why is it so hard to find someone to teach Chinese martial arts?

Answer 1

Cause more are concerned with making money than passing on the arts. Most of the commercially operating schools don't teach you much. And the real masters are usually not interested in actively recruiting students. Martial arts are view as a family craft that is passed down through the bloodlines and generally exclude "outsiders"

Answer 2

If you talking about the US, you have the closed door policy that happened wtih the Chinese teaching their art to foreigners. Meanwhile the Karate, and TKD people were more open about teaching. TKD has a big support and is an olympic sport as is Judo so they have support. Recently, the UFC world has not promoted chinese MA. Some folks bash it saying it isn't practical possible based off a few people's performance. Add to that the fact you are not in China and that China went through several periods of time where they tried to destroy Chinese martial arts... you have a greatly decreased ability to learn from folks. Not all teachers advertise and let's face, people STILL have to make money to live. So you can hate the guy/gal that charges to teach martial art and has a hard core group and a hobby group, but they still need money to live (pay rent, get food, car, etc.).

Answer 3

Part if that come form the fac that until the lat 1960's chinese martial arts coudl not be taught to anyone that as not chinese. The Japanese and Korean martial arts took full advantage of that and innundated the market with schools. Even after it became acceptable for non-Chinese to be taken as students very few comparatively have taken the opportunity to learn. while you may see karate schools with classes of 100 or more students at at time...most chinese styles don't have classes of more than 15 or 20...Simply put...there re just not as many people studying the Chinese styles at all...let alone long enough to begin teaching...

Even where I live...those of us that teach the Chinese styles are out numbered by those that teach Japanese and Korean styles by at least 3 to 1...

Answer 4

because many don't pressure test thier techniqes, thier teachers likely didn't and the students don't now because that is the way they are taught.

Also very outlandish claims made about certain things bieng "too deadly to train" and then people who make them get thier butts whipped by someone who trains legitimately.

Also most "chi" masters come from CMAs this further detracts the reputation.

I would think the most damaging thing is the creeping in and emphasis on forms and traditions in cmas as well as a lack of understanding of the teacher of his own stuff that he is teaching (this is very common it has become the norm with tai chi). Just like "katas" in other styles CMAs get bogged down by it.

CMAs are also generally harder to learn because the motions are so alien and as looking "different" leaves room for a fraud teacher to come in and just make stuff up and falsely claim it works.

Unfortunately this creates a circle where people who are interested in MMA style fighting as an amateur or pro are going to shy away from it, leaving CMAs less pressure tested and less incentive for them to be.

If you are in a big city, you can find a good CMA teacher that does train with resistance with fighting in mind. but if you are just sitting there doing forms called "fred astaire tip-toes on the mountain" or "gorilla in a ballerina suit eats termites" then you are probably in the wrong place.

Answer 5

Becuase you live far away from China and there are no chinese in your area.. besides this is an ancient art of self-defenses... so not many chinese people now do this....

Answer 6

only go to the best.

Answer 7

cause thier all busy in the kitchen