Kung Fu

Grand Master Chung Visits Doral

On Friday, May 8, 2009 Hung Gar Grand Master Bill Chung came to Doral Florida to visit his disciple Master Julio Anta. Anta's Kung Fu had a welcome party and demonstration for their Grand Master. Special guest that came to meet Grand Master Chung were Doral's Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez and City Council member Rob Van Name.

On Saturday, May 9, UCAF (United Chinese Association of Florida) and the Chinese Community gave Grand Master Chung a welcome party at Canton in coral Gables.

Anta Writes Article for Journal of Asian Martial arts

Hung Gar Kung Fu Master Julio Anta video author of Shaolin Physical Condition DVD wrote an article on "Shaolin Physical Conditioning" for the "Journal of Asian Martial Arts" Volume 18 Number 1 2009. The article is about the history of how we lost functional training and how it's resurfacing today with Kettlebells, Indian club's and training like in the Shaolin Temple.

Francisco Odon Anta's Kung Fu Student of the Year

On Friday, December 19, 2008 Anta's Fitness and Self Defense celebrated Christmas with their 11th Annual Christmas Party and Awards Ceremony.

The student of the year was Fransico Odon, Most Improved Carlos Florez, John Exum Leadership Award Isabel Rios Pulgar, Fighting Spirit Rami El Zein, Best forms Vizen Gokal, Best Weapons Forms Danny Dager, Judo/BJJ Excellence Andres Gutierrez and the VIP Recruiting Cup Amanda Recio. The party included performances by Anta's Kung Fu and Lion Dance Teams. School Champion trophies were also awarded.

2008 Jr Black Belt Graduates

Congratulations to Anta's Kung Fu's new graduating Jr. Black Belts. They were promoted on Saturday, December 6, 2008. Left to right: Danny Dager, Tally Sheldon, Alicia Cappellaro, Isabel Rios-Pulgar, Erik Lopez and Andres Gutierrez. They are on top of their food chain.

FREE Combat Kung Fu classes for Kung Fu Moms

Anta's Fitness and Self Defense is celebrating and honoring the mothers of their students on Mothers Day with FREE Combat Kung Fu, reality based self defense classes. Our Kung Fu Moms will be eligible to take unlimited classes in the month of May, plus as an added bonus a FREE Combat Kung Fu T-shirt.

All moms would do whatever it takes to protect their children. Now you can defend yourself and your loved ones with Combat Kung Fu. Combat Kung Fu is a mixed martial art. It is a combination of Hung Gar Kung Fu (Chinese street fighting), Haganah F.I.G.H.T., boxing, kickboxing, SABER Edge Weapon combatives and ground survival. You have nothing to lose but a few pounds and excess stress!

You can be what you could have been. Let us help you be great in 2008! Call us today to set an appointment for your FREE classes 305 599-3649. But, hurry this offer is only good for the month of May.

Anta's New Junior Black Belts

Congratulations to all of Anta's Kung Fu, newly promoted Junior Black Belts (Sashes.) On Saturday, December 8, 2007 in the City of Doral in Miami, Florida 5 highly qualified students were promoted to Jr. Black Belts. Pictured left to right nexted to Master Anta are Francisco Paez, Andres Casanas, Flor Casanas, Carlos Rohl and Carlos Florez.

To achieve the covet rank of Black Belt these students had to pass a martial arts/fitness test that consisted of open hand forms, weapons forms, mixed martial arts sparring, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 50 Hindu squats and a 30 minute horse stance. They also had to assist in class, be part of a demo team, compete in tournaments and be part of the Lion Dance team.

We are super proud of this group of high achievers. When they reach the age of 16 they can test for a full Black Belt.

Anta's Shaolin Physical Conditioning DVD Available This Summer

Anta’s Shaolin Physical Conditioning DVD will be released the first part of the summer. Julio Anta, 50 year old Kung Fu Master and fitness instructor has put together this functional training video to enhance your physical abilities and strengthen your body to give you an edge in the martial arts or in any sport. The warrior monks of the Shaolin Temple were in excellent fighting shape hundreds of years before weight training or steroids were introduced.

