Gap year interview - John studies martial arts in China

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Studying martial arts in China with Real Sport

What inspired you to join the programme?
Since I was young I have always had an interest in martial arts and have studied a few styles intermittently throughout my life. From an early age I have wanted to go to China to study martial arts (probably due to all the Kung Fu films I watched as a kid) but never had the opportunity to do it. I have been studying Kung Fu in Brighton for around a year and a half now (which renewed my interest in going to study from those that created the art) and a change in my work circumstances gave rise to the opportunity to fulfil this ambition of mine.

Were you apprehensive about joining the programme?
I suppose the main apprehensions I had were around the complete change in culture and the fact it was like nothing I had done before. As I had no real idea of what would be expected of me when I was there I was also worried that I may not be fit enough or have a good enough understanding of martial arts.

How well prepared were you for the programme:
The training was better than I expected, as this is a relatively new school I was the only student there for the first three weeks, which meant I got one-on-one training from a real life Shaolin Monk! The training was very hard but that’s what I wanted. It’s fair to say that I was pushed but at the same time it was only as far as I was willing to push myself. I did not feel pressured to do anything I felt incapable of doing and the monk (Meng Wei) is a fantastic teacher. The training was varied and fun and the location is quite frankly breath taking (there’s nothing better than having your morning warm up whilst watching the sunrise over the mountains!). I would say in regard to what to bring I was probably took more than I needed, mainly because I was travelling around China after I finished at the academy, but I still feel I took way to many clothes with me. The one piece of advice I would give to any doing this sort of training is take plenty of tshirts as its hot work!

How is/was your experience at the Academy, what was a typical day like?
The experience was absolutely fantastic!
The typical day consisted of getting up at 5:50 to start your morning training at 6:00 (don’t be scared by the early start you soon get used to it). The pre breakfast session consisted of some light stretching followed by a brisk jog then it was onto the Healthy Chi Gong (this will vary depending on what styles you are studying etc), which is a set routine that stretches and wakes up the body. In the second week I also started to do some Hard Chi Gong (body conditioning) after the Healthy Chi Gong (I was conditioning my head ready to break an iron bar over it). After the morning session I had time for a quick wash before breakfast at 7:30.

Breakfast was a very simple affair, water rice (as it sounds this is rice in water), boiled eggs, Mento (steamed bread) and what ever was left over from the last night’s dinner (also due to some kind of cultural confusion prawn crackers!). There are some limited cereals available in the shop but it might have been worth taking some with me, also on that thought I would suggest that anyone who likes a cuppa should take tea bags with them! You just can’t get them out there and the supposedly English tea that is available locally is strange to say the least.

After breakfast you have until 8:30 – 9:00 before the morning training starts in earnest. This consists of a really good warm up, lots of stretching and another run (sometimes this included Scot’s mini assault course: Run down to the bridge and back, sprint up the big stair case, climb the ropes to the top training ground, across the monkey bars then down the big stair case on your hands) before some more stretching (if you’re feeling brave go for the forced stretching where they pull your legs into the splits etc, painful but worth it!). After the warm up it was on the Shaolin Quan training where you go through lots of forms and footwork whilst learning the practical applications for them. There was then a short break of 15 minutes or so (very much needed) before doing some more form and footwork practice before moving on to the Sanda (Chinese Kick Boxing) training. The Sanda training consisted of lots of weight work, punching and kicking practice, learning combinations and then more weights. This really works up a sweat and is great for body conditioning (this was easily my favourite aspect of the training). There was then another short break, time to wash the sweat off again, before the lunch.

Lunch was always good and a chance to relax a little and enjoy some home cooked authentic Chinese food. There was always a selection of dishes cooked to a high standard. Once lunch was finished there was then a 1.5 – 2 hour break before the afternoon training starts. This break was always very welcome, it was a chance to sit in the sun, read a book, watch a film or have a nap.

