Bio of Late Jow Ga Master Chin Yuk Din

2 01 2013

Dean Chin took up the martial arts at the age of seven. His first instructors were uncles who taught him from the systems they knew: the White Eyebrow system, the White Crane system and the Hung Gar system. By the age of nine, when it became clear he was a prodigy of kung fu, he began the formal study of the Jow Ga system of kung fu. At thirteen he was invited into the Eagle Claw system at the school of the King of Eagles, Sifu Fu Liu, who taught him both Northern Shaolin and Eagle boxing forms. In spite of his youth, he mastered all of these kung fu methods, and excelled in grappling and Dim Mark (striking at pulse points).

It is not surprising that at the age of fourteen, the Jow Ga system recognized his genius and requested him to teach. From that time on, throughout the many years he taught Jow Ga, he never stopped learning from other kung fu masters with whom he exchanged system techniques. Some of these systems he learned from were: Wing Chung, Choy Li Fut, Jow Ga Praying Mantis, as well as Thai Boxing.

Master Dean Chin arrived in the United States in 1966. Shortly thereafter, he established the Jow Ga Kung Fu Association and opened the first Jow Ga kung fu academy in the Western hemisphere. In the ensuing years until his death in 1985, Master Dean Chin held many and diverse professional titles: the Overseas Coach for the Jow Biu branch of the Jow Ga Kung Fu Association; Eastern United States representative of the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association; member and qualified Sifu of Liu Fat Man’s (King of Eagles) Fan Tzi Eagle Claw School (a Northern Shaolin system); Advisor for the Presidents Cup (held annually in Taiwan-the worlds largest kung Fu tournament); and Vice Chairman of the Eastern United States Kung Fu Federation.

In the summer of 1999 at a dinner meeting in Hong Kong, Grand Master Chan Man Cheung, Master Dean Chins’ teacher and a direct disciple of Jow Biu (one of the founders and “Five Tigers” of Jow Ga), stated that Dean Chin was his most famous student. He went further to say that he only taught a few teachers here in the United States for any length of time. Those individuals were Master Dean Chin (founder of Jow Ga in the US), Master Hon Lee who resided in Hong Kong for several years and now teaches in Mclean, Virginia and the Chin brothers who live in New York.


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Categories : General Jow Ga Information, History, Jow Ga in America, Technique and Strategy, Video Clips

Keeping with Kung Fu Traditions

14 11 2026

We often think of “tradition” as something that never changes. When we say we practice “traditional Kung Fu” does it call to mind martial arts systems that have remained unchanged for generations? I think so. But what if the idea of tradition is that things should be ever-evolving, ever-changing? The #1 guy to challenge the idea of tradition in the Chinese martial arts in my lifetime has been none other than the great Bruce Lee. He once wrote a very provocative article entitled “Liberate Yourself From Classical Karate”, which won him just as many detractors as fans. That article, however, and the martial philosophy that followed seemed to change all martial arts, all over the world. People have credited him with such ideas as cross training and simplicity, even the idea of MMA had supposedly started with Bruce Lee. I know I could be committing Kung Fu blasphemy by saying this, but I can confidently assure you that Bruce Lee was not the first to propose the “Forms don’t hit back” philosophy that he is so credited with promoting. And yes, I know I screwed that up. LOL

Before Bruce Lee entered the scene–many years before Bruce Lee was a twinkle in his Daddy’s eye–the founder of my style, Jow Ga, and the founder of yours looked at the traditional Kung Fu he or she was learning and thought to himself, “I think I can find a better way…” So he took some of this, some of that, tested it on multiple opponents, trained it, then tested it again, and then one day canonized all that hard work and research, and (get ready) BROKE FROM TRADITION and created a new style.

Am I right? Is that how your system came to be? The founder learned a traditional style, then learned another one, then decided to blend ideas together, created new ideas, and then slapped a new name on what he created after proving over and over that this new creation was superior. I know I’m right because if I’m not, we would still be doing the arts our founders learned in their entirety. What caused the classical mess that Bruce Lee was talking about are guys like you and me, who learned these new arts then decided that the evolution would end with us. We are going to teach this art exactly as we learned it–never mind that perhaps your Sifu didn’t even teach you the exact art that he learned. In other words, most of us are wrong. Traditional Kung Fu is a living, breathing, ever-evolving, ever-changing thing. And the fools are those who are so attached to nostalgia we think going back in time will improve what we do because all these guys keeping up with the times got it wrong.

In a previous article I mentioned how many people get promoted to the expert or Black Sash level and immediately start teaching. This is valid, as many of our teachers did the same. I would recommend, however, a major review of everything you learned in the art while comparing or testing what you know against others. It can be adversarial, like a tournament or fighting career, but it can also be educational, where you train regularly with other practitioners be it from your own style or systems unlike yours. This will give you more time to work with your knowledge and forge your skills in the fire of experience–then go and teach. This can be done under the guidance of a mentor or just in a circle of peers with whom you can discuss, debate, and compare ideas. This is very similar to a newly licensed craftsman who works under a master craftsman learning the hidden knowledge, not covered in shop class, who is getting these lessons OJT. The result of this stage of your development is a more seasoned veteran who has a little experience under his or her belt–who then decides to teach and take on pupils of his or her own.

Along the way, you might come up with some very non-Traditional Kung Fu ideas. Perhaps, consider the following:

  • Taking Kung Fu weapons and engaging in mock battles with HEMA fighters. In case you are unfamiliar with HEMA, that is a community of Historical European Martial Arts practitioners. Hint: They don’t do forms at their events. You’ll need a suit of armor!
  • Learning to box, then applying those skills and experiences to Kung Fu hand techniques
  • Use your system’s hand techniques, and use them in the Chi Sao competition against Wing Chun and Praying Mantis fighters–or go into Tai Chi competition and try it with Push Hands. It’s much harder than it sounds!
  • Use your Kung Fu to heal physical ailments that you’d normally see a doctor for. Be very careful with this one, however. You don’t want to risk permanently injuring or worsening your existing condition.
  • Combining Kung Fu philosophy with non-martial arts related philosophies, like Stoicism or even your religion’s views on warfare and combat
  • Looking at the needs of the modern self-defense student–anti-mugging, home invasions, car jackings, sexual assault, even defense against dog attacks–and then solving those situations using techniques from your Kung Fu forms
  • If you aren’t Chinese, how about applying lessons and practices from Kung Fu and blending them with your own culture? Here in my country, Kung Fu is not taught with Cantonese terms in many schools, only forms have Chinese names, everything else is done in Tagalog. We even use traditional Filipino music when performing Lion Dance.

The list goes on. Being a practitioner of the Chinese martial arts is something we all can be proud of. There are so many valuable lessons to learn, and so many ways to benefit from the culture and traditions that surround it. We must also acknowledge that the martial arts is still a part of the human existence, and one thing human beings will always do is evolve, change, and look for ways to improve. If Kung Fu aims to improve our way of life, it only makes sense, that we who do Kung Fu must give back by looking for ways to improve the Kung Fu that we were entrusted to pass on to the next generation. We should never forget the history, but we should also never forget to make history as well.

