I am interested to begin training in a style of kung fu. Currently there is only one school in my area that offers Chinese martial arts (there used to also be a San Soo one operating but has been shut down for years, before I even got here).
The school I am looking at say they practice a style they called Shou Shu, which claims to encompasses the fighting styles of seven animals: bear, tiger, crane, mantis, cobra, mongoose, and dragon. It includes punching, kicking, some joint locks, throws, weapons, etc. It was founded by da shifu Al Moore, who brought it over from training in China in 1940's or 50's. Here are a couple links of their sites for info:
www.mooreschinesemartialarts.com/
http://www.shengchikungfu.com/school/about_art1.html
I just like to check if anyone happens to know anything about this particular school, and perhaps help me determine its credibility. My focus is primarily on self-defense, and the instructor I spoke to seem pretty grounded in being practical. But at the same time, since I am not too familiar with CMA in general, I'm not sure how seriously I can take the concept of mimicking seven animals in a fighting art, or the effectiveness of that. Any help regarding this is appreciated. Cheers.
Yes, Al Moore, his brother Ralph Moore, and Al's son Vern (Al Moore, Jr.) were Tracy Kenpo Karate students in the early to mid 1960's. They were beginner white belts with no prior training. They did not ever study directly from or with any of the Tracy brothers, but did study under assistant instructors Steven Labounty, Bob Blackmoore, and Ted Sumner. Mr. Labounty passed away recently, Mr. Blackmoore passed away about 20 years ago, and Mr. Sumner lives in Texas and still teaches part-time. I spoke with Al Tracy on the telephone in 2008, so that is where I got this information. After earning their 1st degree black belts, Al, Ralph, and Vern moved on to study a style called BoK Fu Do (System of the White Tiger) from Richard Lee in the late 1960's. Al and Ralph earned their black belts in the late 1960's, and Al Moore, Jr. earned his black belt in the early 1970's. Kind of odd that it wasn't a sash considering Mr. Lee teaches a kung fu style. Mr. Lee was a former high ranking Tracy kenpo black belt that broke off and started his own style. After earning their 1st degree black belts, the Moore's took over the lease of one of Mr. Lee's schools and opened their own school teaching their Americanized made-up style of Shou shu, which is simply just a blend of what they learned in Tracy kenpo and Bok Fu Do packaged under a fancy name with a slick marketing plan. Shou Shu has elements of Shuai Jaio or Chaio (pronounced "shu-ee-jow", Chinese wrestling originating in Beijing), which makes sense considering Mr. Lee's style would have a bit of that in the curriculum.
I have heard many different backstory's from those that are part of the Moore's chain of schools, however, nobody has been able to provide names of any Grandmaster's in China, pictures of training, tea ceremonies, copies of passports, etc., to substantiate any of the stories that I have heard about Al Moore's supposed training in China sometime after WWII. I did hear of someone named Lu Chin but no kung fu expert that I've spoken with (Doc Fai Wong, Tat-Mau Wong, the Lacey brothers. etc.) has ever heard of this person, if he ever existed.
One last thing, I find the combining of kung fu uniforms and a Japanese belt system to be quite odd. Richard Lee does have a similar uniform as well as small circular patches representing his organization, so I understand where the Moore's got their uniform system and animal patches on the belts. Karate is heavily influenced by the Chinese martial arts, so maybe that is why Al Moore decided to combine the two. Outside of the United States, one will never find this in Japan or China.
I have been a student of Shou Shu for more than a few years. I do not know for certain what the origins of Shou Shu are, but I do know it is a great self defense system. Prior to studing Shou Shu I studied Judo (3 Years) Kempo (3 Years). For me Shou Shu is a very effective system. Shou Shu is an seven animals system, each animal represents the next degree. Bear 1st degree, Tiger 2nd degree, Mongoose 3rd degree, Crane 4th degree, Mantis 5th degree, Cobra 6th degree, Dragon 7th degree. Learning Shou Shu is difficult but is very rewarding. There are about 15 schools in California that teach approixmately 2,500 students. Shou Shu students earn their rank this is not a mcdojo. We train hard and are Teachers demand the best from us.
Shifu Steve Nugent
Yes, Al Moore, his brother Ralph Moore, and Al's son Vern (Al Moore, Jr.) were Tracy Kenpo Karate students in the early to mid 1960's. They were beginner white belts with no prior training. They did not ever study directly from or with any of the Tracy brothers, but did study under assistant instructors Steven Labounty, Bob Blackmoore, and Ted Sumner. Mr. Labounty passed away recently, Mr. Blackmoore passed away about 20 years ago, and Mr. Sumner lives in Texas and still teaches part-time. I spoke with Al Tracy on the telephone in 2008, so that is where I got this information. After earning their 1st degree black belts, Al, Ralph, and Vern moved on to study a style called BoK Fu Do (System of the White Tiger) from Richard Lee in the late 1960's. Al and Ralph earned their black belts in the late 1960's, and Al Moore, Jr. earned his black belt in the early 1970's. Kind of odd that it wasn't a sash considering Mr. Lee teaches a kung fu style. Mr. Lee was a former high ranking Tracy kenpo black belt that broke off and started his own style. After earning their 1st degree black belts, the Moore's took over the lease of one of Mr. Lee's schools and opened their own school teaching their Americanized made-up style of Shou shu, which is simply just a blend of what they learned in Tracy kenpo and Bok Fu Do packaged under a fancy name with a slick marketing plan. Shou Shu has elements of Shuai Jaio or Chaio (pronounced "shu-ee-jow", Chinese wrestling originating in Beijing), which makes sense considering Mr. Lee's style would have a bit of that in the curriculum.
I have heard many different backstory's from those that are part of the Moore's chain of schools, however, nobody has been able to provide names of any Grandmaster's in China, pictures of training, tea ceremonies, copies of passports, etc., to substantiate any of the stories that I have heard about Al Moore's supposed training in China sometime after WWII. I did hear of someone named Lu Chin but no kung fu expert that I've spoken with (Doc Fai Wong, Tat-Mau Wong, the Lacey brothers. etc.) has ever heard of this person, if he ever existed.
One last thing, I find the combining of kung fu uniforms and a Japanese belt system to be quite odd. Richard Lee does have a similar uniform as well as small circular patches representing his organization, so I understand where the Moore's got their uniform system and animal patches on the belts. Karate is heavily influenced by the Chinese martial arts, so maybe that is why Al Moore decided to combine the two. Outside of the United States, one will never find this in Japan or China.
lol
