Since
1998 I have had the pleasure of training under Sifu Arthur
Berry and to represent his school at many of the local martial
arts tournaments. I have also enjoyed meeting and working
with a lot of different people through the Chinese Kung-Fu
club of DeKalb. Each of them has helped me, in their own way,
to become the person that I am today.
The
core curriculum consists of two physically distinct styles:
Northern Shaolin and Green Dragon Tai Praying Mantis. I believe
they complement each other mentally. The Shaolin has been
the base for my forms training, with 12-step Tan Tui as the
most important form that I have learned, since it trains the
body how to powerfully strike from many different positions
and angles. The Tai Praying Mantis also has interesting forms,
but I feel I have benefited the most from the two-man drills
that originated from the Green Dragon system.
My
main interest in the art has been studying the many weapons
that Sifu Arthur Berry has learned throughout the years, which
include Chinese, Okinawa, and Japanese implements. While I
may never use any of these weapons in a fight, I feel that
learning how to handle a weapon and making it a part of you
gives you new insights into how the human body works and how
far you can push yourself.