Thank you for visiting the Dean Chin Jow Ga Federation.


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Categories : Kung Fu Philosophy

Why Your School is Small, aka “Dojo Killers”

14 11 2026

There is an elephant in the room, which we so often ignore in the martial arts–and we cannot ignore this anymore. It is the fact that many people believe that the Chinese martial arts is dead, at least in America. Ask around and you will hear a lot of opinions why that is. Everything from Kung Fu being useless in combat (usually they mean in MMA), the 70s is over, to Kung Fu is outdated, or Kung Fu is too difficult to teach large groups, or my favorite: today’s martial arts student is “trash”. As the philosophers would say, we seem to want to blame everyone but the man in the mirror.

There are, however, too many successful, good kung fu schools for this to be true. One could make the argument that Tae Kwon Do is easy to learn (it isn’t, really) or that grappling and kickboxing arts are all the rage these days, but there are still thousands upon thousands of students studying traditional Chinese arts. They aren’t all Wu Shu or San Shou students neither. I have seen on social media, seminars and other events with hundreds of participants who paid quite a bit of money to learn traditional Kung Fu, and the teachers are rarely celebrity teachers. I’m sure you’ve seen it too. There are Kung Fu franchises and chain schools full of hundreds of students and they do just as well as your local McDojo–and those students are too good to be considered McDojo students. So let’s put the lie to rest that the only way to make it in the martial arts business is to sell out. It simply isn’t true.

Allow me to propose a novel idea: Perhaps the reason your school is small (or out of business) is because you haven’t learned how to do business as a traditional martial artist. It isn’t an insult or implication that your skill at the martial arts is poor. It’s quite the opposite. I know you are authentic, skilled, and well-meaning. We are simply suggesting that there are things you can do to ensure the success of your school. You see, when our teachers certified us, they made sure we learned the proper mechanics of our technique. They taught us the correct way to execute our forms. They taught us to fight. They may have even taught us etiquette and ethics as a martial artist. However, very few of us learned from a teacher who taught us how to open, operate, and grow our commercial schools. It’s nothing to lament; that simply was not their focus and if you’re over age 30, the chances are pretty good that you learned from a teacher who did not have to learn the business of the martial arts. Pre-internet schools only needed a good location and halfway decent martial arts skills to succeed as a teacher. Today’s student has the power of Google, YouTube, and social media and walks through the door knowing much more about the martial arts than those of the 90s. 90s potential students call and ask how much lessons are, and possibly what style we teach before coming in. Today’s student researches us, looks at reviews, investigates many schools, styles, and maybe even you on the internet before calling or messaging. They might even contact you and tell you the exact system they want to learn, and only if it is from the specific lineage they read about. They also have options of online teachers, study-at-home courses, and not to mention at least double the number of schools to choose from.

The best you can do is maximize the options and potential you do have, and when you get the students enrolled in your school, keep them. Let’s cover the basics today and perhaps at a later time we will discuss each item in more detail.

  • You don’t have an active marketing plan. Most schools that struggle, and I might argue that it is more than 95%, lack an active marketing plan to increase traffic through their doors. This means, everything you must have, must do, and use should be written down and executed intentionally. It should be detailed, too. How many flyers do you put out by hand every day. How much time will you spend online increasing opportunities to be seen. What marketing campaigns will you run each month to target a specific type of student. What schedule you will keep for sales and marketing tasks from day to day, week to week. How many people do you need to talk to in order to meet your sales quota for the month. (What? You mean you haven’t established a sales quota for yourself?) They say that those who succeed have followed a plan for success, and those who failed, failed to plan altogether. If you don’t have a marketing plan, visit your local library and read up on how to create a plan and do it asap. You must have in mind the number of students you need to feed your family and keep the school open, then have all the activities you need to sign up that number of students. Too much to discuss now, but trust me, we will very soon.
  • You lack a tracking system for those who have expressed interest in your classes. At a minimum, you should keep a planner and record the names and numbers of everyone you have talked to about joining your school. Many of us have left money on the table because potential students who are clearly interested in Kung Fu have called you, left a comment on your social media, maybe even walked through your doors–and never heard from you again. A very familiar phrase we have all heard in this field is, “I’ll go home and talk to the wife/I’ll think about it…” We hope they’ll call back, but we rarely follow up with them to get them to think about it again. Of course, you don’t want to be a nuisance or pushy salesman. But you should give them a nudge or two, even if only just to remind them of their interest in training. I have lost the interest of potential students by being too passive in pursuing new students, just to run into them one day and be told that they joined the school down the street. Closed mouths don’t get fed, and it should always start with proper “inquiry tracking”. What this means is you capture contact information for each inquiry, whether phone number, email address, or social media account. Regardless of what device you are on, record that information by hand in your planner. Then you must keep a file on everyone who you’ve talked to in one master list, which should have contact information, age, date you met, dates you followed up, and notes that you will need to know–like if they had experience before, or what you discussed with them. I would recommend putting out a newsletter, both hardcopy and soft copy, that will be read by active students, ex students, and potential students alike. Keep contacting them occasionally until you know that the inquiry simply is not interested in learning from you. How frequent is up to you, but I would limit direct contact to no more than four times per year, and email blasts/newsletters/etc., to no more than once a month.
  • Poor teaching practices. This one is painful. Many of us learned from teachers who taught us bad habits. At least, many of us have learned things that may have worked in our teachers day but will kill a Dojo in the modern day. Hold on to your seats, folks! Too often we treat students like subjects or pledgees for a college fraternity. Sometimes we bark orders like a military drill sergeant and call that “discipline” to impress parents. We pride ourselves in making students drop from exhaustion in class because the training is old school and authentic. We engage our students in system politics, or we encourage them to dislike the students of a teacher we dislike. We bad mouth other systems, other teachers, sometimes even old students. We gatekeep information, making students grovel to learn the next form or wait months to learn something new. In recent times, we talk about our biases and bigotries in class–which alienate students that we may not know hold opposing views. And you know what I mean… if they know what political views you hold or where you stand on sensitive issues like race, religion, ideology–you are guilty of this I’m sure. And something that many, possibly most, of us do–we push our likes and dislikes onto the students. This will be covered in another item, but basically what it means is that if we prefer one area of the martial arts, we will teach that area more often and neglect another area that might be better suited for many students. I know a teacher who disliked forms, and didn’t teach them although he knew them. I’m sure he lost many students who may have joined his school hoping to learn them. I’ve heard him preaching to students to convince them that forms were stupid, and this was after they had expressed a desire to learn more. This is where the tracking matters. How many students have you lost in the last 12 months, and why? You should know the answer to both questions, then work to resolve the reason so that you don’t lose anymore.
  • Failing to monetize your school. This is another sensitive topic. One thing I know about my Kung Fu family… we take pride in *not* monetizing our schools. We don’t charge for promotion exams, we don’t like to mark up prices for equipment, we don’t even “lock our students into contracts”. In doing so, we can say with confidence that we have not sold out. However, at the same time we also make considerably less money than our karate counterparts and therefore must hold full time jobs and teach on the side–even if we have a commercial location to teach in. First, let me remind you that you are in fact a businessman, if you own a school and charge for instruction. If you fail to truly monetize your school, you will always struggle financially which adds stress to you and robs your students of a full-time teacher who isn’t showing up for class already exhausted from a 9 to 5 job. Never feel ashamed of incorporating commercial ventures within your commercial school. You don’t have to sacrifice quality of instruction or squeeze blood from a turnip to monetize. What you can do, what you should do, is explore options to maximize your income potential with the customer base you have. Charging a promotion or exam fee gives your school a small additional boost each month. Only students who are ready take the test, and the fee will cover a new sash, possibly new uniform (if you issue separate uniforms for higher ranks), certificates, and most of all–your time in hosting the examination. Host seminars, where you can bring in guest instructors from other styles, giving your students the opportunity to cross train into different arts. You can also teach additional course material that students would otherwise have to wait years to learn, perhaps an introduction to various weapons or skills. Hold in-house competitions between your students and those of a few schools you’ve invited to come and exchange. Here is another one you may not have thought about: Holding fundraisers. In my school, we held Lumpia/Eggroll sales much like you sold candy or cookie dough in grade school. We rolled lumpia each weekend which was then frozen and delivered a week after the orders were placed. This allowed me to teach underprivileged children for free, and gave me additional income for equipment, paint, and school makeovers. We will surely return to this subject at a later time, to discuss in detail.
  • Students may lack excitement, motivation, and worst of all–progress. I perhaps should have listed this item first, as it is possibly the #1 reason schools lose students. Students who are doing well stay engaged, while students who are not are almost always guaranteed to quit. I heard in quite a few sales seminars that we should promote students who have not fully learned the material (that isn’t how it was explained, but it is what was suggested) and call it “self-esteem”. The idea is that as long as students are achieving the next promotion, they will be excited because their self-esteem is building with every new belt or new form. Naturally, I don’t have to say it, because we are all probably thinking of it. This is not self-esteem or self-confidence, this practice is what they call false confidence. The same people who preach this also preach not allowing students to compete because they will compare their skill with kids from smaller dojos who may be getting more attention. In other words, promoting easily leads to students getting mopped up at tournaments and quitting anyway. Well, rather than that, how about if we ensured that students REALLY learned the material, and not just that, but excelled at it? Novelty idea, huh? In my opinion, doing all you can to ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential is the #1 thing you can do for the economic health of your school. We have all seen schools that put out excellent martial arts students. Those schools aren’t always small, hole-in-the-wall schools. Many larger, seemingly commercial, schools consistently produce championship students. The key is to tweak your style of instruction so that you don’t just end up with a few really good students–you end up with a school where most of the students is really good. How is that, you ask? Well, I’ve written a book, which is dealing mostly with the fighting aspect of the art, but addresses just that. Visit my other blog and use the donation button to order a PDF copy of “Dominant Fighter” if you’d like to read it. I’m also writing a book as we speak on teaching which will give you the blueprint to teaching successful students. Projected date of release is January 2027 so watch out for it! In a nutshell, we want to make sure that we find a balance between strict discipline and empathy for the limitations of our students. We need to be tough on them to make sure they learn, but not so tough that we discourage students, especially those who have a harder time learning than others. We should be using carefully structured lesson plans that follow a carefully written curriculum. We should find the medium between constructive criticism while saving our students from becoming frustrated and insecure. We should be patient, encouraging, detailed, and motivating. We must also become student-whisperers, who can reach the most difficult of students, and develop almost a sixth sense to detect frustration in students who don’t pick things up easily. Lastly, we must have in our schedules, enough time to schedule one on one sessions for the students who need them to catch up or to move forward if they are more advanced than the rest of their classmates. And we must do all of this without leaving students feel like we are picking on some while favoring others. Quite the tall order.

