Nashville area: anyone recommend a good Kung Fu school?

[vujade]

title says it all.

I'm looking specifically for a Kung Fu school. I practiced a long time ago and would like to introduce my daughter to the art and hopefully get my butt back in a shape that's not circular.

Can someone share any experiences they may have had with some of the local schools here. I've been checking google/websites. I'm interested in real/candid review/feedback.

Thanks!

[TrickyNicky]

I've heard great things about Chuck Coreys school for San Soo. He was taught by a first generation Jimmy Woo student and was given the title of master by Jimmy himself.

The thing that sits big with me is my instructor over 1500 miles away knows of and approves of Mr. Corey.

You'll probably get a lot of people telling you to go check out Gracie BJJ wich seems big around here or krav magra but I would seriously look into the San Soo if you haven't yet. I will eventually be attending once I get a few things squared away with my personal life.

[ShamGlock]

Just out of curiosity Tricky, what makes you choose San Soo over Gracie Jiu Jitsu?

[TrickyNicky]

Well at first it was because some of my other friends were already doing it so it was a no brainier to get started. I have nothing but respect for BJJ but IMO San Soo is just a more practical fighting system devoid of the concept of anything aside from rapidly engaging and removing the threat of harm to oneself. In a perfect world I would have the time and resources to study and practice both but that's not the case for right now.

A lot of it also comes down to my belief that San Soo is a bit more versatile. BJJ is great if your facing one adversary with a little bit of time to wait for him to make a mistake, how effective is it against two or even three attackers when circumstances demand an immediate action?(honest question as I've never studied it so don't know)

I know San Soo can be effective in a situation like that.

All in all just personal preference I guess, I do think anything is better than nothing and from what I've seen with very skilled practicitioners of numerous styles a lot of it get equaled out in the wash anyway.

[cflatt]

My 10 and 18 year old are both studying at Family First Martial arts in Cool Springs. I don't know how far you might or might not want to drive. They believe in a well-rounded student and start it with respect and positive reinforcements. It's not a contract type school. It's month to month. We learned about it from our neighbors and can't say enough good things about it.

From their site

" A modern mixed martial arts curriculum incorporating many styles, such as Goju-Shorei, Muay Thai Boxing, Judo, Tae Kwon Do and Goju-Shorei Ju Jitsu. With a focus on leadership, bully prevention, diabetes awareness, acts of kindness, community projects, the list goes on"

http://www.familyfirstma.com/

The number listed on the site is their mobile. Give them a call, it would probably be a better representation of the people than what I could give you here.

[ShamGlock]

I understand where you are coming from Tricky. I believe it does come down to personal preference. I don't know that there is really any argument to be made for multiple attackers that would separate one fighting style definitively from all the others. I will say that with Gracie Jiu Jitsu you learn to establish dominant positions in a fight and move forward from there. I feel very comfortable saying I could quickly escape from any position I might find myself in with an untrained guy. At the point his buddies start jumping in I'm either out of there or drawing a weapon.

When I started looking for a place to train a few years ago the one thing that set GJJ apart for me was that you actually used it live every time you went in to train. At the end of class you train with another guy, against full resistance and get to feel what it is like to use the techniques on someone who is full on resisting your efforts. I know that if I ever need to use it in a self defense scenario the techniques are there, even under fire.

Having said that I 100% agree that people need to find what works for them. Good luck to the OP on finding a good place for you and your family to train. I would encourage you to do your due diligence before settling on a place. There are more than a few stories in the martial arts community of frauds and hacks running schools. I cannot imagine anything worse than giving a group of people instruction that they may need to save their lives one day, knowing all the while that you are a fraud. There are several in operation in Chattanooga now and it makes me sick. In this day and age OP look for independent verification of an instructors credentials. What I mean is, don't rely only on the recommendations of people already in an academy or on the word of the instructor themselves. I don't know because I have never looked but I would almost guarantee there is some sort of Kung Fu/San Soo forum out there. This would be a good place to start to look for credible, unbiased opinions on places to train nearby. Go to several schools, ask to try a few classes out. A guy on the up and up should not have a problem with this. Good luck, let us know what you find!

[peejman]

Well at first it was because some of my other friends were already doing it so it was a no brainier to get started. I have nothing but respect for BJJ but ....

I have nothing to add other than pointing out that the above is hilarious...

[TrickyNicky]

I have nothing to add other than pointing out that the above is hilarious...

Not really, you may or may not be surprised at the attitude some people have that their choice is the only right choice for anyone because their style is the best period.

Personally I think a lot has been held back by keeping a closed mind.

[Sam1]

Personally I think a lot has been held back by keeping a closed mind.

Such as relying on kicks and chokes when you can use fast combat reloads!

[TrickyNicky]

Such as relying on kicks and chokes when you can use fast combat reloads!

Exactly! Kinda. Lol!

[peejman]

Not really, you may or may not be surprised at the attitude some people have that their choice is the only right choice for anyone because their style is the best period.

Personally I think a lot has been held back by keeping a closed mind.

Maybe you misunderstood... I was merely amused by the acronym, BJJ. Forgive my adolescent humor.

That said the "discipline A is better than discipline B" debate is roughly equivalent to the glock vs. 1911 debate... pointless at best. I have a bit of interest in martial arts. I suspect my older boy might benefit from it in a year or two, and I know I could use the exercise/stress outlet.

[ShamGlock]

BJJ...if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Seriously though, the Glock vs 1911 is a silly argument. The Glock vs Hi-Point is not. Especially when your well being may be on the line. Not all martial arts are the same. Any martial art that lacks a ground training element is incomplete in my opinion. And many martial arts are sportive arts masquerading as self defense (I'm looking at you Tae Kwon Do) that could seriously get somebody hurt. I would make the same statement about many of the latest generation of BJJ schools that focus only on competing in tournaments.

[E4 No More]

I'm afraid that the "My style is the best" thing is due to salesmanship. The instructor is running a business, after all, and needs to attract students.

[Chucktshoes]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhUkGIsKvn0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhUkGIsKvn0[/url]

[vujade]

thanks for the posts guys. I'm going to start to visit some schools with my daughter.

I'm really looking for a school that teachers traditional Kung Fu (with the animal styles); preferably Southern Shaolin but Northern would be fine too. I know, one can argue that there are more effective and efficient styles out there (I dabbled in Muay Thai (if you're looking for a great school, Tiger King in Nashville is awesome) and even BJJ) but this is mostly to spend time with my daughter. We're part Chinese as well so this is part to connect with our culture.

Yes, I carry when I'm out and have a bedside gun when I sleep. I agree with the comment about close mindedness to one martial arts is damning. The gun is a martial art. But when that is our only self defense plan, we're victim to that same close mindedness. I'll say it this way and I don't mean to pick on anyone as I'm gotten 'chubbier' over the years as welt. I think in the event of a life or death situation, some of us won't even have the opportunity to get to our gun either because our hearts are too weak and some of us may just heart attack right then and there.

Edited November 3, 2012 by vujade