Adults Kung Fu

Kung Fu is an umbrella term that means all of Chinese Martial Arts styles. Our focus at Dragon Phoenix is the Internal branch of Kung Fu. Internal Kung Fu includes the styles of Tai Chi (Tai Chi started out as a fighting style) as well as Xing Yi Quan and Baguazhang. What makes them “Internal Styles” is that the movement comes from the internal muscle groups (tendons and ligaments) rather than just the power muscles. They are also connected with Chinese Medicine and work on qi, or chi, cultivation. This means that they promote good health along with teaching self defense skills. These are all old styles of martial arts that have been proven to be effective for health and self defense over hundreds of years. Since power is generated from a relaxed state, effectiveness is based more on understanding of technique rather than just on brute force. Because of all this, Internal Martial Arts are often referred to as Higher Martial Arts. In external styles, such as Taekwondo or Karate, the winner of a fight is often determined by the physically stronger person and favors young adults. With Internal styles, we utilize Physics over Force so that a much smaller framed person can take down a much larger person. The styles we teach here can be studied into older age as they heal the body rather than causing trauma to the joints and bones.

Cheng Style Dragon Baguazhang

It is very rare to find a qualified Baguazhang Master who comes from a highly respected lineage. This is exactly what you will find at Dragon Phoenix. Sifu Aaron is a 6th Generation Cheng Style Baguazhang Master. His Shifu is International Judge and Kung Fu Champion Li Chunling. She was one of the top students of Baguazhang legend Sun Zhijun. Cheng Style is one of the primary styles of Baguazhang, and the Sun Zhijun branch is considered the closest to the original movement taught by founder Dong Hai Chuan in the mid 1800s. In the United States Li Chunling has only 3 Inner Door Disciples, Sifu Aaron being one of them. He searched all over the world to find the highest level living Baguazhang master and was beyond thrilled to find that Li Chunling was living in the United States and willing to teach him. When she asked him to become one of her disciples, he was incredibly honored. It is now his responsibility and duty to pass along this tradition and to teach the next generation of students. Attention to detail is very important to Sifu Aaron, and he encourages questions from his students.

Baguazhang is considered to be one of the highest levels of Kung Fu, and Cheng Style is one of the most difficult and highest levels of Baguazhang. Despite that, Sifu Aaron has found ways to teach the style so that new students are able to learn and grow within the style at their own pace while still providing challenges and growth to more advanced students.

Class begins with some quick stretches followed by stance training. Next, students work on drills teaching the fundamentals such as Circle Walking, Bagua Stepping, Changing Directions, Post Training, and Bagua Palm.

After that students break into 2 groups. Newer students learn the Eight Changing Palms form in a straight line before progressing to learning the form moving in a circle. More advanced students work on the 8 Mother Palm Linking Form.

Then everyone comes together to work on one of the 8 Eight Mother Palms. Each month we focus on one of the 8 Mother Palms. At the end of class we work on competitive Push Hands, which is the sparring practice of Internal Kung Fu.

Class is concluded with a short Tao reading followed by sitting meditation.

Our Baguazhang is very traditional, so fighting application is taught along with the movements.

Martial Tai Chi

  The focus of this class is on the martial side of Tai Chi. Students will utilize a wide array of internal energies for striking, kicking, joint locking and throwing an opponent --all in one move. When there are no longer “gaps” expressing your internal energies and your form is smoothed out over a period of months, then you will embody the classical principles found in the Book of Changes (I Ching), go beyond them to appropriately respond to an opponent, yet adhere to the classical nei jia principles for expressing internal energy.

CHEN PAN LING’S 99 POSTURE TAIJIQUAN  -A Combined Form with Xingyi and Bagua Extrapolations        

As taught by Mark Small, Chung (Loyalty) level inner door student in Chen Yun Ching’s Family Systems (Ling Yun Pai) 

·  “Middle frame” stances at a relatively even and slow pace.   

·  Eight basic energies of: Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Tsai, Li, Shou and Ko.

·  Silk reeling (Chan Si Jin) or classical spiraling energy training.  

·  Separating Yin from Yang in your upper and lower body (Cross-lateral Associations)

·  Col. Y. W. Chang's Chen Pan Ling’s Original Tai Chi Chuan Textbook - 1998 will be our main resource.

This class is taught on Wednesday nights from 7-8:30pm by Sifu Mark Small

Chen Tai Chi

Chen Tai Chi utilizes relaxed movements that strengthens the tendons and ligaments and focuses on circular movements that flow with the natural way our bodies were designed. The movements were created with the intention of opening meridians and allowing chi to better flow through our bodies, thus helping to improve the overall health of the body.

By using softness and dissolving to emptiness, we find strength and peacefulness.

Tai Chi focuses on circular relaxed movement that is very low impact. Through this it works to build balance, coordination, and internal strength. Chen Family Tai Chi is known for its silk reeling spiral movements which works to circulate chi (or energy) throughout the body.

Tai Chi is called internal because it focuses on building oneself from the inside out. You learn how to feel the inside of your body and to awaken tiny muscles that have been asleep.

Tai Chi builds whole body strength that greatly helps with balance and sensitivity. It in a way rewires your neurological system to build whole body awareness. This type of advanced motor control can give you a unique edge when applied to any sport or physical activity.

Paired with Tao Philosophy, we learn to condition our minds so that they can remain calm and free in stressful situations.

Chen Tai Chi is taught Monday Evenings from 7-8:15, as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 - 2:15 by Aaron

Classes begin with Silk Reeling Spiral Qigong exercises. These are unique to Chen Tai Chi and were developed over 100 years ago by Chen Fa-ke. When then do a short standing meditation followed by stance training. Students go through Chen Style Old Frame First Form, or Laojia Yilu.

After going through the form as a class, movements from the form are broken down into great detail. Concepts discussed include Tai Chi Principles and Methods, Martial Application, and Whole Body Spiral Mechanics. Aaron teaches the whole class on multiple levels together as a whole. Students who are learning movements for the first time work to grasp the basic concepts, while more advanced students are shown finer details of whole body movements and spirals.

Push hands exercises, which are sparring side of Tai Chi are reserved for the Pao Choi class. Pao Choi is also known as Chen Style Old Frame Second Form, or Laojia Erlu. This is where students learn Tai Chi as a martial arts style.

Class is concluded with a short Tao reading as well as sitting meditation.