Houston Moy Tung Ving Tsun Kung Fu

I have been training Ving Tsun Kung Fu for almost 2 and half years now at Houston Moy Tung Ving Tsun Kung Fu. When I was in search of a martial arts school I was looking to get 2 birds with 1 stone: a hobby to keep myself physically active and to learn to defend myself. I’ve gotten that and far more.
Lead by Sifu Bartell, who is phenomenally devoted to learning, teaching, and sharing Ving Tsun Kung Fu, the school offers a disciplined & sharply focused approach to Ving Tsun Kung Fu. Every class provides conditioning exercises (not calisthenics such as push ups or jumping jacks, but rather exercises that help us make our Kung Fu stronger; different striking, kicking, and stance training exercises), two man drill exercises that give us a controlled setting with which to learn techniques, practical drills that offer us opportunities to explore & experiment with how Ving Tsun techniques can be applied in real fighting scenarios, and forms training. While theatrical martial arts are entertaining to watch in movies that is not what is taught here. What I’ve studied in my years is simple, physically efficient hand-​to-​hand combat techniques designed to take control of a physical altercation as quickly as possible. If that is what you’re looking for you can find a great deal of it, as I have, at Houston Moy Tung Ving Tsun Kung Fu.
I wrote earlier in this review that I’ve achieved more than my 2 goals in studying martials. What I’ve also achieved during my training is a sense of my own strength & will. Aside from the conditioning and technique exercises in class, every class brings with it physical & mental challenges and with those challenges come rewards. To share a bit of my own experience, I can still recall the beginning of my training. I can still remember nights leaving class realizing my shirt was drenched in sweat as I carefully walked down the school stairs on tired legs. I can also remember walking out of school like that and realizing that I had done that much and was that much stronger than I ever knew I was. Those physical challenges & rewards continue to this day as I refine the early techniques I learned and am challenged with new techniques. Also, I can recall in my first month of training working on a two man drill with an older Kung Fu brother of mine. My job in the exercise was to repeatedly throw punches at him while he defended them. I was amazed as he defended all of my punches with ease and often times with just 1 hand. I thought to myself, «I hope I can get far enough to learn that.» I stuck with it and as I was exposed to more techniques I was indeed able to learn all that he did. Just like the physical challenges & rewards continue so do these mental challenges & rewards continue.
I should note that only adults are taught at the Houston Moy Tung Ving Tsun Kung Fu school, but all adults are welcome to become students. I’ve had Kung Fu brothers & sisters of a wide variety of ages and physiques. We’ve always had a positive sense of comradery. When class starts all egos are left at the door and we are a group of adults focused on helping each other to learn, train, and defend ourselves for the world outside. If you’re reading this review I’m guessing you have an interest in Ving Tsun. If you’d like to take a step towards learning feel free to contact Sifu Bartell, arrange an introduction class with him or our senior brothers, and you will find yourself a welcomed guest in our Kung Fu family as you potentially begin your journey into Ving Tsun Kung Fu.

This review is long overdue. Been training here for over a year now and I have to say that joining this school was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Sifu Bartell is as high caliber a teacher as they come and just an overall great/​generous person. Fellow students are incredibly friendly and make you feel at ease right when you walk in the door.
I’ve learned so much at this school, not just how to defend against an opponent, but also how to focus and push myself. I like that the Ving Tsun program uses a hands-​on approach from the get-​go, teaching effective techniques from day one and giving you things to think about to take home with you. Just remember that like anything you do, the amount of effort you put in is directly related to what you get out of it. I highly recommend this school if you’re looking for a martial art that will make you push yourself and turn you into a better person while doing so.

In over 20 years of martial arts experience I have never come across a school that did not allow a traveling martial artist to sit in on a class, whether as a spectator or a participant. Well, I can cross that off of the bucket list, finally.
Sure, sometimes you accidentally run into an elitist fighting school that you didn’t thoroughly vet first, but even they know how to POLITELY tell you to **** off. Not here. Sad too, I bet they teach good Kung Fu.
Whether it is money, privacy, a waste of the Sifu’s time or any number of excuses; whatever the reason, it is certainly discouraging. Advancing your Kung Fu knowledge is about touching hands with as many people as possible. It’s a shame really…

Great school, can’t recommend highly enough! My girlfriend and I were looking for martial arts training in Houston and tried a few schools before this one that were not good fits. This school (and Sifu Bartell) strikes the right balance of serious and traditional while still being fun and practical/​application focused, not to mention being a great workout. The classes are well structured and every class feels productive and like I have learned something new. Also, just have to say, it is very comfortable space for women and doesn’t fall into the alienating macho trap that some martial arts schools have, which we appreciate. It’s engaging and rewarding at any level of commitment and at this point, I (we) can’t imagine not going!

Great school. The training is rigorous, and Sifu Bartell does a great job of both explaining the utility of each concept learned in class as well as mixing physical conditioning with practical applications of the techniques. There are no «flashy» moves or movie style theatric backflipping roundhouse kicks or anything like that taught in class, just simple, efficient moves that have an actual benefit in real-​life self defense scenarios. A+, would recommend to others.