“Breathe, Train, Eat”
2 Weeks of Martial Arts, Detox, Cultural Exchange and Meditation in Marrakech
Koom Retreat Center, Douar Ait Ougrize, Sidi Abdellah El Ghiat, Marrakech 40000, Morocco
Martial Arts Initiations and Detox Retreat in Marrakech, Morocco
If you're looking for a place in Morocco to reconnect, rest and recharge with the right company, Koom's Retreat Center in Marrakech by the Atlas Mountain completes your search. Koom shares sequences of physical and psychological methods learned by Shaolin & Sufi Master complemented by clean and timed eating habits to unlock that true potential within. Located in an olive and fruit tree farm far from tourists, Shifu Sham, and Koom Retreat Center will enable you to learn about internal martial arts, they are made to develop and heal: you will learn both. You will come out more flexible, rested and sharper. Different Fasting programs are available based on your goals. Ask us!
Meet the instructors
Hicham
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Highlights
- Self-defense techniques and psychology
- Daily internal martial arts training session
- Guided Fasting Program
- Power Training and Stretching
- Classes on herbal medicine, massages, foreign languages, and sustainable farming
- A school certificate upon completion of the training
- Airport, bus, and train stations transfers
- 13 nights accommodation with daily organic meals, snacks, and juices
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
5 days with instruction in English
The organizer also speaks: Arabic, French
Group size: Maximum of 12 participants
Accommodation
Facilities
- Gym
- Health Club
- Sauna
- Shopping
- Steam room
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
- Table tennis
- Air-conditioned public areas
- Café
- Dining area
- Environmentally friendly
- Fireplace
- Garden
- Lobby
- Lounge
- Luggage room / storage
- Meditation garden
- Multilingual staff
- Picnic area
- Restaurant
- Smoke-free property
- Special menu request
- Terrace
- Yoga deck
- Bicycle rental
- Car rental
- Convenience / grocery store
- Currency exchange
- Free bicycle
- Free parking
- Free Wi-Fi
- Hair salon
- Internet access
- Ironing / ironing board
- Laundry
- Library
- Medical assistance
- Meeting room
- Parking lot
- Tour assistance
- Wireless internet
- Outdoor shower
Koom Retreat Center features spring drinkable water and, on top of being a retreat center and a training academy, is also a farm. They plant olives, pumpkins, fava beans, figs, peaches, citrus, oranges, lemons and more. That makes it the perfect spot to train. The academy also provides students with tableware, bedding, washing machine, and wireless internet.
Participants will stay in private single rooms which are bright and located within the school. The private cozy rooms are equipped with a dresser and a study desk, simple and neat. Bathrooms are shared and equipped with Western bathrooms and 24/7 hot water. Each room offers one single bed, wardrobe, as well as table and chair.
Program
Introduction of Koom
Surrounded by the majestic and deeply spiritual High Atlas mountain range, Koom Retreat and Training Center offers you every opportunity to learn new behavior in a protected environment and expand your horizons. Koom is a Shaolin institution authorized to receive and teach martial arts and Taoist teachings in Africa.
Training at Koom
The curriculum of Koom's academy includes several known fist forms in China including Shaolin fist, Xing Yi, and Sanda. Apart from those styles, students in the academy may learn a high-level internal Qi Gong - kinkong ligong. All the fist forms and the Qi Gong come from their original birthplaces and their pure inheritors, embodying their conventional feature in teaching and learning.
Xing Yi (The Efficient Kung Fu)
One of the oldest forms of martial arts in Chinese Kung Fu is the Xing Yi Quan. It started in the southern Song Dynasty 10 centuries ago. Xing Yi Quan’s theories and scientifically-accepted precepts are founded on a comprehensive and sound school of thought. The Xing Yi Quan masters have knowledge and skills of various forms of Kung Fu that have originated from different people.
The name, Xing Yi fist, was founded by Guo Yunshen who is credited for refining the art of fighting. He is regarded for modernizing it to include the five major constituents: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. This is also known as Wu Xing in Chinese lingo and is similar to the five forms of Xing Yi fist including chopping, Beng, Zuan, Pao, and Heng fist.
The associated theories inspired the Xing Yi fist and accompanying weaponry, and the whole concept is based on contemporary Chinese doctrine. Overall, there are other twelve imitative techniques that are based on the movements of the following animals: the dragon, tiger, horse, cork, pear, sparrow, hawk, monkey, eagle, swallow, crane, cat, and snake.
