About the School

Master Chu’s mission was to make available an entire curriculum of Tai Chi Chuan to anyone who was willing to practice and learn. For over forty-five years, thousands of students have trained and have had their lives transformed.

At the heart of the school’s program of study is the centuries-old, meditative practice of Yang-style Tai Chi Form. Derived from the philosophy of Taoism, its benefits are widely appreciated by Western medicine to “increase strength, flexibility and balance” and “reduce stress and anxiety”. Master Chu believed that in order to properly learn Tai Chi, it is important for beginners to get individualized instruction. Therefore all students progress at their own pace.

Although many people choose to study Tai Chi for health reasons, Tai Chi is a sophisticated and formidable martial art. (link to fighting page we will add videos) We are one of a few schools that has produced champion full-contact fighters since the 1970’s. (link to gallery of old photos) For example, our students won heavyweight and middleweight honors by TKO’s in a 1981 full-contact kung-fu tournament at the Felt Forum in New York City and, in 2006, John Signoriello was designated Fighter of the Year by the U.S. Chinese Kuoshu Federation.

Our program of Nei Kung also sets us apart from other schools. Nei Kung means “internal work”. It is a system of training that makes the body strong from the inside out.

Originally, Sifu CK Chu only taught this traditionally closely guarded training to students who were interested in tournament fighting. But recognizing its health benefits, in 1986 he began to teach Nei Kung openly, and published “The Book of Nei Kung.”

All serious students at our school train in Nei Kung, Taoist Meditation and Eternal Spring Chi Kung in tandem with Tai Chi Chuan.