Fighting Dragons (Kung Fu San Soo) Bakersfield, CA

[blacklung]

Great School. Definetely recommend.
First off, dont believe everything you read about San Soo. Yes, there are schools that you should definitely avoid. This is not one of them. They are open to new ideas and realize that their style is not without fault. Their teaching covers a wide variety of subjects and focus on all the aspects of a "street" fight.
I trained there for about 3.5 years. I've trained at about 5 other places for a short time and have not found the same quality of instruction or atmosphere. Although I have not trained there for a little under a year because I had to move, I rate the school a ten from my time there. They offer Kung Fu San Soo as well as Tai Chi.
The San Soo training is top notch, with two adult class instructors. Dave is the owner of the school and works there full time. He trained under Mark as well as instructors from LA. He teaches all levels for adults and kids. He still trains in the art, despite being a recognized master and also studies other arts. Mark trained under Andre Savage and has been practicing a long time and is also a recognized master in the art. The teach the classes personally, are friendly, relaxed. The teaching is based of San Soo and they teach in a logical and pratical way.
Fighting Dragons also offers Tai Chi. Dave teaches classes on the forms he learned in China with the Monks but is not a master or anything but still does a good job. The other Tai Chi instructor teaches the forms he knows but is not a master either. I have not taken the class but it seems good.
I started here knowing nothing about martial arts or fighting. In three years I was surprised how much I learned. The smaller class sizes make it easier to learn while still having plenty of people to train with. They have the different levels of classes divided in a way that you dont feel like you are being held back or wasting your time.
It may sound like Im trying to make a sales pitch for the place but I really mean everything I've said. If you live in or around Bakersfield I recommend this place for some quality instruction. If you have any specific questions you can post them here and I'll try and answer them in a timely manner.

[GoldenJonas]

Do you train there? What is your opinion/observations? Please rate your experience with the school? Your title lists Kung Fu San Soo but the website lists other styles as well, what experience/observations do you have with the instruction of those?

Providing a link to the school website does nothing to tell the consumers what actually goes on at the school and whether it is worth his/her time.

[blacklung]

Tried to update it abit sorry bout the lack of info.

[GoldenJonas]

Thanks for the update. Go back in (Edit) and give the school some ratings. Make sure you check off the box that reads "submit the above ratings". If you don't your ratings will not be shown.

[Ming Loyalist]

Fighting Dragons also offers Tai Chi. Dave teaches classes on the forms he learned in China with the Monks but is not a master or anything but still does a good job. The other Tai Chi instructor teaches the forms he knows but is not a master either. I have not taken the class but it seems good.

i'm curious as to what "monks" dave studied under in china? most people who go to china to study tai chi would go to the chen villiage. rather than to a temple.

most people who go to china to train at a temple go to shaolin, which has no connection to tai chi.

i would like to hear about your sparring classes (if any, i don't see any mentioned on the schedule) and your competition record in lei tai or sanda fighting.

[larussostomper]

im am currently a student of david woods (school owner) and Mark Goodson (teacher to advance students). dave did train in china, exactly where i forget. the city is known as shaolin city because the number of schools there. thats all i really know about the city. as for his training, it consisted of three main teachers: qi gong teacher, tai chi and meditation teacher and his main kung fu teacher. through out the day people would have to train in all three aspects. he was there long enough to learn 3 forms from his tai chi teacher. he did learn tai chi there, but the person he learned it from was a shaoling monk who happened to be proficient in tai chi also.

as for the schools teachings; it is pure self defense. we don't study just one part of fighting (such as just kicks and strikes, just leverages, or just grappling) but instead we learn as much as we can in order to protect ourselves in a real street fight. now when i say real street fight, i mean fights that can include multiple attackers, weapons, and/or both. we are also taught how to avoid a fight . we are taught how to handle these different situations in order for us to emerge un-harmed. in order to do this, we are taught to defend ourselves with (but not limited to) weapons (such as knives and short sticks)and strikes such as throat shots, eye gauges, or strikes to the groin



i'll do my best to answer questions about the school, and if i have trouple i'll contact the owner.

1st. my opinion/observations- my opinion is that this is a very practical style and is great for self defense

2nd. my experience with the school- 10/10. great instructors, great students just an all around awesome place. also great for kids since it doesn't show them how to cripple they're peers with devestating strikes, but how to keep safe from dangerous situations (whether a bully or a possible kidnapper) and to tell an adult.

3rd. do i train there- as listed above i do, and have for about 4 years.

4th. sparring- its hard to describe, best way to understand it is to look it up on youtube. just type in san soo freestyle. just remember, in san soo, every school is different.




the teachers there are very qualified and the school is extremely friendly and welcomes any and all. and sorry for this being so long.


p.s.- topic starter, i would like to know your name since you and i probably trained there together at one point

[GoldenJonas]

And still you guys refuse to provide ratings.........please provide ratings for the school.

[larussostomper]

here ya go


aliveness 10/10- everyone is always busy there; whether working out with each other, practicing forms to improve stance's and balance, stretching for flexability, or just discussing applications.


equipment 8/10- despite not having hight tech equipment or expensive weight machines, the instructors are still able to work out the students.


gym size 10/10- very spacious, especially for the amount of students there


Instructor/Student Ratio 10/10- class's are rarely over 10, allowing the instructors to focus on every student equally


Atmosphere/Attitude 10/10- extremely positive and friendly. we don't even find it necessary to add titles such as sensei or master, everyone is just on a first name basis. no attitudes from any of the students, we all do our best to leave that outside of the school.


Striking Instruction 10/10- very precise and very well taught. we are not taught just how to strike but how our opponent will react to our strikes.


Grappling Instruction 9/10- san soo is not a competition style. everything is for survival. so whatever we do standing, we also apply on the ground. our style does not go into EXTREME depth with grappling, but enough so that we can be comfortable not only being taken to the ground but if the situation calls for it, we might choose to go there.


Weapons Instruction 10/10- due to dave's training in china, certain students (advance) are taught certain weapons such as the chainwhip, the spear, and even broadsword. these weapons are not practical and we understand this. we are taught how to use knives and short sticks in real life situations and how to defend and disarm them.

[Ming Loyalist]

does someone have a link to the ratings guide for this kool-aid drinker?

[It is Fake]

Normally I don't do this but, I have to knock your scores down a bit.

Read this and adjust your scores accordingly.

Ratings and You - Read This Before Posting Your Review - No BS Martial Arts

Once that is done, I'll remove my post.