Edinburgh has a host of martial arts clubs to choose from. Edinburgh University has several well…read moreknown societies including a tournament winning Karate team, and Leith has its own mixed martial arts champion, Rick Young.
But it's Yee's Hung Ga school that I believe offers one of the best martial arts experiences, not only in Edinburgh, but in the country.
Yee's Hung Ga is an organisation with several Kung Fu schools, most of which are in America, but also another in Aberdeen. Yee, if you are wondering, refers to Yee Chi Wai, grandmaster of the school. Each school offers the authentic experience of learning one of China's most famous Kung Fu styles. Hung Ga is a southern Chinese martial art that focuses on devastating and powerful close range techniques and low hard stance training and is famously associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung.
As a child I, like so many, was in awe of martial arts I saw in films, games and comic books. I won't deny the cliche, I was part inspired by Bruce Lee and other Kung Fu stars. Early on I tried a few classes of Judo which turned out not to be for me. I then joined a Karate school which I enjoyed much more but unfortunately closed down not long after. It wasn't until much later when I spent a few months studying in London, where I joined a Kung Fu school for a short time, that I was truly impressed, and knew I had to continue with the arts in some form. After moving back to Edinburgh I sought out another Kung Fu school, which led me to Yee's Hung Ga.
Yee's Hung Ga is particularly effective in not just teaching you flowery fists and embroidery kicks, but genuinely effective self defence techniques, in both physical execution of moves but also the necessary mind set.
But it's not all about learning to fight and defend. There are also more peaceful , some might say spiritual aspects to the art. A good part of each class is taken up with traditional Chinese Qi Gong, which at the very least helps you to relax. These aspects of the class are not just geared toward keeping a composed mind during training, but also for everyday life.
At the moment classes are taught in the Methodist Central Hall by Tollcross, however plans are in the work to soon move to a new dedicated venue nearby. Currently classes are taught three days a week, with beginners able to attend one class on each of those days, all starting at 19:00 and lasting an hour. Monday's class focuses on form training, Wednesday drilling sessions and sparring, Friday is applications and slow sparring. More details can be found on the excellent new website along with more contact details. Look out for updates on this review or on the website when the school moves to the new location.
Anyone can come and try classes out. All ages, all abilities, whether you've trained in other arts before or not. Expect the class to be tough. Expect to train hard. But that's not to say you won't be welcome. Far from it. Each person is simply expected to try their hardest, to the best of their ability at the time, and to progress at their own level. There is no competition here. One of the things that attracted me to this school was the seriousness of attitude, complemented by a feeling of family and camaraderie, as opposed to the macho or flippant attitude unfortunately found in some other schools.
Yee's Hung Ga Edinburgh branch offers a chance to experience genuine Kung Fu in a great atmosphere. If you are thinking of taking up a martial art, there's no harm in giving this school a change. To give you an extra push, the first class is free!
