Iron Tree Dojo

The term Kung Fu denotes “mastery by effort” or “hard worker” and is used to describe all those who work hard to achieve mastery of an art and themselves. The Martial art is actually called “Kune Fa” 拳法 which means Fist Method; the colloquial term used most often in Canada is Kung Fu. Kung Fu is a Chinese martial art with a spiritual dimension, stemming from concentration and discipline. There are several styles of this art. Our Kung Fu system is named Ng Ying Kune 五形拳 (five form fist) it integrates the movements and fighting styles of five distinct animals: the Tiger, the Leopard, the Dragon, the Crane, and the Snake. It also contains several weapon forms, breathing exercises and body conditioning. Karate, translated to “empty hand”, descended from southern Quan Fa, originated on the island of Okinawa, spread to Japan in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and then to the rest of the word; today there is Japanese Karate, American Karate, Chinese Karate and others. It is also known as Karate Do. Do means “road / path / way” and is used to denote that the art is primarily a meditative practice, and secondarily a fighting system.