Dragon Phoenix Online Academy

What it is and how it works

Pricing is $60/month and you’re in. We’re doing a soft launch to work out bugs and get feedback from students about how to improve so for 2025 the pricing is only $45/month, when 2026 rolls around regular pricing will kick in.

Credibility - who is this guy and does he really know

Shifu Aaron Dison is 6th Generation Baguazhang Master (5th generation Cheng Baguazhang). My Shifu is Li Chunling, one of the top disciples of the late Sun Zhijun. You can find more info on my Bio page for more full details. Shifu Li has told me that because of how quickly and deeply I have learned, there are many things that she has not necessarily taught many of her other disciples. From the very beginning of working with her she told me that I am very talented in Baguazhang (to be fair I had been studying other styles for many years and already had Dragon Phoenix where I teach full time, so that certainly helped accelerate my learning curve. Also I love Baguazhang, that is one of the secrets to gaining a high degree of proficiency in any discipline). Shifu Li has gotten a lot of criticism from people in China for openly teaching non Chinese students as she has shared many videos of me training with her on her Chinese social media accounts. “You remember it was a foreigner who killed Cheng Tinghua, how can you teach a foreigner?!” among other comments. She tells me she doesn’t care and to just ignore those people. The fact that she has many students all over the world as well as the accomplishments of her students prove that she is a great Shifu, and I agree. In many circles, much of what I study and teach is considered secret information that is very rarely shared. One interesting thing I have seen from some teachers in China is that they have seen some of these great styles of Kung Fu start to disappear. The cultural revolution was a devastating blow to Kung Fu, and many young people in China are more interested in technology and western style gyms and martial arts. It is for some of these reasons as well as the fact that I am her disciple that she teaches me everything I am willing to and open to learning. I am not Chinese, but am honored to learn these great arts. Instead of letting some of these arts disappear, I know that I can at the least act as a placeholder to be able to give back to Chinese students who wish to learn, but do not have access to these arts or a qualified teacher where they live. Shifu Li has told me that she teaches exactly as her master Sun Zhijun taught her and that she has not changed a thing. I do the same and teach exactly as my Shifu has taught me and do not change or alter anything I teach. It is important to study and learn Kung Fu correctly and not assume that you know better than something you do not yet understand the full extent of. Some of my feelings about Kung Fu secrets is that they are not necessarily kept secret, its that you are not able to understand them until you reach a certain level by putting in the time, energy, and effort, being a good listener, and “emptying your cup”. Sun Zhijun’s Baguazhang has been widely considered the most pure/true to the original branch of Cheng Baguazhang in accordance with what Cheng Tinghua developed. So when you study Cheng Baguazhang at Dragon Phoenix, you are learning real Cheng Baguazhang as it has been handed down through the generations. This is real Baguazhang.

Traditionally you can only be a disciple under one Master. Baguazhang is my number 1 style, but I have also have had many doors open up for me with Chen Taijiquan. After being taught improperly I was very determined to track down correct Chen Taijiquan. I have studied every document, lecture, and instructional material from the Chen family I was able to get my hands on to correct my Taiji while I was tracking down a proper teacher. After a few years and much searching I was able to begin my studies under Master Chen Bing of Chenjiagou. Chen Bing is the protégé of master Chen Xiaowang, grew up in Chen Village, and was trained by the highest level Chen Taiji masters from a very young age. I was very honored and flattered when first working with him when he told me that my Taiji was already very good. I continue to learn and study with him with permission from my Baguazhang Shifu so that I can take my Taiji to even higher levels.

I began my Xing Yi studies with Sifu Mark Small, who is an inner door disciple of Chen Youching, son of the great Chen Panling. The Chen Panling Xingyi system as described to me by Sifu Mark is a barebones system to teach quick efficiency, and Chen Panling, as he writes in his Taijiquan book, wanted to compile a system more for sport and exercise. After becoming a disciple under Shifu Li, I later started to learn a more traditional and detailed lineage of Xing Yi as was taught to her by her Shifu. Sun Zhijun learned from Cheng Youxin, who learned from Li Cunli, who was an esteemed disciple of the founder of Xing Yi Li Lunung. In all honestly Xingyi is number 3 for me as far as the internal styles go so the material from this style will be more slowly forthcoming in the Dragon Phoenix Online Academy. As with my Baguazhang instruction, this lineage is also very detail oriented, which is where the power and application becomes revealed.

