If you haven’t heard about the YMAA Retreat Center before, now might be a good time to get up to speed. In short, Dr. Yang Jwing Ming established a training center that offers a university level education in traditional Chinese Martial Arts. Only a handful of students are allowed and they enroll in a 10-year study program. Not only do they learn the different martial art styles but they also learn how to become a professional martial artist:

• How to teach.
• How to promote seminars.
• How to make instructional videos.
• How to write books.
• Much, much more.

Dr. Yang pretty much used his life savings to buy a property and build the center there.He did this to preserve the traditional arts, as they are slowly dying out because the old ways of training are increasingly abandoned by modern society.  As a result, those arts will disappear unless somebody does something about it. Dr. Yang did exactly that and I think it’s pretty damn cool of him.

Anyway, the center has now been going for four years and it turns out a few new students can join as of next year. If I were twenty years younger, I’d be all over this. Given as I’m too old now and some of you might not be, here’s your chance :-)

For those who are interested, you better have your ducks in a row though. If you’re not serious, you won’t get through the gate. But if you are, I’m betting you have the opportunity of a lifetime. Check out the students in action in one of the instructional videos they just released.

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