The Dragon's Pool & Tiger's Den

The Dragon's Pool & Tiger's Den began in June of 1989. The name in Chinese is "Lung Tan Hu Hsueh," which means the dragon's pool and tiger's den, a very dangerous place, with warriors hiding within the building protecting the school.

I like the unusual name because it attracts unusual people. The unusual people I am looking for are those interested in learning Martial Arts. People with a drive to study on their own, who want to learn the reasons behind the techniques, and ask questions why this way and not another. This is not a place to get a quick black belt. You study what there is to learn in each level and when you learn it we move on.

Chinese Kenpo is the base of the martial art taught at DPTD. The Kenpo that is taught is that of the old style of Parker and Tracy with circular motion and overkill. The style has been proven as a most effective self-defense. This martial art was taken to the streets by William Chow and others to make it the most scientific martial art in the world. I like it because you can stop anytime, you never have to hurt, maim or kill, but it is a good thing to know. This is what students who are studying for belt ranks are tested on. I have many students, however, who are not interested in belts at all, just interested in learning martial arts. (Kenpo Manual -- for students only)

Wu Shu at DPTD is for the fun of it. This beautiful skill -- handed down for thousands of years by people who once used it for survival -- can now be learned just for the fun and challenge. The fun of the hard work that goes into perfecting each movement. The fun of learning the forms to perfection and then changing them to your own personal needs in modern times. In Montana we don't get all the real great teachings of family-named martial arts so we have to improvise sometimes.

The forms that I have personally studied are Drunken Man of the Eight Immortals, Monkey, Eagle, Praying Mantis, Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Crane, Five Animal, Wu Shu staff, Broadsword, Fan, Bench, and Kwon Do.

Currently Teaching privately to adults and children incorporating Wu Shu, Chin Na, grappling and throwing arts with the Chinese Kenpo. Also many forms of Chinese Weaponry. A new class and a real challenge is teaching Senior Citizens breathing exercises and movement with forms. This has been a great success.

January 21, 2008 12:15 PM Jan Marcus