Ok, I don't know if these places are springing up around your area, but recently in Chicago and its suburbs. So being the everloving Korean martial art leg humping nut rider that I am, I thought I would go in check out a class and ask some questions. I had to fill out a visitor's form where it asks, with no big surprise, what I do for a living. (Note: For those not hip to this question, it is their way of finding out how much they will be charging you as well as how much time they will spend trying to get you into their school. Many TKD schools love this question). So naturally I this threw up the first red flag and strike one. So here are the questions I asked and the answers I received:
(Note: These answers are not verbatum as it would not make any sense to try and write down the broken English endured in order to make the point at hand)
Q1) Can I sit in and watch a class? (As I hear the Ohmssssss...from a class that was currently happening)
A) What we do is a $20 assesment introductory so that we can check up on your balance, flexibility, energy level and chi level. After that if you can try a class and see if you like it
Ok, I have to pay for an intro for a check up on my 'chi levels' just so I can sit in a class and see if I like it. Strike two!
Q2) What style of Taichi do you teach?
A) Oh it is a Korean style
Follow up Q) Ok what is the style called?
A) It is from Korea so it is just a Korean style.
Follow up Q) So what is it name? Is it from the Chen, Wu, Yang or Bagua Family?
A) No..no..It is not from them it is Korean style. It is hard to explain it to non-Korean speaking people
(Note: I never told him I could speak some Korean, nor did I tell him I spent 20 years involved in Korean arts and have spent time studying Korean history, so I just kept playing the "dumb" round-eye)
Ok...so it is a Korean Taichi system, with a name no white man would comprehend. we'll call this a draw, but, seeing as the past 50 years, Korea has made some new things in the martial arts, why not their own Taichi. Fair enough. We'll move on.
Q3) What is your lineage? Who is your instructor and his qualifications.
A) Oh our system is 5000 years old.
Can you hear the screeching tires follow by the crash in my head?
It was at this time I got up and thanked him got up to leave. He pursued me asking what was wrong to which I simply asked him how can you say that your system is 5000 years old when your society hasn't even been around that long. Taichi itself was passed from India to China and even they do not claim 5000 year old lineage. You society is based on the migration of Monglians moving from China into what is now known as Korea. So you mean to tell me that Koreans were studying taichi long before they even exisited as a society? Either you don't know what you are talking about, which tells me that I don't want to learn from you or you are lying to me which tells me I don't want to learn from you. I then thanked him for his time and wished him well.....in Korean (you know the one language us round eyes would never comprehend)
Here is the link their site. Apparently this is a very popular movement over in Korea right now (why does the term Falung gong come to mind?)
http://eng.dahnworld.com/eng/index.asp
Style: Shorei-ryu & Kenjutsu
