Training at the China Wudang Mountain Kungfu School continues year round and is open to students of all experience levels and ages. We are happy to welcome students from all over the world and give them the chance to come together and add to the Wudang community, sharing the experience of immersing into Daoist and Chinese culture and learning traditional Wudang Martial Arts.
Training Schedule
The harder you train, the more you learn, and the better you get. Training schedule at Wudang Mountain Kung Fu School changes throughout the seasons but there are two basic schedules that we follow for Summer and Winter. Following are the typical schedules here at the academy.
What to Training In Classes?
Over the years, we have taught students, beginners and instructors alike, from all over the world. Any discipline that you begin requires a foundation. Even as you become more advanced in your techniques, it is the reinforcement of the basic training that enables you to continue cultivating your practice towards mastery. This is why at our academy everyone participates in the daily training schedule. This way all student start from the ground and work up. The branches of their personal curriculum, however, may be more unique to each individual.
While training in Wudang Mountain Kung Fu School is open to all experience levels and all ages, you may be wondering Is there a certain system or way of training that suits your and will help move you towards your individual goals? where to begin or what style suits you for training?
Short Term Training
For short term students may come for a few days, a single week, a few weeks or one month training, Wudang Mountain Kung Fu School can offer many classes. Typically, short term students can enjoy a crash course in basic training and gain a new perspective on how to train the body and mind. A few days to serveral weeks, It’s enough to learn a simple Qi Gong pattern (or Tai Chi Form or Weapon Form), alongside the basic training, the morning Qi Gong, and the evening Meditation classes. Also you can plan for returning at a later date to continue training.
Long Term Training
Long term students have the opportunity of a much more flexible schedule. This opens up the possibility of following the traditional Wudang practice. The traditional method of training strives to combine hard and soft. Basic training is the first used to teach and correct posture, strength, coordination, and to begin gaining flexibility. Once these methods are learned, the student begins form training. Form training teaches one how to express this coordination in the most efficient way.
Traditional training will create a more comprehensive training program. One will have more time to dedicate to strong fundamental skills and then learn how to apply them in many different ways through different forms and systems of training. This training will be much more intensive and may follow the traditional path a little closer. Because the type of student has more flexibility in their schedule, they will have the chance to focus on multiple aspects of training. This way they may be able to try out certain styles that their coach recommends or stumble upon something that was unknown to them before they began their training. This program is typically more beneficial for younger students, however it can also be a great time to dedicate towards cultivation the internal system for older or more experienced individuals.
A basic progression of learning in the traditional way may be the student beginning with basic training and then moving into basic empty hand forms like Ji Ben Quan. From here, one moves on to more technical styles. This may be an internal, like Qi Gong or TaiJi, or an external style, like Dragon Fist or a weapon form like Straight Sword or Eight Immortals Staff. While it is not necessary to follow this way, it can be very beneficial is a student has the time available, is a beginner to martial arts, or if they are unsure of where to begin.
Saturday and Sunday
For short-term students the stay time is limited, you can train every day, of course you can have a rest on Saturday or Sunday. For long term students Saturday afternoon and Sunday is the rest period for the week. Otherwise, during the training week, there is a short break in the afternoon for a rest in between training times.
On Saturday afternoons there is also a school cleaning that takes place. We maintain our own space to show respect for the school grounds and training grounds. During the rest day on Saturday and Sunday, students will go to Wudang Mountain Town to buy some essential items (snacks, daily necessities, etc.), taste different foods (coffee, fried chicken, western food, etc.), or travel to other tourist places in Wudang Mountain Scenic Area (Prince Slope, Purple Cloud Temple, Nanyan Temple, and Golden Palace etc.) or around Wudang Town (Tai Chi Lake, Yuzhen Temple and Yuxu Temple etc.).