun also. My last week at the school, several of us had smuggled out fruit and sugar (prisoner style) and mixed a big bucket of Sangria which we hid in the dark until it fermented into something special for the going away party which was held secretively after "lights out" at night. Where else can you do that other than prison?

The School's official website is here: http://www.shaolinkft.com/flash/index.html

But you may find more info on this German run site here: http://www.shaolin-wushu.de/en/main_fr.htm?trainingsreisen.htm

If anyone truly is interested, email me and I will gladly answer questions and post more information here.

[Anthony]

I'm a bit curious about this. If I ever make my way to that corner of the world, I may want the experience.
I have a couple questions.
How in shape should you be going into this? I know I need to get back in shape (5'4'' and like 220), so I'm probably not cut out for it now.

What level of martial arts experience should you have? Do they expect a certain level, or can the uninitiated get something out of this as well?

Hmm...I'll try to think of more

[Greg]

Out of the 20 or so foreign students (there were 4000 Chinese students) that I was there with, it was pretty much split 50/50 between coughing, wheezing, out of shape backpackers like myself and buff martial arts teachers from all over brushing up on skills before going home to teach. There was at least one girl that was there specifically just to loose weight, and I can't think of a faster way to get back into shape really (other than joining the armed forces and hitting basic training). I did basic training in the ARMY about 10 years ago, and the fitness training is pretty similar. 

There was no friction between us foreigners, you pretty much all stick together, no matter what your goals or level of fitness are.

I had Kung Fu experience when I went, but I didn't tell anyone...its better just to start all over because no level of studying in the West could properly prepare you for the Chinese way of doing things. They would pretty much take a guy in a wheelchair as long as he paid his dues...unfortunately even though its a Buddhist school, capitalism is rampant and they want the money.

If you get the opportunity, I say hit it!  Where else can you live and train for $375 a month?  The Chinese classes really helped the rest of my travels and getting up 6 days a week and exercising from 05:30 to 21:00 (or sometimes later) will definitely get you back into shape.   On Thursdays there is even a 10K (6 miles) run if you can believe....ouch.

If you can't finish a run you can just walk. The sifu might come along and shout, turn purple, and curse you in Chinese but the bottom line is they cannot do anything to you and they still want your money. The most important thing by far, and my teacher's favorite words..."just try".

[Vhan]

Greg! thank you so much for shareing that I didn't even know something like that existed! (I have the biggest grin on my face right now!)

Because, now after I get done with my first backpacking trip to break myself in, I would love to tour asia learning martial arts! Greg, are there any more places like this, or know of any websites I can do research on? (I would love to follow it up with a tour of japan too!)

I hope you don't mind me asking 

-Vhan

[Greg]

Hey Vhan,

For sure,  I saw lots of schools in China for Kung Fu and lots of Muay Thai camps around Thailand and Laos. The secret is finding a place that isn't just a tourist ripoff....and also a place that balances being tough and traditional with just wanting to beat the hell out of a Westener.   At the Xiao Long school, there were 4000 Chinese students and 20 white students.....so the training was intense, but they still took it easier on us than the Chinese kids whom they hit with bamboo sticks and made spar on the concrete!

If you go to China, I would recommend getting into your kung fu school at the start of your trip....that way you learn lots of Chinese which will be a lifesaver once you get out and travel the country some. Plus, it gets you into fantastic shape which will come in handy for carrying that backpack up mountains. Just try not to break anything or get hurt, that could put a damper on the rest of your trip.

There are hundreds of schools in China. My school was pretty budget, you can pay more at different schools and get better treatment and more luxuries...like internet, freedom to leave, better food, etc.....I just wanted to do it the hard way.

By the way, I've got some pictures from my experience at the school here if you want to see:  http://public.fotki.com/bucho-ky/2007/china/kung-fu/

[Vhan]

I will be looking into schools around thailand for sure, then I'll save my second trip for china (my last post on this thread kinda echos from my last post on my thread ) This just sounds like a oppertunity that I can't afford to miss out on while I am young!

It sounds like the learning curve is a little steep, or they don't waste any time trying to figure out what you are able to do, one of the two I suppose. hmm...

But they really have schools like this scatterd about Asia? And when I find them, how can I tell if they are tourist ripoffs? (like if they have a waiting room with plastic flowers, and takeing mastercard or visa?) Should I be looking for things like local students?

Ps. and I suppose finding a legit place would be a little trickey to do over the internet...since I would assume most ripoffs would advertise there first for american consumers...eh?

[Greg]

Hmmm....good questions. Maybe find some blogs or martial arts forums with people that have trained there and ask them about the place. Its true, you can't tell anything by a website.

Unless you really start brushing up on your Thai and Chinese, you'll end up at a place that is a little touristy anyway.   BUT, you can find one that speaks English and trains you similar to the locals rather than just giving you a "feeling" that you are studying authentic styles.

On my second day at the Shaolin school they had a senior student come out and do a back bridge (the start of a backflip) on the concrete. Then the Sifu pointed at me and just said "do that". That's one heck of a crash course...

[Vhan]

Well, after watching this I'm a little leery of Krabi Krabong in thailand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOq_UlSk4us&feature=related
Um, greg do you think I should just start a thread in the kung fu area of the forums for Thailand martial arts? So that way the one on chinese kung fu can be a little more pure I don't want to pollute the forums!

[Greg]

Sure thing man, the more threads the better so thread away! 

I watched the video, that guy is pretty critical...he has to realize that these guys are sparring with real sticks...do you really want to bash your buddy's brains
out in a peaceful setting on a Friday night?  The exercises are still teaching familiarity with the weapons and obviously hand/eye coordination - both of which I'm sure these guys would put to use in a real fight.

Other than that, I know nothing about Krabi Krabong (but I did go to Krabi )  Have you thought about Muay Thai?  Or even just Kung Fu?  There are probably schools for anything you want in Chiang Mai or Bangkok.

[Vhan]

Uh, thats the rub, I am not exactley educated when it comes to martial arts. I have been practiceing "kendo" for allmost a year now, but with no partner it really adds up to a hour every night of practice cuts, and a kata or two, but I'm new to the overall world of Kung fu.

So I am really going to have to do some homework on these styles, and pick one...I think it would be better to find one, than hop across several schools trying to find one.....then again I'll proababley do that anyway, but I still want an Idea of one to focus on

=Vhan goes off to google=


thanks greg
oh, btw. schools for anything? So I guess I better not just search for "thai martial arts".

[skylab]

Wow I really never thought of this. I'm going to have to do more research. Thanks.