Wu Dang Martial Arts

[BFGalbraith]

The instructors (Master Chang Wu Na & Dr. Lu Mei-hui) have studied under many well known Chinese martial arts masters, and have done well in full contact competition in China. This shows in their "Tai Chi" class, in which about 1/3 of the time is done doing calisthenics, another 3rd doing tai chi forms (which resemble old-school Chen-style forms), and a final 1/3 doing "push hands" which seems to be something along the lines of Chinese Wrestling + wrist-locks, more or less full contact. They are also know for some kind of painful contact Gim (sword) sparring. They are also known to get into a wider range of full contact sparring with more advanced students.

Not all of this style's classes are like this: if you contact them, make sure you tell them that you are interested in sparring, live, full contact martial arts - the "real tai chi" if you will (the class with "lots of push hands," and they'll be sure NOT to put you in the class with the senior citizens.)

This school was reviewed on bullshido.net a few times before the current catagorization for reviewing martial arts schools was in place:

http://www.bullshido.net/modules.php...&op=nextoldest
http://www.bullshido.net/modules.php...article&id=255

And this school finally has a website: http://www.wudangdanpai.com

[BFGalbraith]

I found contact information for these instructors (on a pin-up board in Seattle's Chinatown, so you know it must be accurate...)

Phone Number: (206) 498-6360
E-mail address: lu_mei_hui@yahoo.com

Ask about full-contact sparring & push-hands oriented Tai Chi when you talk to them so you can be sure to get into the right class.

[Xeerot]

The school has been going through some major changes right now, and there is in fact a kid's class now and there will be try-outs for a fighting team and a form team starting in January for current members of the school. The fighting team will mainly be push hands to start, no step and limited step, and then as the team gets experience move into sanshou. Also Tai Chi is not the only style of internal martial arts offered. There is now a Xing yi class, and there has always been a Ba Gua class. If you are interested, they now have a site as well which shows their lineage, available classes, and their new pricing structure.

http://www.wudangdanpai.com


The location is inside an office building in China town, but the room we are in has a bamboo floor and a mirror wall on one side. If you are at all interested in Kung Fu, or internal style martial arts, I would highly reccomend coming and checking out the classes you are interested in. You can come and check it out, and if you don't like the atmosphere or something like that I am sure they won't charge you for those classes. They are more interested in teaching people and helping them improve than collecting money. (Don't try contacting them right now, or showing up to classes at this moment as they are in China until about the second week of Jan '08)

(Note on scoring: I am not enrolled in a weapons course, but have taken a few lessons in weapons, and the score is based upon that, and the score on the student ratio is based on what I percieve the overall ratio is like, some classes are much more packed than others, but everyone gets personal attention every session no matter what class you are in. I would rate the classes I am in as a 10)