These movements have six associated combinations. They can further be divided by half into internal and external combinations. The internal combinations include the following:
- Right effort and awareness (mind control)
- Mind control and the inner Qi
- Internal Qi and the inner strength
- The external combinations
- Hands and feet
- Elbows and knees
- Shoulders and arms
Xing Yi Training Techniques
- Hooking hand - is seldom used in Xing Yi and is widely used in Mantis and Shaolin boxing
- Claw - varies in different types and techniques i.e. dragon claw, monkey claw, eagle claw, and tiger claw
- Fist - being the most commonly used hand type in Xing Yi boxing, it has several techniques i.e. Biao fist, Yang fist, Yin fist, crashing fist, chopping fist, flying fist, etc
- Elbow - the complement of hand technique
- Foot technique - one of the important basics in Xing Yi, which includes forward step, retreat step, jump step, flying step, moving step, hopping step, etc
- Leg techniques - front stretch, side stretch, higher side stretch, backward leg, highest lever front stretch, highest lever side stretch, treading leg, front kick, side kick, reverse kick, front-flipping leg, empty-flipping leg
- Jump technique - is a kind of sports that combines with foot technique and leg technique
- Kung Fu stances - horse riding stance and bow stance
Xing Yi Morality
Aggressive and direct, Xing Yi is one of the few boxing arts known to have been used in preparation for organized warfare. Its emphasis on straightforward practicality was combined with enough subtlety to earn a reputation as one of the original Chinese internal martial arts. %Xing Yi is a rare traditional and cultural treasure of the Chinese nation. The charm of martial arts is due to its deep cultural connotation. Now, Chinese martial arts have been spreading across the world with the development of the globalization. If you want to practice martial arts well, you must understand martial arts morality.
Only those who possess excellent moral characters can have a positive heart and a clearer, broader, and more unselfish mind. They are capable of abandoning all distracting thoughts and external disturbances to practice hard and focus on exploring the essence of martial arts. Thus upholding martial arts and advocating morality is regarded as the basic principle of the academy as well as the characteristic of operations.
All the students studying at Koom will first be unified by the great cultural value, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or origin.
What you learn
You will learn and enhance basic punching and kicking, Qi Gong (all include healing Qi Gong) and Xing Yi, Chinese kickboxing, basic Arabic, calligraphy, herboristery, sports massage, Moroccan culture, and acupressure. The main parts of the massage are the belly and the spine, and human limbs are auxiliary. The main characteristics are:
- Adjusting the gestural cavity and Qi-blood
- Dredging meridians
- Provoking the function that patients can heal the injuries by themselves
Free language and cultural course
Koom offers free optional traditional Moroccan cultural lessons here in the evening from Monday to Friday. After the students finished the afternoon training, you can choose to attend according to your interest. The available classes are Arabic (classic and Moroccan), writing workshops, sustainable farming and medicinal herb studies, and massages.
Certification
There will be a school certificate given upon completion of the training.
Course preparation
Students often ask about the kind of preparation they should make before coming to the academy. At Koom, they place a high priority on physical preparations before arrival. This is done by practicing healthy dieting, long distance running, swimming, sprinting, Ping-Pong, sit-ups, cycling, and other forms of exercise before your arrival.
All forms of stamina training are good as they help students learn the martial arts easier. All sports that help your body build muscle and get stronger are recommended, as are sports that help increase your aerobic ability. If you'd like to attend training at the academy, please send inquiry.
Must do
You will need to provide proof of travel health insurance. You will need to provide a statement from your doctor confirming your aptitude to train here with Koom. Come in the best shape possible to make the best out of your stay.
All students are welcome
Koom offers instructions to beginner students with no or limited martial arts experiences to gain more skills through martial arts training. They welcome participants who are healthy mentally and physically. The training plan is also very flexible according to students' different needs.
Student's age froup and training duration
There are courses of different lengths that span from one month or less to five years. The student's ages range from 21 to 70 years old because what they teach is suitable for all ages to learn. There is no maximum of age to come, but there is a minimum of it. For kids, it is better to come with a parent. Each year, they have family groups to come here to train with their kids together.
Younger students of less than 16 years old are accepted if they are accompanied by their parent or older relatives particularly a brother or a sister. Ensuring there is good quality teaching, every master is supposed to manage seven students in the winter and less than 15 students in the summer. This will ensure high-quality martial arts training on a personal level and assure a close family atmosphere in the group.
