Chinese Shaolin Center for Traditional Martial Arts — Local services in South Salt Lake

The Chinese Shaolin Center is THE place to go for legitimate Shaolin kung fu. I have been a student for about 6 months now. It is great atmosphere that is not full of little kids and is taken very seriously by the students who attend. It is incredibly affordable and and high class. Classes are held Monday,Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturdays. If you are interested in learning the art of Shaolin kung fu AND tai ch'i the Chinese Shaolin Center is the place to go. Sifu Chris Callado is extremely helpful and informative. He is very willing to help you individually during practice hour with any detailed questions you may have. About one or two times a month special festivals are held that focus on special forms or certain techniques or meditation. Each member gets an awesome work book that teaches the whole history of Shaolin Kung Fu and has a lot of personal work out schedules. At this school the uniform is a classic white gi for beginners and a black one for blackbelts. We also wear belts, not sashes. unlike many other schools, you will learn MANY weapon forms instead of just two or three. There is a Shaolin Wooden man class for iron bone training that is well worth the extra price ($75). The class also takes an amazing trip to china every 4 years for students who may be interested in learning more and seeing where Shaolin Kung Fu all began. You can come any time and take some trial classes before you fully commit to the school. Again, This is an amazing place to learn if you want to take your martial arts, spirituality, and...

• Kung Fu - It's legitimate and authentic Shaolin - They have a cultural exchange program relationship with the temple itself, work with a Shaolin disciple on their curriculum, and even do trips to the Shaolin temple periodically. The school offers multiple animal and weapon styles, both Yang and Chen styles of Tai Chi, as well as wooden man training. It's very hard to find that all in one place. Nevertheless, master Chris makes it fun and approachable, and he's an encyclopedia of knowledge.

• Fitness - Excellent - Beginners classes make the workouts manageable for anyone (kids and working adults). Over the past 4 months, the mix of tai chi and kung fu rehabilitated a knee I tore skiing. I also lost 7 pounds with the calisthenics and cardio.

• Sparring - Excellent - Light contact and fun for beginners, but as intense as you want at higher levels for mixed martial arts enthusiasts. Feels like you're in a kung fu movie when working with the black belts, but low risk of being injured compared to MMA and jiu jitsu.

• Culture - I've done many martial arts including MMA, JKD, Muay Thai, BJJ, Boxing, Savate, Karate, Eagle Claw, Mantis, Wing Chun, etc. but this school is different. It offers a high level of martial arts but with an attitude centered on self development, historical accuracy, and the traditional Chinese Shaolin culture. It's fun for beginners and a wealth of knowledge for committed martial artists.

• Highly recommend for beginners and experienced martial...

I have been studying kung fu at this school for the last 6 years. I decided I like this art over others because it's not a military martial Art Like Tae kwon do. This art was developed by Chinese monks over 5,000 years ago. This class expects respect but if you show disrespect you are not reprimanded in front of the whole class or forced to spar your instructor instead the instructor kindly talks to you afterwards. Also we teach dozens and dozens of weapons. Master Chris helps each student to understand the fundamentals of self defense. The classes are cheaper than most schools cause we offer 1 month plans, 3 month, 6 month and 1 year without a contract. The other students are very nice, helpful and we respect each other. We work with all ages and make it enjoyable for everyone. We also have just a Tai Chi class option for those week only want to learn Tai Chi and not kung fu. I'm working towards my 3rd degree Black Belt and plan to continue on...