There are several other “Dojo-Killers” that hinder our success, but these are the main ones. In upcoming articles, we will discuss some others not on the list as well as expound on those already covered. If you have a small school–whether in a subleased space, your own lease, a community center, or even teaching in your garage or backyard, I have a book you might find useful. It is available on my other blog, entitled “Backyard Dojo” and it was written specifically for the small martial arts school owner. It costs less than a tank of gas and just might help you give your school a new life. As always, Dean Chin’s Jow Ga Federation is at your service, and if there is anything we can do for you–Jow Ga or any other style–please don’t hesitate to ask. Thank you for visiting the DC Jow Ga Federation, and I hope this article was helpful.


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Categories : Kung Fu Philosophy

The Higher Path

13 11 2026

So you’ve learned all the forms in your school’s curriculum, you’ve taken all the exams, competed in tournaments and accumulated a nice collection of awards, medals, and trophies. You now have a certificate declaring you a “Black Sash”, “Assistant Instructor”, possibly even “Sifu”. Congratulations!

So, the obvious question is, “What’s next?”

There is an oft-quoted statistic that declares that you are something of a rarity, one percent of those who partake in the study of martial arts. They say out of 100 students, only one of them will complete the program and become a teacher. I’ve even used that one myself a few times. This is for another article, but I take issue with that saying, despite that it is possibly true. Imagine if doctor’s had that same expectation–only one in a hundred patients will be cured. Or your local high school only expected to graduate one out of 100 12th graders. You get me, it doesn’t say much for the system, or the teacher, or doctor, does it?

Trust me, we will come back to that conversation another time. For now, just know that I’m proud of you, and I’m proud of the Chinese martial arts community for the changes we have made over the decades.

You see, in my day, it wasn’t one percent of the students who became a Sifu, it was more like one percent of one percent of the students. Many a teacher has gone to his grave without promoting any more than 2 or 3 students–and most teachers have never taught all they knew to their students. This gatekeeping of information has killed many a lineage, and discouraged many martial arts students from even trying. Gone are the days when teachers only gave out one or two forms per year, and held out allowing students from ever competing in sparring to test those skills. Today, we are promoting more and more instructors and advanced students than ever before, and I believe that is a good thing. There are, however, a small faction of Sifus who contend that perhaps too many students are being promoted–or that the criteria for promotion to higher ranks has terribly been minimized. We won’t deal with that today, so I’ll leave it up to you all to discuss that in the comments if you wish. Today, we will be offering suggestions to answer that question, what one should do next.

Here we go.

While there may be some debate about whether there is a difference between an advanced/expert level martial artist versus an instructor level martial artist, I would argue that once a student has completed his school’s curriculum that student is now qualified to teach the martial arts. Very few schools have training programs to help advanced or expert level students transition from the Black Sash/Expert level to that of a teacher. (Note: I’m currently writing a book to help with that transition, check back with us for updates!) It is expected that a student who has achieved that level should know everything that a teacher should know, maybe except for specific training on how to teach or run a school. One thing is for sure, though: Formal instruction between teacher and pupil is mostly over at this point. The relationship should then become more of a mentor-mentee than a teacher-student. Most often, at this point there are no formal classes being held. Training becomes one on one, and most often they will occur when no other student is around. This will allow the teacher to give the now-advanced level student his or her undivided attention, and allow the teacher to impart information that no one else is allowed to receive. Rather than remain merely a student, the student becomes more of an apprentice or disciple in order to receive specialized, often secret, knowledge.

