Question for Portlanders!

[NomadArchitect]

Hey, my name is Andre, just signed up for the board. I've been in Portland for a few months now and would like to start taking a martial art. I'd like all of your input as to which teacher I should seek out. I don't care so much which form it takes, so long as it has an internal focus and above all a fantastic teacher. Thanks for the help.

Andre

 

[terryl965]

I'm not in portland but I still like to say hello and happy posting.

 

[Kacey]

First, welcome, and happy posting! :wavey:

Second, I'm not in Portland either - you might try posting a similar post The Beginner's Corner; you might get more responses - you might also try this thread, Choosing A School - it's not specific to a location, but it may give you some guidance on choosing a school that's right for you.

Good luck finding the right school/instructor, and let us know how your search goes!

 

[arnisador]

Welcome! The only instructors I know of there are Dan Anderson and Fed King's group.

 

[IcemanSK]

I hope we can help you find what you're looking for, Andre. Welcome to MT!

 

[bushidomartialarts]

Welcome to MT, Andre. Where are you in the Portland area? There are several Pdx MTers roundabouts. What style are you interested in?

 

[shesulsa]

Hey, my name is Andre, just signed up for the board. I've been in Portland for a few months now and would like to start taking a martial art. I'd like all of your input as to which teacher I should seek out. I don't care so much which form it takes, so long as it has an internal focus and above all a fantastic teacher. Thanks for the help.

Andre

We're in Vancouver ... but I'm curious what exactly you want to get out of internal focus and also if you have a general idea of what you want to train?

 

[Ping898]

I am not from Portland either, but I will welcome you to the board! Welcome to MT :wavey:

 

[14 Kempo]

Hello Andre, welcome to MartialTalk ... enjoy!

 

[Jade Tigress]

Welcome to Martial Talk!

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Welcome! The only instructors I know of there are Dan Anderson and Fed King's group.

I can vouch for Dan as we try to have him over for a seminar when he is in Michigan. I know we have a few Portland MartialTalk'ers on here so they can fill you in on more details in your area when the log on. Good luck and welcome to MartialTalk!

 

[NomadArchitect]

We're in Vancouver ... but I'm curious what exactly you want to get out of internal focus and also if you have a general idea of what you want to train?

Maybe 'internally focused' isn't the term I'm looking for. I'm looking for something that will encourage my practice in meditation and spirituality in conjunction with the physical art itself. I took classes with an amazing teacher for about a week (I moved and was lazy), and while he didn't disregard concepts like qi and energy work, his was a purely scientific/sports fitness take on the whole thing. This is fine, since it comes down to many ways to describe the same thing, but I would like that spiritual aspect to be present.

 

[Marvin]

Hi Nomad, I don't know if it's what your looking for, but check out Straight Blast Gym, 1911 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Very cool group, very spiritual, but I don't believe you'll ever hear mention of qi.

 

[tntma12]

hey there, and welcome to martialtalk!!

 

[KempoGuy06]

Welcome to MT

B

 

[JBrainard]

Maybe 'internally focused' isn't the term I'm looking for. I'm looking for something that will encourage my practice in meditation and spirituality in conjunction with the physical art itself.

First off, Ave from a born an bread Portlander.
For meditation and spirituality you could check out the Academy of Qi Dao: http://www.qidao.org/ I don't know if they are any good, but their focus seems to be on the spiritual side.
More "physical" martial arts with internal aspects can be found at Gregory Fong's Chinese Martial Arts: http://www.i-chuan.net/ Sufu Fong has a good reputation.
Good luck on your quest!