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Programme: Martial Arts Academy China
Start Date: 3rd October 2006
Student Name: Lorna Davidson, Age 18
What inspired you to join the programme and what were your apprehensions?
It taught traditional Chinese martial arts that many other academies didn't. It also had Chinese lessons, which are really useful, especially at weekends. I hadn't done much exercise before arriving at the academy, and after hearing about the extensive training I was worried I wouldn't be able to cope.
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My Experiences:
When I first began my training I didn't know the difference between internal and external martial arts, or even what Shaolin was - it was just something out of “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” that looked cool!
The most exercise I did was walking to the shops, and I didn't even enjoy that! The training is pretty much suited to you. Everyone does the same thing most of the time, but some do harder or easier versions depending on their skill levels.
This made it a lot easier to be around people who had been there up to 8 months and were practically flying when I could barely kick above my hip! It's very intense! I stuck it out and ended up loving the training so much, I stayed for an extra month! |
The Classes:
Beginners start with the simple forms then get more and more complicated as you spend time there - you can even master weapons! I studied the staff form and thoroughly enjoyed it! Learning the staff form was very demanding as it is a slightly more advanced form and works the arm muscles very hard, but it looked incredible.
Sanda classes were hard work as it involved constantly moving, kicking, spinning and ducking.
Most people at the academy enjoyed sanda as it is shaolin boxing, there were regular sparing matches, which was always fun to watch.
Other classes included jumps day in which we learnt different styles of jumping, flipping, cart wheeling, butterfly kicks and other fancy named twists.
Power training and stretching were extreme versions of what they say! Power training involves weight lifting and other physically challenging tasks while power stretching involves your master putting you through excruciating pain for 30 seconds in every body part to make you more flexible. |
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It was my favourite as I always felt very relaxed afterwards and after 2 months I could quite easily do the splits, which was one of my goals when going there!
Every Friday we had to do the mountain. The mountain was the culmination of the weeks' training when everyone had to run half way up the mountain to some steps which then had to be run up and down four times before we were allowed to go to the bottom to have a shower.
Of course when I first arrived I could barely even get up to the steps, but the masters understood that everyone was on different levels and allowed everyone to challenge themselves.
I'm pleased to say that after my disastrous first week, by the end I managed to get up and down four times!!
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I made some of the greatest friends in my two months that I still keep in contact with now, and hopefully will continue that way. Everyone at the academy, students and staff alike are friendly and helpful. There was not only a great atmosphere between the students, but between the students and masters as well. This made training a lot more informal and you could get a lot more out of the lessons.
During lessons translators were used, as the masters didn't have good enough English. Even though English was not their first language they always made an effort, sometimes they allowed you to practice your Chinese with them! |
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The students:
My closest friends were Irish, Swiss, Indonesian and French Canadian. There was always a diverse mix of people yet everyone got along like we had known each other forever!
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Friendships are forged really fast as you're spending every night and day with the people and you have to keep each other going.
I will never forget my last night when a whole load of my friends that I had only known for 2 months, took me out to dinner. We spent the rest of the night roasting marshmallows in my room (using chopsticks and candles!) and laughing about the great times we had spent together since I had arrived. Even the translators and the dog joined in!
At weekends students were free to do whatever they wanted, going into town and experiencing the Chinese culture to staying in or near the academy and appreciating the calm and tranquillity of the mountains. I made many friends in the city, some western and others Chinese. |
I got to experience first hand what their lives are like and explore places most westerners don't get to go! I learnt a great deal about Chinese culture and Yantai. I still keep in contact with the friends I made and keep up to date with what is going on.
The Academy:
The actual facilities within the academy were not 5* to say the least while I was there, but it is rapidly improving. When I first arrived there was only one western toilet that had to be flushed using a bucket of water, and by the time I left it flushed properly and the heating was finally beginning to work, which was useful as it was getting into winter! There was only one heated shower and two outdoor showers heated by solar power, so they were rarely hot during the winter, but almost always hot in the summer (when you needed a cold shower!).
The food is pretty basic, there is a weekly routine and some dishes were better than others so quite often people looked forward to meals on specific days. It was traditional Chinese food, but not as we get in the western world. There were communal dishes so everyone on a table shared.
You could always go out for meals to the nearest town and get a huge amount of great food for around 15 Yuan (£2) or into the main city for western food, which was a lot more expensive, but worth it for a taste of home occasionally!
Leaving:
Leaving was hard, as I had become very close to almost everyone there. Everyone makes a big deal when people leave because it's always sad to have to say goodbye, and on my last night even the dog came to dinner with us to say goodbye!
I really learnt a lot about myself in the time I was in China and I have all the people in met on my journey to thank for it, including the people in UK who made this all happen for me. It was definitely an experience I will treasure forever and it has shown me how far I am able to push myself and I now believe I could handle any situation.
It made me more independent as although you are with many other students, you have to make many decisions and do many things on your own, something I wasn't comfortable doing before.
I have taken more than just memories away with me from my 2 months in China. I have taken away skills that I never thought I would have and the knowledge that things are what you make them. |
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I could have had an awful time with the facilities, food and hard work but I made it into a learning experience and turned everything into a positive and came away happier than I was when I went. “Kung fu” in Chinese means “hard work” and if you are willing to try your best and put in the hard work, this program will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.
Thank you so much for helping me achieve everything and helping me have the greatest two months of my life.
 Further information on the Martial Arts Academy in China
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