Martial arts in Middlesbrough, UK?

[Martial D]

Really? I hope there are boarding/holiday opportunities for me in the US, then. I’m unfortunately not from there. I have a US citizenship, but I’ve lived in the UK since I was a toddler.

From what I've read, the Chinese govt doesn't like anything but performance based wushu and sport based sanda existing too visibly.

 

[Willow]

From what I've read, the Chinese govt doesn't like anything but performance based wushu and sport based sanda existing too visibly.

That makes me feel very sad. Thankfully other countries are interested in Kung Fu and other Chinese martial arts, because otherwise I’d be seriously afraid that the art would die.

 

[Willow]

I suddenly really want to move to the US.

 

[jobo]

Hi everyone. I’m interested in learning Chinese martial arts (particularly Shaolin Kung Fu), but I don’t know where to go. My university has Shaolin Kung Fu, but it doesn’t look reputable. Are there any reputable martial arts places in this area, or just outside of it? I’m not looking for self defense as much as the authentic Chinese art. Thanks for any advice.

it hinges on the question of why you want to learn an AURTHENTIC ma that isnt for selfdefence ? I mean reall, what is your goal ? fitness, inner piece socializing with other " authentic " ma, there has to be a reason and that reason really dictates what school will be best for you !

 

[Willow]

it hinges on the question of why you want to learn an AURTHENTIC ma that isnt for selfdefence ? I mean reall, what is your goal fitness, inner piece socializing with other " authentic " ma, there has to be a reason and that reason really dictates what school will be best for you !

I love Chinese culture and history, so I want to experience a piece of that. For me, it’s like a way of preserving a piece of history to maybe pass on to other people. A secondary benefit is fitness.

 

[jobo]

I love Chinese culture and history, so I want to experience a piece of that. For me, it’s like a way of preserving a piece of history to maybe pass on to other people. A secondary benefit is fitness.

ok, so you go to a school, its fairly easy to determine if it's effective for self defence and for fitness, its impossible to know how authentic it is, part from the fact that authentic king fu, should score pretty high on the self defence and fitness fronts. or if it doesn't it's definitely not authentic as it was designed as fighting art, so the question then becomes authentic to which period of history ?

 

[Willow]

ok, so you go to a school, its fairly easy to determine if it's effective for self defence and for fitness, its impossible to know how authentic it is, part from the fact that authentic king fu, should score pretty high on the self defence and fitness fronts. or if it doesn't it's definitely not authentic as it was designed as fighting art, so the question then becomes authentic to which period of history ?

Good point. That’s definitely something to think about. Thanks for your response

 

[Headhunter]

That makes me feel very sad. Thankfully other countries are interested in Kung Fu and other Chinese martial arts, because otherwise I’d be seriously afraid that the art would die.

Buddy stop worrying about purity of the art and all that nonsense and just go train.. You may not even like martial arts. It's not for everyone. Because right now you're saying stuff about moving different countries to train when you haven't even started any training yet. Stop worrying about unimportant things and just go train

 

[Willow]

Buddy stop worrying about purity of the art and all that nonsense and just go train.. You may not even like martial arts. It's not for everyone. Because right now you're saying stuff about moving different countries to train when you haven't even started any training yet. Stop worrying about unimportant things and just go train

Just because it’s unimportant to you, doesn’t mean that it’s unimportant to me. I just don’t want to feel like I’m wasting my time. We all have different motivations to join something and I would like to politely ask you to respect mine as I respect yours.

 

[Headhunter]

Just because it’s unimportant to you, doesn’t mean that it’s unimportant to me. I just don’t want to feel like I’m wasting my time. We all have different motivations to join something and I would like to politely ask you to respect mine as I respect yours.

I'm simply saying that it's better to just go train and get started rather than sitting around thinking about things.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

Just because it’s unimportant to you, doesn’t mean that it’s unimportant to me. I just don’t want to feel like I’m wasting my time. We all have different motivations to join something and I would like to politely ask you to respect mine as I respect yours.

You really should read about the history of MA in china over the 20th century, before trying to figure out if something is authentic. What that means has changed a lot, as martial d said, MA was outlawed and has since been replaced with "modern" wushu.

However, a few things to keep in mind. First, authentic doesn't necessarily mean unchanging. Things change, and sometimes they adapt. The belt system is a good example, a lot of arts that didnt have ranking now have sashes and/or belts...it doesn't mean any part of the system changed, but people have recognized that in western culture those are needed to retain students sometimes.

Also not being able to find the style online doesnt mean much. There are theoretically thousands of CMA's, and most of them likely don't have an online presence.

Unfortunately, I cant help you in your quest to find a legitimate style, as i live across the ocean from you. But try to keep the above in mind when you're looking.