Hello all, I would like your opinions please.

OK, I want to start Kung fu classes, I am in my mid 20s, I live in North London, (England) and would like to throw some questions out there which can help me decide what to look for.

I have looked on the net firstly for local classes, but there are so many it is overwhelming to be honest. I would like to do some form of shaolin style. I love the history, what the temple stood for, the philosophies, and i like the fact that all kung fu in some way originated from the temple maybe that is naive of me to limit my choices like that but you can blame my mum, i get my stubbornness from her

ok moving on to my first question. I always wondered if I should take my height and size in to consideration when choosing a style, I have read contradictory info on this so would like the matter set straight if possible. are certain styles more favorable to certain bodyweights and heights? I am quite small in stature, about 5foot 6 and about 10/11 stone.

OK, second question which kung fu styles incorporate the stick/staff/bo/pole weapon? i mean the 6 foot one. I have read that wing chun has a 7 foot pole, which considering my height, seems impractical, but what do i know? I have always had a fascination with this weapon that is why i would really like to learn it.

Next, Kung Fu for me is not just about learning how to fight, I want more, more guidance on spirituality and something which will improve my life in other ways too. not exactly sure what i mean myself here, but i will use shaolin temple as an example, it was a place to learn self defence but it also offered you much more than that. i guess my question here is, when i look for classes, how can i spot the classes which will do this?

if you read all that and understood it all, you did well. look forward to your replies. cheers

haha my first response is have you entered our Chris Crudelli competition yet?

tbh i had no idea who he was then i read a bit about him. i would enter mate, but you need to give a short story of an embarassing moment in class. i`m looking for a class remember

i have had some martial arts training, but it wasn't much, and luckily for me no embarassing moments

Hi Master_chief,
Generally speaking, height, weight etc shouldn't have to much bearing on what styles are suitable for you. Some people say that shorted people are more suited to southern styles, but "southern styles" in itself is a broad spectrum, just as "northern styles" is.
Essentially, you need to find a teacher who knows what he/she is doing, and who you are comfortable working with.
Generally, most traditional styles of kungfu will utilise the long staff, if they practice weapons at all. Be sure to ask the teacher when you pay a visit.

Bailu Taiji wrote:
Hi Master_chief,
Generally speaking, height, weight etc shouldn't have to much bearing on what styles are suitable for you. Some people say that shorted people are more suited to southern styles, but "southern styles" in itself is a broad spectrum, just as "northern styles" is.
Essentially, you need to find a teacher who knows what he/she is doing, and who you are comfortable working with.
Generally, most traditional styles of kungfu will utilise the long staff, if they practice weapons at all. Be sure to ask the teacher when you pay a visit.Agree with BT pretty much across the board. Only thing I'd add is, might want to find out when they begin teaching weapons. May need a few years under your belt in some schools. Keep us posted, and good hunting.

thanks for the info. I`m finding that most of my local kung fu schools are mainly teaching Wing Chun.

However I have seen that Sifu Wong Kiew Kit created a school run by his students called wahnam. theres a couple of schools in london. it is a bit further for me to travel but i am going to check out the place in a couple of weeks hopefully.

out of interest, anyone heard of it and its reputation?

I have actually read 2 books by Wong Kiew Kit. Both books were very interesting, well written, and had a wealth on information in them. I don't know much about his school or his teaching methods beyond that, but having read both books I'd at least look up a Wahnam school if there was one in my area if for no other reason than to see how they actually perform.

dmccarthy wrote:
I have actually read 2 books by Wong Kiew Kit. Both books were very interesting, well written, and had a wealth on information in them. I don't know much about his school or his teaching methods beyond that, but having read both books I'd at least look up a Wahnam school if there was one in my area if for no other reason than to see how they actually perform.He also does a steady column in one of the magazines I subscribe to (Inside Kung Fu? Maybe). Usually pretty good stuff.

I have read one of his books too, why I was attracted to wahnam schools in the first place. thanks again for everyones feedback.