Martial Arts Background

Unusual Media — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 06:19:45 +0000

I originally posted about my martial arts background in a previous blog version, but it’s about time that I made some updates. My study of martial arts has jumped around through the years and many of the levels or belts I’ve obtained might not amount to much. This is both due to my differing levels of commitment over time as well as how long ago they were obtained. There is also a wide range of equivalent levels between schools. That’s why I focus more on the amount of training time rather than levels. This value can also vary depending on how often training takes place, but I am giving general estimates in my summary below. At the very least, I try to take my mix of experiences as a way to help round out my general knowledge of martial arts.

Judo/Karate
~ 5 years
I’m not sure of the exact dates, but it was sometime during elementary school that I was enrolled in Don Buck’s School of the Tiger to study Judo and Karate. I continued for a few years and got to brown belt level, which isn’t saying much considering how young I was and how long ago it took place. I don’t remember many of the specifics, but this did help me build a foundation in tumbling, footwork, and basic attack/defense/throwing techniques.

Judo/Jiujitsu
~ 2 years
After School of the Tiger, I spent a couple years studying at the Concord Nippongo Gakko. The emphasis here was on Judo, but Grandmaster Wally Jay would visit from time to time to give Jiujitsu training. This was my first real exposure to joint locking techniques.

Eagle Claw Kung Fu
~ 7 years
It was around 1994 that I began studying Eagle Claw Kung Fu. My first Eagle Claw instructers were Sifu Billy Wong and Sifu Derek Wong, and Sigung Lily Lau would visit class occasionally. Within a couple years, Sifu Kalman and Sigung Lily Lau directed most of the classes. When I was actively competing, I spent most of my free time training at the Eagle Claw Studio. In addition to the traditional Northern Shaolin Kung Fu foundation, my Eagle Claw training focused on joint locking techniques.

Contemporary Wushu
~ 2 years
While I was studying Eagle Claw Kung Fu, Sigung Lily Lau helped contemporary wushu coach Sifu Li Shu Dong establish himself in the bay area. During my cross-training in wushu, I learned many acrobatic techniques.

Capoeira
~ 2 years
I received my first experience studying Capoeira from an Eagle Claw instructer from Brazil. Later on, I was able to study Capoeira in San Francisco from Mestre Preguica, himself a student of Mestre Bimba. Capoeira helped me apply acrobatic techniques in many new ways.

Swai Jiao
~ 2 years (Semi-currently)
I began studying Swai Jiao with Sifu James Chin in 2005. I advanced to brown belt level due largely to my background in Judo and Eagle Claw. (I should note that Sigung Lily Lau also has a background in Swai Jiao.) The training focuses on joint-locking and throwing techniques, although there are also techniques common to other styles of Kung Fu. I haven’t trained here lately due mainly to time constraints, though I am still involved in the background.

Choi Li Fut
~ 1 year + (Currently)
I started training with Sifu Daniel Tomizaki in 2008, after a very busy (work) period where I had practically stopped working out completely. While the main focus of Sifu Tomizaki’s school is Choi Li Fut, we also regularly practice Swai Jiao. Training here has helped me get back into shape, refine some of my old techniques and help round out my foundation.

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Martial Arts Background