How can you tell whether a Kung Fu school is authentic?

I%26#039;m in the process of choosing a Kung Fu school and wanted to know how to choose between different schools. What shoud you look out for if you want to choose an authentic Kung Fu school?|||1. The same way to can tell an authentic Chinese restaurant. If there are lots of Chinese students its a good indicator that it%26#039;s authentic. If there are very few Chinese students I%26#039;d be cautious.





2. This is especially true if there are lots of Chinese kids (under 12) as many Chinese parents will seek out an authentic kung fu school to train their kids.





3. Find out where the Sifu/Shifu was trained. What is the lineage of the school as is he officially recognised as a Sifu by his teachers?





4. Does the Sifu actually train the students - or does he leave it to instructors or other students? If the Sifu doesn%26#039;t take a personal interest in your training - leave.





5. Observe how many senior students there are. If the school is full of beginners then you know that students are leaving as fast as they join. There must be a reason for that.





6. How good are the senior students (not the instructors) and how long have they trained? You can use this as a benchmark for your own performance - if you were as good as they are after that much training - is that good enough?|||you have to appreciate good humour?well why did this braind dead moron report my answer for abuse?


my answer.haha humour there%26#039;s not enough of it here.by the authentic menu? Report Abuse
|||There really is no fool-proof way to determine the authenticity of any martial arts school or instructor. People have mentioned lineage, but that only works if everyone in the line held true to their master%26#039;s teachings. In many cases, the student has gone on his own and did things his own way.





The best thing for you to do is observe a few classes at each of the schools you are considering. Try to view some of the advanced classes. If they are doing the types of things you are looking for, then go for it.





Good luck!|||An authentic %26quot;Kung Fu%26quot; school will both know and honor it%26#039;s lineage. Your Sifu, or Simu will know the language, culture and history of the style that they are teaching.


Kung Fu comes from the Shaolin monks. Look for an instructor that upholds the moral values that go along with the Taoist based teachings. For example, in my school, nothing is killed. This includes (biting) centipedes and bees.


Kung Fu lessons are much more than learning how to fight. A good school gives you an education in philosophy, natural remedy%26#039;s and healing, history, and language. You are in a good school if you walk out of the building feeling stronger, happier, smarter, and healthier from the first time you meet your new master.


When I met mine, I knew he was the %26quot;real deal%26quot; because he radiated a light of energy, strength, and wisdom. I hope this helps, and best wishes on your journey. :)|||if you walk in and everybody is kung fu fighting then youre in the right place|||Linage is important- a lot of people make up crap about their linage.. like %26quot;my teacher was a real shaolin-monk%26quot; from pre-communist China.. or %26quot;my teacher fled China to escape a communist takeover%26quot;





Most of this is just plain crap. You would have to be over 80 for THAT to be true.





Also, I suggest NOT taking a martial art like Kung Fu from a %26quot;white person,%26quot; I know that sounds racist or whatever, but many times they make up great stories about their %26quot;masters%26quot; and what have you being %26quot;chinese%26quot; or %26quot;monks,%26quot; its better to go somewhere that is internationally recognized...has a legitimate linage, and preferably taught by a Chinese person.. You get more respect from them than their European counterparts.. just a societal thing. This I know from experience.





If you feel in any way that the teacher is trying to manipulate you, leave.





If a school is forcing students to teach other students- leave





If you suddenly sign up and realize classes lack good stance training (such as holding stances for a long time to gain such strength) then leave.





Also not every place that says %26quot;kung fu%26quot; is authentic.|||the more people it has in it with yellow skin and slanty eyes.|||If the kicks are fast as lightning you%26#039;re good.|||Authentic schools require their graduates to snatch a pebble from the masters hand.





They are then rewarded by having to lift a red hot flaming kettle with their fore arms. This causes scarring and disfigurement that lasts a lifetime.





Any school with out this is not authentic.|||You have to appreciate good humor!





There are a few things you need to look for when choosing an %26quot;authentic%26quot; kung fu school (kwoon). I would break it down to three bare essentials. though:





1.) Lineage Tree - This is comparable to a family tree and shows how the system has been passed down and its roots. It should be rather plain, straight-forward, and have little deviation. If a school has origins all over the place, chances are it is mixed and/or not authentic.





2.) Spear/Kwan Dao Set - Most, if not all, authentic schools have its own unique spear set or kwan dao set.





3.) Tai Chi Chuan - Despite whatever external system the school teaches, there will at least be a fundamental knowledge of a branch of Tai Chi Chuan. Most teach Yang family and at least know the basic 24 movement set. If they teach anything else, make sure you research and make sure they aren%26#039;t just doing their external system at a slower pace! There is a certain Kenpo chain school that does that...





Of course there are other factors such as teacher experience, class size, class structure, and cost just to name a few, but those are things that would apply to all school background checks regardless of the system. If you want to learn really %26quot;old school%26quot; style, the kwoon won%26#039;t even have a belt/sash ranking system!





Good luck in your search!|||The teacher is suppose to make all non asian strip to underwear and stand outside in cold weather to do forms for an hour before the class.|||kung fu is all fancy crap. dont take that, if you wanna become a fighter take muay thai or kickboxing.