​JOW GA KUNG FU​

The Jow Ga Kung Fu School gives expert training from qualified instructors in Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qigong, and many other programs, including corporate self defense seminars.  Jow Ga promotes a family atmosphere with modern and traditional training techniques. Students have enjoyable yet challenging exercises and gain from the personal attention they receive from the instructors. At the school, all the students are brothers and sisters of the Jow Family. As such, they learn to work with one another helping each other progress and succeed in their training. They quickly develop high social skills, learn teamwork and leadership abilities. The school brings together people of all backgrounds, to train and learn as one.

Jow Ga Kung Fu classes are structured in a manner to give students the maximum benefits from each class. The class starts with light warm-ups and stretches followed by medium calisthenics. Afterwards, there is some stance training and/or a review of basic techniques before the main training begins. Main training consists of beginner to intermediate techniques including the concept and philosophy behind the techniques. Often times the technique will be worked as a class a slow pace at first. As proficiency begins to build, the pace will quicken and the power and force will increase. Usually by the end of class, students will be partnered together practicing the techniques on one another with control. Jow Ga Kung Fu works directly with students by offering 1 to 1 instruction, so students can fully benefit from the teachings.

The classes are separated by both age and experience. The separation prevents from overwhelming the beginner and younger students while the older and more experienced students are gain advanced technique applications and deepen their understanding of martial art philosophy.

Class lessons are usually independent of one another provided that the basic techniques and stances have been learned. Therefore, if students miss a class or two they will not be lost. However, there are some classes that sometimes do build on one another, and if a previous class is missed, there will be a brief review period to help students to catch up they missed in the previous class. Also, since all beginner classes revolve randomly around the same basics of what one would expect to learn within their first two years in Jow Ga, it is likely that whatever students may have missed within their absence will be repeated within a few weeks or months.

Light contact and full contact sparring are regular parts of class training. However, only students who are ready to spar may do so. Student must pass a five part test on control in order to begin sparring. Jow Ga Kung Fu puts a strong emphasis on control when sparring. Students are expected to use the utmost control when sparring other students. At Jow Ga Kung Fu, sparring sessions are not competitions between classmates to challenge and hurt each other, but an opportunity to learn, practice, and apply what is learned. Sparring sessions are called “learning experiences” and the winner is the one who learns the most! By emphasizing control, Jow Ga Kung Fu makes sparring a safe way to learn. Instead of having opponents, students have sparring partners. Students learn that if they deliberately injure their sparring partner then no one else will want to spar with them, thus, causing them to miss out on sparring and learning.

Some of the philosophies taught at Jow Ga Kung Fu incorporate the principles of the ’Yam’ and ‘Yeurng’, or more commonly recognized in the Mandarin dialect as ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang. One of the main principles of Jow Ga is to use not only one’s own strength but that of an opponent’s as well. For self-defense, the Jow Ga student will learn to expend less time and energy and maximize effectiveness and chances for survival. Jow Ga techniques teach simplicity, so the techniques can be as practical and effective as possible.

The Jow Ga system is a family system developed by the Jow brothers over a century ago (See History), and being a family style the students do not wear belts to signify rank. Belts tend to create ego problems among students. Jow Ga Kung Fu students encourage one another to develop their skills instead of competing with one another and belittling those whom they might view as inferior to themselves. In helping one another students gain a deeper understanding of the techniques and concepts, thus, improving their own skills.

Jow Ga utilizes floor mats and several types of training equipment from heavy bags and punching bags, to iron rings and eqgle claw catchers to assist in training.

Jow Ga also offers Iron Palm, Iron Jacket, and other conditioning training for the more experienced and serious students.

Children are taught discipline, self-control, and respect among many other virtues. Click here for more information on the children’s program.
Because Jow Ga Kung Fu is a family system, the class is structured to encourage interaction between classmates. Classmates begin to help and lookout for one another.