Anta a former competitive bodybuilder in the early eighties and retired US Marine Corps Sergeant has put together this video from his experience and many years of research in physical culture, functional training, the martial arts and Shaolin Kung Fu. Shaolin Physical Conditioning will get you in great shape whether you are trying to loss weight, looking to get in the best shape of your life or take your martial arts training to the next level of physical conditioning. The course will take you through a physical conditioning journey using ancient techniques in a modern and safe setting. The video includes Shaolin body weight exercises, Iron Forearm Training, Grip and finger strength training, Iron Ring Training, Hard Chi Gong (dynamic tension exercises), sand jar and bean bag training.

Master Anta believes that the martial arts and fitness are one; just like the warrior monks of Shaolin were fit and fearless. Anta says: “The fighting warrior monks of the Shaolin Temple lived a fit and fearless life. In our modern era many martial arts can defend their selves yet they are physically out of shape. What is it worth to fight off thugs and defend against bullies yet to die of a heart attack because of obesity or being out of shape? Then we have the super fit looking people with beautiful bodies yet they have no functional strength or know how to defend themselves. So, what is it worth to have a healthy fit body and not know how to defend yourself and end up in a hospital beaten by the local thug?” Anta’s Shaolin Physical Conditioning is for the contact athlete that wants to live life, fit and fearless just like the warrior monks of the legendary Shaolin Temple. What is Old is New Again and you can become fit and fearless with Anta’s Shaolin Physical Conditioning. Available at Anta’s Fitness and Self Defense, 305 599-3649 this summer and at www.antakungfu.com.

Southern Shaolin Kung Fu

There are numerous accounts and legends of the origins and history of the Shaolin Temple. In my humble opinion this is the story of Shaolin. Most likely you learned of the Shaolin Temple through the Chop Sokey Kung Fu movies and the Kung Fu TV series of the 70’s. Some of what you watch was true, yet some of the story lines are fictional. There were indeed 36 Chambers that a monk would have to successfully complete before exciting the temple and graduating. In the Kung Fu TV movie and series young Cain picked up the burning urn between his forearms to engrave the tiger and dragon. In reality that scene is authentic, however in actuality the engravings on the forearms were both dragons. The legendary Shaolin Temple (Sil Lum in Cantonese) was also known as the “Number One Temple under Heaven” due of those incredible fighting monks. The Chinese characters for Shaolin translate to “Youthful Forrest” or “Youthful Gathering.”  Shaolin is the mother of all Asian martial arts (Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu, etc.). Kung Fu went from mainland China to the island of

Okinawa and later to to Japan in the early 1900’s. They called it “karate” which originally translated to “Chinese hands.” Shaolin is translated to the Japanese language as Shorin-ji. Shorin-ji Karate came from Shaolin Kung Fu. The Indian monk Bodhidharma also known as Damo traveled to the
Shaolin Temple taught the monks internal exercises for health, yet he was not the originator of Shaolin Kung Fu. Thousands of years before Damo’s visit there were already fighting arts in China. Shaolin is part of the rich history of China. The Shaolin Temple was a place where numerous martial artists including fugitives hiding from the authorities, met and shared their martial arts systems. This was a place where different styles and weapons were put to the test before they went out to do battle. You can say that Shaolin was the first mixed martial arts arena. The Northern Shaolin Temple was burned in approximately the 1750’s AD. According to Chinese legends, a monk by the name of Gee Seen survived the burning and traveled to Southern China to become the Abbot of the Southern Shaolin Temple. Gee Seen used the Southern Temple as an underground training center to overthrow the Ching Dynasty and restore the Chinese ran Ming Dynasty. Numerous other styles of Kung Fu originated in the Southern Shaolin Temple including Hung Gar and Wing Chung popularized by Bruce Lee. Gee Seen was Hung Hei Goon's teacher, the founder of Hung Gar.  There are five family styles that came from the Southern Shaolin Temple they are Hung, Lau, Choy, Li and Mok. These family kung fu systems continued the Shaolin tradition as rebels fighting the Ching Dynasty. The Southern Shaolin Temple taught the monks the 5 Animal styles of fighting. These movements were developed by monks carefully observing and imitating the moves of the Tiger, Crane, Snake, Leopard and the mythical Dragon. From the Tiger we learn tenacity and acquire power. From the Crane we learn to evade and strike vital points. From the Dragon we get wisdom. From the snake we learn patience and flexibility. From the Leopard we attain speed and power. 

