Marcos Rivera
I began practicing martial arts when I was eleven years old, starting with the Korean art of Tae Kwon Do. Over time, I was fortunate to also learn boxing and some Go Ju Ryu style Karate from my instructors.
As my training progressed, I explored Ju Jitsu, Kook Sool Won, Shorin Ryu Karate, and Yang-style Tai Chi Quan. I was looking for Techniques and skills that Traditional Tae Kwon Do lack.
Life interrupted my training. So, for over ten years I left the arts behind.
I fell ill, which required a short but stressful hospital stay. One day Looking out a window I saw a young lady working on her martial art form and that inspired me to return to the arts. I decided to start where I had left off, Tai Chi Quan.
It took me about a year to find a school, and two names kept coming up during my search: The Wu Tang Physical Cultural Association and Frank Allen. Initially, I felt hesitant and intimidated by a picture of a heavily tattooed teacher demonstrating techniques on a student. However, what caught my attention was the fact that this school offered two unique arts that others didn't: Ba Gua Zhang and Xing Yi Quan. After conducting additional research, I decided to visit the school.
Unfortunately, my first visit coincided with their trip to China for training, which I later did myself. I returned to the school, retrieved the nerf football with the key that had been thrown down to me, and set foot inside the studio for the first time. Frank Allen turned out to be very welcoming. Although my initial interest was in learning Tai Chi, further research led me to start with Xing I Quan. On my first day, he introduced me to Ba Gua Zhang. Since then, I have been practicing all three styles and exploring everything else the school has to offer.
I have achieved the status of a certified instructor in Ba Gua Zhang and Northern Wu Style Tai Chi Quan, and I am honored to be a formal disciple of Frank Allen. Currently, I serve as an assistant Tai Chi instructor at the Wu Tang Physical Cultural Association. I have also had the privilege and responsibility of teaching classes when Frank is away, traveling for the Wu Tang PCA.
As my training progressed, I explored Ju Jitsu, Kook Sool Won, Shorin Ryu Karate, and Yang-style Tai Chi Quan. I was looking for Techniques and skills that Traditional Tae Kwon Do lack.
Life interrupted my training. So, for over ten years I left the arts behind.
I fell ill, which required a short but stressful hospital stay. One day Looking out a window I saw a young lady working on her martial art form and that inspired me to return to the arts. I decided to start where I had left off, Tai Chi Quan.
It took me about a year to find a school, and two names kept coming up during my search: The Wu Tang Physical Cultural Association and Frank Allen. Initially, I felt hesitant and intimidated by a picture of a heavily tattooed teacher demonstrating techniques on a student. However, what caught my attention was the fact that this school offered two unique arts that others didn't: Ba Gua Zhang and Xing Yi Quan. After conducting additional research, I decided to visit the school.
Unfortunately, my first visit coincided with their trip to China for training, which I later did myself. I returned to the school, retrieved the nerf football with the key that had been thrown down to me, and set foot inside the studio for the first time. Frank Allen turned out to be very welcoming. Although my initial interest was in learning Tai Chi, further research led me to start with Xing I Quan. On my first day, he introduced me to Ba Gua Zhang. Since then, I have been practicing all three styles and exploring everything else the school has to offer.
I have achieved the status of a certified instructor in Ba Gua Zhang and Northern Wu Style Tai Chi Quan, and I am honored to be a formal disciple of Frank Allen. Currently, I serve as an assistant Tai Chi instructor at the Wu Tang Physical Cultural Association. I have also had the privilege and responsibility of teaching classes when Frank is away, traveling for the Wu Tang PCA.
|
|
