Kung Fu was originally developed by Chinese monks for health purposes, but with  the growing need to defend their temple against looters and  bandits, it  eventually evolved into a deceptively aggressive form of combat.

When the  Manchus invaded,  burning temples and killing monks, the survivors  went into hiding and began to recruit and teach lay-people their fighting skills.  The Ching Dynasty rebellions were born with five masters in the south designing family systems with devastating  techniques, some of which were derived from the observation of animals. For generations these styles remained closely guarded family secrets.

Kung Fu was introduced to North America by the immigrant masters who originally came as laborers. Eventually the tradition of secrecy was relaxed and some instructors decided to allow non-Chinese into their schools based on moral character and a sincere enthusiasm to understand eastern arts. Chris Rogers studied under disciples of these masters in Connecticut and Los Angeles.

*Kung Fu: a general term defined as the mastery of an art, an accomplishment of a difficult task through highly concentrated effort. It ultimately means alot of hard work and/or practice. Kung - accomplishment, Fu - effort.

The actual Chinese term for martial arts is Wu Shu, which denotes military arts, training for self defense and bravery.

Wu - militaristic, Shu - techniques.

"Kung Fu must be thought of, in its final form and spirit, as an expression of mans indomitable will to survive adversity in the most direct, self-reliant manner possible. This requires only that which nature gave him - a mind and body, rigorously disciplined as an inseperable entity. Within this framework Kung Fu will be presented as an experience which begins on the physical level and gradually deepens to a pervasive philosophy influencing the totality of ones behavior."

* excerpts taken from 'Kung Fu - History, Philosophy and Technique' by David Chow & Richard Spangler

For more detailed information on the systems, the masters and their history, I encourage you to click on any of the underlined links on the home page.