Wing Chun Kung Fu Classes | Meng's Tiger Dragon

ORIENTATION PROGRAM

Orientation classes are designed for those who want to know what Shaolin Wing Chun kung fu is and how it works. It is the perfect program for those who are looking to be able to defend themselves during an attack and for those who want to burn some energy while at the same time picking up some great skills.

Combat/self-defense is chaotic at best. It is impossible to know in advance what tools will be needed - kicking, punching, trapping or grappling. The Orientation Program classes are designed for anyone, ages 7 and up, who wants to learn what tools are useful when during self-defense and how these tools work.

Shaolin Wing Chun kung fu distills all possible positions and movements of the arms, body and legs into their most basic shapes. You will learn the 3 body methods, 4 hand shapes and the 6 stances. The basic shapes and basic movements are then put together to create sets of tools. A partial list of the tools you will develop are long, medium and short range kicks, long, medium and short range punches, grabbing, anti-grabbing and counter-grabbing, how to take down, how to not be taken down, how to fall and how to get back up. These are studied, then built upon, to create an understanding of the space around us.

When studying long-range tools and techniques, an observer may well think tae kwon do or maybe karate is being taught. Watching our medium-range tools being studied, the observer may well think it is karate or similar martial art. The short-range tools will look like judo or jujitsu. Shaolin Wing Chun kung fu understands that all of these - tae kwon do, karate, judo, jujitsu, etc. - as merely different toolsets and simply classifies them as kicking, striking, trapping and grappling. All are studied at Meng's Tiger Dragon.

In the Orientation classes, not only will you will learn the technical aspects of but also underlying concepts that allow for these techniques to work as they do. Learning Shaolin Wing Chun Kung Fu at Meng's Tiger Dragon provides not just skills to exist in all ranges of hand-to-hand combat/self-defense but also the skills that bind them together - effortlessly flowing from one range to another, moment to moment. This makes you highly effective.

Once you become effective, Wing Chun kung fu then takes the skills you have learned and makes them efficient. This is achieved using a variety of concepts such as economy of motion, which is using the the least amount of energy in the smallest space in the shortest amount of time. Being efficient significantly decreases the effect of a partner's, or opponent's, size, strength and speed as well as conserving your own energy.

COMPETITION AND TOURNAMENTS

Meng's Tiger Dragon encourages tournaments as a way to pressure-test the life skills. While encouraged, tournaments are never required. Upon achieving their third belt, students will begin some in-class sparring and are given the opportunity to participate in sparring classes. Should the student decide to compete, Meng's Tiger Dragon participates in tournaments at the local, regional, national and international level. In 2023, 3 competitors from Meng's Tiger Dragon did so well at the nationals that they qualified for the PanAm games in Toronto. After some excellent matches, they came home with a bronze, 3 silvers and 1 gold! The pattern continues in 2024 with several students coming home from the nationals with multiple medals.

BLACKSASH PROGRAM

For some, the what and the how of Orientation Program are not enough, they want to know why Shaolin Wing Chun kung fu works the way it works. Enter the Blacksash Program. The Blacksash Program is designed for those who have demonstrated a strong desire to dig deep into the underlying concepts such as the 18 bridges, to understand why everything works the way it does and the concepts that connect them. These deeper concepts become the bread and butter for those in the Blacksash Program. To help learn these deeper concepts, students have extra classes working directly with the head instructor. Of course the best way to measure one's skill is to use it. Once sufficient skill and understand is gained, Blacksash students will lead parts or all of a class under the watchful eye of an instructor. All of this happens regardless of age. Even children and youth in the Blacksash Program may lead classes. Due to the depth of the information, the Blacksash Program is by invitation only.

LOHAN PROGRAM

The Lohan Program continues where the Blacksash Program leaves off. The Lohan Program is designed for those who want to become instructors, either in their current school or to one day start their own school. The Lohan Program focuses on the faat - the methods of teaching Wing Chun kung fu. As with the Blacksash Program, the Lohan Program is by invitation only.