Kung Fu & Tai Chi Ch’uan & MMA Classes
from: Doug Moffett, Da-Shi,
- Lung Ch’uan Fa Kung Fu, Tai Chi Ch’uan, & MMA
- Dragon’s Fist Martial Arts
Students and Parents: Welcome to the Spring Hill RECenter’s Kung Fu, Tai Chi Ch’uan, and MMA classes. See the Spring Hill RECenter Class page for specific days and times for these ongoing fee-based classes.
Kung Fu & Tai Chi Dragons & MMA students: Come a few minutes early to each class. Try to eat at least an hour before you step onto the practice floor, and hydrate prior and rehydrate as necessary during class. Regular water breaks are included for all young dragon classes, especially during vigorous exercise and workouts. Save the sweet sports drinks until after the workout, when it can best add energy after a tough workout. Bathroom breaks by necessity only, and young dragons (under 13) must be accompanied by another young dragon to and from, to maintain safety and accountability. Of course, the accompanying parent(s) of young dragons can accompany their youth and return them back to class. Per RECenter policy, Young Dragons, 10 years and younger, must have a parent on-site at all times.
For those without uniforms, wear loose fitting pants and t-shirt with sleeves and cross trainer sneakers or martial arts shoes. No crocs, flip-flops, or bare feet allowed. Uniform orders are usually placed every 1-2 sessions and are not included in the class fees. Start with a class t-shirt special ordered through a vendor, ~ $20. We order pants through a separate and they tend to run long, so pants will have to be hemmed. For those students who are given the opportunity to spar (supervised and controlled by black sashes or black sash candidates), a fitted mouth guard and groin cup for males is required, along with headgear, hand and foot guards. We have some gear available in our gear lockers, but ultimately each student should have their own. If you have earned a sash, please wear it to each class with the knot to the right hip and not too long to avoid tripping on it. Some may have to wrap several times around the waist. If you wish to check out martial arts gear here is one site – www.awma.com – consider seeing me to purchase items as I can usually get them more inexpensively than you can – bulk rates and discounts etc. We have long and shorter staff weapons in our storage locker available for all to borrow during class. MMA classes require a mouthguard, 108″ boxing wraps, and MMA fingerless gloves.
Some training days can be fun and yet exercise intense too. So, adults, if you have muscle soreness after a class, don’t hesitate to use an ice massage for 1-2 minutes or an ice pack for 10-15 minutes on the affected parts. (Parents of Young Dragons, you make the call about ice or heat: children tend to be much more sensitive to both, so use care and consult a pediatrician if you are unsure.) Don’t use the heating pad for at least a day after sudden muscle soreness to avoid increasing the swelling. Then make sure for both the ice pack and heating pad that you do not fall asleep on either to avoid cold or heat injury! Let me know if you have any injuries so that I may help modify workouts if necessary to keep your interest and attendance ongoing.
For those interested, I have been training in northern styled Kung Fu for 52+ years and Tai Chi for 42+ years and have been teaching Kung Fu for over 40 years. Lung Ch’uan Fa has branches in McLean VA, Winston-Salem NC, and other teachers and instructors span from Hawaii to California, to the East Coast, and I have been promoting students to Black Sash since 1987. “To teach once, is to learn twice” is a favorite maxim of mine, and I am happy to meet all of the new students and greet all returning students! Typically, in a Chinese Martial Arts Kung Fu or Tai Chi school, the teacher is addressed as Shifu, Shih-Fu or Sifu, which basically means “teacher-father” (in the past, the student lived with the teacher, shared in the household activities while training in kung fu) and has the connotation of “Master”. “Da-Shi” means Grandmaster and is a teacher of teachers. As the traditional requirements dictate that a “Master” has trained vigorously for a period of 25 years and be at least 42 years of age, I passed the traditional age requirement over 30 years ago. So, I have hopefully gained much information along the way, which I can share as you progress in the martial arts. See the “Meet the Instructors” page for more information.
If you are a novice or White Sash, I ask that you practice and review at least one time outside of class each week; yellow sash – two times outside of class; green sash three times …- brown sash four times… – black sash candidate five to six times per week. If you are not sure what to practice, please ask.
Da-Shi Doug Moffett, Chief Instructor
Dragon’s Fist Martial Arts
Doug Moffett, Da-Shi – McLean, VA
“Single Strike”
Chief Instructor for Lung Ch’uan Fa/Dragon’s Fist Martial Arts
10th Higher Level Grandmaster, Kung Fu & Master Tai Chi Ch’uan
Bryan Grayson, Shifu – San Diego, CA
“Indomitable Wolf”
6th Higher Level, Master Instructor, Kung Fu
Bob Greene, Shifu
“Relentless Crane”
6th Higher Level, Master Instructor, Tai Chi Ch’uan, 2nd Higher Level (KF)
Chris Weeks, Shifu – Winston-Salem NC
“Formidable Badger”
5th Higher Level, Master Instructor, Kung Fu 1st Higher Level Tai Chi Ch’uan
Nathan Toxopeus, Shifu
“Farseeing Heron”
5th Higher Level, Master Instructor, Tai Chi Ch’uan, 3rd Higher Level (KF)
Eric Robertson, Shi-Hsiung
“Soaring Falcon”
4th Higher Level, Master Instructor (Candidate), Kung Fu
Chris Rubnich, Shi-Hsiung – Winston-Salem, NC
“Relentless Tiger”
4th Higher Level, Instructor, Kung Fu
Colt Nelson, Assistant Instructor
“Vanguard Wildebeest”
3rd Higher Level, Assistant Instructor, Kung Fu
Sean Lin, Assistant Instructor
“Blazing Barracuda”
3rd Higher Level, Assistant Instructor, Kung Fu
Yours in the Martial Arts,
Doug Moffett, Da-Shi – Lung Ch’uan Fa