Shifu Aaron Dison
Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, Thoughtfully Taught
Shifu Aaron Dison is the founder and head instructor of Dragon Phoenix Kung Fu and Tai Chi in the Asheville and Woodfin area of Western North Carolina. A formal disciple in the Cheng Baguazhang lineage and a student of Chen Taijiquan and Xingyiquan, he combines decades of martial arts study with a master’s degree in education from North Carolina A&T State University.
His work is centered on preserving authentic Chinese martial arts, making sophisticated material genuinely understandable, and helping students develop skill, confidence, character, and a practice that can continue enriching their lives for many years.
THOUGHTFUL INSTRUCTION · LIFELONG LEARNING
Advanced Arts Made Genuinely Learnable
Skill in a martial art and the ability to teach it are not the same. Effective instruction requires understanding not only how a movement works, but also how different students learn, where they are likely to struggle, and how a complex skill can be developed one manageable step at a time.
Shifu Aaron holds a master’s degree in education from North Carolina A&T State University and previously worked as an elementary school teacher. This professional background continues to shape every part of his instruction and curriculum development at Dragon Phoenix.
Movements are explained in plain language, demonstrated from multiple perspectives, and broken into progressive stages. Students receive clear corrections while also being encouraged to ask questions, think independently, and understand the principles behind what they practice.
The purpose is not to simplify the arts until their depth is lost. It is to make that depth accessible—so that beginners can build strong foundations and experienced students can continue discovering new layers of understanding.
Teaching with High Standards and Patience
Students are expected to practice carefully, remain curious, and take responsibility for their progress. They are not expected to arrive already coordinated, flexible, athletic, confident, or knowledgeable.
A good teacher meets each student where they are while continuing to show them where the path can lead.
A LIFETIME OF STUDY
From Beginning Student to Founder of Dragon Phoenix
Aaron began studying martial arts in the late 1990s through Taekwondo. He quickly became an assistant instructor and earned his black belt in 2000. During college, he continued exploring different martial traditions, including Shotokan Karate, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido, and Pasa Ryu.
It was through one of these early teachers that Aaron was first introduced to the internal martial arts and began studying elements of Yin-style Baguazhang. That introduction opened the door to a very different understanding of movement—one shaped by structure, intention, whole-body coordination, and principles that could continue unfolding through years of practice.
After graduating from college, Aaron moved to Asheville in 2006 and began an intensive period of study in Chinese martial arts. Over the following fourteen years, he trained across a broad curriculum that included Chen Taijiquan, Baguazhang, Praying Mantis, traditional weapons, and related systems.
In 2013, Aaron received his instructor’s blessing to establish a school of his own. Dragon Phoenix formally opened in 2014, creating a place where children and adults could study traditional martial arts through patient instruction, organized curricula, and a welcoming community.
A New Stage of Study
Opening a school did not mark the end of Aaron’s development as a student. It deepened his responsibility to continue learning, question his own understanding, and seek teachers who could help him reach more advanced levels of practice.
Beginning in 2021, he entered a new period of focused study in Cheng Baguazhang, Chen Taijiquan, and Xingyiquan. Those relationships would reshape the curriculum at Dragon Phoenix and connect the school more directly to the living lineages it now has a responsibility to preserve.
TRADITION PASSED FROM TEACHER TO STUDENT
Preserving the Arts Through Continued Study
Traditional martial arts are living practices. Their forms, principles, applications, and deeper methods are preserved through relationships between teachers and students—not through books, videos, or historical research alone.
Shifu Aaron continues to study because teaching carries a responsibility: to understand the material as deeply as possible, represent his teachers honestly, and pass each tradition forward without separating it from the principles that give it meaning.
Cheng Baguazhang
In 2023, Aaron was formally accepted as an inner-door disciple of Shifu Li Chunling, a fifth-generation master of Cheng-style Baguazhang and a senior disciple of the late Grandmaster Sun Zhijun.
Formal discipleship is more than recognition of technical achievement. It represents a personal relationship between teacher and student and a responsibility to study, preserve, teach, and transmit the art faithfully.
