Hey first time here, hopefully I can get some good advice. I am very interested in learning kung fu and I have found a reputable school that could teach me. The problem is that it is in China and it seems foolish to travel so far for something I don't even know if I will like. I've tried looking for a school in my area but they are less than convincing in their authenticity. Anybody have any ideas on how to get a taste of true kung fu before I head off to china? Oh and if your wondering why I don't just go to a school somewhere else in the united states (where I live), its because I want the most authentic and traditional learning experience possible. I figured China was the best bet.

I would definitely try it out locally before going to the expense of traveling to China. What kind of Kung Fu are you interested in? There are about a SQUILLION different styles, LOL.

There are many reputable KF instructors in America. What area are you in?

I live in Southern California, and actually the reason that China is so intriguing is because its like 5,000 dollars for a year. I wanted to train intensely in both internal and external aspects and I was thinking for the external I wanted something hard, like Baji Fist. For the internal, I tried to read up, and they offer 5 different "sects" of qui gong, and the "Wu Sect" is the one that has martial applications.
They also offer Taichi, Xingyi, Bagua Palm, Wing Chun, Mantis Boxing, and San Da. I'm just speaking as intelligently as I can about the subject, and I know that I may be saying what equates to "2+2=49" in MA talk, so my apologies ahead of time. I've just always had an affinity for MA and Kung Fu and now that I'm 18 I would like to explore it.

The best Kung fu may not be in China. During the Communist revolution/Cultural revolution many of the skilled martial artists fled the country and essentially hid dispersed throughout many countries in the world. What remained to be openly taught in China, "Wu Shu". You may have more luck finding an authentic fighting art in a "chinatown" then in China. Good luck with your quest.

Hi, welcome to the forums.

Like Matt said, it would be better to learn locally first. And as everyone pointed out, many of the best Chinese MA teachers live outside China!!

You need to be careful about places like that. Some are legit, some are not (so called "Shaolin Inc" or "Wudang Inc"). You don't know what you are learning.

Try and find a good Chinese Martial arts teacher locally, ideally one who can inform you of training in China.

Regarding which "style" to choose... if you haven't studied any of them yet, how do you know what you want to do????? All you have at the moment is IDEAS of martial arts, not knowledge or experience of the arts themselves.

There are fewer ruder awakenings in this life than a new martial arts student with a headful of ideas and dreams and their first time if ACTUAL TRAINING LOL!!!

Go find a good local teacher. Spend some time seeing what arts you enjoy in actuality, based on the training. If you find a good teacher, stick with them. As I said, if you find a good teacher, they may have knowledge/contacts in China that will be much better for your true learning than some tourist trap.

Here is an interesting article about an American named Matthew Polly. He went to train in China for a few years. He wrote a book about it:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article1603649.ece

Hey thanks, that was a great article. A friend of mine who lived in China asked a reliable source if it was legit and he said ya, so I'm not worried about the merits of the school, just if the style suits me and I take to it. It would definitely suck if I traveled around the world and have it hit me that, hey, maybe I don't like this. Thats the real dilemma. So, to refine the original question, does anybody know a traditional, authentic school, one like the school described in the article, in the united states where I can get my feet wet before I venture to China?

Now there is a question! You don't have to be too specific, but what rough area of South Cal can you travel to train in e.g. Los Angeles Area, San Diego Area etc.....

That might help a bit.

I don't know any specific people down that way, but we could take a look at websites for people to see if they read ok. I will try and dig some up.

In the general So Cal general area:

Wing Chun:
http://www.lmkwingchun.com/

http://www.sdtaichi.com/directions.html

Taijiquan:
http://www.socal-taichichuan.com/page5.html

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/gdm44/chen_taiji/

Bauguazhang/Hsing i:
http://www.sandiegohsing-i.com/

Northern Eagle Claw:
http://www.kungfuusa.com/locations.html

Northern Praying Mantis:
http://www.wrightskungfu.com/index.html

Hung Gar:
http://www.hunggakungfu.net/

Choy Lee Fut:
http://www.clfkf.com/

Alternatively, if you could make it over to Los Vegas, Neveda, you could seek tuition from Mike Patterson. Mr. Patterson has occasionally posted on here. By all accounts, he has vast experience in Chinese Martial arts and has spent a lot of time learning in China/Taiwan:

http://www.hsing-i.com/shrfu_bio/index.html


Here is a big directory for So Cal martial arts. You will find other schools on here and elsewhere:
http://www.socalmartialarts.com/martial-arts-schools.html

Thanks alot. These posts have been a HUGE help. And to be honest, socal would be great, but if you have to bend over backwards to dig them up don't worry about it. I'm saying if you know of great schools anywhere in the U.S. Me driving to across the country is still a hell of a lot more easy and cheap than flying to China.

Glad to help. If you don't mind a bit of travel, I would def. check out Mike Patterson. I have never trained with him, but I have read a lot of good things about him and certainly he seems to have a formidable background in Chinese arts. According to his website, he also seems to have some contacts in California. So you could maybe build up some local contacts that way.