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Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 8:35 am
by charles
Steve James wrote:... he decided to buy a place for training camp for people who'd study martial arts full time.


That is what is being discussed, and about what the OP inquired.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:27 am
by Steve James
charles wrote:
Steve James wrote:... he decided to buy a place for training camp for people who'd study martial arts full time.


That is what is being discussed, and about what the OP inquired.


Yeah, I know. My point was that when he conceived it, I didn't get the idea that he meant there would be visitors. I didn't follow the link. Sorry.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:31 am
by Ian C. Kuzushi
Yes, I remember when he was looking for students who would commit to something like ten years (?) of intense, concerted training in a spartan setting. I guess that didn't work? Or are there people there doing the training?

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:32 am
by Subitai
willie wrote:
charles wrote:
I trained a little with YJM back in the '90's and used to know pretty well the teacher of the local YMAA branch.


Charles where are you from, if your near boston i would like to meet you.
YJM from what i have seen is quite good. I can't blame him for his high ranking students bad attitude.
the story was actually much worst then i wrote. i kept playing like i didn't have much for a few weeks and the insults
got worst and worst. The whole time I was thinking, Oh yeah, LOL!!!

CMA are beautiful, love it...


hey willie, I get what yr saying... "
i kept playing like i didn't have much"
. I'm sure if you weren't being a jerk about it, maybe the guy should have no reason to be upset.

On the other hand, as a teacher I can tell fairly quickly if a guy has some training...Not a problem except if I think he's lying for some devious reason or just to be tricky.
If I suspect deception (which is kinda what you were doing), I don't get mad but I will call it out when I see it and be distrustful of that person until I get to know them. Honesty when you 1st meet a teacher is important IMO.

I would like to make the same offer in kind to any of you... I'm in South Eastern CT (mystic) area. Right off I95. Not far from the 2big casinos Mohegan sun & foxwoods. If yr ever passing by...Yum cha... We drink tea.
Also I got a good Kung Fu brother who lives by Cambridge, MA. I visit him occasionally.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 9:40 am
by Steve James
Yeah, it was more than ten years ago, though. So, maybe the people he trained are the ones who are teaching.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 10:41 am
by daniel pfister
Thanks for the info guys.

I've contacted the center. Michelle Lin answered my e-mail. Evidently she trained there extensively and is now in the new Assassin's Creed Movie http://ymaa.com/articles/2017/01/ymaa-student-michelle-lin-earns-role-in-assassins-creed-movie

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 12:36 pm
by grzegorz
CMA are beautiful, love it...


CMAs beautiful but so are all martial arts and martial sports but unfortunately CMA lacks the unity of some of the others.

In CMA just dropping in can turn into more than one barginned for. No big deal but something to keep in mind.

After two decades of training I feel more like a cat than a dog these days.

grzegorz wrote:Image

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:32 pm
by willie
Subitai wrote:
willie wrote:
charles wrote:
I trained a little with YJM back in the '90's and used to know pretty well the teacher of the local YMAA branch.


Charles where are you from, if your near boston i would like to meet you.
YJM from what i have seen is quite good. I can't blame him for his high ranking students bad attitude.
the story was actually much worst then i wrote. i kept playing like i didn't have much for a few weeks and the insults
got worst and worst. The whole time I was thinking, Oh yeah, LOL!!!

CMA are beautiful, love it...


hey willie, I get what yr saying... "
i kept playing like i didn't have much"
. I'm sure if you weren't being a jerk about it, maybe the guy should have no reason to be upset.

On the other hand, as a teacher I can tell fairly quickly if a guy has some training...Not a problem except if I think he's lying for some devious reason or just to be tricky.
If I suspect deception (which is kinda what you were doing), I don't get mad but I will call it out when I see it and be distrustful of that person until I get to know them. Honesty when you 1st meet a teacher is important IMO.

I would like to make the same offer in kind to any of you... I'm in South Eastern CT (mystic) area. Right off I95. Not far from the 2big casinos Mohegan sun & foxwoods. If yr ever passing by...Yum cha... We drink tea.
Also I got a good Kung Fu brother who lives by Cambridge, MA. I visit him occasionally.


I wasn't being a jerk or deceptive about my training, I just went extra light.
My teacher had moved to Utah, so i was very serious in joining their group.
Like i said it didn't go good. O well.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 5:58 pm
by grzegorz
All things being equal, I got the impression Willie was being polite.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2017 1:11 am
by willie
charles wrote: This is why I don't really bother with people anymore. ;) .


There's 1 in 100 million, 1 in 1 million, 1 in 100 thousand, 1 in 1 thousand, 1 in 100, 1 in 10...
You are an internal martial artist, a pioneer, a leader. but only 1 in ? will ever know it.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Thu Jan 12, 2017 1:14 am
by grzegorz
Thus the cat meme.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 9:25 pm
by Dave T
I lived there for two months during the Spring of 2011 - really great group of people to immerse yourself with. It is a pretty all-encompassing CMA curriculum. The day started at about 6am with meditation practice in the morning, followed by qigong and taiji, white crane, basics drills, and applications/sparring work, with weapons training mixed in throughout the week. Dr. Yang is incredibly knowledgeable and was very generous with his time and teaching. My Qin Na, Push Hands, and taiji skills all improved dramatically while I was there and the heavy basic training really transformed my body by the time I left. Definitely find some time to work out with them if you have the time!

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 9:32 pm
by Ian C. Kuzushi
Steve James wrote:Yeah, it was more than ten years ago, though. So, maybe the people he trained are the ones who are teaching.


Gosh, time flies. Thanks for pointing that out, Steve.

Re: YMAA Retreat Center

PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2017 8:53 am
by shoebox55
Dave T wrote:I lived there for two months during the Spring of 2011 - really great group of people to immerse yourself with. It is a pretty all-encompassing CMA curriculum. The day started at about 6am with meditation practice in the morning, followed by qigong and taiji, white crane, basics drills, and applications/sparring work, with weapons training mixed in throughout the week. Dr. Yang is incredibly knowledgeable and was very generous with his time and teaching. My Qin Na, Push Hands, and taiji skills all improved dramatically while I was there and the heavy basic training really transformed my body by the time I left. Definitely find some time to work out with them if you have the time!


Of all the posts here, i'd have to agree with Dave's. I was interested in the 10 year program and I went out to check out Dr. Yang's retreat center, many years ago. That was essentially my experience.
Dr. Yang is very kind and not intimidating at all, often joking around from my experience.
I don't think he is accepting 10 year students anymore, only five years I believe.