or anyone else who has suggestions. a friend of mine is looking to practice in tai chi (or a similar internal art like hsing I or ba gua) in the metro toronto area.
do you guys have any connections or views?
like who are best instructors?
who have lineage closest to yang cheng fu or wu jien chuan, or any other legit instructors?
who teaches fighting applications or is good at teaching qi gong?
my friend is more interested in the qi aspect, although she does like to spar. thanks for any responses.
yusul, Eddie Wu's schools are very reputable. I've not heard much about the Chen or Yang schools, so I can't really comment.
Best of luck to your friend.
shooter, thanks, much appreciated. i did a web search, and i'm impressed with the lineage.
one of my friends went to that wu school for acupuncture treatment (because i think it doubles as a clinic) for his ragweed allergies and has been completely symptom free for several years now. i didn't realize it's the same school.
naughty gorilla, thanks for the link. i'm reading up on it.
shooter, i think i will check out the wu school with my friend.
rene?
I'm in MTL and don't know much about the Neijia scene in TO. But I did see Eddie Wu's group when they demonstrated in MTL about 10 years ago and they were pretty good. We had Lee Man-Chan teaching in MTL for many years and I played a (very) little of his Wu style and liked it.
thanks rene. i know you and shooter aren't in TO, but i still trust your (and shooter's) advice because i know you guys know the canadian scene in a general sense and would give me honest input. maybe i'll have a chance to see the montreal schools in the future.
i will definitely check out that wu style club with my friend, probbably before summer's end.
Wu style comes from a blend of Taiji and wrestling. It was learned by a Qing palace staffer who had a background in Mongolian/Manchurian wrestling (similar to modern Shuaijiao) and he interpreted a lot of the application in that context (throws, sweeps, locks, structure breaks, etc.). Almost like Taiji judo ;)
It's smaller frame than Chen and much smaller than Yang (not as wide open and big movements). Looks almost like the old robot dance. Better application usually than you see in most Taiji classes, though.
Eddie Wu's descended from the Wu family, so you're getting quality in that regard.