The martial art television series Kung Fu , and the Shaolin monks who tour the world demonstrating their impressive skills, are showing many different arts. The arts can all be put together with the term Kung Fu as they clearly show the hard work that has gone into their mastery, and the re ection that they are demonstrating the Chinese approach to martial arts, but it is an amalgam of systems, styles and ideologies. So, Kung Fu is not the ONE style that most people believe, that does not, in fact, exist. The ve animal styles -Hung Gar- will be as close to the impression of Kung Fu that most people have. Wu Shu is another term that generalises/encompasses Chinese martial arts.

It may also help those that are new to Martial Art if we point out that the term Martial Art is again a generic term for military self defence arts. Therefore, it is easy to see why some approaches are not suited to Western competition or sport with rules. Martial Arts are in effect battle eld skills, and clearly for life and death situations. They are effective ghting systems and require considerable discipline in order to be able to perform when one is under immense pressure. Life and death is about as tough as it gets! Hence why army discipline is so strict and why many Martial Arts schools follow this model.

At this point it should be pointed out that Self Defence and Martial Arts/ Kung Fu can be two quite different things. Most people we meet at the UKWCKFA have an urgent need to learn how to keep themselves safe. At the UKWCKFA we teach common sense and good body language to avoid becoming a target in the rst place. Physical confrontation should always be avoided, if at all possible.

Violence is dangerous and frightening and it takes Time and Effort in the form of disciplined training to change your physical and emotional responses in a confrontation. You can now see that self defence against a potentially hidden threat is very dif cult. Terrorism is the violence meted out on most women in attack situations. The assailant, terrorised the victim approached from nowhere and ensures their own safety and anonimity. There remains no defence against an attack from nowhere . When a victim fails to observe their environment and falls into the trap of an assailant the chances of escape are reduced. Being drunk, taking drugs and foolishly taking a shortcut across a high risk area all lead to increased danger and reduce the ability to deal with the potential consequences. Self defence also means developing self discipline.

Training in Wing Chun Kuen will have some profound affects. As you continue on your martial journey your intial reasons for starting will no longer hold fast. You will change perceptibly in your manner, con dence and physicality. Martial art training is hard work. We know you will lose up 50% of your class training skills under pressure. If you have little skill in the rst place then all you have is tness and conditioning. This is why UKWCKFA beginners are pushed. If you are a frail or overwieght individual your chances of survival in a physically violent confrontation are lessened considerably. You may even nd it dif cult to hold out ghting back long enough for the perpetrator to fear being seen or caught. If you honestly know you could not run from a situation, please do not be fooled into believing that a few martial art tricks and skills will save you.

There are many gimmicks claiming to train you in just four hours. Claims to be able to reprogramme your responses in a violent situation in just a few lessons. These are foolish claims from the unscrupulous. You need to learn the skills to stay safe rst before dealing with a physical confrontation. Every person will ght to survive, that does not mean they will win. You will ght as hard as you feel loved or love yourself. Many victims of bullying etc. do not hold themselves well and portray a lack of energy or con dence. This image can often result in them being chosen to be violated by a depraved mind. They are seen as a safer target to attack.

MasteringKung Fu

Kung Fu is a basic translation of a Chinese term that means hard work . Kung Fu, therefore, is a pretty

generic term that is commonly, but not exclusively, used to embrace all of the Chinese Martial Arts. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of styles of Kung Fu. Many have the suf x Kuen or Gar meaning st and family. So in China you can simply have Mr X s st ghting style.

Fujian White Crane Kung Fu, once known as Tiger Crane Combination Kung Fu, has been

taught by Chief Instructor Dennis Kah Swee Ngo since 1977. He has been training in this

style for more than 40 years. Kung Fu is his rst love, but he has achieved black belt status in

some of the Japanese arts as well.Of cial research in China has traced the origins and history of White Crane Kung Fu. The

founder of the style was Fan Qiang Liang, daughter of a famous Wushu Master. They moved to

Fujian province after the death of her mother, and in the best tradition of Kung Fu, her father

died defending her honour from unwelcome suitors. Only 17 at the time, she vowed revenge,

and joined a temple as a nun.It is said that during this time she dreamt that she was ghting a white crane, but it evaded her

attacks easily, using its powerful wings to strike back at her. After the third night of this dream

she realized that she could adapt her ghting style to incorporate the crane s agility and grace;

its ability to strike quickly and accurately.Fan Qiang Liang later married a student and moved to Yong Chun county in Fujian Province,

where she became a famous master. Her disciples later became the masters who developed the

ve styles of the Fuzhou White Crane system. Her students spread the White Crane style and its

derivatives throughout China and Southeast Asia, and into Okinawa.This style comes from Fujian Province, China. Fujian Province is famous throughout China for

its amboyant, erce and ef cient White Crane Kung Fu styles. For the sake of simplicity, it is

known as Fujian White Crane Kung Fu in the West. It is the complete system of White Crane

(the tiger stance providing a strong base for the more amboyant hand techniques of the

crane).

The White Crane style taught by Dennis Ngo originated in the Yong Chun district of Fujian

province. Although our club is worldwide, our links back to China are strong. Yong Chun White

Crane Kung Fu is the only White Crane style to have its origins in the Southern Shaolin temple.

Our Chief Instructor has been of cially commissioned by the Fujian Yong Chun YiYun Wushu

Society (China) to help with research into the history of the White Crane style. Fujian White

Crane Kung Fu (international) is now accepted as original and from the same lineage by Yong

Chun White Crane Wushu (China).Traditionally, this style was taught slowly and solidly, with heavy emphasis on stance and

footwork. Mr Ngo strikes a careful balance in his teaching, staying true to the traditional

principals of the art while tailoring it to suit the culture and people of the new millennium. The

art is taught hard and fast, with heavy emphasis placed on discipline, building a strong healthy

body and developing the con dence to be both polite and humble. Students are taught to ght

properly so that they can appreciate the value of life and the sanctity of each person s body.

Moral discipline is pressed upon students from the very beginning to help them cope with the

responsibility that the deadliness of this art places upon them. You have to go through many

Fujian White Crane Kung Fu