Kung Fu Zone Blog

Kung Fu Zone

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End of Year Thoughts – 2023

End of Year Thoughts - 2023 As we approach the end of another year, Kristina and I reflect not just on the recent months but on the decade that has shaped our Kung Fu School. We’re deeply grateful to every member, past and present, who has contributed to our journey....

San Zhan – The Mother Form

San Zhan - The Mother Form San Zhan is the most important form in the Fujian Five Ancestor Styles. Our Tiger Crane Combination is no different. The San Zhan (3 Wars) Form is an incredibly in-depth set of principles that completely transforms the body in the early...

Beauty & Function in Chinese Martial Arts

Beauty & Function in Chinese Martial Arts When we create beauty, We aspire towards recreating a flavour of something that exists beyond the relative, buried deep like a fleeting memory of a time long ago that we can’t quite remember but know is significant....

The Hidden Depths of Chinese Martial Arts

The Hidden Depths of Chinese Martial Arts Most people who practise Chinese martial arts obsessively, will at some point, realise that beyond the martial surface, there is an ocean of depth. I often hear criticism about the weird hand positions and body shapes that we...

The Role of Kung Fu in Inner Cultivation and Growth

The Role of Kung Fu in Inner Cultivation and Growth My whole life has been about inner cultivation and growth, and for a long time I made the mistake of looking up at the heavens for insight, inspiration and awakening. My whole life has been about inner cultivation...

Reconciling the Hard & Soft Approach

Our fourth syllabus form is Shi San Tai Bao. Shi San Tai Bao translates to Thirteen Wonders and is a White Crane form that can be found in some Yongchun White Crane Lineages from Fuzhou. This form is unique, as the name tells us that unlike many external styles of...

The Three Battles

The Three Battles There are different ways to look at one's progression within the traditional Chinese martial arts. One way that I like looking at one's progression is based on our Tiger Crane Combination systems teaching on the three battles. I have discussed the...

Bodhidharma’s Legacy

Bodhidharma’s Legacy A common misunderstanding within the Southern Shaolin arts is that we need to tense the arm/torso at the point of impact to transmit power into the opponent. This is not correct; the type of power we are aiming to transmit to the opponent is...

Taming the Wild Ox

Taming the Wild Ox Pain is inevitable when training Kung Fu. I always tell my students that if they are not in pain in every class, then they are wasting their time. Kung Fu training is pointless if the stylist doesn't push themselves beyond their comfort zone because...

Motivation is a Lie

Motivation is a Lie Nobody is born proficient at any skill. We may have a genetic disposition to be better at certain things than other people, but without developing and nurturing these skills, a person’s full potential will never be realised. Any athlete, musician,...

The First Step is the Hardest

The First Step is the Hardest Any pursuit that will help you grow and help you better yourself physically and mentally will be tough. You will struggle, you will be in pain, you will suffer, and you will probably want to quit every lesson. The difference between those...

The Sculptor

The Sculptor Most of us go to school until our late teens or early twenties, and we believe that we are done learning after this stage. We throw ourselves into our careers, and our family lives, leaving less and less time to learn and develop ourselves further. Even...