Many teachers do this without a formal ceremony, without titles, or formal rituals and practices. Most teachers, however, do none of the above. With those teachers, when you complete the curriculum, you simply complete the curriculum.

Which ever system you end up in, you have the choice of continuing to learn, or teach. Some may choose to undertake a new system or learn from another teacher within the same art. Both paths are good, as they broaden one’s horizons and outlook on the art. Not that I am an expert on Wing Chun, but it appeared that the great grandmaster Yip Man studied from a Kung Fu Uncle, who gave him a new view of the art he was already well-versed in. Here in my country, the Philippines, many expert level practitioners venture out to both test himself on practitioners of other styles and end up studying several various styles before forging all the lessons learned into a new art. This last thing–creating a new art–is most often frowned upon in modern Chinese martial arts, but if you look at the histories of each style we studied, this is exactly what our founders did. And they did so with less formal study than we have access today–and did so in their 20s.

I am reminded of an old Tae Kwon Do master and friend of mine, who told me that after achieving his Black belt (it may have been a second or third degree) his father sent him to work for health clubs to learn how to run the business from the inside. His father was opposed to him putting himself in debt by attending university. Because of this, going to work directly for a gym as first a salesman and finally as a manager he learned lessons–highly valuable lessons–that he would have never received sitting in a classroom. At the time we met, I was working for a commercial chain doing what he was doing, learning how the big boys make their money, in order to make money with my school.

Several of my Kung Fu brothers studied the non-profit field in order to learn that approach to running a school. As a young man, I didn’t understand the appeal, but over the years I realized the genius in doing so. It allows the teacher to focus on primarily the teaching of the art, without worrying about contracts and billing–things most martial arts teachers loathe. If your goal is to change the world, one community at a time, or even one student at a time, I consider the non-profit method of teaching a brilliant path for an aspiring Sifu. Let the other schools fight over money, with a non-profit school, your focus is on teaching and actual community work rather than receivables.

As the saying goes, there are many paths to the summit of a mountain, and none is truly superior to the other. Some martial artists wish to make pilgrimages to ancestral homelands or to study with one’s grandmaster. Some will learn several martial art styles, sometimes related arts, sometimes completely different styles. Some compete to build their reputations as fighters or forms stylists. Some are satisfied simply teaching in their small worlds while others don’t teach at all and only want to practice and perfect what they know. And still others, myself included, made teaching professionally their chosen life path; and in this path, there are still many smaller, varying paths. Some of my most beloved martial arts friends and family chose none of these, electing to simply assist other kung fu classmates with their schools and remain in the background.

The point of this article is simply to say this: There is no correct answer to that question, of what to do next. There is no best answer. When you complete a curriculum, or achieve the advanced level in Kung Fu, do not allow anyone to dictate what you should be doing with your martial arts knowledge. As a parent, and as a teacher, of course I am biased somewhat and will nudge my young ones to pursue the path I dreamed for them. But as one who loves them unconditionally, I respect whatever decision they make, even if that decision is nothing or nothing yet. I have a higher path of learning and development for those who wish to pursue it, but there is no shame if they choose not to. This is much like the decision you must make when graduating high school… the choice is yours, however, you must choose. And as my old folks use to tell us, whichever path you choose, make sure you strive to be the best at it.

The Dean Chin Jow Ga Federation is here to assist all Jow Ga practitioners in achieving their goals in the martial arts. If you wish to teach the art, learn more kung fu, improve upon what you already know, wish to compete, or simply haven’t decided and would like to discuss the possible paths, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. Congratulations on your achievement, and good luck! Thank you for visiting the DC Jow Ga Federation.


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Categories : Jow Ga in America, Kung Fu Philosophy

Become a DC Jow Ga Federation Supporting Member!

1 01 2026

The DC Jow Ga Federation was founded to promote and teach Jow Ga Kung Fu in memory of the late Master Dean Chin. It is our commitment to share the lessons from this lineage with anyone interested in learning, regardless of one’s style or lineage. As part of this mission, we have begun preserving skills, forms, techniques, and philosophies & ideas in both written and video formats. Our YouTube channel and this blog have a library of material for free for public consumption. We also have more detailed material available for supporting members. You can choose from either of two levels:

Basic Supporting Member: Gives you access to our ever-growing library of videos and books. Membership dues are $20/month or $150/year.

Become a member of the DC Jow Ga Federation through our Training Program: This is an ongoing, monthly training program. Classes are online and are both prerecorded as well as live classes. You will have access to our entire library of material, including all training programs and forms as well as exclusive training camps and seminars. All members must start from the beginning, but those with prior experience may progress at an accelerated rate. Exams are given both by distance as well as in person, as this is a rank-granting program. Membership is $75/month or $600/year.

Please visit the Shop page and use the Donate button. Be sure to email us to get in touch with us! Thank you for supporting us and our work–and thank you for visiting the DC Jow Ga Federation.


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Categories : Federation Members

Sifu Luyi Shao – Rhode Island Kung Fu Club

1 01 2026

Luyi’s Jow Ga training began in earnest nearly 30 years ago in Sifu Raymond Wong’s school in Washington, D.C. He had prior exposure to different kung fu styles, but those experiences just set the stage for his later connection to Jow Ga; once introduced to the system, he was drawn to its dynamic nature and depth.

With Wong Sifu’s guidance, and the support of multiple Jow Ga senior members over the years, Luyi has trained in fundamentals, forms, weapons, and sparring. He was also introduced to traditional lion dance, experiencing firsthand the deep connection that can link kung fu and lion dance—one that remains culturally, physically, and personally meaningful to him.

Luyi approaches training with a belief that if a practitioner thinks they’ve “got it,” growth can stop. First and foremost, he still considers himself a lifelong learner and student. He appreciates the opportunities to receive instruction and train with other practitioners, both kung fu stylists (Jow Ga-specific and outside of Jow Ga) and martial artists of other disciplines. Consistent practice and continued growth, both as a practitioner and an instructor, remain central to his path.

After relocating to Rhode Island from the D.C.-area, Luyi founded the Rhode Island Kung Fu Club, a nonprofit organization. From its inception, he has worked to shape the group’s programming to be beneficial to its community, fostering commitment and collaboration—values he holds in high regard.

Thank you for visiting the DC Jow Ga Federation.


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Categories : Jow Ga in America, Study with DC Jow Ga

Providence, RI: Rhode Island Kung Fu Club

1 01 2026

The Rhode Island Kung Fu Club, founded in 2007, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to promoting the traditional martial and cultural arts of kung fu and lion dance. Through our training and educational programming in both disciplines, as well as community engagement, we celebrate culture and strengthen cross-cultural understanding across Rhode Island.

Kung fu and lion dance training can develop key foundational physical skills such as utilization of stable stances, mobile and efficient footwork, overall coordination for dynamic whole-body movement, and improved reactive skills. Training can also offer mental benefits, including greater situational awareness, adaptability, perseverance, and enhanced focus through consistent practice. All classes are taught by Sifu Luyi Shao.