Through this relationship, Shifu Aaron studies Cheng Baguazhang as a complete martial system—including foundational training, circle walking, palm methods, traditional forms, applications, partner work, internal development, and weapons.
The Dragon Phoenix Cheng Baguazhang Lineage
Dong Haichuan → Cheng Tinghua → Cheng Yousheng → Sun Zhijun → Li Chunling → Aaron Dison
The Cheng Baguazhang curriculum at Dragon Phoenix grows directly from this continuing teacher-to-student transmission.
Chen Taijiquan
After years of studying and teaching Chen Taijiquan, Aaron sought a direct relationship with a teacher rooted in Chenjiagou, the historical home of Chen-style Taijiquan.
In 2024, he began studying with Master Chen Bing. He continues to learn as Master Chen Bing’s student, refining his understanding of body mechanics, silk-reeling energy, traditional forms, internal power, applications, and the principles that connect each stage of Chen Taijiquan training.
This continuing study informs the Chen Taijiquan curriculum at Dragon Phoenix while reinforcing an important principle of the school: teachers must remain students.
Xingyiquan
Shifu Aaron has studied Xingyiquan under both Shifu Mark Small and Shifu Li Chunling.
His work with Shifu Mark introduced him to Xingyiquan transmitted through the tradition of Chen Panling and Chen Youching. His studies with Shifu Li provide an additional perspective grounded in the methods and internal principles that connect Xingyiquan with Baguazhang.
These complementary influences inform the Five Element Fists, foundational linking methods, and whole-body power development taught within Dragon Phoenix’s adult and youth curricula.
The Responsibility of Transmission
Lineage is not presented at Dragon Phoenix as decoration or a claim of superiority. Its value lies in accountability.
It connects each generation of students to the people who preserved the art before them, while reminding every teacher that the tradition must be practiced carefully, understood honestly, and passed forward responsibly.
A SCHOOL CREATED FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
More Than a Place to Take Classes
When Shifu Aaron opened Dragon Phoenix in 2014, his goal was not simply to create another martial arts school. He wanted to build a community where traditional Chinese martial arts could be studied seriously, taught thoughtfully, and carried forward by future generations.
That vision continues to guide the school today.
Dragon Phoenix combines authentic lineage-based instruction with carefully organized curricula, professional teaching methods, and a culture built around patience, responsibility, curiosity, and mutual respect. Students are encouraged to work hard and develop real skill without an atmosphere of intimidation, ego, or pressure to prove themselves.
Kung Fu as a Path of Development
At Dragon Phoenix, kung fu is not treated merely as a collection of forms, fighting techniques, or physical exercises. It is a way of practicing qualities that influence the rest of a person’s life.
Through training, students learn to:
Remain patient when progress feels slow
Continue working through difficulty
Accept correction without losing confidence
Think independently instead of merely imitating
Take responsibility for their choices and development
Treat teachers, training partners, and themselves with respect
Use growing skill with good judgment and martial virtue
The physical art is the medium. The deeper purpose is helping people become more capable, thoughtful, resilient, and responsible human beings.
Preserving the Arts by Creating Teachers
Traditional martial arts survive when each generation develops people who can carry the knowledge forward.
For this reason, Dragon Phoenix is designed to offer more than introductory classes. Students may progress through increasingly advanced forms, applications, partner training, weapons, instructor development, and—when the relationship and commitment are right—formal discipleship.
Experienced students are also given opportunities to help newer practitioners under supervision. Teaching strengthens their own understanding while preparing them to become responsible guides for the next generation.
Shifu Aaron’s long-term vision is for Dragon Phoenix to outlive its founder: a school sustained by skilled teachers, committed students, and disciples who preserve the traditions while continuing to serve their own communities.
A Community Rooted in Service
Dragon Phoenix welcomes children, adults, families, older adults, experienced martial artists, and complete beginners. Different students may enter through different programs, but each becomes part of a community built around learning, personal growth, and shared practice.
Whether someone trains for confidence, health, self-defense, cultural preservation, lifelong study, or the simple joy of movement, they should find a place where they are known as an individual and encouraged to grow.
