"The Russian Dragon" Master Valery Prosvirov will be holding a lecture and workshop on May 17, 2015 discussing the history, theoretical basis, and practical application of Chinese Kung Fu and Yang style Tai Chi Chuan.

Have you ever watched your favorite kung fu flick (Ip Man, Enter the Dragon, Tai Chi Zero) and wondered, "How would that work in real life?" Master Valery has both the wisdom and knowledge to explain not only these, but many other mysteries of the ancient Chinese martial arts.

This 3-hour seminar will cover many interesting and enlightening elements of kung fu, including:

• A brief history of theory and practice of Tai Chi Chuan
  
• Practical application of Tai Chi
  

   -  8 Base Efforts in Tai Chi

   -  Submission holds and throwing techniques in Tai Chi

   -  Self-defense principles of Tai Chi

• Qigong

   -  Theoretical basis

   -  Key moments and movements of practice

• Meditation
  

   -  Understanding the differences between true meditation and self-deception

Bonus - Traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony

Location:  Kung Fu of Golden Dragon Martial Arts School

11677 San Vicente Blvd. Ste. 202 Los Angeles, CA 90049

Fee: $35          Phone:  (310) 207-5260

Facebook group event is here:

Photo report here:

Sunday's Martial Arts Lecture at Golden Dragon:

A Meeting of the Masters

What do you get when you put together a Kung Fu Cowboy master, a world-renowned martial arts movie star, and a Shihan trained by the Godhand (Mas Oyama) to discuss Chinese Kung Fu and philosophy with the Russian Dragon Valery Prosvirov? You get a protege trying desperately not to pass out from excitement! On Sunday, I had the honor of not only enjoying a profound lecture on the history, philosophies, and applications of kung fu and Tai Chi, but I did so in the presence of 3 (count 'em, THREE) elite martial arts masters! Needless to say this left an indelible mark on me as both a martial artist and a human being. While I expected to learn something new going in, I didn't think I would have quite as many MIND=BLOWN moments as I did.   Master Valery began the seminar by discussing the actual history and origin of Chinese Kung Fu. As it turns out. Kung Fu dates back not hundreds, but thousands of years, predating even Boddhidharma (he was at one time thought to be the progenitor of ShaoLin kung fu; however, he only helped to develop ShaoLin C'han, a sect of Buddhism still practiced in China to this day). In fact, the actual martial system of kung fu dates around the time of Lao Tzu, the author of Tao Te Ching, a book whose fundamental principles are seen in tenets of kung fu training around the world!

  We then fast-forwarded to the story of ShaoLin, from its birth and budding reputation to its involvement with numerous historical events throughout China. Any person who has studied the history of the ShaoLin Temple at any length is bound to know about the great fire of 1647 under the rule of the Qin Dynasty. Being a bit of a conspiracy theorist myself (or rather, having a very questioning nature), I always wondered if there might be more to the myths than was let on. The master enlightened us to many new-found facts about the incident, including how the temple's destruction ultimately helped the government to spread the phenom of ShaoLin kung fu throughout the country, and the rumors of a Southern ShaoLin Temple's existence. I was astounded by the information I didn't know I didn't know. What's that old saying, “Don't believe everything you see in the movies...”?

The last part of the seminar was where the rubber met the road: Tai Chi practices and principles. In his typical style, Master Valery explained the history of Tai Chi, how it was developed, and how its techniques and principles were to be applied in real fighting. Then (OF COURSE) he had us get on our feet so we could try our hands at a few moves. We learned the Eight Principles of Tai Chi, such as pushing, pulling, grabbing, trapping, etc. Even with this short session, I began to notice distinct differences in the way my focus honed in when doing these exercises as opposed to external kung fu. Anyone who believes that doing something slower is easier – I challenge you to take one week of Tai Chi classes. Then see if you still agree with your statement. Nonetheless, the burn was WORTH IT!!

We closed out with some words from Shihan Allen Woodman and a demonstration of modern Tai Chi applications by Eric Lee before we all enjoyed tea and each other's company. In my book, this was more than a red-letter day; this was truly a milestone in my martial arts life. Can't wait until the next one!