Kung Fu Tai Chi September - October 2016

It’s that time of year again, time for our most self-indulgent issue. Longtime readers of Kung Fu Tai Chi know that the Tiger Claw Elite KungFuMagazine.com Championship has been covered in our September+October issue since its inception in 2009. Tiger Claw Elite Championships coverage goes back even further. That’s been covered in this issue since 2006, but to be fair, there were features in every issue during the tournament season back then. In those days, the Tiger Claw Elite Championships were nested within dozens of tournaments, which ran from spring through summer. If you don’t go back that far with us, you’ll read about it all on page 10. I cannot describe how much chaos the Tiger Claw Elite Championships bring to our office (but I will try, as always, in…

ON May 21 and 22, 2016, Tiger Claw held the 2016 Tiger Claw Elite Championship and the 5th Annual KUNG FU TAI CHI DAY in downtown San Jose, California. This year, the Tiger Claw Elite Championships consisted of two events: the 8th Annual Tiger Claw Elite KungFuMagazine.com Championship and the 4th Annual Tiger Claw Elite Taekwondo Championship. The Tiger Claw Elite KungFuMagazine.com Championship expanded to two days this year, merging with KUNG FU TAI CHI DAY on Sunday. It all happened under the expansive canopy of San Jose McEnery Convention Center’s South Hall. There were nearly six hundred KungFu-Magazine.com competitors, five hundred and twenty Taekwondo competitors and thirteen hundred spectators. Tiger Claw Elite Timeline Tiger Claw Elite began as a Black Belt Only Open Competition in cooperation with Disney’s Martial Arts Festival.…

The expansion of the Tiger Claw Elite KungFuMagazine.com Championship to a two-day event was inevitable. Last year, the competitor cap of 400 was reached well before the pre-registration deadline. This year, the competitor cap was reached prior to deadline again, but at nearly 600 competitors. The days were divided by style. On Saturday, the external divisions were held. Sunday was dedicated to the internal divisions, alongside two of the showcase divisions: the longstanding WildAid Tiger Claw Championship and the Monkey King Championship, which was special just for this year. Grandmaster Tu Jin-Sheng (March+April 2003 cover master) also staged his unique event, the 4th Golden Dragon Cup. The third was held in 2013. This is an invitation-only event, part demonstration, part competition, focused on Special Skills Qigong including bending metal against…

KUNG FU Age 7-8 Intermediate: Justin Tan, Shaolin Shaolin Martial Arts Age 9-10 Intermediate: Avril Ho, Shaolin Kungfu Chan Academy, Los Angeles Advanced Female: Alycia Carew, Tomizaki Champions Advanced Male: Max Lwin, Kung Fu Dragon USA Age 11-13 Intermediate: Krystal Lan, Shaolin Shaolin Martial Arts Advanced Female: Elena Hung, Lily Lau Eagle Claw Advanced Male: Bailey Gong, Shaolin Shaolin Martial Arts Age 14-17 Intermediate: Abraham Lin, Chiu Chi Ling Hung Gar Kung Fu Advanced Female: Jessica Wang, Dragon Rhythm Shaolin Kung Fu Advanced Male: Braydan Tomizaki, Tomizaki Champions Age 18 & over Intermediate: Alan Shiao, Shaolin Kungfu Chan Academy, Los Angeles Advanced Female: Rhea Go, USA Wu Chi Kung Fu Academy Advanced Male: Will Lee, Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy Age 40 & over Advanced Male: Ryo Eguchi, Shaolin Temple USA TAI CHI / INTERNAL Age 18 & under Advanced Female: Jasmine Syu, Legend Kung Fu Academy Advanced Male: Nathan Chou, Zhang Kung Fu…

BEST ATTENDANCE SCHOOLS Kung Fu Dragon USA Shaolin Shaolin Martial Arts International Chi Institute Dragon Rhythm Shaolin Kung Fu USA Wu Chi Kung Fu Academy Fei Shifu Kung Fu Academy Legend Kung Fu Academy Shaolin Temple USA Shaolin Kung Fu Chan Academy_LA Elite Kung Fu SUPPORTING SCHOOLS Acts, American Chen Taiji Society, Amin Wu Tai Chi, Bay Area Fight Academy, Bei Dou Kung Fu Acadamy, Bellaire Wushu Academy, Bes Of Thebes Montu Arts, California Martal Arts Academy, Champion Wushu Center, Championship Martial Arts Academy, Chang Tai Do Karate, China Taichi Kung Fu, Chinese C.Z. Kung Fu Institute, CK Tai Chi, Deyang Tai Chi, Doc-fai Wong Martial Arts Center, Dragon Rhythm Shaolin Kung Fu, E.Y. Lee Kung Fu, Elite Kung Fu, Fei Shifu Kung Fu Academy, Health Workout, Independent, Infinite Martial Arts, International Chi Institute, Jackson’s Wushu Academy, Johnny Jang Martial Arts Academy,…

The Monkey King Championships were special showcase divisions in honor of 2016, the Year of the Monkey. This was an open forms competition, empty-hand or weapon, open to any style, as long as the form was based on Monkey style. There were two divisions: Monkey King (age 18 and above) and Monkey Kid (17 and below). This showcase division was held just for this year. As next year is the Year of the Rooster, it is unlikely that another such showcase division will be held for that. While there are chicken styles, particularly within Xingyi, it is nowhere near as prevalent as Monkey Kung Fu. Monkey King Champion: Ding Wei (Champion Wushu Center) Competitor: Adan Baca Monkey Kid Champion: Ian Lim (Kung Fu Dragon USA) Competitors: Matthew Chan, Gavin Chang, Ryan Hung, Evan Liang, Nathan…