Shaolin Camp In China - My Experience

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 3/17/2012 3:40pm

Originally Posted by W. Rabbit

I think .

Really? You think? It isn't like I said read and book in that sentence..oh well.

**ZenMMA** · Posted On: 3/19/2012 12:36am

Originally Posted by Dirty Rooster

Thanks for the thread ZenMMA, really interesting.

Now tell us exactly how you contracted MRSA?

My girl friend had a staph infection about a week before I started training, so that possibly had something to do with it, I also had a tattoo done about a month before training and I know that probably didnt help either.

Its likely I had the infection in my body before I got there, but the conditions i.e. dirty, damp, shared showers, immune system low from so much training etc... probably didn't help, at one point I had 5 infected abscessed on my body, but it was hard to treat them because obviously there was no medical supplies at the camp,most of them were on my back and also it was -17 degrees so I had to wear lots of layers and the heat/sweat just made things worse..

I had bought some generic antibiotics from the UK, I also had some left over from when my gf had staph infection, but they didnt really stop the infection from getting worse.

It was a scary experience.

Like I said in my original post, I think I'll always wonder if I would have stayed at the camp if I wasnt so sick....I did enjoy parts of the training and the location was simply awesome, but then again the severe lack of discipline, the lack of sparring and the emphasis of forms did really frustrate me.

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 3/19/2012 8:15am

Poor training doesn't get better with time no matter your fitness level.

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 3/19/2012 8:51am

Originally Posted by It is Fake

Poor training doesn't get better with time no matter your fitness level.

^ This, especially if the poor training is in a poor location and it kills you because you have no access to medicine.

Going "into the wild" or "up the mountain" to train sounds like a grand idea at first. I think that's part of the primal draw to programs like the "Shaolin" camps. Solitude can be a nice way to focus on personal development, the scenery is refreshing...but remote is remote and if you're not properly equipped for it, you're fucked.

Cold, dirty, and scary? Sounds like maybe you did get a little taste of 16th century China, at least. That might have been the most useful part of your experience.

***JohnnyCache*** · Posted On: 3/19/2012 9:55am

You might wanna name names on the camp

**ZenMMA** · Posted On: 3/19/2012 1:03pm

I thought I did post the name of the camp but the post was removed, I figured it was against the rules or something...on the other hand the connection is pretty sh*tty here so maybe it just didnt work.

Anyway, the school was called "Kunyu Mountain Academy" and it appears to have great reviews all over the net.

Thanks guys, I think you are right, even if I was fit I just dont think it was what I was looking for, having trained full contact sparring in both MT and MMA I felt a little underwhelmed by the training and the emphasis on forms really bugged me.

I also like the athletic side of MMA, I love strength and conditioning training and I think I missed that a fair bit too.

I wont go so far as to say I didnt think the training was effective, but it certainly wasnt my preference. Its a learning curve I guess. I still have a few months worth of ££, so Ill be heading to Thailand soon for some MT and MMA for a couple of months.

Not what I planned but the best of a bad situation.

P.S - Vietnam is a pretty cool country, if you ever get the chance to visit check out Nah Trang, a couple of Yanks have told me its a bit like California...but cheaper and not as many good looking women.

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 3/19/2012 2:48pm

Yep. It's not the real Shaolin unless the Communists approve.

Kunyu mountain shaolin martial arts academy is the only One Shaolin Fung Fu school in Shandong Province that authorized to receive the international students to learn kung fu by Shandong Province Education Department and Foreign Affairs office and Public Security Department jointly ,that can issue the JW202 Form and help the students to get long-term student visa (X-visa).

When you're finished with the training program, you get a certificate from the "Technical Evaluation Association".

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 3/19/2012 2:57pm

**tangshou** · Posted On: 3/26/2012 5:12am

Thanks for sharing. You probably spared others the experience.

If you're interested I can introduce you to a 'real' teacher in China. He's in an urban area and not many foreigners (maybe one, if he's still there).

**ZenMMA** · Posted On: 3/26/2012 8:25am

Thanks for the offer, although I have to say the experience has some what put me off CMA, which I know is wrong of me as that place is representative of all CMA by a long shot, but I kind of want to stick to what I know and save myself wasting any more cash.

My MRSA hasnt troubled me for about 2-3 weeks now, so I am planning on leaving Vietnam in 2 weeks and flying to Phuket to train here for 2 months

http://www.phukettopteam.com/

I kinda wish I could stay for longer but China, hospital expenses, travelling round SEA etc... have cleared me out.
My return flight is from Beijing,so I will be back in China for a few days in June, I hope I have a better experience then.

Many thanks for the offer, but its back to Muay Thai kicks and the cage for me.