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What is Hung Kuen Kung Fu?

Hung Kuen is a traditional Chinese Kung Fu system. The full title of the art is Nam Siu Lam Hung Gar Kuen or Southern Shaolin Hung Family Fist. The roots of the art lie in the monastic traditions of Southern China.

Our club belongs to the Ti Ku Sam lineage. Ti Ku Sam was renown not only for his fighting ability but also for his practice of the yogic aspects of Kung Fu. He is credited with creating the internal “Iron Thread” form of Hung Kuen. This understanding of dynamic yoga underpins everything we practice at the club.

The lineage contains several entire systems. We use Hung Kuen as the foundation for learning Kung Fu.

At West London Kung Fu we practice traditional training methods and applications. These are not suitable for children under the age of 14. We do not offer classes for children.

Five Animals Kung Fu – Shaolin Hung Gar Kuen

What are the five animals ?

To understand how the human body moves the Shaolin looked to nature:

Panther

Fast, light, precision strikes combined with agile footwork

Crane

Powerful movements of arms and upper body escape locks and unbalance opponents

Dragon

A light wiry body focuses internal energy to grip and grapple

Snake

Soft and yielding, absorbs and deflects strikes, lightning fast counter-strikes

Tiger

Awesomely powerful strikes and immense strength

What is Hung Kuen For

Everything that you learn in Hung Kuen has an application for self-defence. There is much more to Hung Kuen than just self-defence; there is yoga, aerobic fitness, health, traditional medicine, competition, art and more. But the thing that makes Hung Kuen different from plain yoga or aerobics is that you learn to defend yourself.

What will I learn?

Pugilism

Striking with power. Avoiding and controlling punches and kicks.

Grappling

Using leverage to apply locks. Avoiding joint and muscle locks.

Throwing

How to unbalance, uproot, and throw an opponent. How to keep your own balance.

Vital points

Understanding anatomy and medicine to attack vulnerable points.

Energy

Cultivating energy for health and vitality, and using it in defence and attack.

Self-defence

How to avoid confrontation when possible. How to diffuse confrontation when possible. How to use force when necessary to exit a confrontation minimising harm to yourself and others.

Weapons

Using a wide range of weapons such as: the staff, sword, dagger, spear and walking stick to strike, trap, throw, and attack vital points

Who is Hung Kuen For?

Is it suitable for women ?

The foundations of Hung Kuen are balance, natural movement and good body mechanics. This makes it an ideal art for women.

Is there an age requirement?

At West London Kung Fu we practice traditional training methods and applications. These are not suitable for children under the age of 14. We do not offer classes for children.

Do I need to be fit to start kung fu?

Kung fu is for ordinary people. You do not need to be particularly fit to take up kung fu. Practicing the art will both build, and sustain, your health and fitness. There is no upper age limit.

Is a particular body shape better for Hung Kuen?

The whole point of kung fu is that it is for everybody. It doesn’t matter whether you are tall or short, big or small, male or female. This is the art for you.

Benefits

Practicing Hung Kuen

  • Improves coordination
  • Improves posture and balance
  • Improves flexibility and strength of joints and muscles
  • Reduces stress
  • Increases aerobic fitness
  • Increases health
  • Practices mindfulness
  • Cultivates energy so that you look and feel younger

and on top of everything, it’s fun!

The Tradition

The club is part of the Wei-t-o kung fu organisation. Wei-t-o was founded by Sifu Geof Hasbrouck to preserve the arts of the Ti ku sam Lineage. Sifu Hasbrouck died in 2018. He left the lineage to long time student Wayne Armstrong. Tragically Wayne died in 2018. Their students continue their work by passing on the understanding of the art and, more importantly, by sharing the joy of practicing traditional Kung fu.

The organisation has instructors specialising in different areas of kung fu from healing medicine to fighting in the ring. There are over 280 years of martial arts experience represented in this photo.

Free Trial (0755 466 1680)

How can I find out more ?

The best way to find out more is to give us a try. To arrange your free session just call me (Tom Bayley) on 0755 466 1680 or email tom@westlondonkungfu.com.

It is best to call me because I am very friendly and I can quickly answer any concerns you might have.

Where do you train?

We are based in Teddington, West London. There are good road and rail connections to central London.

When do you train?

There is one class each week and it lasts for 2 hours. It is on Wednesday nights from 7.30 pm until 9.30 pm.

What should I wear?

We train in a T shirt, loose fitting trousers and clean in-door trainers (e.g. badminton shoes).

Costs?

Your first session is free. Classes are £45 a month. There is no joining fee but Member to Member insurance is around £20 a year.

Who is the instructor?

My name is Tom Bayley. I am fifty years old and I am a qualified teacher working in adult education. I began studying Hung Kuen in 1994 and I opened the West London club as an instructor in 2006.

Reminder

We do not offer classes for children in Teddington.

Contact

Its best to phone me because I can quickly answer any questions you might have.

Phone : 0755 466 1680 Tom Bayley Instructor

Or email me,

email: tom@westlondonkungfu.com