You can classify Kung Fu styles into four major categories: Southern, Northern, and External (hard) and Internal (soft). Southern Shaolin is a Southern external style. A southern school is known for low stances, kicks below the waist and fast and powerful overwhelming hands. It is an external style which emphases mostly on power. The Chinese have a saying “Southern Fist/Northern Kicks” which means that in the south they use their hands more and in the northern part of China they use their kicks. Much of this has to do with the terrain and their size and built of the people in the two geographic. In Southern China the people tend to be shorter and stockier. In Northern China they tend to be taller and more slender. Due to the Northern terrain, mountains and open land they walk and ride horses. They favor high kicks and acrobatic movements; where asSouthern China’s terrain is agricultural wet land which produces rice and waterways which people live near. Due to the southern life style and terrain they make use of their arms and legs more than their legs. Fighting in wet land or in a boat made it difficult to make large movements and kick high. The low Southern horse stance, for training balance and stability, was developed by the southern kung fu warrior. 

Today Southern Shaolin schools teach numerous traditional Chinese weapons of war. Yet, in the Shaolin temple no blades were allowed. Only non-bladed weapons were allowed through the gates of the temple. Monks were known for their great skills with their walking sticks, or as we call them today the staff. Many define Kung Fu as a pretty, soft, circular, acrobatic, jumping, high kicking art that looks good in tournaments and in movies. The Chinese call this “flowery kung fu” which means that it’s pretty yet it has no defensive value in the streets. A true Southern Shaolin school will teach you an art that was used for war. You will learn to use every move in a form to defend yourself. A Southern Shaolin fighter will attack his opponent violently with tiger claws and crane beaks to the eyes, elbows, tearing grabs, knees, kicks to the knees and groin, Chin Na (joint locks), sweeps, throws, take downs and ground fighting.  Southern Shaolin Kung Fu if handed down and taught traditionally, is not a sport but a reality based street self defense. In the end the only trophy that those fighting monks of Shaolin could win in ancient Chinawas their life.

 

 

Introduction to Hung Gar History

Hung Gar is an external, hard and powerful Southern Shaolin style of Kung Fu. It is also known as Hung Kuen, Hung Fist and Fu Hok Pai (Tiger/Crane Style). Hung is the sir name of the originator but it also means to stand tall with integrity. Gar means clan or family in Cantonese. Hung Gar translates to Hung Family being one of the five Southern Kung Fu family styles: Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Mok Gar, Choy Gar, Li Gar. They were all named after the originator of the system.

Hung Gar Kung Fu originated in the Fukien Southern Shaolin Temple. Shaolin which translates to youthful forest was known as the number one monastery under heaven. Kung Fu does not mean martial arts. The word for martial arts in Chinese is Wushu. Yet, today’s Wushu is a non combative, creative and acrobatic form system created by the People’s Republic of China as a sport. Martial Art means war like art. Hung Gar is a true martial art or war like art. Hung Gar is Chinese street fighting. It is not a sport but an art of war. There is no direct translation for the word Kung Fu. Kung Fu could mean accomplishment of man, something you do well or an expertise.

