User:Martial Flow

Tai Tsung Kung Fu  T'ai Tsung Kung Fu

[T'ai Tsung kung fu]http://www.taitsung.co.uk was officially launched on 1st June 1997 and brought together the combined knowledge (totalling approximately 120 years) of seven black belt instructors from Zhaun Shu Kuan organisation. T'ai Tsung was founded in the belief that martial arts must be a constantly evolving art and that its instructors should endeavour to reflect that in their teaching and student development programmes. Our main platform is the promotion of classical kung fu in combination with modern practical self-defense and physical training methods. the management committee of T'ai Tsung has devised a "Mission Statement" which encapsulates this ethic of constant evolution in the content and teaching of our style, as well as its organisational structure and management. There is a general distinction of the kung fu styles in China between "northern" and "Southern" which is not geographical but rather of the techniques and methods themselves. The southern styles often referred to as "short fist" styles and is characterised as having short fast hand movements and low kicks-two example of this are "Wing Chun" and "Hung Gar". The northern styles of kung fu emphasizes extended striking with deep stances and dynamic kicking. The theory of northern kung fu is that the rigorous training in the extended postures develops power, which the practitioner can condense into shorter strikes when actually fighting. The northern styles develop flexibility, strength, coordination, balance and agility. The training also instills a great degree of technical versatility. T'ai Tsung is based on the use of northern style kung fu, which is taught in a systemic fashion through classical long solo forms exhibiting both attack and defense movements. All forms are taught slowly with attention to detail and understanding. T'ai Tsung's forms are complimented by practicing their applications, free fighting and physical conditioning.

HISTORY

The name T'ai Tsung was chosen for the organisation to commemorate the support for the Shaolin monks by T'ai Tsung, the first emperor of the T'ang dynasty around 695 AD. Legend maintains that the Shaolin temple at the foot of the Song Shan mountain was built around 495 AD by the royal decree of the emperor Hsiao-Wen. Two hundred years later the emperor T'ai Tsung appealed to the fighting monks to help him defeat the usurper general Wang-Shih-Ch'ung. The Shaolin monks aided the emperor and together defeated Wang. In recognition of their meritorious deeds the emperor conferred upon Shaolin the title "Number One Monastery Under Heaven".