Fu Hok Studio can trace it's heritage back to Shaolin in the 1700's. The actual Hung Gar style of Kung Fu has been one of the most popular methods in Southern China, with a history of more than two hundred years. Wong Fei Hung is one of the most famous Hung Gar stylists in our lineage. His popularity in China and Chinese cinema has surpassed even Bruce Lee. Wong Fei Hung has recently been portrayed by Jet Li in the movie Once Upon a Time in China.
The current Great Grandmaster of Hung Gar Kung Fu is Lum Jo, who lives in Hong Kong. Master Bucksam Kong studied under Lum Jo before he came to the states and founded the Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association in 1963. The Siu Lum Pai Association remains one of the foremost Kung Fu organizations in the world. It incorporates both the Hung Gar and Choy Li Fut styles of Kung Fu.
Sifu Ray Hildreth studies directly under Bucksam Kong (the title of "Sifu" means "father teacher" in Chinese, and is used to show respect). It was from Sifu Hildreth that Nick Givens learned Hung Gar and Choy Li Fut Kung Fu.
The Instructor |
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Fu Hok Studio is under the direction of Sifu Nick Givens. Sifu Nick Givens has over fifteen years experience in the martial arts. He began his training in 1991 and obtained black belt certification through the American Black Belt System Karate Association. He then started learning Kung Fu and obtained his black sash under Sifu Ray Hildreth. Nick Givens is certified to teach by Sifu Hildreth in Bucksam Kong's Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association. Sifu Nick has an immense love and respect for the art of Kung Fu and greatly enjoys sharing it with those who wish to learn. |
Bucksam Kong's Siu Lum Pa'i Kung Fu AssociationFu Hok Studio's training program was developed by Bucksam Kong, who started his training in Hong Kong when he was six years old. In 1963, after serving as a hand to hand combat instructor for the U.S. Army, he established his first school in the United States, and founded the Siu Lum Pa'i Kung Fu Association. The words "Siu Lum" comes from the Cantonese dialect and are synonymous with the Mandarin term Shaolin. Siu Lum was the name of a famous temple which became the center of Kung Fu activity in ancient China. The word "Pa'i" refers to the style or method of practice. So, Siu Lum Pa'i translates simply to "Shaolin style". Master Kong was among the first to break tradition and teach kung fu to the non-Chinese. He is now in Los Angeles, where he continues to teach. He has several branches in the U.S., as well as Germany. At Fu Hok Studio you will learn about and help to carry on the traditions of Kong's Siu Lum Pai Kung-Fu Association. |
Siu Lum Pa'i Kung Fu Association Family Tree
The History of Hung Gar Kung Fu
During the Ching Dynasty (circa 1664), the Shaolin temple was destroyed by the Emperor. Some of the monks escaped the burning and ultimate destruction of the temple and fled throughout China. One monk, Chee Sin Sim See, a master of Shaolin boxing, fled to the mountains of southern China. He was famous for being a martial arts genius for his part in organizing the 36 chambers and the 18 wooden Lohan dummies of Shaolin. Chee Sin was also the teacher of many monks and famous laymen, such as Hung Hei Koon, Luk Ah Choy, and Fong Sai Yuk. Chee Sin's disciple Hung Hei Koon, founder of the Hung Gar style, was a very strong man, and the tiger fighting techniques were particularly suited to him. He soon became famed for his fighting prowess.
Hung Hei Koon met a woman, Fong Wing Chun, who had acquired fighting techniques based on the movements of the crane. According to legend, Fong's father, a Shaolin Master, was out in his garden one day and spotted a crane pecking away at his newly planted vegetables. The monk grabbed a stick and proceeded to try and chase the intruder away. The bird, however, eluded each swing of the stick. At one point, the crane leaped into the air, and the surprised monk found himself the victim of a ferocious counter-attack. Using its sharply pointed beak as a weapon, the crane became a formidable foe. The priest made a complete study of the cranes behavior and learned how this frail-looking creature would respond to various types of attacks.
Before Hung and Fong met, Fong's father had been killed by a strong fighter. Fong asked Hung to help her to avenge her father's death. She convinced him that his great strength and powerful Tiger Claw techniques would not be sufficient to defeat her father's killer and that he should learn some of her Crane techniques. Hung agreed and by combining his dynamic Tiger Claw techniques with Fong's Crane techniques he devised a new and effective method of combat which he later used to defeat the killer of Fong's father.
The Hung system utilizes a combination of short-range tactics (valued for its defensive abilities) and long-range movements (good for offense). Blocks and counters should have strong and powerful striking force. Like the fluid and graceful crane, however, strength must be complimented by softness and softness complimented by firmness.
With a history of more than two hundred years, the Hung style has been one of the most popular methods of Kung Fu practiced in Southern China. In later years, a famous boxer named Wong Fei Hung (Sifu Kong's Great-Grand-Instructor) systemized the Tiger and Crane movements into several formal exercise patterns. Known as Fu-Hok Sheong Yin Kuen, these Tiger-Crane routines are a vital part of Siu Lum Pa'i Association's training program today.
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Although the primary influence at Fu Hok Studio is Hung Gar, we also teach Choy Li Fut. Buck Sam Kong teaches Choy Li Fut in the Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association. Hung Gar is primarily a short to mid-range art, while Choy Li Fut is mid to long-range art. The two are both southern styles of kung fu and compliment each other very well. |
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The History of Choy Li Fut
The book Kung Fu Fighting Styles describes this art as "The Fist at the End of the Rope: Choy Li Fut is famous for it's long-arm technique: Granite fists whipped through the air at the end of loose and supple arms".
One of the most popular kung fu systems in Asia, Choy Li Fut is famous for it's combination of hard and soft techniques, speed, and balance with power and extension.
The style was founded in 1836 by a martial artist named Chan Heung. Chan learned form several Shaolin martial artists, including a fighting monk named Choy Fook. After spending 20 years perfecting his kung fu, Chan put together a new style that would soon become famous as a revolutionary fighting system.
Chan named it Choy Li Fut in honor of his two instructors. The word "fut", which means Buddha, paid respect to the Shaolin monastery where his two teachers had studied.
At this time, the Manchurians of the Ching dynasty ruled China. The Ching's were corrupt rulers, and soon rebel forces developed among the oppressed Chinese people. Among these was Chan Heung, who began training men in this art to fight the Imperial army. His system became a secret society, with rebellion as it's goal.
Although Choy Li Fut is classified as a Southern Chinese kung fu system (it originated in Kwang Tung); Chan's instructor Choy Fook came from the Northern Shaolin temple. This actually makes Choy Li Fut a combination of Northern and Southern styles.