A rebel and tea merchant named Hung Gei Guen (Hung Xi Guan) was perfecting his skills under the tutelage of the head abbot of the Shaolin Temple Gin Sin when the White Eyebrow Priest (Pai Mei or Bak Mei) betrayed the temple. Pai Mei killed Hung’s teacher and the Ching Empire burned the temple down in 1734. Hung’s boxing system was primarily based on the fierce tiger style. The tiger’s attributes are overwhelming power, tenacity and fearlessness. The tiger claw hand strikes and tears with brutal power, breaking bones and ripping muscle. The tiger is an aggressive, offensive animal. Just like the tiger that simply will not back down is the Hung fighter as he/she smothers, overwhelms and overlaps with strikes an aggressor’s attack with vicious strikes, claws and low kicks to vital and lethal areas of the body. Hung was also schooled in the crane style by his wife Fong Wing Chun (Fang Yung Chun). There is no relationship with Fong Wing Chun and the creator of the Kung Fu style of Wing Chun. Wing Chun is a common Chinese name. The crane is less offensive then other styles, preferring to allow an attacker to commit himself before launching into a series of kicks and smashing hand strikes. Master Hung is said to have combined the best techniques from both systems to create Hung Gar. Yet, Hung Gar is not only the fusion of the overwhelming and fearless tiger with the defensive and lethal techniques of the crane. Hung Gar is a complete system of fighting and weapons utilizing the three other animals of Shaolin, the snake, leopard and dragon with the five elements.

Hung Gar is one of the few stand up fighting systems that has some ground techniques. Hung Gar unlike other martial arts was not developed for sport but for defense and war. This style of kung fu is not soft or flowery like. It is a strong, powerful and aggressive fighting system. Hung Gar has proved itself in the battlefields of China for over 300 years. First fighting invaders and then fighting gangs and drug lords.

Hung was also known for its “Thousand Pound Foundation” or Horse Stance. When a Hung Gar practitioner sank into a horse stance more then ten people with staffs were unable to move him. Hung training emphasizes strong low stances, iron hard forearms, low snapping kicks and ambidextrous deceptive powerful hand techniques. Hung hand techniques use simultaneous blocking and striking. The blocks of Hung Gar were well respected and feared. Opponents often thought twice before challenging a Hung Gar practitioner, since a single block could numb or incapacitate an attacker’s limb, how much more powerful must a strike be? So it is said that we of the Tiger Crane do not block, we strike the strike.

This is just an introduction to the legends and history of Hung Gar Kung Fu. In future articles we will expound on other Hung Gar Masters and stories. In an up coming article we will feature the legendary Chinese folk hero and Hung Gar Grand Master Wong Fei Hung. His life story has been immortalized in numerous books and over 100 Chinese movies. Some of the most recent movies are Legend of the Drunken Master, Once Upon a Time in China and the Iron Monkey. These movies can be found in your local video store. Today’s top action hero’s Jackie Chan, Jet Lee and Gorden Lui have played Fei Hung in the silver screen.  

Tai Chi

Tai Chi Chuan, translated as Supreme Ultimate Fist, and popularly called Tai Chi, is a Chinese system of self defense and health promotion. Although the underlying philosophy of Tai Chi is based primarily on the health cultivation and cosmological principles of Taoism, it is an exercise form practiced throughout the world by people of all religions and denominations.

Although there are numerous origin stories, the historical record indicates that Tai Chi was created during the early 17th century by General Chen Wang Ting. Having left military service after the collapse of the Ming Dynasty, he retired to his home village and synthesized a fighting style that incorporated many of the martial arts systems popular at the time. For several hundred years, this method evolved into the kung fu system practiced by the members of the Chen village. Eventually, Chen family members began teaching their system to outsiders. Additionally, during the early part of the 20th century, several high-level practitioners of the Chen style left their village and promoted the art throughout the capital cities of Beijing and Nanjing, as well as other Chinese cities. This further popularized the art outside of the Chen village. As the art's popularity increased, numerous styles and lineages emerged and spread out across China, and eventually the world. Today the most popular systems of Tai Chi are the Chen, Yang (the most popular in the world), Wu (Chien-chuan) ,Wu (Hao), and Sun styles.

All styles of Tai Chi lay great emphasis upon practicing forms. A form is a series of movements strung togeteher in a sequence. Different Tai Chi styles have different forms. Some styles have only one long form, while others have numerous short forms. Most styles also contain weapons forms. Martial artists coming from Japanese, Korean, or Chinese systems will recognize the Tai Chi form as being a training tool almost identical to their katas, kuens, or forms. The form, in addition to other supplementary exercises and training methods, is the vessel which the Tai Chi practitioner fills with the "Internal" principles of Taoism.

