A return to training...

[DergaSmash]

I studied Choy Li Fut, Hung Gar, Bok Mei, and Southern Dragon at a kwoon in Minneapolis for several years. Yet due to a job change, then enlisting in the US Army, I have been unable to attend class or really train at all for a few years now. When I go home to Minneapolis on leave, I make sure to stop by my kwoon and attend at least one or two classes. I find I remember nearly all of the techniques, footwork, stances, and most of the applications. I don't remember much in terms of forms.

I have a little more free time now, and I would really like to start training again on a regular basis. I have missed my training a great deal. I found a CLF/Hung Gar school that is about an hour away from me, and I sent the Sifu there an email yesterday. I am still waiting to hear back. Their website didn't have much information so I don't know much about their kwoon.

My question is, if I am unable or unwilling to attend this kwoon because of financial reasons or if I don't find the kwoon to my liking, what can I do to train on my own?

I have been working on very basic stuff recently, stances and individual techniques for the most part, but if anybody has any drills or tips on this I would greatly appreciate it.

Also, if anyone knows of a decent place to learn CMAs near Clarksville Tennessee, that would be a help as well.

Thanks

[sean_stonehart]

To train on your own, just do your basics. Stances, bridges, hands, etc... Find you a tree, wrap a little something to prevent skin damaging cuts & do your saam sing there. Don't forget to practice your sets.

Drills... depends. For CLF just wrap up a nice set of say 3 - 5 hands/horses/kicks. Say something like ... Chuin/Chuin/Gwa/Poon/Cheong AHn Choi all dropping into a diu ma. Or take a section of a set & drill it for 10-30 times then switch sides. HG & BM I don't know so... but I'd say it'd be pretty close to the same.

You're there at Ft Campbell I'm guessing, so it shouldn't be that hard finding somebody wanting to get together at the gym & bang around for a while so you should be ok with work out partners.

[DergaSmash]

That is what I have been doing for the most part. I don't remember entire sets or even decent sized chunks of any. Its really frustrating. I've been doing a lot of combinations, stance work, and drilling individual techniques. Thanks for the ideas though. I am going to try that tree one for sure.

[sean_stonehart]

Since I see you added Lung Ying up there, for both the BM & LY... just practice your tun/to/fo/chum. If you remember any of the sets, get your Sup Luk Dong from Lung Ying & Jik Bo from Bak Mei practice in. That will definitely give you basics work out with them.

Which branch of CLF did you practice? The school (if it's the one I'm thinking of) in Ky is Chan Family CLF & LSW Hung Ga under Seung Au from Hawaii (Bucksam Kong for Hung Ga & Chen Yong Fa for CLF).

There's Bak Mei down in a Chattanooga suburb (East Ridge). I made a field trip to check them out & while they practice a little different than most BM schools I've seen (slow & detailed), they are the real deal with TTFC body mechanics & power generation.

[DergaSmash]

My Hung Gar lineage is as follows: Gee Sin to Hung Hei Guen to Luk Ak Choy to Wong Tai to Wong Kei Ying to Fong Hing to Wong Chuen Yip to Mark Chan Wah to Steve Salek to me.

The CLF is of the Buk Sing CLF as far as I know. I cannot remember the exact details of the CLF lineage. I will have to ask my Sifu back home. My old kwoon is part of an association started by Master Mark Chan Wah. It is the Green Dragon Kung Fu Association. It won't let me post the url to our website but if you google it, it will come up.

The school I am looking at is called East West Kung Fu under Sifu Steven O'Nan in Franklin Ky. The Hung Gar at this school is through Bucksam Kong.

[sean_stonehart]

Ok... Buk Sing isn't forms heavy, but that's a training bonus. Just work your drills & such.

Not familiar with that lineage of Hung Ga, but it's not really my thing so I'm only familiar with the LSW & Tang Fong lines mostly.

I checked that guy out. He's not a student of Kong Sifu. He's a student of a student of Kong Sifu. Mike Marshall is Kong Sifu's student & is the one that's certified to teach under his banner there in Ky. He's also done some CLF training under CYF, but I don't know if he's certified to teach under CYF. It doesn't look that way to me. From what I can tell, he's trained mostly in a homespun MA from a guy there in Ky. Not saying it doesn't work or anything like that, but it's a mix up different things.

