Although "Kung Fu" has been adopted as a general term describing any one of a number of systems of Chinese martial arts, it is actually a western misnomer. Kung Fu means "Mastery" of something. A more accurate term for Chinese martial arts is "Wushu". As martial artists, what we attempt to reach is "Kung Fu" or "mastery" of "Wushu" or "martial arts". Due to the general understanding and usage of the term Kung Fu in the west, we retain it as an easy way to describe what we do.

The Training

The training on offer at the Chinese Martial Arts and Health Centre focuses on cultivating the art as well as learning effective self defence techniques. We have set out to teach traditional arts as authentically as possible within our western culture. There are three main areas that we focus on:

1. Physical Fitness:
While the system is very physically demanding, a high level of physical fitness is not a prerequisite of joining the school and students are encouraged to work at their own pace. Fitness is built up as the student progresses in the school system. A holistic approach involving physical exercise, stretching, conditioning, breathing and meditation is applied to fitness training.
2. Techniques and Forms:
When they commence training, students learn basic punches, blocks, kicks and stance work to build the foundation of their martial response. Forms are subsequently taught, which are our textbooks and, although elegant and artistic in their own right, are the source of deadly fighting responses. Both Northern and Southern styles are taught concurrently to give the student a well-rounded body of knowledge to draw from.
3. Self defence:
Students are taught basic universal fighting techniques and are also taught to use the fighting techniques derived from the forms. We aim to make the student instinctive in the application of martial responses. We practice controlled, limited contact freestyle sparring to help students learn how to apply techniques under pressure. As the student progresses through the years of training, the level of contact increases. We do not practice points-based or competition sparring. Chi Na is also a vital and integral part of our systems and is a very effective self-defence tool. Chi Na is the art of locking and seizing an opponent by using joint locks, cavity press, and sealing of the breath.

Our Systems

The two styles of Kung Fu taught at the Chinese Martial and Arts Centre are Chang Chuan and Hong Chuan. Chang Chuan is also known as Northern Long Fist and Hong Chuan or Hong Family Fist is a Southern Style.

Chang Chuan

The embryo stage of Northern Long Fist was developed by Emperor Tsai Tsu (Sung dynasty - 1200). Nan-King Central Martial Arts institute was founded with the purpose of consolidating Wu Shu masters under one organization. These masters were known as the "FIVE NORTHERN TIGERS". These masters put aside age old prejudices to discuss the best techniques for each style. For this reason, the style developed at Nan-King contains the best elements of the many styles. This diverse style became known as the Northern Long Fist.

Grandmaster Li Mao Ching (1920-) a Chang Chuan teacher and Han Ching Tan (1903-1976) are second generation martial artists in the Nan-King Institute. After the communist take-over of mainland China in 1949, the masters left for Taiwan and Hong Kong. Grandmaster Li left for Taiwan. Our Master Chen studied under Grandmaster Li.

Chang Chuan specializes in developing powerful kicks and explosive, long-range hand techniques. Chang Chuan has many diverse styles. There are ten barehanded forms, which also include various animal forms. The weapons used in Chang Chuan are long staff, saber, straight sword, spear and double sets.

Hong Chuan

When the Manchurians invaded China (1644 - Chin dynasty) five monks fled and traveled south. These monks, Hong, Lau, Choy, Lay and Mok, became known as the southern masters. The southern systems were further developed in the Shaolin temple in Fukien province of China. A gifted southern student Hong Che Kwang under the teachings of Monk Tse Shan develop the southern system into his own personal style. He was the creator of the system as we now know it.

Hong Chuan develops great stability because of the lower stances and favors more close-quarters hand and arm techniques. The Hong Chuan style includes various animal forms, including Tiger, Crane, Snake, Leopard and Dragon, as well as a number of weapon forms, including Dao (broadsword), straight sword, staff and spear.

More advanced weapon forms in Chang Chuan and Hong Chuan include the Kwan Dao, Pu Dao, tri-sectional staff, double forks (Tsai), folded fan and umbrella just to name a few.