For more information, please contact Sifu Luyi Shao by email.


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Categories : Study with DC Jow Ga

The Guaranteed Path to Mastery (DC Jow Ga Punchout, and Why You Should Join)

25 12 2025

What makes the difference between expertise at a martial art and actual mastery?

According to the modern day philosopher Robert Greene, mastery occurs after the expert has trained in the foundations of his specialty more than 10,000 hours in what he calls “deliberate practice”. Deliberate practice is quite different from regular practice in that deliberate practice focuses on fine-tuning one’s skill, paying close attention to the details while working feverishly to eliminate flaws. While regular practice is characterized by logistical-style repetition, deliberate practice takes place in a distraction-free environment and puts one’s skill under stress. Regular practice can be done every day, yet deliberate practice cannot; deliberate practice pushes you to your physical and intellectual limit. Picture the difference between going into the gym and pushing out 40 minutes of cardio, getting a good sweat, while listening to your favorite playlist–then showering and going out for a bite to eat. <– This is regular practice. Contrast that to deliberate practice: Going to the park, performing 40 reps of the 50-yard dash, at top speed. Lungs bursting, calves burning, body and clothing totally drenched in sweat. The workout completely kills, and when you get to the car–you need a few minutes to recover while your heart rate returns to normal before you can actually drive off.

Now you tell me; which of the above two workouts will produce a world class athlete.

Now imagine doing this for your Kung Fu. But instead of running, you do this with your core Kung Fu basics: the Horse Stance, the straight punch, your basic blocks, the foundational hand techniques from your system’s first form. All techniques most people don’t drill on a daily basis unless they are beginners taking a beginner class. Except, you are doing this as an instructor level practitioner. Bruce Lee once said do not fear the man who knows 10,000 kicks; fear the man who has done one kick 10,000 times. Our goal is to help you become that man.

^^ This, my friends, is the Punchout. Twice a week, you will log in and drill Jow Ga’s basic skills by the hundreds, and nothing else. Our goal is to get you to your 10,000 hours. And it’s free. All you need to do is contact Sifu Sharif Talib and tell him you want to join in. This is not advanced martial arts. You won’t get thousands of likes or comments by doing it. It isn’t impressive to watch. But it will elevate your Kung Fu skill to a level you can only dream about. Give it a shot for at least three month, and see what it can do for you. Thank you for visiting the DC Jow Ga Federation.


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Categories : Technique and Strategy

Never Outshine the Master

24 04 2025

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please and impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite–inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
–Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

Today, we will expound on the last two articles discussing the future of a martial arts lineage. In the previous articles, we talked about the organization and ensuring its future. Today, we will cover a rarely discussed topic: Relationships and people, also known in the martial arts as “martial arts politics”. A Kung Fu system can be well-planned and technically sound, but if the relationships between its proponents and champions are poor its history can die out before the next generation can prosper. This is what Kung Fu politics is all about; the relationship between people, whether in a school, among schools and teachers, between leadership and its system’s members. If a martial artist, his school, or his lineage is to prosper, he will need to know how to get along with and collaborate with peers. At the same time, he must know how to minimize conflict while keeping disagreements civil and under control. We fancy ourselves politics-free and uninterested in it. However, as with all things, politics is unavoidable; I would argue that one must be well-versed in politics if you wish to be more than a casual practitioner. At a minimum, as a teacher/leader in the martial arts, you must know how to navigate the many personalities you will encounter as well as prepare your students for doing the same.

Telling students to “ignore it” is as neutered and impotent as a parent who tells their children to ignore bullies. Ignoring these things is like ignoring an illness or injury–it will only get worse if it isn’t dealt with.

Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power is a classic text detailing the universal laws that govern power, status, and influence. It’s first law, which serves as the title of today’s article is a masterful piece of advice, and speaks about the core of human nature: the ego. We human beings are complex creatures, and as martial artists, we are complex tenfold. As much lip service we pay to ideas like humility and suppressing the ego, we cannot deny that the ego is as much part of being human as is our warm blood and the fact that we breathe oxygen. All of us have one. At its core, the ego is the intermediary between our primal instincts (which we are born with) and our “higher” sense of morality (which we are taught and can vary from culture to culture, person to person). The ego is our sense of self-identity and our sense of self-importance. It is what makes us strive to better ourselves and fight for self-preservation. Many of us have made the “ego” a four-letter word; a negative trait that we must deny having. However, we all have one whether small or big. We become too passive and weak if we suppress it too much, and too aggressive and narcissistic if we don’t keep it in check. The “ego” has been blamed for many of the bad things people do so it became synonymous with toxic people. Because of this, we tend to downplay the ego altogether and act as if our ego has no influence over our actions. In reality, the ego, together with the subconscious, influences almost everything we do. The less you understand about it, the more control it has over you. The more you understand it, the more control you have over it. This is why I say that the next logical step after mastering the martial arts is to master yourself, understanding people around you, and human nature in general. Rule over it, or it will rule over you.

The first task in putting this knowledge to use is to keep this very vital law close to your heart when dealing with people: Never Outshine the Master. The “Master”, if you will, can be your own teachers and system’s leaders. It may also refer to your peers in the art–seniors, juniors, and colleagues. Anyone you must deal with in the process of doing business can be a “master” concerning this law. We must be confident and competent, and project that we are confident and competent, while being aware that in doing so we might make others feel insecure. Yes, even our own teachers and classmates whom have declared their love and loyalty to us might be one jealousy streak away, one accomplishment away, from becoming an enemy. This is a very thin line to tread. We may strive for perfection, but be careful not to appear too perfect. We want to look good, but not so good it induces self-doubt in those around us. The thought that our own teachers can be jealous of us might be a tough pill to swallow, but swallow it you must. This is not to say that everyone has these insecurities–just be aware that they may be hidden behind the smiles and compliments they give us. As they say in the fight game: Keep your hands up at all times.

There is a dark side to this law as well, and I might as well introduce it here, though we may discuss it in some future article. That is, the answer to the question, “Must I always refuse to outshine the Master?” The answer is, “no.” There will be times that outshining the Master is appropriate but understand that in doing so you might forever sever the relationship between you and that master. In political history there have always been powerful Kings whose reigns have expiration dates. These are powerful men, but flawed powerful men whose behavior and policies make them plenty of enemies and shortening their tenure. Those around them who benefit from their rule, whether by hook or crook/learning or political maneuvering, also risk going down with the ship when those leaders fall. In which case, take all you can from them–the lessons, the money, the knowledge, the power, the reputation, the access–and when the time is right, step back and let the arrows come… or be the one who pulls back the bow. In the martial arts, you may find yourself attached to people who benefit you but cannot carry you forever. Perhaps in your own education, you have surpassed such masters. Or perhaps associating with them have run its course, and continuing to be “under” them stifles your growth. Do not feel guilty in allowing yourself to shine and relegating them to the background. Imagine if a 25 year old Michael Jackson refused to leave is brothers behind to start his solo career? Or if a 25 year old Leopold Mozart had never defied his father and left the tutelage of the Archbishop of Salzburg? This law is not encouraging you to betray loved ones or become ungrateful to those who helped you grow. It is telling you that in order to grow beyond that which others helped you to achieve, you may have to outshine others and push back against their egos and unconscious agendas to suppressing you. It’s okay, just understand that the ego is always at play–even when people assure you that it is not. Even when you assure yourself that it is not. Ego is what makes us strive to become better versions of ourselves.

