I want to study a Martial Art in either China or Japan. How do I go about looking into this?
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Stephanie, if you really are that dedicated you don't have to go just yet, get the feel of things first in the UK. My friend is one of the highest ranked masters of Bagua zhang and has studied in china for TWENTY YEARS. If you are unsure about form or self discipline it would be crazy to step in to something until  you know it's exactly what you want. Alex Kozma is a master in quite a few very devastatingly good arts and has written books on his travels and is re-noun worldwide for his teachings. I knew him before he went and now he is a Don. His most famous book is "The way of the esoteric warrior" and there is not alot he doesn't know about the best ways to teach and learn mind body and spirit. At the moment you only have 4 elemental signs Earth Fire Water Air, the Chinese have the void as well, this represents you and what you don't know yet, fill it wisely, be aware. Alex runs the UK (Bagua) Nei jia institute (it has got a good web  site WITH THE SAME NAME) and has masters who teach under him, contact him and express your concerns. His phone number is 0207 386 7122 and does tutor privately for the dedicated  . I am sure he will help you find your way, good luck Q.
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Try www.martialartsites.com and www.smartpages.com under Martial Arts Instruction.
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If you are already a resident of Japan ask at your city office or international center. They will be able to tell you where your municipal budokan is. Usually any budokan will have all different classes from iado to kempo, and it's not expensive. Your municipal taxes help subsidize it, so take full advantage.  If you want to train at a "private" dojo then my advice is to start out at the budokan and find a situation that suits you through word of mouth. \n\nIf you want a situation where you are able to obtain a culture visa and thus train full time, you most likely need to work through a hombu dojo. The best way to do that would be through the administration of the style you already study. An introduction goes a long way in Japan. Culture visas are not as easy to obtain nowadays as they used to be, but it is still possible if you are willing to train full-time at a dojo which is qualified to be a visa sponsor. \n\nI suppose the third option is just look in the Japan Yellow Pages under martial arts and find one of the dojo that cater to expats.
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Training in Japan is a nightmare and TOUGH but the outcome is worth it. Don't see why you would wanna train in latin America. Best places to train in terms of ability and opportunity are Japan or a respected school in America/Canada.
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Australia or Japan\nCahill
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If you cannot locate a school near your area, I would begin by seeking out the closest, most reputable instructor that you can find and make a visit to their class/school. Introduce yourself to the instructor and tell them of your situation and the distance issue. With any luck, the instructor will allow you to train and will give you enough information so that you can spend some quality time at home working the material that you learned and then each time you get a chance, pay another visit to this instructor.\n\nThere is no replacement for real teaching: books, videos, online material, these are all very good tools but these alone will never get you to become a formidable exponent of any martial art.
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You can go to any Martial Arts store or look in most Black Belt magazines which will give you Nakamura's Katas of Shotokan, or Ken Funakoshi.\n\nThe best place is a JKA School or traditional Shotokan Dojo\nBooks and tapes are a poor way to learn only because there is no one with an expert eye to watch your mistakes and correct you or teach you the Bunkai (Application) of the form\n\nThere are still GREAT Senseis alive for you to study with like Nishiyama, Harada, Kanazawa, Ohshima, Kawanabe, etc\n\nGood luck and never give up.\nIt is a passion and way of life. The Bushido (Way of the warrior)
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I would suggest that you get in touch with an international student center at one of the local universities.  You can then meet with a student studying here from China, and the student will at least have the insights to tell you where you stand in dealing with this difficult situation.  Otherwise, there is really no way to enforce or honor agreements such as you describe.
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My training is similar to yours.  I train BJJ, Muay Thai, and Boxing.  I also have a strong background in wrestling, having done it for over 6 years and having coached it for a short time.  Right now I'm not near any schools, as I work on a Navy base in Italy.  There are a couple of guys here with different backgrounds and we spar together, teaching each other what we can.  When I get back to the states I'm going back to my BJJ school, and looking for a muay thai gym if I can find one.\n\nI think you're training now is ideal for MMA.  Boxing and muay thai have awesome footwork and striking techniques. Combine that with the comfort muay thai fighters have in the clinch and the ground fighting prowess of BJJ and you have a very well rounded fighter.  All that's missing is the takedown ablility of wrestling or judo.  I've trained with many higher ranked (in belt)BJJ practitioners, and I've always had them off the takedown.  They eventually improve their position and get me with a submission, but that will change in time.\n\nI don't completely agree with your view on Kung Fu, though.  It's true that there aren't many MMA champions with Kung Fu backgrounds, but I don't think that is because of the stye.  I think it's more because of the training.\n\nKung Fu, traditionally, was a mixed martial art form.  The chinese brought together various famous fighters to study their styles and techniques and to develop strong fighters for battle.  It's techniques are effective and it has potential for MMA  Presently, though, I don't think Kung Fu is practiced in a way that builds great fighters. Especially in the US.  It has become more of a forms based martial art and the practitioners don't spar enough, if at all.  It's possible for a Kung Fu fighter to study for years and have less ring time than a Muay Thai boxer would get in his first few months at a gym.
