Tao Te Kung Fu isn’t just a fighting style. It is a complete system that includes profound ancient philosophy, guided meditations, Chi Kung, a complete exercise program and is delivered with Kung Fu Living’s online program using modern teaching methods.
Tao Te Kung Fu was developed using techniques from multiple sources not available to earlier practitioners. Many techniques have been derived and adapted from the Kung Fu style of Wing Chun. Wing Chun is one of the most popular Kung Fu style practiced in Europe and the USA, simply because the legendary Bruce Lee originally practised it. Though of course he also adapted the techniques to suit his own needs.
“Tao Te” means the virtuous or powerful way, and refers to its efficiency and its development within a modern context. Traditions have their place and should be maintained where they are helpful, but there is always the danger in martial arts that if one becomes too entrenched in any tradition, eventually lessons start to look more like historical re-enactment.
Tao Te Kung Fu takes full advantage of the most recent developments in the neuroscience of skill acquisition and owes much of its uniqueness to its being development with a consistent reference to how people learn, not just on the skills they are learning.
Many martial art styles were first developed for military use and while this usually means they were initially brutally efficient, it can also mean that only strong, young men can really excel; though they will often pay the price in later years as the training methods didn’t take into account the damage done by repetitive conditioning exercises. Because Tao Te Kung Fu was specifically developed to enable a smaller, weaker fighter overcome a larger and stronger opponent it is ideally suited to people of all fitness levels, ages and physical shapes. While the training program will help you become stronger and more supple, your capacity to excel in Tao Te Kung Fu is not dependent on these.
Unlike many traditional styles like Wing Chun where the forms are long, complex and the techniques are overly stylised, in Tao Te Kung Fu the forms are short enough to easily remember and incorporate all techniques in the way they will work in real life.
Each form is learned in simple steps that build piece by piece over days or weeks. You can set your own pace depending on your available time and your personal learning style. Each individual move, each short combination and the whole forms are taught in a clear and easily followed way and then you are given a repeat drill; these are short videos that simple keep repeating while you follow them until you choose to stop. These should be practiced until the movements become as easy and automatic as walking or using a knife and fork, or chop sticks if that is your usual eating utensil.
Unlike many Kung Fu Styles, Tao Te Kung Fu includes a variety of weapons within the syllabus. While these are fun to learn they also enhance the unarmed skills. By utilising techniques that encourage the development of movement patterns, distance awareness, stepping and an overall three dimensional awareness they build your wider rage of warrior skills.