Some Lion Dancing

Have been busy lately..as we get closer to Chinese New Year.......it's time to lion dance!!  Often my students wonder why does a wushu sifu do lion dancing....after all that's something only tradtional wushu schools perform.  Well before I became a contemporary wushu practioner...I was a traditional wushu student........my uncle is a master of Tibetan White Crane which I studied first, then later I was a student at San Francisco Jing Wu Academy under Grandmaster Jack Man Wong.........by the way,  the one who according to urban legen...Read more

Bagua

Have been working with my students on Bagua.  It was a martial art created by legendary Dong Hai Chuan.......who actually never really revealed where he learned the art from.  Bagua is unique in that it is based on a taoist walking meditation excercise and utlizes the I-Ching to explain it's techniques....each kua of the octagon represents a foot technique,hand technique and throwing technique and defines what angle an attack or defense must take.  It is also unlike Taiji in that while relaxed it is done at full speed. According to legend Dong'...Read more

Lions of the SF Wushu Team

Just added some pictures of some of our new lions for this year.  Lion Dancing is over 1500 years old and began as a folk dance connected to harvest......later was used for celebrations and eventually became part of Martial Arts training.  Each participant in the Lion Dance is suppose to be an expert in wushu and able to handle any weapon and if necessary use the lion to fight with.  The tail was an expert at the 3 section cudgel......in older times the tail was actually a 3 section cudgel with a red ribbon attached to it.........t...Read more

First Wushu Event of the Year

Disney and Tiger Claw have announced their schedule of tournaments for 2008 that will be part of their search for the best of the best, resulting in the Disney's Martial Arts Festival in Orlando on Oct 24.  The very first leg of the competition will start on Feb 15 at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim.  Keep in mind my interest of course is wushu, but Disney is searching for the best in a variety of martial arts.....TKD, Karate, Kajukenbo, Taijiquan, Traditional Kung-fu, and Wushu.  This is a greatt opportunity to get recogni...Read more

View from Victoria Peak

Busy teaching Taiji Class....very good turn out this morning....nearly 50 students!  We started with Qigong and joint loosening excercises, then I did some taoist yoga and piyo with the students....many of the new students told me they felt a very positive result.......feeling energized and really stretched out.  Then did some work on Tiger and Crane Form ,with our wushu  students who also share the room with us...........original form of course ,was taught by Wang Fei Hong.......incorporated the techniques of the Ten Tigers of Guangd...Read more

New Projects for 2008

Promotion of Wushu has always been a concern of mine....practicing is fun but getting people involved in it is so important for it's future, and I enjoy watching students master the techniques and literally change their lives.  From just my first three Taiji Classes for City College I already have over 100 students...still have one more class that has not started yet.......might reach 150 to 200 students this semester.  Certainly having the College promote Taiji is so important as they are able to reach into many people's life. ...Read more

Taiji for Free

Well the life of a Wushu Coach unfortunately isn't all about travel. Now that I am back from Hong Kong it's time to work again.  City College program starts today!  Sort of thankful for that , if not for the College it would be hard to make a living.  The College provides a venue to teach, does free advertising, and pays a good salary.  It's made it possible to be a Coach...and it's not exactly like working in an office.  It' may sound trite but doing what you like is always the best job....money is overrated!!  Those of yo...Read more

More Wu and Shu

Wushu is the art of mastering oneself and being able to respond appropriately to any situation, to act as a law of nature without desire, personal gain, or animosity.  There are many interesting trends in wushu........one is to see it as the ultimate fighting art..........Grandmaster Sun Lu Tang, a famous Bagua and Taiji Teacher once said if you want to fight then get a gun...it's more effective....but if you want to improve your health then you should learn wushu.  Wushu while an art for self defense should  not be studied just for that....Read more

Wu or Shu?

Wushu is Chinese Martial Arts.....a new year and new training schedule and preparation for competitions and performances.  And for some students (shudder) tests.  Often many students ask me why do martial arts have tests..and isn't it about the art and not the martial since we are not engaged in combat.  First its not martial or arts......they go together like yin and yang.....it is martial and arts......you cannot have one without the other.  Health and excercise might be your goal but your choice of wushu means you are using the methods of w...Read more

Wushu in 2008

Me and HK Coach Gao Song

Now for an interlude....break from eating and a word about wushu.  My family and I had the pleasure of  having the company of Honk Kong Wushu Team's Coach , Gao Song , take us for fire pot in the Park Lane district in Causeway Bay.  The food was excellent, and the conversation about wushu.  Gao mentioned that China needs to figure how it is going to promote wushu.  With the emp...Read more