LOCAL AND ONLINE PATHS OF STUDY
Find the Training Path That Speaks to You
Shifu Aaron teaches and oversees several progressive programs at Dragon Phoenix. Each provides a welcoming place for beginners to start and a structured path that can deepen through years of continued practice.
Cheng Baguazhang
Circular Movement, Strategy, and Change
Study traditional Cheng Baguazhang through circle walking, palm methods, spiraling movement, forms, martial applications, partner training, internal development, and weapons.
The curriculum comes through Shifu Aaron’s formal discipleship under Shifu Li Chunling and the lineage of Grandmaster Sun Zhijun.
Kids Kung Fu
Confidence, Character, and Genuine Self-Discipline
The Dragon Phoenix youth curriculum combines authentic Xingyiquan, Cheng Baguazhang, and Chen Taijiquan with patient, child-centered instruction.
Developed by Shifu Aaron, the program helps children build confidence, focus, resilience, personal responsibility, and the ability to persevere through meaningful challenges.
Chen Taijiquan
Internal Power, Coordination, and Precision
Develop relaxed strength, whole-body coordination, silk-reeling movement, traditional forms, partner sensitivity, martial applications, meditation, and a practice capable of evolving throughout a lifetime.
Shifu Aaron continues his Chen Taijiquan studies as a student of Master Chen Bing.
Dragon Phoenix Online Academy
Authentic Internal Arts—Wherever You Live
Study Cheng Baguazhang, Chen Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, foundational training, and Dao philosophy through organized lessons and direct guidance from Shifu Aaron.
The Online Academy is designed for students who want more than scattered instructional videos. It provides a progressive path, opportunities for personal feedback, and a connection to the larger Dragon Phoenix community.
EXPERIENCES FROM THE DRAGON PHOENIX COMMUNITY
A Teacher Known Through His Students
Credentials and lineage establish where a teacher’s knowledge comes from. The experience of the students reveals how that knowledge is shared.
Students at Dragon Phoenix describe Shifu Aaron as knowledgeable and authentic, but also patient, generous, encouraging, and able to explain difficult material in ways that create genuine understanding.
Teaching from the Heart and Mind
“He teaches from both the heart and the mind. He explains and demonstrates in a way that is enlightening.”
— Laurent, longtime martial artist
Authentic Instruction
“Aaron is authentic as you can get in a kung fu teacher. I highly recommend his school.”
— Larry, Dragon Phoenix student
What These Experiences Have in Common
Students arrive with different ages, abilities, interests, and levels of experience. Some are beginning their first martial art. Others have trained for decades.
The shared goal is not to make every student look or learn exactly the same. It is to provide the knowledge, structure, encouragement, and honest correction each person needs to continue developing.
An Educator Who
Understands Children
“His background as an elementary school teacher shows in class. He is a positive force in the lives of my children.”
— Angel, Dragon Phoenix parent
Patient and Generous Guidance
“Aaron and Bonner have been patient and generous of spirit. The lessons we learn during class spill into our everyday lives.”
— Rachel, Chen Taijiquan student
YOUR PATH CAN BEGIN HERE
Study with Shifu Aaron
Whether you are looking for authentic internal martial arts, a thoughtful teacher for your child, or a structured path of study you can follow from home, Dragon Phoenix offers a welcoming place to begin.
You do not need previous experience, exceptional athletic ability, or a complete understanding of the different martial arts before starting. You only need curiosity, patience, and a willingness to learn.
Local students can explore Cheng Baguazhang, Chen Taijiquan, Kids Kung Fu, and the other programs offered at Dragon Phoenix in North Asheville and Woodfin. Students living farther away can study through the Dragon Phoenix Online Academy and receive structured instruction and direct guidance from Shifu Aaron.
Begin in the Way That Fits You
Have a question before beginning? Contact Shifu Aaron
Dragon Phoenix Kung Fu and Tai Chi
51 North Merrimon Avenue, Suite 109
North Asheville/Woodfin, North Carolina