Many moons ago I started training at South Jersey Kung Fu with Sifu Phu Ngo. Little did I know some 27 years ago that I would help start Enter Shaolin with my teacher. You might be thinking what does kung fu have to do with Mixed Martial Arts?
The answer to that is any martial artist worth their salt understands that in order to truly be a warrior you need to be able to handle yourself in all of the fighting ranges. Ironically I have always thought the way a person should train is to cross-train in different disciplines.
During the early 90’s the UFC brought Mixed Martial Arts mainstream. Then all of a sudden media made it sound like finally martial arts has been modernized. The truth is though, cross-training has been something martial artists have been doing for centuries.
New Jersey Martial Arts Training | Wing Chun, Tai Chi, Chin Na
Just in those 3 martial arts you literally learn how to deal with everything from kicking range to boxing range, to clinching range, and finally to ground fighting. The fact is chances are you will be in every one of those fighting ranges at one point or another in a real street fight. The reason these 3 martial arts are so effective together is that understanding these martial arts unlocks your ability to understand every single martial art on the planet. Yes, you can find all of these in New Jersey more specifically south jersey.
Wing Chun
This style was made famous by the late Bruce Lee. However, it’s been in recent years with the Ip Movies that Wing Chun started getting on people’s radars. Arguably the greatest contribution Wing Chun has given to the martial art world is its Chi Sao sensitivity training. This system of fighting is also known for its close-quarter fighting skill set.
Tai Chi
Also known as the “Great Ultimate Fist” is probably one of the most misunderstood martial arts. Here in the west people think that Tai Chi is like yoga and just for health. However, those that integrate Tai Chi into their fighting systems understand just how amazing this martial art is. Tai Chi’s gift to the martial art community it’s Push Hands sentivitity game. Tai Chi is a mid-range fighting system .
Chin Na
This is one of the most practical martial arts. The reason is that it focuses on understanding the human anatomy and joint manipulation. There are no forms or training regiments. This is purely a system of techniques applied at the right times. As such, you will find Chin Na is a part of a much different martial art system.
When you combine these three martial arts together you get Mixed Martial Arts. Within these 3 martial arts you can learn how to handle everything from kicking range, to clinching range, and finally to ground fighting.
Ngo Dac Na – Our Family Martial Art System
What is unique about what we do here with our south jersey kung fu school is we teach our students how energy works with the body. We teach them the universal principles that govern all martial arts. We also focus our training on pure combat. That is to say, we teach people how to handle themselves in a real street fight.
Here in the United States, most martial art schools focus on their students earning that coveted Black Belt. We don’t focus on ranking systems. While I understand why it’s important for a person to gauge their progress in their training. We don’t believe that you can judge a person’s skill based on the rank they earned in their class.
There are people today who teach self-defense classes where the instructor has never been in a fight. However, they have a Black Belt and teach theory without any first-hand experience actually fighting.
Preparing for real combat
It’s because of this that modern-day MMA mocks traditional martial arts. Because most schools simply don’t teach real fighting. There are only 2 ways to experience what it’s like to be in a fight.
- Go out and fight people (Never a good option)
- Get a job where you actually have to use your skills as part of the job description ( A Better Way)
With that said, there is a third way to prepare yourself for a real fight and that is by training with live energy. Much like sparring with some twist, that we feel better prepares a person to deal with real-life situations.
Kung Fu Near Me – Finding The Right School
Finding the right school can feel intimidating. I give the example that if a person walks into 7 different schools if all 7 instructors are good at what they do, it will be very hard for them to discern what is the best for them. This is why it’s very important to educate yourself. If an instructor doesn’t explain things in a way that makes 100% sense to you. Keep searching.
How to decide where to start training
Do you want the martial art school you go to to focus on self-defense? Perhaps you want to train because you are looking to fulfill some fitness goals. Do you want to only train in public classes or are you looking for private lessons?
Whatever your personal goals are, here at Enter Shaolin we are the real deal. We train people of all fitness levels. We train people from nearby towns. We help people with self-discipline and self-control. We teach using a scientific approach. For us this is very important we don’t teach theory we teach principles and physics. If you are willing to put in the hard work we have an awesome place for you to start training right away.
If you are looking for South Jersey Kung Fu we are just an email or phone call away 1-844-9-KUNGFU.
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