I've been wanting to join a Kung Fu class, but there is only one in my area. They teach a style I've never heard of call Yau-Man (can't even find much about it online) and I was wanting to know if anyone here had any experience with this style.
I've been to one trial class, and it was a little more informal than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. The first hour of every class focuses on Kung Fu and then instructors split up the class for the last hour and give you the option to either work on the earlier class material, or to do some Tai-Chi.
The called the main stance mabu, but it was very different from anything I've seen before. The knees are pulled close together and your lead foot is turned at a 45 degree angle, almost pigeon toed. It was uncomfortable at first, but surprisingly stable. The whole body is kept loose through most of the movements, and the elbows are always kept close to the body. All of the strikes seem quick and they put a lot of emphasis on returning your hands to a defensive position. Most of the strikes are with what they call "ginger fist" and "phoenix beak."
I'm completely new to Kung Fu, and I just had a few questions.
1) Have you heard of this style before and, if not, does it sound similar to another style that you are familiar with?
2) I am probably only going to be in this city for one more year. Wherever I go next will probably not offer this same style of Kung Fu. Is it better to do this for a year and then transition to something else, or am I better off waiting to learn Kung Fu after I find a school that I know I will be able to attend for several years?
I've been to one trial class, and it was a little more informal than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. The first hour of every class focuses on Kung Fu and then instructors split up the class for the last hour and give you the option to either work on the earlier class material, or to do some Tai-Chi.
The called the main stance mabu, but it was very different from anything I've seen before. The knees are pulled close together and your lead foot is turned at a 45 degree angle, almost pigeon toed. It was uncomfortable at first, but surprisingly stable. The whole body is kept loose through most of the movements, and the elbows are always kept close to the body. All of the strikes seem quick and they put a lot of emphasis on returning your hands to a defensive position. Most of the strikes are with what they call "ginger fist" and "phoenix beak."
I'm completely new to Kung Fu, and I just had a few questions.
1) Have you heard of this style before and, if not, does it sound similar to another style that you are familiar with?
2) I am probably only going to be in this city for one more year. Wherever I go next will probably not offer this same style of Kung Fu. Is it better to do this for a year and then transition to something else, or am I better off waiting to learn Kung Fu after I find a school that I know I will be able to attend for several years?
