This copied from the activity guide is for an earlier period but it is the same for the upcoming term... Mind you, the idea of taking class with little bairns doesn't exactly thrill me. I prolly need to ask how that is going to work. Interestingly, the Tai Chi class is for ages 18 and over.
I could see that. I think I'll run over to the rec centre and try to catch the instructor if they are still having classes from the last term. So, I should ask what style...Southern, Longfist?
Oh - Ben Gash - the class is a six week activity provided at our local community centre - its not a MA school - though I'm certain the instructor must operate or be associated with one in the area.
Some people "use" something from what they had heard or read without a clear understanding of historical or factual data A Community Centre is notorious for getting in false or non-qualified instructors. In the early 80's there was a martial Art coalition in a town I used to reside in, that went around investigating these people. Until the leader of the coalition had a student who became a charlatan also As Ben posted:"Name of style, family of styles it belongs to, geographical origin, who taught them? "
You can certainly argue modern shuriken are Japanese (they are known to have existed within Japan since about 1000AD), but the name comes from middle Chinese which would suggest an earlier origin between 0AD and 1000AD or even earlier. Similar dart/missile weapons did exist prior. India has its own ancient throwing weapons that appear to be precursors to shuriken. So it's very possible the shuriken doesn't have a Japanese origin per se, but became synonymous with Japanese weaponry, art, history, etc from about 1000AD onward. An interesting side note, the colloquial name for shuriken in many countries is "Chinese star". I've always been curious as to why, I have a theory as to why but it's not a very good one (ie TV and movies) The nunchaku is strongly tied to Okinawa (not Japan) as well as the Philippines and traces it's ancient history to the various island nations and greater China because it's in the same class of weapons as other sectional devices (sectional staves have a history in China going back to during and well before the first millennium AD. I have probably seen at least two dozen different types of rice flail that all resemble "nunchaku" but are not weapons. In the Philippines nunchaku are known as "chako" or more formally "tabak-toyok", and from what I have read, Bruce Lee's nunchaku/"chako" routines were actually Filipino, not Chinese or Okinawan. I don't know of any extant Chinese or Okinawan or Japanese styles that formally teach methods for the nunchaku, but if you can point me to sources I would be glad to examine them.
There are plenty of extant Ryukyu Kobudo systems, and several Chinese systems teach the short sweeper (my style only does the long sweeper).
So chances are even higher than usual ( which are already statistically high for actual "schools" ) that it'll turn out to be a 3rd rate circus act. Just as well, I'd already decided not to take it based on observation that the great majority of classes were geared for children and the one that wasn't exclusively so, the "family class" allowed children as young as five in it. Mmm...nahh...guaranteed to be beyond silly. At least the taiji class if for 18+ ( at last, an NC-17 Traditional Martial Art class )
I already recommended that place to him - it is too far away. I cyber know one of the people that trains there. (He is a member here, although barely posts.)