China Traditional Kung Fu School

It is a place where students genuinely have a say and can make a difference. If you talk to Shifu with a sincere attitude he will treat you sincerely and take what you say seriously. I’ve met some of the best people in the world at this school. Most notable was my teacher and good friend, Shifu Wang Xinglong. Shifu has a deep passion for his art and teaches it in an aggressive style that Westerners seem to expect from watching too many Kung Fu movies. It was a teaching style that constantly kept me challenged, not only from him but also kept me challenging myself. Having said that, as soon as training has finished, he becomes nothing but a friend to his students who will do anything to help and ensure their happiness, causing you to wonder where the angry man that was just shouting at you went. Under his tutorship I have traveled the length and breadth of the People’s Republic of China. I’ve competed in Wushu tournaments in the far Southern provinces and done movies in the desert lands of the far West, I’ve been so far North my fingers froze and so far East that I could see the shores of the dystopian North Korea; all this I did from the opportunities presented to me by training with Wang Xinglong. This school will deal you the most bizarre of hands and make you realize you can achieve things you never thought possible. You’ll scream, you’ll laugh, you’ll go through more pain than ever before in your life and then you’ll miss it when it’s gone, and hopefully, some day you’ll come back.

During my month at the school I felt muscle pain, joint pain, was hit with a staff, was both encouraged and laughed at by an Irishman, Englishman, Mexican and a Swede, and learnt far more than I thought possible in such a short period of time. Eight hours of training a day with Shifu Wang bring out sweat, tears, sometimes a little blood and, occasionally, a scream or two. Shifu encourages his students to push themselves beyond their limits. He gives all of us individual attention and helps us develop and strengthen our body and mind ”together” – he teaches us Kung Fu. An amazingly positive, friendly and relaxed atmosphere makes up for any minor faults in the facility. At the end of my month I felt part of a big family of stray martial art nerds from all corners of the world that have found refuge in the-middle-of-nowhere-China and surrendered themselves to the guidance of a kind, caring, beyond competent Shaolin master. Sounds silly perhaps, but feels true. Already planning my next visit.

Rewarding, when I think of my seven months in China training with Master Wang, the thought that sums it up, the one I keep returning to boils down to that word: Rewarding. I went to the Academy with a vague idea of what to expect because my brother trained under Master Wang two years ago - his journey and results inspired me to improve my own life by undertaking this challenge. I wanted to change myself for the better - and for me, there was no better place to do it than with Sifu and the other students at the school, who are supportive and always ready to help a newcomer to martial arts as long as the desire to improve is in you.My brother studied under Sifu for about five months. When he came back he was a different person, and I say that in the best possible sense of the phrase. He had lost about 30 pounds of fat, an awesome feat in itself - but way more important was his conversion from a sit-on-your-heels mentality to the mindset of all-out attack on any obstacles in his life, be they mental, spiritual, or physical. I will never forget his dramatic transformation as long as I live. That is primarily what I wanted for myself.My initial goals ranged from vague (to improve my body, mind, and heart) to very specific (ridding myself of the utterly useless habit of sleeping 10 - 16 hours a day). While I wanted to gain weight and not lose it (I did, about 8 pounds), this set of broad expectations allowed me to feel successful when accomplishing small details during training, which is something I think is immensely important when learning Kung Fu - to take it one step at a time, build a strong base of fundamentals to use as a springboard during later training. I did end up kicking the sleeping habit, and picked up a slew of more useful ones like proper diet and exercise; all of this in addition to learning much about myself as a rational, mature human individual.Make no mistake - this is not something easy that just anyone can do. Marshaling and managing your growing inner reserve of strength and fortitude can be difficult, but I know of no other experience more rewarding than doing so. If youre tired of feeling weak, if you feel like theres more in this fleeting existence waiting for you and if you need a life-changing experience, Sifu can help you give yourself that and more. Its up to you. And the chef-prepared food is flipping awesome.

I trained with Master Wang for 4 and a half months, learning Kung Fu was one of the greatest experience I have had in my life, even though the training is really hard and challenging you come out a better person from this experience. Shifu is a great teacher who truly cares about his students and is always willing to help whatever the matter is to make this a great experience.During training he requires discipline and that you are fully dedicated to the training but at the same time he is very kind and good hearted person, as a result you will develop your Kung Fu skills much faster. I had no earlier experience in martial arts and was not in good shape when I came to this school, he has helped me change that a lot.I have learned not only Kung Fu but also a lot about myself, Ive learned that I am capable of doing things I never imagined I could do and have been forced to work on my weaknesses. Being here in China has been really life changing and this is definitely a good experience, even though it can be really hard at times it is something that I fully recommend other people to do.

In 2013 I visited Shifu Xing longs Shaolin Kung Fu school in China. I trained with the school for 3 months. I enjoyed every minute. The training was tough but fair. I felt I learnt a lot both in martial arts and in life. My skills and abilities developed quickly and the longer I trained the faster I was able to progress, thanks to a great teacher.Shifu Xing Long looked after every one of his students, not just as students but as friends as well. The food and accommodation was really good, i met some great people. The only regret I have is not staying longer. All in all it was an amazing experience. I encourage anyone who is interested to learn Shaolin kung fu to contact and train at the school