About the Norwich Kung Fu Academy
It is our belief that Kung Fu should never be reduced to something as trivial as fighting skills. Kung Fu really means achieving excellence through hard work. It is about becoming a master of the art of living.
Why our students practice Tao Te Kung Fu
Because Tao Te Kung Fu is the most effective form of self-defence in any real world situation, many students who want to ensure their safety train with the Norwich Kung Fu Academy.
For some the emphasis of their training is the superb all round physical conditioning it can provide; not simply strength, endurance, flexibility and balance, but focused and precise control.
For some it is the rich depths of tradition, theories, principles, laws, techniques, even metaphysical philosophies that feed their need for depth and significance.
Many find that the meditative focus of coordinated thought and motion aid both concentration and relaxation. Some most value the humble quiet confidence and the sense of security that strengthens the character and overflows into all aspects of their lives; from business to relationships.
For some it is just to have fun.
For many their training becomes integral to their identity, a spiritual discipline, a path of self-development and self-realisation that profoundly improves their whole way of life. We invite you to train with us and we’re confident that you will find the way to master your potential.
Tao Te Kung Fu
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
Tao Te Kung Fu has been developed using techniques from a number of styles, but predominately from the Kung Fu style of Wing Chun. Wing Chun is almost certainly the most popular Kung Fu style practiced in Europe and the USA, not least, I suspect because the legendary Bruce Lee originally practised Wing Chun. The system focuses on unarmed combat, being the most probable scenario, however, Tao Te Kung Fu also includes many weapon skills that not only expand the range of situations a student can confidently deal with but also compliment their unarmed abilities.
“Tao Te” means the virtuous or powerful way, and refers to the development of the style within a modern context. There is always the danger that if one becomes entrenched in a tradition eventually lessons look like a sort of historical re-enactment. Tao Te Kung Fu takes advantage of the most recent developments in the neuroscience of skill acquisition and includes influences from other traditions not available to earlier, and geographically isolated, practitioners and is refreshed with decades of real-life experience in the security industry.
Many martial art styles require such levels of conditioning, strength and fitness that only young strong men can really excel; and they will often pay the price in later years as the physical punishment of their training takes its toll. Because Tao Te Kung Fu was developed to enable a smaller, weaker fighter to overcome a larger and stronger opponent it is ideally suited to people of all sizes and ages. Not being dependent on vast strength, Tao Te Kung Fu puts an emphasis on speed, with many fast striking combinations and close-range techniques. The training will help you become stronger, fitter and more supple, but your capacity to excel in Tao Te Kung Fu is not dependent on these.
Self Development
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.”
Tao Te Kung Fu will not only help you develop confidence in having the ability to defend yourself in dangerous situations. A major element of the style is a focus on personal development. As Kung Fu skills become integral to the your identity, it can become a spiritual discipline, a path of self-realisation that can profoundly improve your whole way of life. An area often missing from many martial arts classes is the philosophy that would traditionally run alongside the physical skills. As most of our students do not come from a medieval Chinese cultural background this aspect of our training is delivered in a way that English speaking culturally western people will find relevant and enlightening.
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
