My West Wind Experience

**aarondirebear** · Posted On: 4/02/2006 12:46pm

After browsing these threads I realize I am not alone in this atrocity.

Now I will tell you my experiences at teh West Wind Dojo in Alameda.

It was the 4th of July Street Festival in the year 2003...or was it 04? I don't remember anymore. It was the year I lived in a wee cottage on Park Street right across from Kai's Japanese restaraunt. I was walking along and I happened upon a dojo offering a free introductory lesson.

They lured me to the style by saying that the low "boxed out" horse stance was the best and mosts table stance out there. They also seduced me with tales of Grand Master HUang who trained a supposed Mister Lee, who trained Mister Flint, Who trained Mister Thompson, who trained Mister Koghadai, who in turn became my private instructor.

Mister Koghadai had a very weak ass handshake. It was like he had a Strength Score of 3. At first I figured he was just holding back, but now i think he really didn't know crap, despite having a black belt. (Actually instructors wear red belts)

They also mentioned something about West Wind going to a Chinese tournament and being the only American School to ever win it. After I left I looked on line for Chinese tournements with american winners and found no mention of the West Wind Schools.

I knew nothing about actual fighting, but I always felt my movements were slow and exxaggerated, and thus innefective. The inward block, for example, always felt too slow even for a roundhouse punch.

When I would land a front kick I would return and not always land in perfect form.

The prices were high when I got there, but then they built that big gym and the CORE building...then the prices went from overly high to insane.

Nobody to whom I showed my orange belt level skills was impressed and I got laughed at: I never realized the techs I was taught were bogus.

The instructors drove around in BMWs and sat around in cushy offices. That pissed me off too.

So yeah ask me specific questions and I will give specific answers, because only a questuion will bring the rest form my memory.

And Mister K from bunyip's story?
That's my former private instructor, mister Koghadai.

I'd like to see him get his ass kicked by Chuck Norris.

**HRMERoar** · Posted On: 4/03/2006 1:00pm

..you've managed to get out too! Welcome to the real world. Would love to hear more about your experience, I'm formerly from Alameda myself..:bowdown: (kinda reminds me on tournament time, everyone kissing Mr. T's behind)

**CaliKyle** · Posted On: 4/03/2006 2:03pm

I have no history with this MA school(or any other for that matter:icon_thum ), but whenever I hear about this place, I get So pissed off.

**Bokfutopher** · Posted On: 12/24/2006 2:39am

The supposed Mr. Lee did exist back in the Old West Wind Schools and he was in fact trained by a Grand Master Huang from China. But that ended between 1998 and 2000. I will not name names, but a group of the Instructors, from the Chief instructor down to the senior head instructors, basically stole the schools from Mr. Lee. He no longer has had anything in the slightest to do with West Wind Schools. These schools went down hill fast the day he was not involved in running them. West Wind used to be a good place to study. When I started I payed $690.00 every 6 months. But that changed significantly after that.

**Punisher** · Posted On: 12/24/2006 3:24am

I was driving by the West Wind in Berkely, made famous by Bullshio Hall of Fame Member buynip, the other day.

It was dark and the lights inside the school were on so I could see inisde. What I saw surprised me. Lots of nice equipment, including a full boxing ring. The was also a huge banner outside that said "Home of the Featherweight Champ!" or something like that.

There was nothing about what I saw that screamed McDojo, yet I know the opposite to be true. Just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover.

**Punisher** · Posted On: 12/24/2006 3:29am

Another interesting note, West Wind has apparently gotten rid of their webpage.

If you put "West Wind Martial Arts" in Google a couple of yellow page listings come up, so does a page with mixed review about the school, and then bunyip's post.

**Doctor X** · Posted On: 12/24/2006 4:59am

Interesting.

In trying to educate a Poor Hapless Newbie to the benefits of these threads, I "Googled" a few places like FSD and Coda Scott, and it is nice to see the Bullshido threads right there at the top.

Now that is spreading the cheer of the season!

--J.D.

**Tef** · Posted On: 2/17/2007 3:05am

Don't hate. We're not even a McDojo. I'll agree, our teachers do preach wanna-be Buddhism (I'm Buddhist) and then ride in BMWs rockin suits, but don't let the teachers dictate the martial art. I get pissed off about that aspect of my school every time, but I put it aside and try to focus on learning. In regular school (not dojo) do you devalue what a professor tells you because he wears crappy clothing? No. You ignore that and focus on his teaching.

Want a McDojo. Check out Rohai Cuong (sp?) Ngu Dojo down the block. Black belt = 3 years. I saw their green belt tests and I nearly laughed out loud in front of the whole school.

What belt did you get up to? White and Orange belt are hella lame compared to Purple and Blue belt.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 2/18/2007 3:19pm

Originally Posted by Tef

Don't hate. We're not even a McDojo. I'll agree, our teachers do preach wanna-be Buddhism (I'm Buddhist) and then ride in BMWs rockin suits, but don't let the teachers dictate the martial art. I get pissed off about that aspect of my school every time, but I put it aside and try to focus on learning. In regular school (not dojo) do you devalue what a professor tells you because he wears crappy clothing? No. You ignore that and focus on his teaching.

Want a McDojo. Check out Rohai Cuong (sp?) Ngu Dojo down the block. Black belt = 3 years. I saw their green belt tests and I nearly laughed out loud in front of the whole school.

What belt did you get up to? White and Orange belt are hella lame compared to Purple and Blue belt.

See guys, you need to pay the extra $99.95 before you get to be teh deadly.

**nikyu** · Posted On: 4/11/2007 2:58pm

hi,

West Wind does actually have a web page, but when you put in www.westwindbokfu.com it directs you to MySpace.com, where they have a page...you can not view pics, nor can you send a message, that just brings you to your own MySpace page, should you have one. You can however view some videos of various things...what a hoot, whith the kind of money they charge you would think they could afford a REAL website...how lame, and cheap, as MySpace is a free site....LOL