Club of the week: Shaolin Martial Arts

Jay Asser 11:57 12/11/2015
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  • Rich history: Kung fu involves channelling the body, mind and spirit.

    Kung fu certainly looks cool in movies and pop culture, but the practice is more than just throwing punches and fighting off bad guys.

    The Chinese martial art has a rich history and encompasses the channelling of body, mind and spirit. 

    Self defence is a vital part of the discipline and Shaolin Martial Arts strives to teach effective techniques that also happen to be fun.

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    As the self-proclaimed first Chinese martial arts school based in Dubai, the centre offers traditional kung fu and tai chi, appealing to those that want to learn kicks, punches, strikes, takedowns, submissions and more, while also relieving stress.

    Fairy Wang, manager of Shaolin Martial Arts, believes Dubai is a perfect city for kung fu and tai chi to thrive in.

    “Dubai is like a melting pot of cultures and martial arts. People from around the world come here in order to seek their fortunes and build their dreams. Most of them forget to enjoy their life just because of that,” Wang said.

    “They work late into the night, they have pressure every day, they eat irregularly, and they sit in the office day by day. 

    “Martial arts are a good way for them to get energy, release the pressure and keep healthy.”

    Shaolin Martial Arts’ attempt to break into the region wasn’t so easy at first though, according to Wang.

    Master Hang, the centre’s founder and chief master, came to Dubai in 2010 from China where he trained at the legendary Shaolin Temple, only to find people weren’t very familiar with kung fu.

    Hang, however, recognised there was potential interest due to the popularity of kickboxing as well as jiu-jitsu, and set forth to bring the practice to the UAE.

    Start early: Masters teach kung fu to adults and children.

    “Being Chinese, as well as a Kung Fu Master, it’s Master Hang’s mission to promote kung fu across the world,” Wang said.

    “So in the three years after he came here, he showed people what kung fu was, did market research and collected information. 

    “Then in 2014 he decided to run his own kung fu training centre. 

    “It was really a challenge for us to start a new martial arts centre here, so Master Hang started a set of teaching systems which is special for self-defence.”

    Hang, a sixth Dan black belt in Chinese martial arts and sixth Dan black belt in Shaolin kung fu, has since been joined by Master Gang and Master Lee, both fifth Dan black belts in Chinese martial arts and sixth Dan black belts in Shaolin kung fu.

    The masters teach kung fu and tai chi for adults and children, ranging from beginner to advanced levels, as well as for around 10 schools in Dubai.

    Classes are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings, with three-month packages, yearly memberships, private classes and belt tests available. 

    You can even call and book a free trial class to gauge your interest. For more information, call 052 626 5816 and visit www.uaekungfu.com.

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