Going to China to train in the Shaolin Temple

Drunken Monkey · Black Belt

is nothing moe than a school using a famous name.
granted that there are undoubtedl talented martial artists there, it is simply not the same place that is mentioned in the legends. going thre to laern just for the sake of learning "at the temple" isn't worth it. like someone said, it is run by the government and i'd like to add to this and say that it's primary purpose is to make money. if you want to learn from a monk, sifu shi yan zi teaches in london. no need to go all the way to china.

and like all the guys say, it isn't where you train but who with and how.
amd even if the guy is chinese doesn't meant he's good or genuine. conversely, i have met a lot of western sifus that are damn good not because of where they trained but who trained them.

Prodigal Son · Orange Belt

I think that a trip to China would be a fantastic experience that one way or another, you will never forget. But if it is really martial knowledge that you seek, then all those $$ would buy many private lessons with a great Sifu at home...

I can only speak for the Wing Chun world, but if you turn up to train in Hong Kong - well, anywhere really - without a letter of recommedation (usually stuffed with good luck money !) then the Sifus will train you with a smile - and tell you NOTHING new. Are the guys who run 'Shaolin' any different ?

One way or another, it will all form part of your path :-)

Respect to you all
>>>PS<<<
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Self-defense is only an illusion, a dark cloak beneath which lurks a razor-sharp dagger waiting to be plunged into the first unwary victim. Sifu Wong.

Bailey · White Belt

Hey, ive been thinking of going to china to train for a while and have mainly heard reasons not to go. i have however recently met someone who has good contacts in china. i think this would be a better way of going about it than looking around on the net or in magazines for schools because they may be biased and after money etc.
Also the reason for going is very important, i will soon finish my degree at uni and want to travel to the far east anyway. rather than just travelling, i would like to train for a long period as i would not really be able to get another opportunity to leave a career and train all day everyday later in life. (or it would be very awkward to)
i am still not sure if i will be able to do this and its not something that can be thought of lightly. you need to spend a lot of time asking yourself if it would really be that benificial and would you be committed to that level of intense training? also if english is not spoken then you'd better start learning mandarin before you go :p

oo there is this site too, www.shaolins.com it says its the northern temple martial arts academy. it seems to be geared to traditional kung fu and is cheaper per week that my total living costs here at uni. (in the uk btw) the accommodation doesnt look great but if you are really dedicated then that should not really matter to you.

i hope this helped somebody :p

River · White Belt

All foreign friends ,welcome to China.You will really understand Chinese Kungfu here.You can go to the Shaolin temple or Wudang Mountain where thousands of people train their Martial Arts.

stephen lee · Yellow Belt

I just witnessed a lot of self proclaimed "experienced" practitioners, practice pure IGNORANCE!!!!
obviously you some where along the way develloped a FALSE sence of accomlishment! mabey the color of your belt???

How many of you with such "experience" and strong knowing opinions have trained at the temple??????

NONE!!!!!!

perhaps the question isnt where the best instruction IS, mabey where the heart of the student seeking instruction will be more fullfilled for HIM, by training at ShaoLin?!?!
afterall, what can an instructor teach to a student whos heart is not in training?

if this person will feel more in tune, focused, and confident in China, at a temple... then he WILL learn more there...

Of course there are great Masters in the US, and myself personally would be honord to be instructed by them! Dr. Yang Jwing Ming, Kwon Wing Lam, to name a few. True Masters, here in the US.
My goal is to meet them first, then off to China.

who here would Pass an opportunity to visit the Temle????

and for those of you who claim to KNOW a wide variety of arts, this meaning you know what youre talking about!lol!
Perhaps you know Less, about More..... think about it....

any wise man would not discourage someones determination to seek learning, unless they were afraid the seeker would learn more than them.... but then, that would not be a wise man...eh?
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the color of a belt, can be a false sence of accomplishment.

River · White Belt

All foreign friends,welcome to China any time,I believe you will make a great progress in Shaolin Temple of China.Many kinds of martial arts come from Shaolin Temple,on the side,you could realize more knowledge about Chinese Kungfu and culture.Thanks for your opinions of Chinese Kungfu.

Shorin Ryuu · Black Belt

Well, if you really want to train there, go ahead...I would just follow the advice of Prodigal Son and really make sure that you are completely set up with a letter of reccomendation and that you have made contacts beforehand. Otherwise, there is too much that can go wrong (plus you would be in communist China, and while I have nothing against Chinese people in general, sometimes things do happen).

I for one think it is neat if you had a chance to go there. I take Shorin Ryu karate, and its name itself stems in honor from the Shaolin temple (only the Okinawans and Japanese pronounced it Shorin) because Okinawan karate is a mix of indigenous Okinawan martial arts and Chinese martial arts. I for one plan to go to Okinawa and with connections that my instructor and his instructor have w/the head of my style, train over there for maybe a month next summer. I'm still working out the details though.
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ShotokanKen · Yellow Belt

i didnt no they let outsiders in to the temple? very often
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ORANGE Belt(WTF) TaeKwonDo

kle1n · Green Belt

ken he will knee infront of the temple and wait until they let him in. in this kung fu film it worked!!!

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Be everything. Be nothing.

Prodigal Son · Orange Belt

Yeah, you're right Stephen Lee - we're all saying this stuff 'cause we're secretly frightened he'll learn more than us, and come back from 3 weeks at Shaolin with some nasty Buddha Palm style, ready to mess us all up. It's obvious, really. But don't tell HIM that - we want him to think that it's friendly advice.

>>>PMSL<<<

P.S. And the Chinese really LOVE sharing their deep martial arts secrets with us Foreign Devils, too... I just forgot for a moment.
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Self-defense is only an illusion, a dark cloak beneath which lurks a razor-sharp dagger waiting to be plunged into the first unwary victim. Sifu Wong.

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