Below are our posts on the ancient art of Jade Dragon Kung Fu (Yu Lung Chuan). This will soon include a range of techniques, basic training, weapons skills, animal styles and so on. More are being added all the time. Keep checking back.
To learn our first combat form see Leaping Tiger Form.
Increase your stamina quickly and naturally
Train hard, breathe easy I teach several kung fu classes per week. At the beginning of each is a warm-up and series of conditioning exercises which I lead. The students then follow me and listen to my instructions. Therefore it’s essential that I am not only able to perform these…
Principle One – Relax Down
Everybody carries far too much tension around with them. This tension drains them ofenergy, pulls their body apart and resists every move they make. We are so often told to relax but not many people realise that relaxation is a skill that needs to be learned. To find out why…
The 2 types of fear and how to deal with them
Virtually all negative emotions are based on fear. Fear is our most primal emotion and one that a great many people feel, to a greater or lesser extent, every single day. We have around 30 names for different types of fear, and many more slang words: anxiety, dread, panic, alarm…
Principle Two – Move from the centre
In kung fu and tai chi, we always aim to make our movements balanced, efficient and powerful. A balanced movement is one where the forces involved are balanced throughout the body. At no point is the individual out of balance and vulnerable to counter-attacks. An efficient movement is one which…
Making Waves – Extraordinary power that flows through the body
In the Jade Dragon tradition we separate yin training and yang training. Yin training teaches you to develop power inside the body through stillness or very slow movements combined with a focused mind and breath. Yang training teaches you to express that power in the most efficient way. Wave power…
Gain leg strength
As anyone who comes to my classes will know I talk a lot about leg strength. Basically, without strong legs you have no real support so your upper body will be full of tension to keep your weight off your weak legs. Strengthen your legs and your upper body can…
Pressure Points – do they work?
The effectiveness of pressure points in the martial arts is a hotly contested topic. Many books and films show very unrealistic scenarios where the master touches a few points on his opponent who is then paralysed or dies soon thereafter. At the other end of the scale are the martial…
Walking The Circle – The Astonishing Art of Baguazhang
Visit almost any park in China at dawn and you will find people doing a variety of traditional exercises. These exercises will look nothing like Western exercise. Some of them will be moving in the intricate patterns of tai chi. Others will be standing completely still yet utterly relaxed in…
Tai Chi Yin and Yang Training
The term tai chi (taiji) refers to the constant interplay between the forces of yin and yang. Tai Chi Chuan (taijiquan) is the martial art that uses those forces to develop extraordinary power. Very few tai chi schools now teach the development and use of these forces. This is a…
Fight like an animal – 8 ways to become stronger, faster and release your animal spirit
The Chinese have been developing their martial arts skills for at least two thousand years. There is a huge variety of different styles and systems. Some estimate there to be at least a thousand distinct styles that have been developed over the centuries. In the West we lump them all…
Standing up. A simple guide to good posture
Your posture is all about the way you hold and move your body. A good posture makes you feel alive, nimble, full of energy and puts minimal strain on your body. A poor posture makes you feel sluggish, drained and puts excess stress on various key joints and other systems…