Equipment and support
In Koom's training hall, there is a set of fitness training equipment, power training equipment, mats, pads, punching bag, and gloves that are provided during the training. You can also buy your own one if you want during your training. During the winter, students can practice in the facility's warm temperature as they offer heating. The presence of a translator in the academy is also good as it facilitates smooth running of activities.
Making a harmonious environment
In order to better inherit the teachings you are about to acquire, Koom requests that masters and translators give special care to foreign participants who came a long way to Morocco from home and may encounter many differences. When this happens, all masters and translators are their relatives who are happy to help them and accomplish their training schedule. At Koom, there is a mutual respect between masters and students, making this school a harmonious training and living environment.
There are strict rules in the academy to help participants attain more disciplines and focus on training to improve themselves.
Training day
Koom trains all week-long from Monday to Friday. The training starts at 6:00 a.m. It is advisable for students to wake up earlier in the morning so that you can get fresh air breathing along the farm to walk or run. During the week from Monday to Friday, it is better for students to sleep before ten at night so as they are able to recover energy to study the following day.
During the weekends, there are master and translators on duty. Questions about training can be asked at any time in a normal class. There is free time for everyone other than the kitchen staff on weekends. Every Friday afternoon, you can go explore a new space to discover such as museums, cafes, scenic places, garden, stores, and luxurious guesthouses as part of exploring the beautiful region of Marrakech.
Schedule
- 07:00 - 08:00 Breakfast
- 08:30 - 10:00 Training
- 10:30 - 11:30 Training
- 12:00 - 13:00 Lunch
- 15:00 - 16:30 Training
- 17:00 - 18:00 Dinner
- 18:00 - 19:00 Optional free cultural classes
Instructors
Hicham Essadki
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Born in Morocco and a 46th Generation Sufi, speaker of 5 languages, educated in the French system and holder of a bachelor's degree in finance, Sham lived for 20 years in California. After a successful career in real estate financing & restaurant operations, Sham has been called to live and learn from live masters from Hindu, Taoist, Sufi and Buddhist traditions in China and Morocco. In June 2017, he received authorization by his Taoist and Sufi masters to share and teach the techniques he learned.
Location
This training will take place at Koom Retreat Center. Koom is located in the beautiful climate of Sidi Abdallah Ghiat (20 kilometers from Marrakech), Morocco. The village hosts every Sunday the best-served farmers' market of the entire region.
The farm is surrounded by luxurious properties with restaurants, cafes, and hammams (Moroccan sauna), mini golf, and more. The village has extremely affordable grill houses. Sidi Abdallah Ghiat is renowned for its blend of old rural Morocco and outstanding natural beauty.
Distances
- Marrakech, 20 kilometers
Features
Activities
- Gym
- Swimming
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
General
- Dining area
- Environmentally friendly
- Fireplace
- Garden
- Lobby
- Multilingual staff
Services
- Free bicycle
- Free parking
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry
- Meeting room
Food
You will be a receiving a questionnaire developed by Koom Retreat and Training Center's dieticians to them to build a nutritional program for you based on your body type, history, and goals. They accommodate all food restrictions.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Other dietary requirements on request
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
- Barter for a bargain in the souk
- Ben Youssef Madrasa visit
- Building your small garden
- Excursion to the House of Photography
- Finding peace at the Saadian Tombs
- Getting lost in the medina
- Going to the beach for the weekend
- Horse riding
- Hot air balloon ride at sunrise
- People watching at coffee houses
- Soaking in the local clean hammam
- Taking a cooking class
- Trekking to the highest mountain of Morocco
- Trip to Jemaa el-Fnaa
- Visit the local riads for tea, coffee, and dining
- Visiting Marrakech and exploring the thousands of bazaars and museums
What's included
- 13 nights accommodations
- Application fee
- Daily physical training session
- Nutritional assessment, plan, and daily meals
- Theory classes
- A school certificate upon completion of the training
- Classes on herbal medicine, massages, calligraphy, Arabic, and sustainable farming
- Exposure to the Moroccan language, locals, and traditions
- Pickup and drop off from Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK), bus, or CTM Marrakech train station
What's not included
- Towels, clothing, and toiletries
- Activities outside of the academy
- Weekend classes
How to get there
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK). Transfer from and to the airport is included. Koom Retreat and Training Center will pick you up from the airport.
Arrival by bus
Koom Retreat and Training Center offers transfers from and to Marrakech CTM bus station with no additional cost.
Arrival by train
Koom Retreat and Training Center offers transfers from and to Marrakech train station with no additional cost.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.
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