In managing our relationships with peers, colleagues, and rivals we must always be aware that there may be insecurities simmering below the surface. When you teach your students, be aware that there may be egos and power plays among them that are not so visible to you. Look for signs that feelings are hurt, that individuals may be in competition with each other, that some aggressions and manipulations may be taking place. These forces may seem juvenile and silly to you, but if you have been teaching martial arts more than 10 years, I can almost guarantee that you have lost many good students with great potential to such forces. In my 40 years of teaching the martial arts, I have seen great masters drive away students by showing favoritism (or appearing to show favoritism) towards seemingly gifted students. Oftentimes, our own egos will cause us to lean towards our own children when there were equally enthusiastic and hard-working students we’ve neglected. Then there are the times that we have had egotistic students drive competitive classmates away in order to become top dog–right under our noses. I had a student years ago bully classmates right under my own roof and didn’t know until I overheard a conversation between a group of junior students. There is a saying that there are sailors who will sink the ship because they can’t become the captain. Not understanding how this ego works can ruin a great organization. Keep this in mind when running your schools.

Finally, we must practice this law on ourselves. Be aware when your own ego is taking a hit. All of us, if we are lucky or if we are good at our craft, will experience this law being practiced on us. There will be a day, if it hasn’t happened yet, when we will have students who are faster, stronger, tactically better–than we are. On several occasions, I have had students beat me in competition (and I am a sore loser!) It was a bittersweet moment for me; I had produced students who were better than me, but at the same time I lost to a student. We may help newcomers to our towns get their schools established and then see them grow larger and faster than our own schools. We will have junior classmates surpass us in skill and in business. We might award instructorship to a student who moves on and opens a much nicer school than ours, and so forth. To feel a tinge of jealousy is normal. But the problem is when we feel it and not immediately convert that feeling into one of pride. I once heard of an Eskrimador who lost a series of sparring matches to his student. After licking the wounds to his pride, he decided that this was the moment to begin teaching his system’s secrets to the student, in the hopes that he would become an even more unbeatable fighter. Keep this close to your heart as well, I hope that each person reading this article will lose to such a student.

It is important to recognize the traits in your character that might otherwise be called “flaws”: your ego. We all have them. This is a powerful force, that if you harness it, can be used to propel you forward to perfection, mastery, and growth. However, if you do not, it will drag you down and enslave you to a life of forever trying to pretend it doesn’t exist while simultaneously proving to yourself and everyone around you that you are confident. As the joke goes, like a pimple on your forehead–or being ugly or stupid–everyone can see it except you. Recognize when you feel envious. Recognize when others invoke feelings of inferiority in you. Recognize when someone you might otherwise learn from and be inspired by becomes an enemy–and ask yourself why. Doing so will help you laugh at yourself and grow, as well as reveal to yourself your imperfections. This is only way you can become a better version of yourself. Once you accomplish this, go back to the beginning of today’s lesson, and apply your new knowledge in your interactions with everyone–your teachers, your system’s leaders, your classmates, colleagues and peers, your students, and then on to everyone around you. I believe you will find that those relationships will become stronger and more beneficial to you. It will help you become a better leader, and grow your schools and systems into one that is strong, cooperative, impenetrable, and unbreakable.

Thank you for visiting the Dean Chin Jow Ga Federation.


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Categories : Kung Fu Philosophy

This Ain’t Chinatown!

4 04 2025

Recently, I had done some soul searching after a few eye-opening conversations with my elder Kung Fu brothers. On three separate occasions, I was told that I tend to live in the past, as I’d been told many times over the years. Naturally, due to ego, I resisted and rejected those assessments. But with some reflection, I realize that yes, I do. I mean… look at this entire blog. LOL

At 55 years old, I’m not completely a dinosaur. Certainly not to my septuagenarian brothers. Yet in many ways, yes I am–I long for the days of old, many bouts with depression because I constantly compare myself to the man I was 20 years ago–even to guys half my age. While I have resisted becoming a Kung Fu Al Bundy (“scored two touchdowns in one game in high school!”)–someone else’s got that covered–I am most certainly guilty of looking at the state of Kung Fu today, then looking back at the state of Kung Fu 40 years ago, then shaking my head. I need to work on that…

There are indeed many lessons young people can learn from the past. At the same time, there are many lessons people from the past can learn from the present. Kung Fu, like all things good, must evolve and update itself. We must fight the urge to hold on bitterly to the things as they were back then, and allow natural progression to bring things to the modern day. The last article discussed Kung Fu for the future. For this one, I would like to discuss Kung Fu for the present. That is, what we can do so that our students can prosper today.