The afternoon session was much the same as the morning session, another warm up and stretch before more form and foot work practice followed by more Sanda. There are a number of actual methods of training. Sometimes you could be in the weights room and hall practising combinations, whilst other times you could find yourself taking advantage of the weather and using some of the traditional Shaolin training equipment outside or climbing up and down the big stair case on your hands whilst the monk carries your legs like a wheelbarrow! The training finished around 17:30 – 17:45 (again giving you time to freshen up) before dinner being served at 18:00.

Dinner is similar to lunch with lots of good food healthy food and a chance to practice and learn Chinese with Scot (the owner), Zeji (the translator) and the other members of the academy staff and teachers. Once the food had gone down it tended to be a trip to the games room to watch a film or play some pool or darts. If you want a laugh wait till the grounds keepers have had a drink or two of Bijo (rice wine) and then have a game of pool with them, I had loads of great night with many cries of “Aiya” and some interesting variations on the rules of pool! Also watch out if Deng or Meng Wei (two of the teachers) is playing darts, as they tend to throw them from the other side of the room! After that its time for a well deserved early night ready to start it all over again the next day.

The weekends bring a much-needed break to the training. There are some truly amazing sights to be seen in the surrounding area. I particularly recommend the Bamboo Forest and Bamboo Raft River trip (just look out for the elephant!) or a trip into Taining where you can get a break from Chinese food at the steak house or chicken restaurant. If you fancy something closer to the academy, and a real taste of rural China, take a stroll into the village of Xainshou 20 minutes away. There is very little (if any) English spoken but there are shops where you can buy anything that isn’t in the academy shop. One weekend I had great fun taking it turns carrying a box of beer back from the village with Meng Wei. We ended up giving the box to a man on a moped who dropped it off at the academy gates for us. Speaking very little Chinese I wasn’t sure if it would be there when we got back and tried to convey this to Meng Wei using mime and gestures which gave us both a great laugh on the walk back.

What did you think of the Programme?
This was a truly fantastic experience, physically demanding and a real culture shock but worth every second and penny. The staff are all extremely friendly and we soon found ways to communicate without speaking the same language. When I left there were tears in the eyes of the cooks and I still miss them all now. This experience is going to stay with me forever and I can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone who wants to experience the real China whilst getting fit!

What was the accommodation and meals like?
As I said above the meals were all really good, if simple. There was always plenty of food to go around and it was real Chinese food (which is not the same as you get in a take away in England). The room was basic and the bed was a little on the hard side (a small foam mattress on some wooden boards) but after a full day training I didn’t really mind this. I know that Scot has some new beds that he will be putting into the rooms if he hasn’t done so already.

How have you benefited from your experience? How have you changed?
Apart from the obvious health benefits (I’m a lot fitter and more flexible than I was before going) I have a lot more confidence now. This is partly due to being able to cope in a completely different culture where I couldn’t speak the language but also due to learning to break a metal bar over my head! This taught me that there is nothing I can’t overcome if I put my mind to it.

What advice could you offer to someone considering this programme?
Take lots of training clothes (you’ll be surprised how much you can sweat), maybe some painkillers and ankle/knee supports. If you like a cup of tea take some with you and similarly consider taking some English food (biscuits and the such) in case the Chinese food gets too much or you fancy a taste of home. Also try to learn some basic Chinese before you go (I wished I had learnt how to say “stop your hurting me”, “my legs don’t stretch that much” and “arrrgggghhhhhhh the pain”) although you will be surprised at much you can learn whilst you’re there. The most important advice I could give to someone considering this is to just do it! It’s a fantastic experience and I can’t wait to go back!

Were you pleased you went with Real Sport Experience and would you travel with them again?
The support and advice given to me by Real Sport was excellent, it put my mind at ease before going and I found they had answered a lot of the questions I had in the welcome pack they sent me. If I were looking to do something like this again I would definitely consider using Real Gap

Would you recommend the programme to anyone?
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get fit, learn martial arts or experience the real China (as long as they don’t mind hard work along the way).