In keeping true to its Taoist philosophical basis, the most important principle of Tai Chi is for the practitioner to try and maintain correct "Structure and Alignment" while moving. This postural principle is called Wuji. Wuji is first practiced within special practices which include standing meditation, silk reeling exercises, and the form, but eventually this principle is extended into other  aspects of training including push hands, sparring, and self defense. The high level practitioner will incorporate Wuji into everyday life. The Tai Chi practitioner strives to align his or her body correctly, perpendicular to the force of gravity, by relaxing and letting go of all excess tension.  This process of striving to attain Wuji, often refered to as "Sinking", is what facilitates and strengthens the flow of blood and "Chi" (The Internal Energy) throughout the body. The importance of this principle of structure and alignment cannot be emphasized enough. There are many who think that the value of Tai Chi comes from just relaxing and moving slowly. This view presents an incomplete picture. While it is true that relaxation is an integral part of Tai Chi practice, and that moving slowly can sometimes make us feel more calm and relaxed, and hence "better", this feeling of wellbeing, brought about when we attempt to slow things down, is only an indicator of just how stressed out and reved up we are during our normal life. In order to manifest those true deep-level, health restoration and life enhancing qualities that Tai Chi is famous for, great empahsis has to be placed on practicing with the proper Wuji alignment. Due to the difficulty in attempting to keep correct posture while moving or holding static postures, the form is practiced slowly until the structural requirements become second nature. And this process takes a great deal of effort and practice.

When first attempting to practice Tai Chi, most students will find themselves having a very difficult time trying to move correctly within the form. This happens because for most adults, there is a great deal of tension being held by the upper body. Usually this tension can lead to conditions like tight neck or jaw muscles, a slouched posture, restricted and very high “chest” breathing, and numerous other aches and pains and otherwise general lack of mobility and flexibility in the joints. The Chinese Taoists describe this state as the body having lots of fire on top (the chest and head) and water below (the abdomen and kidneys). According to them, this unbalance within the energy of the body, is what produces conditions such as high blood pressure, poor circulation, digestive disorders, anemia, imsomnia, sleep apnea, anxiety, hormonal imbalances and a multitude of other physical and psychological ailments. Through the practice of Tai Chi as a health art, incorporating the principles of Wuji alignment, this high tension center, made up of congested chi, is slowly brought down from the head and chest, down into the lower torso, and eventually down to the legs and feet. This change of state in which now the water is on top and the fire is down below is very beneficial to the health of the practitioner.

Additionally, while moving the body throughout Tai Chi practice, the pinciple of silk reeling energy is always adhered to. This principle, which intially can be practiced as isolation exercises but is eventually incorporated into the movement of the whole body throughout the form practice, is very important for opening and strengthening the joints of the body. These two principles of proper Wuji alignment and silk reeling energy help to create a condition whereby the body becomes a conduit for the ground, producing a very strong, resilient, and biomechanically efficient way of moving the body. Through correct Tai Chi practice, old or damaged joints are gradually healed, and healthy joints are preserved, as the body learns to move in a much more efficient and health inducing fashion.

Anta's Fitness And Self Defense offers classes in Chen Style Tai Chi. These classes are taught by Mr. Sergio Betancourt. Mr. Betancourt has been practicing Tai Chi since 1995. He is currently a student of Mr. Yan Gaofei, head of the World Taoist League. The style of Chen Tai Chi that he will be teaching is the Lao Da Jia or "Large Frame" method of Chen Tai Chi Chuan, as passed down through Mr. Yan Gaofei from his instructor, Grandmaster Chen Guanzhong. The Large Frame method is characterized by low stances, along with large and expansive circular movements of the limbs. This method of practice aids greatly in developing full range-of-motion joint mobility, improving the circulation of blood and chi to the extremities, and the strengthening of the leg muscles. The classes will consist of wuji standing meditation, silk reeling exercises, chi kung, and forms practice