Greetings all, I'm looking at possibly taking Hung Gar here in NY City at Yee's Hung Gar. My goal is to teach martial arts after I retire and at my age, I don't think I'll have enough of the martial aspect in Tai Chi 16 years from now. I'm of course looking to get back into shape after too much weight gain and sedentary life. Would any of you recommend Hung Gar in my case? How long does it take typically for someone to begin to use it for self-defense and with competence if that person puts in a reasonable amount of days of class time (of course have to practice when not in class)? I want to retire at an age where I can enjoy it and still be able to teach.
I guess you will be testing your art through full speed and full contact sparring, yes? In that case, you have to be careful. Around your late 30's, your body starts to not heal as well as it used to. I'm no longer a fried chicken, so I always try to watch my movements and get it just right so when in sparring, I don't unintentially tweak something bad.
There is also an SPM class taught by James Cama in NYC, though I don't know anything about the authenticity/quality of it. There is also a Pak Mei (White Eyebrow) school up there too: http://www.pakmeinyc.net/ I will PM you some further information.
If you want to do it go do it! We have a guy who is 58 at our class, he is due to take his black sash this year, he gets stuck in with the rest of us! He's AWESOME!
I'm going to turn 50 this summer, and I keep getting better each year. I have older people who do just fine-provided they have the right mindset. As far as how well you will do-depends on the teacher and the student. Yui Chow is exceptional, and teaches Yee's Hung-Ga in NYC, and also in Columbus Park on Sunday mornings. James Cama has impeccable credentials in Jook Lum SPM. Seek and yee shall find.
Qasim, Like yourself, I started in Hung Gar when I was 40 last year to fulfill a childhood dream of learning Kung Fu and Lion Dance. The first couple of months were tough, but after almost 1 year later and 20 pounds lighter, I feel like I'm in high school again. My energy level is up and I'm also more focused, relaxed, etc. and benefiting from everything that learning a traditional martial art has to offer. To answer your second question about self-defense, I think it depends how often you get to spar in your class. As of right now, we are sparring every class and honing our techniques. So, if you were in my class and worked hard at home, you probably would be sparring in about 6-8 months. In about a year, you'd be more comfortable handling yourself in a self-defense situation. But every individual is different so I can't answer for you. I would make sure the school you choose has sparring opportunities. It's the only way you're going to practice what you've been taught. I've heard good things about Sifu Yee. A few years ago, my school went with Sifu Yee's class to Toisan, China and watched his Hung Gar class perform. Apparently, Sifu Yee was disappointed that there was no Hung Gar Kung Fu in his village of Toisan so he started a school and opened it up to every kid who showed interest in being there. From what my classmates tell me Sifu Yee is a solid Hung Gar practitioner and a solid person as well.
Thanks, for the info. I haven't started or even observed a class yet. How much time is typically spent on forms in school as opposed to stance and physical training for beginners (strictly from your own experience of course)?
Our class pretty much goes like this: 1) Warmup exercises (20 mins): Horse Stance with Straight punches, cross blocks, high blocks, Bow and Arrow stance with punches, cross blocks, high blocks, then various movements that incorporate these techniques where you are facing up to 10 different sides of the room and blocking/punching pretend opponents. We call it 10-side turns but there is a Chinese name to this. Believe me, this warmup is quite intense and tiring. 2) Sparring (for senior students) about 20 mins. Sparring for us can take on 1:1 sparring or what we call "Circle of Death" where our SiHing chooses your opponents for you and we spar in a circle. At times, you may be forced to spar 3 consecutive opponents. 3) For Junior Students, Sifu works with them to get their techniques/stances/punches movements going. 4) Forms practice - 30 mins. Usually, you will begin to learn your first form after 6 months once Sifu sees that your foundation is good. Our Sifu treats everyone individually so even if you start the same day as a fellow student, if you work harder at home, you could learn forms sooner. 5) On occasion we also get into Calisthenics, Kicking Drills, Punching Bag, etc. but we always stress foundation and horse stance. You'll never get away from the horse stance in Hung Gar. Hope this helps.
We have the occasional 40+ year old at my MMA gym and they fair just fine (About a week). It's a matter of knowing your limitations and adding in the fact that you should be wearing diapers. You must watch your body for signs of injuries and respect the fact that you can't push yourself as hard as a teenager or a twenty year old. If you are worried about popping your hip you should definitely talk to your instructor about what you hope to achieve and how he can work with you through the years to help you lose weight and get in better shape.
