Author Archives: school

The Academy Has Moved!

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Temporary Time Change for Tai Chi Classes Long Form Class: M/W 5:15-6:15 (shorten to an hour) Intro to Tai Chi-Short Form Class: M/W 6:15-7:15 (15 minutes earlier) We will soon be back to our regular schedule.  ***************************** Well, movement is what we do at the Academy, so that’s not much of an announcement. However… After 35 years, the building we called home sold. We have yet to find a permanent workout space, so our classes are currently being held in a very nice tree-lined parking lot where Frederick and Broadway meet; see below for details. What you need to know: … Continue reading →

Tai Chi: Invest In Loss

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When people think of a sport or an exercise, they think of “self-improvement.” and self-improvement means taking that basic person which is you and adding to it. But Tai Chi holds an opposite view. Where the athlete strives to increase their skill from day one, the martial artist begins a slow process of shedding habits, preconceptions, even strengths. In the martial arts we invest in loss. To some this may seem ineffably oriental and mysterious. But Tai Chi, as all martial arts, has embodied this approach for centuries. This is the reason martial arts has always proved so useful: the … Continue reading →

Sifu Mancuso’s Out of Print Classic Returns

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Something long out of print has made its way back into print: Sifu Kwong Wing Lam (one of the Academy’s grandteachers) and Sifu Ted’s book, “MOI FAH:The Plum Flower Fist of Shaolin.” This was Sifu Lam’s first book on Shaolin, teaching the form, Shaolin #7, that we typically teach to beginners in the Northern Shaolin (Bak Sil Lum) system. It was also the first (and only) collaboration between Sifu Lam and Sifu Mancuso, a student of Sifu Lam’s at the time. The book has a checkered publishing history, which was actually quite common for martial arts publishing back in the … Continue reading →

Longfist Kung Fu, and the Academy: Talking with Ted Mancuso and Nick Hancock

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Sifu Ted and Sifu Nick sat down a little while back to discuss the nature of Longfist Kung Fu, and how we teach and approach this treasure at the Academy. Click the image below to watch the discussion.

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Bridging: Engagement in Traditional Kung Fu

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Comes a moment in every martial student’s practice when their focus shifts from attaining perfect posture to one effecting meaningful transitions. Or, better to say: There SHOULD be a moment in each martial student’s practice when their intent moves from picture-perfect postures to efficiently applied transitions. Don’t get me wrong: the pre-structure of postures — from the correct weighting of the stance to the lowering of those shoulders around the ears to the intentional bend of the elbow and wrist — are all important. But I have seen teachers who put way too much emphasis on attaining these perfect mannequins … Continue reading →

Qigong: 10 Points for Body Control

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A very long while back, we published a 30 minute video on 10 points for controlling the body in Qigong. Over the years, this was one of our most popular DVDs — it is simple, accessible, and provides solid information for any martial artist wanting to understand basic Qigong structure. The information is ageless, but videographic technology is not so compliant —thankfully, our skills and equipment have improved over time — so when it came time to reproduce a new batch of DVDs, we decided instead to offer this vintage video for free. Yeah, there is a blue tint to … Continue reading →

Kaz Checks In From Humboldt

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Got a nice letter from our gone-but-not-forgotten student and friend, Kaz, who moved to Humboldt a few months ago. Here are some excerpts: How are you guys?  I miss you!  We are pretty settled in up here, and generally loving it!  Moving really discombobulated me; I was out of sorts for a couple of months, but now I’m feeling pretty good.  It is beautiful here, a land of vast forest, rivers, coastlines and fog.  I’m beginning to find some favorite outdoor places; in Santa Cruz I spent a lot of time at the river and the beach, but because it’s … Continue reading →

It’s Alive!

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Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor covid has been able to stop our new book by Sifu Ted Mancuso, “Hawk Splits Sky: Jibengong Practice, Bagua Zhang Mastery,” from publication. But it’s not like the forces of nature haven’t tried really hard. Nonetheless, the boxes of books and the spindles of DVDs are now arrived, and you can CLICK HERE to read more about our project, and to order at our introductory price. Woohoo! Oh, and for the first month (until January 15), if you would like an autorgraphed copy, just ask. See Below for more info… Here is a … Continue reading →

Longfist Kung Fu Fundamentals: 12 Wk Class Starts Sept 28

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Wow, it has been a loooong time since we have been able to add a class to our schedule and welcome new students to our school. So, we are excited to introduce our newest 12 week series, Longfist Kung Fu Fundamentals, taught by Nick Hancock. Nick is a professionally trained teacher in both Chinese medicine and traditional martial arts, bringing his particular expertise and talents to training movement as well as principles and theory. The fundamentals of Longfist Kung Fu establish the basics  of Northern Chinese martial arts. This series of classes will not only introduce you to moves, health … Continue reading →