  1. Consider loosening up some traditions. Not suggesting we eliminate the hand greeting or Sifu title! However, some traditions are indeed outdated and weren’t even that great when we did them “in Chinatown.” For example, is it really necessary that every gathering of Kung Fu guys be in a Chinese restaurant? After all, most of us are not located in Chinatown. There are plenty of restaurants whose proximity brought us new students. Wouldn’t it be fair, then, if we brought some of our students to eat in their establishments? I’m sure some of my students would actually enjoy some Soul Food or Indian cuisine. Who made the rule that Kung Fu cats must only eat Chinese food? Or imagine if you went to your favorite clothing store, and the manager stuck a mop in your hand and told you to clean the floor while still charging you full price for your gear? Or you were late to a dentist appointment and the DA had you sit in Horse stance or do pushups? Just saying. Let’s keep the traditions that actually make sense and have a purpose, than have them just because our Sifu did it to us.
  2. Accept that not everyone gauges themselves by tournaments. I was a tournament fighter, but I was told 25+ years ago by a student that the thought of fighting in front of 300 spectators scared the hell out of him. I reassured him that I would not force him to compete. Guess what happened maybe a year or two later? He asked me if I thought he was too old to compete, and he entered–and won. One tournament, and he never did another. This student is today close to 80 years old and he still keeps in shape. Had I not received good counsel years earlier, I might have belittled his concerns and lost him as a student. In days past, our teachers were much more competitive than today’s teachers so many of us were compelled to compete in order to build our school’s reputation. Today, with social media there are other ways to do so. Competition is still good–they are great places to “try out” one’s skills and sharpen teeth–but not everyone wants to do so. There is room in every martial arts community for the various specialties and activities. Let students gravitate towards those that tickle their fancy. Some will want competition, some will enjoy demonstrations, others will enjoy lion dance, while yet others are satisfied attending class and learning new skills. Avoid imposing your desires onto the students.
  3. Utilize lesson plans. If you’ve never used lesson plans, you’d be surprised how helpful they are. There are several types and each have their functions. Curricula and lesson plans are different things. Curriculum is the long term plan–what students will learn from one level to the next, and may be as long as a year or two per level. The lesson plan is what is taught day by day, month by month, or even 90 days at a time. Say for example, according to your curriculum, a student will be considered a beginner for the first two years. In those two years, he or she will learn three forms, and maybe 150 techniques. Your curriculum may divide all that information into three or four sublevels. Let’s call them “Beginner level I”, “Beginner level II”, and “Beginner level III”. You might designate each level to be taught in 9 month blocks, learning one form and 50 or so techniques. So for Beginner level I, you plan for what is taught in months 1, 2, 3, all the way to 9. This will help you keep the classes focused and goal-oriented/goal-specific. Using this tool, your classes are efficient and it ensures that students know what they need to know by the time month #9 rolls around and they are both knowledgeable and skilled, ready for their exam. Money and time well-spent. This is much better than yesteryear’s method of standing in front of the class asking yourself, “What did we work on last week?”
  4. Be encouraging, helpful, and inspiring. We live in narcissistic times, and students are often used to teachers who are motivated by money or ego, or other reasons. Many of our students were raised in households with divorced or estranged parents, and they crave that parental connection. When we run our schools like a drill sergeant or dictator, we miss the opportunity to give our student that connection that martial arts teachers often can. Remember, we are here to do more than impart fighting knowledge. We are first in the business of helping the students become better versions of themselves. Whether adult or child, they may have insecurities they haven’t spoken on or a host of many other things we can help them with. Without prying into their lives, by simply being a higher version of ourselves as teachers, we automatically help them with that. Students rarely know what’s bothering them, let alone will they ever tell you. By being encouraging, always available, and inspiring to our students we automatically have that covered. Kung Fu is a difficult enough activity to learn. Helping them through the frustrations of learning a new skill, even if only being encouraging while they struggle to learn–we help build up their self-esteem. And don’t think this only applies to children; adults have them as well. There are students who are overweight, those who are self-conscious about looking ridiculous, maybe even dealing with low self-esteem from having been bullied or picked on as a child or teen (or even in their adult life!). Being encouraging and gracious will help those students grow in ways we may never know. It isn’t always about the fighting and forms. When they do well, acknowledge it. If they struggle, give them a little extra instruction. If they get frustrated, reassure them that they’ll get it if they keep trying. This improves them as a student, and the extra patience improves you as a teacher.
  5. Value Student Retention. Always remember that a martial arts school is not just a family or lineage of martial arts–it is a business. And in order for that business to exist, it must retain its students. When students quit, it isn’t because “this generation doesn’t understand commitment”–as I’ve heard many martial arts students say–it’s because, for whatever reasons, that martial arts school couldn’t keep that student’s interest. There are too many schools that have held onto students for decades for the excuse that it’s the generation to blame to be credible. Some schools have simply done the right things to keep students interested while others have not. Perhaps at a later time, I will write an article to expand on this subject. For now, let’s just say that students quit for mainly either of three reasons–their goals are not being met, their budget does not allow them to train, or their life’s commitments have gotten in the way. The last two are mostly out of our control, although you can reduce tuition for a student if they simply cannot afford classes. The first reason, goals not being met, is not only the main reason students quit but the hardest one for teachers to accept. We must know what is important to the student, and use everything in our power to help them achieve those goals. Oftentimes, we can help the students achieve their goals but for whatever reason we aren’t accomplishing that. Perhaps the student is bored. Or they want fitness but we are pushing forms on them. Classes may be too difficult. Or too easy. There may be a ton of reasons but students don’t quit schools where they are happy, progressing, and prospering. It is important that each time you are about to lose a student, you know why and find a way to keep them interested. When you do lose them, make it a priority to find out why. Quite often it will be difficult to find out the real reason why; students are often embarrassed and don’t want to hurt your feelings. However, pry ever so gently, because you will need this information to grow as a teacher. This is a tough pill to swallow: Most of the time a student quits, it is our fault as teachers. Their job was to bring the interest and enthusiasm to match it. Our job is to fulfill that interest and keep it. It’s that simple.
  6. Your school must be “all things for all people”. Many will argue against me on this one. They say you “can’t please everyone”, but a martial arts school should be one of those exceptions. Perhaps we cannot offer quite everything, but we certainly have to offer as much as we can deliver. And not in every class, too. As Sifus, we have multiple talents and skills–we can teach fighting, forms, fitness, weapons, lion dance, etc. We should be able to have separate classes where students who are particularly interested in one aspect or another can select the classes and programs that suits their needs. Kung Fu should not be one-size-fits-all. It is a very lazy method to tell students you need it all, so just come to class. That’s a good way to build up the enrollment of the school down the street, I’m sure that Sifu will enjoy your philosophy. Some of us do not have the schedule or floor space to accommodate everyone. But at least isolate some aspects, where most of your students can get what they need, even if they have to occasionally train in an aspect that they aren’t completely excited about. If possible, I would also recommend offering a less intense class for students who find it difficult to keep up–for example I had a class for older adults–as well as a killer class for the Kung Fu diehards who want to train like they’re in a Shaw Brothers movie. Assign time for free practice, as some students lack space at home to practice, as well as make yourself available for private lessons. There are students who need extra attention, and arranging for a private lesson is much better for continuity of the class than having the entire class pause while you help one or two students learn something that the rest of the class already knows.

Hopefully these suggestions can help you run a more effective program. If you have suggestions you’d like to share, please comment below! If you like what you see, we’d like to invite you to subscribe to our blog off the main page and please share our articles! If you are on social media please look for our like page and private group on Facebook and add us! Thank you for visiting our blog.


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Categories : Kung Fu Philosophy

Building a Kung Fu School To Last

4 04 2025

One of the biggest puzzles we must solve in the west as Kung Fu men and women that is unique to the west is the answer to the question: What can I do to ensure the multigenerational life of this system? It would seem that all that is needed is to write books, create YouTube videos, teach students, and we would have our answer. The key term in this question is “multigenerational” life; meaning how can I *ensure* that this art lives through multiple generations of practitioners? I could produce martial arts media–write books, submit articles, record videos–which will certainly ensure that my art is remembered through history. However, none of that is a guarantee that the art is enjoying a vigorous, active, ever-growing in strength life many years after my students and I are dead and buried.

Yes, it is true that not everyone cares about this. Some of us simply want to make our mark on the community while we are here, and what happens when we are gone is up to our students. This article isn’t written for those folks. We are addressing those who want our arts and lineages to continue to prosper through multiple generations of students and teachers, for many generations. I am in no way an expert. However, I do have some suggestions you may find interesting and helpful. Let’s get right into it.

My philosophy is based on the idea that we must have strong schools. At least one, and that school’s operations should be able to carry on long after it’s owner has passed on. Please keep this in mind while reading this article, and also know that I am not diminishing other forms of promotion, like teaching in small groups or producing martial arts media.