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me too i would like to learn chinese becouse i am in beijing now
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You will probably need to learn to speak an obscure chinese dialect first as barely 50% of the population of China speaks mandarin, especially the older people.\nGood places to start would be Yangshuo or Dali, both of which have schools that accept foreigners and this would help you to make some contacts.\nEmail me if I can help some more as I live in China.\nMy own recommendation would be to go to Iga Ueno in Japan and study Ninjutsu under Hatsumi.
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go meet a chinese person and ask the t teach you. the best way to learn is from who has the experice
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I've been a teacher and a student of martial arts just over thirty years. I hold a Masters rank(fifth dan, Shihan) black belt in Goju Ryu, Okinawan Shorin Ryu and hold teaching certificates in traditional weaponry. I've always wanted to seriously study traditional Aikido but have never been given the opportunity. Aiki-Jitsu though is an extensive and prominent force and requirement in the  study of Goju as well as many other martial arts.
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It really depends what you are looking for in a martial art.  Do you want to learn to handle yourself in any situation on the street?  Do you want to compete in a ring, forms or weapons?  Do you want to learn stand up fighting or grappling arts?  Or do simpy want to know some cool kicks to show your friends?  It comes down to your personal goals.  \n\nI've trained for five years in Kung Fu San Soo.  I'm an advanced brown belt today.  I've learned free form fighting from day one, weapons forms from day one and learned extremely effective methods for defending myself and my family from day one.  I enjoy it but it's not for everybody.\n\nSearch for KFSS, Jimmy H. Woo or Kug Fu San Soo online and you will find more than enough sites that share history, teachers, shcools etc...  Good luck on your quest.  \n\nEnjoy the journey as much as the goal.\n\nOne word of caution (beware of McDojos), if you are forced to sign a contract that ties you to a large debt $2,500 or more WALK.  If they want you to pay huge bucks $150 per month (WALK).  There are plenty of fantastic schools and instructors who will teach you Japanese, Chinese, Phillipine, Korean or Thai fighting arts and not break your bank.  In SoCal the usual fee ranges $45 to $60 per month and private lessons start around $100 per hour.
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Here's an old answer of mine that might help:\n\n\n\n1. Get a sheet of paper and write down exactly what kinds of benefits you wish to obtain from studying karate/martial arts. It's a good idea to know exactly what you want to achieve.\n\n2. Go to www.smartpages.com and look up MARTIAL ARTS INSTRUCTION in you city and state. It will tell you what martial arts are taught in your area and where the schools are located.\n\n3. Once you know what martial arts are offered in your area look up their definitions on the net. Note the similarities and differences between each. A good place to do that is www.wikipedia.com.\n\n4. Visit the schools in your area. Ask for a free class. Make sure you find a Master Instructor who is overseen by a larger governing body.For example: Many Tae Kwon Do schools belong to the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. Verify your instructor's credentials.\n\n\nSome Martial Arts:\n\nTae Kwon Do and Karate will provide you with a great cardiovascular workout. They will also tone you. For the best results go to class around 4-5 days per week and at least 20-30 minutes a day at home to practice your moves.\nKoei Kan and Isshin Ryu are two good styles of karate. You can also look up Kenpo.\n\nKrav Maga, an Israeli style of self defense, is a superb physical workout. Around 4-5 days of Krav with transform your body. I've watched it happen. Fair warning! The workouts are intense! Take a look at Jennifer Lopez in the movie Enough. She's doing Karv Maga.
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Visit Kinokuniya book stores and find any text book (might be expensive for you).\nhttp://www.kinokuniya.com.sg/site/?m=100&f=100\n\nThere are some Japanese language schools in Singapore.\nhttp://www.jcss.org.sg/\nhttp://ikoma.com.sg/\n\nGood luck.\nI am studying Chinese too (hope you are Chinese Singaporian).
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I want to travel the Silk Road from beginning to end. I have lived near either end in Italy and Japan, but have never visited the areas in between on the Eurasian continent.