Martial Arts School

We offer instruction in traditional Wudang and Shaolin arts, Baguazhang (Pa Kua) and Xingyiquan (Hsing I). The founding purpose for our company was to provide instruction, conduct research, and develop publications on martial arts topics. These remain our fundamental goals.

Our classes emphasize traditional theories in accord with the classical teachings of Chinese martial arts. As with all our classes, we believe that without a firm foundation, anything that is built will sooner or later fall. This is especially true in the martial arts. If the student does not learn balance, placement, coordination, and correct breathing for solo practice, how can he or she expect to learn two-person practice?

Learning in the martial arts is the same as with other arts. It is not conceptual, get-it-now learning. It is developmental. Just like an infant child cannot run a marathon, neither can a beginning student suddenly gain the skills to apply a technique. Gaining these skills requires time, practice, and perseverance.

Wudang Arts

The Wudang martial arts are an orthodox school of Chinese Gongfu. The main component of the Wudang martial arts is Wudang taijiquan. Wudang taijiquan has developed from its simple beginnings of five elements, eight methods, and thirteen postures into many different schools. Wudang taiji is named after the Wudang Mountains. In modern times, some of the traditional forms have been altered and other arts developed so that the martial arts from Wudang have become more diverse as have those who practice them. However, there remain traditional forms and teachings which have been handed down directly from teacher to student through many generations and many teachers. These old forms represent the traditional arts from the Wudang school.

Other Internal Arts

Traditionally, taiji, xingyi, and bagua are called internal arts since they place great emphasis on internal workmanship and circulation of the qi (breath/energy). Bagua is distinct in it's circle walking practice. Literally, bagua means "eight gua." This is a reference to the eight trigrams which represent the four cardinal and four angular directions. In bagua practice, each of the palm changes corresponds to one of the eight directions. In contrast, Xingyi tends to take a more linear approach. Literally, xingyi means "form mind."It's practice methods include forms corresponding to the five elements and the twelve animals.

Shaolin Arts

The martial arts from the Shaolin Temple in Henan are among the most famous in the world. The variety of the arts and the skills required for their practice are equally extensive. The "Lohan" school of Shaolin is said to be the oldest. In the history, it is said that Bohidarma brought Buddhism to China on a white horse. The White Horse Temple near Luoyang commemorates his journey. He was the first of many generations of Shaolin monks and began their long tradition of martial arts by teaching what is now called Lohan boxing.

Interactive Arts

All of the systems we teach include a variety of interactive methods. Still, there are some arts which cannot be properly labled as coming from one or another system. All styles of taiji have push hands methods; push hands is considered a fundamental practice. While a certain style may have it's own special characteristics, all styles share the fundamentals. Similarly, qin'na is a generic term. There are Shaolin qin'na methods; there are other qin'na methods as well. One of Prof. Liu's specialties is Shaolin Qin'na.

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