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Class Information
The Invisible Arms Of |
Martial Arts Without The Macho Get the Executive Summary of Kung Fu Beginning Classes: Location: West Hollywood Park Time: 10am - 11:30am, Sundays, weather permitting. These introductory classes meet once a week for 1.5 hours. Material is rotated, so you can join in anytime. Practical Usage of Human Body & Energy Systems The classes being offered in this program draw on material from the Seven Stars Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu System as taught by Grand Master Brendan Lai, in addition to a worldwide spread of other physical and philosophical training systems. The classes are designed to introduce the student to a basic set of practical applications and attitudes useful for managing incoming and outgoing energy in both physical and nonphysical life situations. It is a low-to-medium impact program focused on improving confidence, health, energy awareness, coordination and perception. Mental states encountered in conflict and philosophy of martial arts are examined. Material is kept simple and effective, with emphasis on actual usage. You Will Learn How To: Advanced classes and personal training are available by arrangement. Contact: bridgesmail@lycos.com
Sifu Bridges has been studying kung fu and related arts for over 35 years with Grand Master Brendan Lai in San Francisco and others. In 2000 he took a Bronze Medal in the Traditional Forms Kung Fu Tournament in Tsing Tao, China, and Fourth Place in the 2000 International Invitational Wu Shu Tournament in Beijing, China. In 2001, a Gold Medal in the International Kung Fu and Kempo Karate Championships in San Francisco. He is a contributing writer to Inside Kung Fu Magazine. Sifu Bridges has also studied Judo, Aikido, European Fencing, Gymnastics and Archery.
What is Kung Fu? The actual chinese term for “martial art” is “wu shu”. The chinese words “kung fu” translate roughly as “That which is achieved through correct hard work”. The story behind the modern use of the term is that many years ago, a westerner happened to observe some chinese at practice and asked “What is that?” The answer came back “Kung fu”, or “Hard work”. The good news is that it doesn’t have to mean punishing, teeth grinding labor. It just means steady pursuit of the physical and mental exercises, and honest investigation of the philosophical and ethical implications. Personally, I think the term “hard play” is a much better way to put it in this current culture. Expanding Use of Our Human Body and Energy Systems A kung fu system is an organized body of physical movements and mental applications designed to preserve and enhance the life and health of the practitioner. One might say, the ultimate personal energy management system. There are thousands of kung fu systems. Those associated with the term "Kung Fu" are typically of Chinese origin. However, virtually every human culture has these systems in some form or other. The human frame has an inherent set of motions and effects it is capable of producing, so any training system for it will have certain elements in common no matter where it originates. A little serious research into meditation, martial arts, yoga and even circus performance will show that the scope of human capacity is far beyond what most people imagine. The varied purposes of these training systems often result in very different subgroups of technique being emphasized. This can give the appearance of totally unrelated bodies of knowledge. Yet they all utilize the human body, physical and nonphysical. In its focus on the physical, Western culture has dismissed, de-emphasized or franchised the nonphysical aspects of the human vehicle to an alarming degree. While life can be lived this way, many people are now realizing a deep lack of value that cannot be addressed with thrills, items, or the opinions of others. This is resulting in a dramatic reemergence of interest in the nonmaterial fields of endeavor. Millions are now investigating these age-old bodies of knowledge for themselves. A hazard in this newfound enthusiasm for the nonphysical is that the physical may be then devalued. Neither aspect is more important than the other. Without some physical health to support the flow, increased energy levels can "fry the circuits" so to speak. Too much current through weak wires will melt them, and with disabled hardware even the best software is useless. However, by integrating the physical and nonphysical in their natural harmonies, we can find new perspectives, rich value and significant personal power at hand in our own innate being. Kung fu training, using a complete system that incorporates both physical and nonphysical knowledge, is the most efficient unified method of moving into our full potential that I have found. Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu Northern Praying Mantis kung fu is a relatively new development, being only about 500 years old. There are many variations on the origin story of the system. The basic version is that the founder, Wong Long, was on the run from Manchu government that was subduing the country. (Independent martial artists being some of the most likely people to lead revolutions or otherwise cause trouble for the local oppressors.) He hid out from the troops at the Shao Lin Temple. He had already studied 18 other kung fu systems and was learning the Shao Lin kung fu, but he was unnable to defeat the abbott of the Temple in sparring. One day the abbott said “I’m going to go and study with another Master for several years. You had better be better when I get back.” Wong Long was beside himself. He had tried everything he knew from all his vast knowledge but to no avail, the abbott was just too skilled. And here he was going away to study with yet another great Master! He would be even better when he came back. Despairing of ever being able to succeed, Wong Long took to wandering in the surrounding forest. One day as he went he happened to see a praying mantis fighting another insect, a cicaida that was almost ten times its size. It won! Wong Long was fascinated by both the indominatable spirit and deadly techniques of the little insect. He began to observe mantises as they went about their business. He captured them and pitted them against each other and various opponents. He found that they had a definite body of technique that they employed to great effect, often against much larger opponents. He adapted these unusual hand and arm movements for the human frame. When the abbott returned from his journey, Wong Long was able to defeat him! The abbott was very pleased with Wong Longs’ progress and the new techniques he had developed. He said “Excellent hand work. But your footwork does not match this sophistication. Let us go and learn from the experts.” So the abbott and Wong Long went into the jungle and took the agile footwork of the monkeys. They then combined praying mantis hands and monkey feet with the best theories of the 18 systems Wong Long already had, and the Shao Lin Temple kung fu, to form the Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu System. This was taught exclusively within the Shao Lin Temple as its advanced system for about a hundred years, before it was brought out into the world at large about 400 years ago. Once out, it split into several variants or schools, including the Seven Stars, Plum Flower, Flat Plate and Eight Step Praying Mantis Systems. Because Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu started out as a hybrid system, a combination of the best theories and techniques from several systems as well as the natural world, it lends itself to absorbing new parts quite easily. The system is continually evolving as each fresh generation, school and individual practitioner refine the existing body of knowledge and add new insights and techniques. The form we practice is the Seven Stars Northern Praying Mantis System, a direct descendant of the original Shao Lin Temple system. Sifu Bridges is a 9th generation practitioner from the time of the emergence from the Shao Lin Temple.
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