
What
is Hung Gar Kung Fu?
Hung
Gar Kung Fu is wonderful and practical ancient
Chinese martial art.
It’s a close range hard style
containing empty hand forms, weapon forms, Chi
Kung breathing, isometric training exercises,
and the Chinese lion's dance.
The Hung Gar style
uses the movements of the five animals for self
defense and to develop the body, mind and
spirit. These animals include the snake, crane,
leopard, tiger and dragon. Each animal movement
has its own specialized attribute.
As humans we can
learn from the attributes of each animal and
anyone can do this. The system is considered by
some to be very practical and easy to learn
because it uses eighty to ninety percent hands
which mean it is easier to apply especially in
adverse weather. The hallmarks of Hung Gar are
deep low stances, notably its "sei ping
ma" or horse stance, strong hand
techniques, notably the bridge hand and the
versatile tiger claw.
The
student traditionally spends anywhere from
months to three years in stance training, often
sitting only in horse stance between a half-hour
to several hours at one time, before learning
any forms. Each form then might take a year or
so to learn, with weapons learned last. However,
in modernity, this mode of instruction is deemed
economically unfeasible and impractical for
students, who have other concerns beyond
practicing kung fu.
Hung
Gar is sometimes miss-characterized as solely
external; that is, reliant on brute physical
force rather than the cultivation of chi; even
though the student advances progressively
towards an internal focus.
Iron
Wire training also called Jung hey, builds
internal power and is essentially a combination
of chi kung ( meditative breathing and energy
work) with isometric exercise particularly
dynamic tension. Although weights were often
used in traditional practice, brass or iron
rings on the wrists were also used. If properly
practiced it can increase strength considerably
and promote a stable root. However as with both
most forms of chi Kung and most forms of
isometric exercise it must be practiced
regularly or the benefits are quickly lost.
Benefits gained with
regular practice include reducing stress,
depression, hypertension, and blood pressure,
breathing and heart rates, pain and
inflammation, headaches and anxiety. Regular
practice also improves flexibility, balance and
posture, discipline, strength, circulation,
immune system function, ability to relax and
sleep concentration and memory, mental outlook
and weight management.
What
is Tai Chi
T'ai
Chi Ch'uan or Taijiquan; often
translated "supreme ultimate fist or
ultimate harmony"), commonly known as T'ai
Chi, Tai Chi, or Taiji, is a
‘soft’ and/or ‘internal’ Chinese martial
art. Tai
Chi is an ancient Chinese discipline followed by
millions of people all over the world.
It is a system of exercises with
both physical and mental benefits that
everyone can practice regardless of age and
physical abilities. Every student learns to
practice according to his/her ability and within
his/her natural range of movement.
The movements are extended, natural,
gentle, graceful, and relatively simple and easy
to learn. Tai Chi is also a martial art, where
embodied within the slow and gentle movements
are powerful vigor and force. No matter what
your age, Tai Chi is a complete martial art that
can not only be used for improved health and
wellness, but also for self defense.
Some call it a form of moving
meditation, others the fountain of youth and
still others say that it has changed their lives
in a wonderful way by bringing passion back into
their lives.
It is like living in the spring of your life! We
promise you will love the results!
Benefits of moving
slow quoted from ARTHRITIS TODAY magazine:
“Tai
Chi- although it is considered a moderately
aerobic exercise – is done slowly and smoothly
which helps to protect your joints. Take a look
at the physical and mental benefits that
practitioners of Tai Chi – and studies – say
these gentle movements can give you.”
Tai
Chi Reduces:
STRESS
DEPRESSION
HYPERTENSION
BLOOD
PRESSURE
BREATHING AND
HEART RATES
PAIN AND
INFLAMMATION
OSTEOARTHRITIS
POST SURGERY
RECOVERY
HEADACHES
ANXIETY
Tai
Chi Improves:
FLEXIBILITY
BALANCE & POSTURE
OSTEOPOROSIS
STRENGTH
CIRCULATION
IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTION
ABILITY TO RELAX & SLEEP
CONCENTRATION & MEMORY
MENTAL OUTLOOK
WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Tai
Chi is Endorsed by Several Health Promoting
Organizations
·
American
Academy of Family Physicians
·
American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
·
American
College of Rheumatology
·
American
Cancer Society
·
American
Geriatric Society
·
American
Heart Association
·
Arthritis
Foundation
·
American
Federation for Aging
·
Harvard
Medical School
·
Mayo
Clinic
·
National
Institute on Aging
·
National
MS Society
·
World
Health Organization
Tai
Chi History
Myth versus fact is a common
question when searching for the history of ancient
things and the origins of Tai Chi are even today
still somewhat uncertain.
Since Tai Chi cannot be carbon dated we
must search for other clues in the rare, sometimes
cryptic texts of ancient peoples.
Ancient Chinese texts are difficult to
decipher with ‘old style’ characters and
metaphors intended to ‘indirectly’ express or
hide concepts from the outside world.
Even today we still protect what is
personal and valuable to us from others.
Valuable family artifacts and information
is ‘carefully shared’, sometimes without
written records, only within families and perhaps
with few other trustworthy persons.
Tai Chi as we know it today is only a few
hundred years old, however the old forms of Tai
Chi that were cherished and carefully guarded by
monks, special families or heads of state are
believed to be at least 1,200 years old.
Tai Chi is a derivative of an older Chinese
art known as Qigong (pronounced ‘chi kung’),
estimated to be well more than 2,000 years old.
Tai Chi Ch’uan (often translated
‘ultimate fist or ultimate harmony’), Tai Chi
for short, developed primarily as a martial art in
order to promote health and especially the
self-defense of the Buddhist and Taoist monks in
their monasteries.
Intensive meditation and stillness,
academics, gentle craft, and a mild life made for
soft, weak monks that were easily overcome by
bandits. Tai
Chi allowed the monks to maintain their health and
their livelihood.
So when it comes to deciding
on which class is right for you consider your
goals and the amount of effort you are willing to
apply to reach them. We recommend trying an
introductory class to experience what it is like
to practice Kung Fu or Tai Chi. That way you will
have more information to help you make your
decision. Please feel free to call us and ask
questions about our curriculum and how it can meet
your needs. Our number is 716-822-0222. We look
forward to meeting you!
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