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Hung Kuen Kung Fu is a traditional Chinese style of martial arts with roots traceable to the Shaolin monastery, taken by many to be the spiritual home of all Asian martial arts. Hung Kuen has since spread throughout the world, with massive followings in China and throughout East Asia, as well as schools flourishing in Europe and the US. Our Loughborough club was launched by and continues to train under the instruction of Master Ang Kee Kong, 10th Degree, who sits at the head of the Hung Kuen schools in the UK.
Like all martial arts, Hung Kuen training involves a mixture of physical fitness, technical instruction, hands-on practice and healthy competition. As such, it can provide a number of different training outcomes for its practitioners, including maintaining fitness levels, learning self-defence skills, providing competitive opportunities, giving insight into and knowledge about martial arts, and also simply being an enjoyable way to spend one’s free time.
As a martial art, the Hung Kuen style partly revolves around 5 traditional animal styles, where the fighter’s body is trained to mimic the instinctive movements of animals. Practitioners can learn Tiger, Leopard, Dragon, Crane and Snake styles, which involve moving, blocking, and striking in ways which are relatively unique. Hung Kuen training also makes use of several traditional Chinese kung fu weapons, including the 6’ staff, the broadsword, the spear, the chain whip, the halberd, the fan, and several others.
While animal styles and weapons training form the more advanced levels, Hung Kuen at the more basic level is built on a thorough grounding in the essential skills necessary for martial artists. Practicing basic techniques such as punching, kicking, blocking, and evasion is fundamental to our training, and by regularly practicing in pairs, members learn the strategic and mental skills necessary to effectively use their martial arts for self defence, should the need arise. Fitness is also a large component of Hung Kuen training, and varies from technique drilling to continuous punching/kicking, and from circuit training to stance work.
All training sessions involve mixtures of these different fitness and technique practices, making sure that we get good variation in our training to keep things interesting. However, throughout the year training varies in preparation for grading exams and competitions, and we tend to focus on particular aspects of training ahead of these events. Gradings are usually held three or four times a year, and competitions twice. There is no compulsion to take part in either, but most members find both to be beneficial experiences, in particular through giving something to aim for over the longer term.
Hung Kuen training therefore has much to offer to anyone with an interest in learning and practicing martial arts. Our club members all work at their own level and in accordance with their own goals and motivations. Whether they want to learn self defence, to compete, to get fit, or just to try something different, Hung Kuen can meet the needs of any martial artist, and all are welcome to come and see what we have to offer.