SJF Kung Fu School provides short-term and long-term authentic Chinese Kung Fu training to international students around the world.
The regret worth avoiding is simple: you wire a deposit across the world, then discover nobody can tell you who drives an injured student to a clinic at night. Any International Kung Fu School should be able to answer that in writing before you commit. At SJF Kung Fu School, Master Shen Jiangfei teaches that martial virtue (Wu De) begins with responsibility, and responsibility starts with clear answers. The same principle applies to practices as gentle as Tai Chi. This guide sets out which questions to ask, what a good reply looks like, and where a missing answer should end the conversation.
Ask for six items in writing, by email or message, so you hold a record. Spoken reassurance on a video call is pleasant, but it cannot be checked later.
These documents fit most students: first-time travellers, returning practitioners, and parents booking for a teenager. They matter less if you are visiting for a single drop-in class in your own city. Anyone crossing a border for a week or more should insist on them.
Yes, plan to carry your own cover. A school's goodwill is not an insurance policy, and unless a school states in writing that it arranges coverage, assume it does not.
The reasoning is practical. Medical care abroad, evacuation, and trip cancellation are costs a training centre rarely absorbs. When you request travel insurance for students, read the exclusions for sports and martial arts. Some policies treat contact training, such as San Da classes, differently from slow forms or standing practice. Others exclude weapons work. Tell your insurer exactly what you will practise, and keep the confirmation.
The limit of this advice: if a school does offer coverage, ask for the policy name, the insured amount, and what it excludes. A vague "yes, we have insurance" is not documentation.
It should read like directions, not a slogan. Ask the school to describe its emergency contact procedure in plain steps. A usable answer follows this sequence:
Take a worked example. A student sprains a wrist during joint-lock practice in Qin Na training. If the school can say who stops the class, who goes with you, and how your family is informed, the plan is real. If the answer is "we will see what happens", the plan does not exist yet.
Ask also about medical access abroad: how far the nearest clinic or hospital is, and whether the staff have a language bridge for describing symptoms. These are facts a school can state in two sentences.
Not every gap is fatal. A small family-run school may not own a polished manual, and that alone is no reason to walk away. The test is whether the school can give a clear, written answer when asked. Use this table to sort replies.
| Area | Acceptable reply | Warning sign | Disqualify if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical access | Names the nearest clinic or hospital and who accompanies you | Only "we will take care of you" | Refuses to say what happens after an injury |
| Safeguarding | Explains supervision and who is responsible for minors | No separate rules for under-18s | Will not state who supervises a minor or a lone student |
| Waiver | Sends the text before payment | Shows it only after arrival | Says no document exists, yet asks you to accept all risk verbally |
| Emergency contacts | Collects your emergency person and gives you a local contact | Relies on one personal phone number | No named contact at all |
| Refunds | States written terms for illness, injury, and cancellation | Terms "to be agreed later" | Refuses to put any terms in writing before payment |
One rule of thumb: one warning sign deserves a follow-up question; two disqualifying answers deserve a different school. This table checks procedure, not teaching quality. A skilled master with no emergency plan is still an unprepared host for a foreign visitor. An International Kung Fu School earns trust by being as clear about its safeguards as about its lineage.
Ask who is responsible for a minor during and after practice, and who is responsible for a visitor sleeping on site. For SJF Kung Fu School, regular classes have no minimum enrolment, while group bookings require at least two students. That is a booking rule, not a safety rule, so ask separately how supervision works for your group.
Real cases show how families approach this. Andrew Williams from the USA spent 30 days training Tai Chi, Zhan Zhuang, and Dao Fa with his son, and described it as a life-changing experience for both. Hayley Noel from the UK completed a 120-day course, and her family wrote to Master Shen: “We were really worried when she flew out that way to China, but she loved it so much. She has had an awesome time, and we are so grateful to you.” Parents should treat that worry as normal and ask their questions before departure, not after.
Yes. Slow internal work and contact work carry different risks, and the length of stay changes the arrangements you must check.
| Programme type | Main safety questions | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| One week or short intensive | Arrival support, first-day assessment, food and rest | First-timers testing the experience |
| One month | Injury pacing, how the master adjusts load, medical access | Students with some prior practice |
| Three months or longer | Visa timing, long-term health checks, refund terms mid-course | Committed practitioners |
If you are new to China, a Short-Term Kung Fu Course lets you test the school's responsiveness cheaply. Standing practice such as Zhan Zhuang looks gentle but loads the legs and back hard, so ask how a beginner is progressed.
Austin Erkl from the USA admitted that he did not love the 30-day course at first, then adjusted and praised the accommodation, the food, and the master, who "cares for his students." Klaes Risbjerg Simonsen from Denmark said the Shifu adapted the training to his specific needs. Adjusting load to the individual is a safety behaviour, and you can ask any school how it does so.
Ask for refund policy documents before payment, and check these variables because each one changes your outcome:
The limit: a refund term does not replace insurance, and a school cannot promise a medical outcome. What it can promise is a clear process. If the answer shifts each time you ask, treat that as a warning sign.
We are a registered Kung Fu school with certified Shaolin Kung Fu instructors. Master Shen Jiangfei is a descendant of Liuhe Quan and the 11th-generation inheritor of Chen-style Tai Chi, and he has trained over 3,000 students worldwide. Our 200㎡ indoor training center allows practice in any weather, which is a safety point in itself, since rain or heat need not force students onto uneven ground.
Othmane Echaouki and his wife from France, after a 7-day Chen-style Tai Chi course, wrote: "Thank you, Shifu, for taking such good care of all the students. It made us feel we were in the best conditions." Pamela Paes Ezawa from Brazil also valued the welcoming Shifu and community. These are individual experiences, not a guarantee for every student, so use them as a reason to ask, not a reason to skip asking.
Send us your exact questions on insurance, medical access, supervision, and refund terms, and tell us which style and course length you are considering. We will reply in writing so you can compare our answers with any school you are weighing. You can review the 30 Day Kung Fu Course, then message us through the website to arrange a consultation before you book.
You need to pay a $100 deposit in advance. This deposit will be applied toward your school fees. Get Unique Customized Kung Fu Water Bottle for Free!
WhatsApp