One of the things that led me down this path to begin with was Dao philosophy. I remember being a high school kid sitting in a history class back in the 90s and seeing a very short paragraph in the textbook that mentioned Dao philosophy. It intrigued my interest so I would go to bookstores and start to buy and read any book I could find on the topic. That kept on and on as my library has continued to grow. I teach Dao philosophy in my classes, as I feel that it is an important part of Internal Kung Fu. It helps give guidance of the mind and spirit that leads us to higher levels of Kung Fu. Through the decades I have studied the I Ching, Internal Alchemy, and have studied all of the classics. I include lectures from my classes in the curriculum for this online academy because I feel that anyone studying here will gain a lot through them and that it will help you to better understand your Kung Fu. There are many ways people go about studying Dao. Many get deep into energy, feeling, and metaphysical. I take a very commonsense approach that I feel is much more in harmony with Dao. It just is: it is very simple, and we all are. You can take it or leave it The Dao is attainable by all and enlightenment is just waiting for you. I hope you will join me on my path as I help you to illuminate yours.

In the past I have studied with American teachers who decided to make changes to styles, or had their own interpretations to the styles. I found that when this was done, the essence of the art was lost and that I started sustaining injuries. Because of this it has been very important for me to learn true, correct, traditional Kung Fu from the trunk of the lineage tree. I have done the hard work tracking down specific teachers, studying, learning, and dedicating my life to the art. I now have the pleasure of being able to share it with you. As a disciple I feel it is my duty to share and spread Internal Kung Fu so that it can continue to flourish and help people live healthier and more productive lives. I’m not going to lie to you, what you will learn here is difficult. Kung Fu does mean Hard Work after all. My background as a school teacher has helped me to develop ways to better communicate and teach these styles so that they are easier to learn. I wish you great success on your path. My job is not to hold back students or withhold information, but instead to shine a light on their path to help them fulfil their goals.

Material Taught

Cheng Baguazhang - Foundations, 8 turning palms, 8 mother palms, Linking 8 mother palms

Chen Taijiquan - Silk Reeling Chan Ssu, Fang Sang, Zhan Zhuang, Laojia Yilu

Xingyiquan - 5 Element fists, 5 Element Linking Form, 2 person form

Earning certifications

You will start with access to all level 1 material in Baguazhang, Taiji, and Xing Yi. In order to progress to the next level and unlock new material you will need to submit videos clearly demonstrating your ability to perform said material. We will respond back with notes and feedback as to if your material is passing and/or where it still needs some work.

Certifications - same as our school program. certificate of having learned material. You can do it independently and it looks passable. Not saying that you are an expert yet, just that you have learned.

Black Sash - same as before.

Discipleship - yes, you can become a disciple.

Submitting videos

For submitting videos you will upload to your Google Drive and then share with me at aaron@dragonphoenix.org. Easy.

What your experience will look like

I’ve gotten some feedback about various other programs like ours across the web and have seen how they can be structured in different ways. How I have structured this program is very much how I teach. I let the student determine what kind of student they wish to be. Some students will practice here and there for fun and learn some basics, and others will be dedicated, practice often, and level up quickly. You get to decide how much you learn, what you get out of our program, and what level you attain. I am here to help guide you and provide the path.

We have a private Facebook group for students enrolled in our program where you can ask questions and communicate with your Kung Fu brothers and sisters.

Group Zoom calls monthly where you can ask questions, etc.

We use an amazing program called Gymdesk to manage our school. It manages communication through text and email, and hosts the student portal where all of your instructional material is housed. You will have login information through our website to access your account in Gymdesk. If you have questions or concerns, email or text. I usually respond pretty quickly, but do take time for myself on the weekends to unplug. As much as I love Kung Fu, I know that it is important to take breaks to spend time with friends and be a regular human being.

Coming 2026

Baguazhang - Moon Knives, Dao, Spear, Jian, Applications

Taiji - Laojia Erlu, Jian, Dao, Spear, Push Hands, 13 form, Applications

Understanding the I Ching

Dao philosophy lectures

(all material I know and teach, I just am still working on creating the content to post to the portal)

Will I be able to teach this?

Yes, one of our goals is to create teachers who can bring this into their schools and help share Internal Kung Fu. If you are a teacher or would like to become one, let us know. Teaching is really the best way to learn. I already had a school and was teaching other styles when I started working with my Shifu. She appreciated this about me and encouraged me to teach what I was learning from her. I credit this for some of my accelerated learning speed in Baguazhang and encourage others to do the same. Your certification will speak for itself. If you have a certificate of proficiency, then you can teach the basic understanding of it, but can’t really claim to know more beyond that. If you attain Black Sash, then you will have a solid understanding to teach. I feel that once you reach this level you really need to get out and start teaching to further progress your personal development. If you become one of my disciples, it is your duty to teach in some capacity.