I'd invest in a phone call to Mike Marshall in Louisville to double check. (502) 585-5884 is the number I found. A little front end prudence to save a lot of aggravation on the back end.

[DergaSmash]

Thanks a lot. I didn't even think about that. I'd love to be able to train with Sifu Marshall but Louisville is a pretty long drive from where I live. Thanks again.

[sean_stonehart]

Give this place a call...

http://www.bgkungfu.com

They're up the road from you in Bowling Green.

[DergaSmash]

I checked out the website, and gave their Sifu a call. I had to leave a message and haven't heard back yet. I couldn't find any information about their lineage on the website. I hope something can work out. I really miss HG & CLF. I guess the worst case scenario is I keep training on my own until I find someone to train with, or I PCS to a location that has better options.

[sean_stonehart]

I checked out the website, and gave their Sifu a call. I had to leave a message and haven't heard back yet. I couldn't find any information about their lineage on the website. I hope something can work out. I really miss HG & CLF. I guess the worst case scenario is I keep training on my own until I find someone to train with, or I PCS to a location that has better options.

That's the guy (I believe) that's associated with Seung Au from Hawaii. HG from Bucksam Kong & CLF from Chen Yong Fa through Seung Au.
Hopefully they'll be in touch soon.

If you could get down to Nashville, I can put you in touch with top quality Northern Praying Mantis. I know the Sifu. I think BG is still closer, but Nashville could maybe work out too.

[DergaSmash]

Oh thanks so much Sean. I mean it. Your responses have been above and beyond what I was hoping for.

The Sifu from the Bowling Green School with the website you posted the link to, still hasn't called me back. I am going to try him again sometime today. I'm just not very optimistic about the logistical part of it.

Nashville is actually closer than Bowling Green but they are both about 50 miles or so from where I live. With the way gas prices are, plus the school dues, I am not sure I am in a financial position to do it. I was given a rate of $70 a month from a different school in Kentucky, which is not a bad monthly rate if the instruction is good. Its actually pretty reasonable. Yet if it takes me 2 gallons of gas to get to one class and 2 gallons to get home, at the current gas price here in town, thats almost $14 dollars in gas to attend a single class. I would like to attend class at least twice a week, but even if I only went once a week, I would be spending almost $60 a month in fuel alone. That would change the $70 a month for unlimited classes to $130 a month for four classes. I am not sure I could swing that.

I think I am going to go the solo route for right now, at least until either my financial situation changes or a school opens up closer to me. There is a lot of good training I can do on my own, and if the situation changes to where I can start attending class, I will be much better prepared.

I do really appreciate your efforts and responses though. Thank you very much.

[sean_stonehart]

Yeah man... hope it all works out for you!! Believe me I understand about training & the cost of gas. Fortunately my teacher doesn't charge me any longer & when we're able to meet up, it's all about the fu & fun.

Let me know if there's anything else I might be able to help you with. Including helping you with drill work ideas & such if you get to a stuck spot. I know Sup Luk Dong from Lung Ying & have practiced/taught CLF now for a minute or three. Unfortunately, no Bak Mei or Hung Ga training in there, but the LY & CLF stuff you can roll that over with minute changes to them.

Feel free to hit me up if I can be of assistance!

[DergaSmash]

Is there anywhere to see any videos of some forms? I know learning off videos is not the way to go but I still know most of the techniques and applications. I just want to be able to do some form work as well as bag work, stance work, etc. Its good cardio and they are fun to do.

[sean_stonehart]

Is there anywhere to see any videos of some forms? I know learning off videos is not the way to go but I still know most of the techniques and applications. I just want to be able to do some form work as well as bag work, stance work, etc. Its good cardio and they are fun to do.

Yeah man... you tube is full of all sorts of CLF, HG, LY & BM vids. All different flavors & varieties. With you already having a background in those arts, using video to supplement or refresh what you already know isn't necessarily a bad thing. Learning a set you've never learned... maybe not so much unless your background is really deep and especially not a new style. But to grab ideas for drills & training & such, that's not a big thing at all.

[DergaSmash]

Thanks. I just want to refresh my knowlegde of some of the forms I used to know. There is way too much in CLF & HG to learn and re-learn before I even think of messing with any new styles.