  1. Draft a logical curriculum that both imparts the most important skills in a reasonable amount of time, while is effective in producing the best skilled students. Too often in Kung Fu, the term curriculum is not much more than a list of forms. While this has worked for many years, I would argue that a techniques/skills/forms/goals curriculum would work better. Today’s beginning martial arts student has far more options to choose from than those of 30-40 years ago, and the schools producing the highest caliber students will most likely draw the most interest. Our curricula should be well-thought out and well-planned, even if we have to make major changes from the way the masters of the past taught. What our Sifu did was good for his time; we live in a modern world with modern needs. Regardless if we are looking to simply preserve an art, build fighters, teach philosophy, or train rebels–we must find an efficient, effective way to teach our arts that builds upon and improves upon the past.
  2. Make producing tomorrow’s teachers a top priority. In the past, teachers were very patient in the way they taught classes. We turned our noses up at schools we considered a “Black Belt Factory”, and took our time in producing new Sifus. Problem is that too many of us taught for decades and produced only 2-3 Sifus–some may have promoted even fewer! Life has a way of passing us by quickly, and if we aren’t careful, running our schools with a “business as usual” mindset we may find that we have nothing to show for our time in business. Many schools are centered on the teacher’s personal goals for himself, like achieving rank or popularity. Many are profit-driven. Many are so competitive, as long as students are bringing back medals and trophies, the Master believes he is successful. But when you are on your deathbed, and you know you will never teach a class again… who will carry the torch for you? Don’t wait until you are old and retired to ask yourself that question. From the moment you begin teaching, developing tomorrow’s school owners and Sifus will ensure that your system is here to stay. Ask yourself, if you passed away today, will your school continue to thrive or will it shut down?
  3. Cater to the goals of your students, not just your own goals. Martial arts have a way of bringing out the narcissism we all have within us. I repeat–the narcissism we all have within us. Don’t feel bad, we all have at least a small degree of narcissism. We have to, because as human beings our self-interest, self-esteem, and self-preservation are what keep us alive. But most of us have this trait under control and in check. However, once we are in a position of leadership, influence, power, and admiration, we could easily get sucked in and lose control of our selfish tendencies. When we open schools, we mostly do so as sole proprietors, basically absolute authorities, of our own little kingdoms. Nothing wrong with that… my school, my rules. It backfires when we run the school that we’d want to join and we don’t run the school that our students and potential students want to join. This leads to us only being able to recruit a tenth of the potential students out there. You see, there may be as many as ten reasons a student will choose a kung fu school. If our school philosophy appeals to only one of them, we attract only one type of martial arts student, or 1/10th of the student pool. Not everyone wants forms. Not everyone wants to fight. Not everyone wants to be in class with 9 year olds. Some students are mainly interested in fitness, some want self defense. Some want to wear cool Kung Fu uniforms, while others want to train in comfortable workout attire. Offer classes and teaching goals that all ten types of students are attracted to and you will recruit 100% of those who visit your school. And don’t just offer the classes, find ways to excel at teaching those classes so that their needs are met.
  4. Understand that Kung Fu schools aren’t just fight gyms, they are also communities and community resources. One of the most famous martial arts schools in history, Jing Wu, was founded to use Kung Fu as a tool to produce stronger, more well-rounded citizens. It was a patriotic organization that offered academics, philosophy, fitness and health, and civics. When you look around each martial arts school near you, how many families does that school influence? Sure, you may teach combat and fighting, but do your students benefit in any other way? Certainly, martial arts schools take children off the streets, give them a safe environment to spend their afternoons around like-minded children, teaches discipline, and gives young people one more adult (or group of adults) who provide leadership, love, and direction besides their own families. There are many ways a martial arts school can benefit the community close to them. We can offer a homework club/afterschool program, offer local organizations a place to conduct their business, pull families together for events and community functions, teach workshops for any number of subjects–the sky is the limit. Or it can simply be an athletic center. Use your creativity and imagination. In what ways can our knowledge benefit members of the community? I know a teacher who offers the parents and grandparents of his students a free exercise class during the daytime when his students are in school. I recently met one who offers language classes. I myself offered a writing class and afterschool tutoring. These things may not directly promote martial arts, but for sure they will expose people to Kung Fu who may not otherwise ever consider studying it. Even if they don’t, they bring many benefits to your neighbors and the loved ones of your students.
  5. Learn the art of teaching. Knowing Kung Fu does not guarantee that you are knowledgeable in how to teach the arts. Most of us learned from teachers whose main focus was punching, kicking, and wielding weapons. 50 years ago, that was all you needed, save for a building so students don’t get rained on. Today, martial arts is not a necessity and is done for leisure, so if the teaching is not enjoyable or effective, students may very well trade in their memberships to go and take Jazzercise or something lol. There aren’t many resources to learning how to teach, but they are out there. (NOTE: I am writing a book on teaching, which should be completed by sometime in 2026) Make use of them. Talk to more experienced teachers. Poll your students on their experience with you. Learn to accept suggestions and criticisms. Observe teachers around you, and make mental notes on what learning from them may be like. Criticize and study your own teaching methods. Doing this will help your students get more out of the knowledge you are imparting. I recall a teacher recently bragging on YouTube how most of his students never make it to instructorship because his training was so difficult and his standards were so high. One couldn’t help but to wonder if his students failed to excel because the teaching wasn’t very good. I would argue that a master-teacher is one who can develop the most awkward, most timid, and least coordinated students into a sharp martial artist. This is what real teaching skill is; finding a way to help students get the most out of the training, regardless of the challenges. Incorporate this, and then teach it to your students so that they will become even better teachers than you were.
  6. Partner and collaborate with others in your lineage. This is perhaps one of the rarest things we see in Kung Fu. There was a saying I use to hear, that a Kung Fu school is like a den of Tigers. We build warriors, and it is natural that they will fight. The goal of the Sifu, then, is to be the ringmaster and get those tigers working together. You see, a pack of tigers will either fight each other to the death–or they will form the most powerful, unstoppable army and rule the jungle. A hand with its fingers outstretched can slap you and make it sting, but pulled tightly into a clenched fist, it can strike a mighty blow. Kung Fu lineages whose teachers work closely together can form an unconquerable kingdom. They have the benefit of many teachers sharing knowledge with their students. They can negotiate purchases with great leverage to get everyone low prices and excellent terms. They can support each other’s endeavors and ensure success for everyone. I knew of a collaborative in Northern VA of Tae Kwon Do teachers who advertised as one unit (US Tae Kwon Do College)–in ads it looked like a school with around 8 locations but in reality they were all independent schools. They purchased equipment in bulk from the manufacturers–not retailers, but the actual manufacturers. When one threw seminars or tournaments, they all patronized them. Their members could train in each other’s schools, which made membership to any of the schools an added value and reason to join. If one went out sick, he could trust another to guest teach or send an assistant. Imagine if you had that with your own classmates. Working together is probably the most powerful one thing you can do to promote a system.
  7. Finally, have a long-term plan and list of goals for your Kung Fu system. It must be more specific than simply “promote new Sifus”… How many instructors do you want to produce? Have you identified future candidates? Will someone take over your school when you retire? Do you wish to have multiple branches in your city or adjacent cities? Which direction would you like your system to go into? It’s up to you, just define your goals and put all your effort into achieving them. Stay focused. Stay disciplined. Good luck.

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Categories : Jow Ga in America, Kung Fu Philosophy

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