Author Archives: Shifu Read

About Shifu Read

Primary instructor of the school. Training in martial arts since he was 5. He started in kickboxing, then moved to XingYi at 18. At 32 he began training in BaGua. At 36 he began training in TaiJi. At 40, he began in BJJ. He loves to share his knowledge with his students and help them along in their own martial journey.

Principle vs Technique

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Shifu Read

This will only be a quick thought. I was just thinking about the difference between having an understanding of a subject, and simply having a rote memorized knowledge base. In martial arts it is like the difference between “principle in … Continue reading →

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Self Control

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Shifu Read

The following is a repost from my personal blog.  I thought it also appropriate here.  I wrote it originally on 9-23-07. ________________________________________________   I just wanted to put down in writing some thoughts on self-control that have been on my … Continue reading →

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Traditional vs Non Traditional Martial Arts

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Shifu Read

There is a long standing debate between different factions as to which is superior, traditional styles or non-traditional styles, in martial effectiveness. Honestly, I think it is a silly debate. There is no such thing as a traditional “style”. Traditional … Continue reading →

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Where do you punch from?

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Shifu Read

“Boxing punches from the head and shaolin punches from the hip and karate punches from the solar plexus, where does xing yi punch from?” I was asked this question once, and my answer was that xing yi punches from wherever … Continue reading →

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neutrality in posture, pt 1

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Shifu Read

As I learn more about the human body and what it means to have good posture in both health and martial arts, I have discovered this general theme.  It’s a good theme I think, and I think it has many … Continue reading →

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is your kung fu real “kung fu”?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Shifu Read

The word “kung fu” means a skill attained through hard work and time. This means that a pianist has kung fu as well as a martial artist, even though this isn’t the way we normally think of it. I just … Continue reading →

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are you stacking skills, or just spreading yourself too thin?

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Shifu Read

Just a brief word on how to most effectively improve your skills. When I was younger I thought that the best way was to work on everything every day. I have since learned that while working on everything a little … Continue reading →

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great link on tuo and tai form names

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Shifu Read

Great link to article on the names of the tai and tuo forms.

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The Xing Yi Christian

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Shifu Read

形意拳 Xing Yi Quan (sying ee chwan) in Mandarin it means “form intent fist” but what does that mean? What was meant to be conveyed by that title? Xing Yi is a chinese martial art and as is often the … Continue reading →

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An Example of What NOT To Do With a Knife

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Shifu Read

A few years ago, I was out with a friend from kung fu class – Josh Cook – and co-worker Jen (who is now Josh’s wife).  We went out to dinner at the Pasta House inSt. Louisand after which we … Continue reading →

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