What: Hollow Bones Shaolin Kung Fu (See: www.hollowbonesshaolin.com)

When: Every Tuesday/Thursday nights (if there is a change in the schedule, you will be informed in advance)
STARTING ON: Thursday, June 10th

Time: 5:45-7pm

Where: Boulder Integral (BI)

Who: anyone over the age of 14

Cost: $79 for Boulder Integral members, $89 for non-members per month, to be paid by check at beginning of month. Please write check to Boulder Integral.

Space is limited to 15 students. Please RSVP to info@boulderintegral.org to reserve your space.

Becoming more focused in our life allows us to better reach our dreams and to manifest our passions.  An integrated martial arts practice can help you bring greater focus and discipline to all areas of your life, while learning to create and sustain healthy boundaries in your relationships.

These classes will include an integrated curriculum of Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, Chi Gong, Self Defense, and Psychological Strength:

CLASS STRUCTURE:

Kung Fu

This will include traditional Northern Shaolin Kung Fu:

• Empty Hands Training – stances, strikes, kicks, blocks, and over 12 long forms between the Beginner and the Advanced Level.
• Weapons Training – traditional weapons: broad sword, straight sword, and staff.
• Fight Sets – fight other students in choreographed movements that teach how Kung Fu is adapted to the street.

Proper breathing techniques, control, ‘spot’ hitting, and the development of the right mindset are all integrated into your training, along with the four major fields of study below.

Chi Gong
You will learn to recognize, cultivate, and employ Yin and Yang energies in your body and through your Kung Fu forms.

Self Defense
Adapting your Kung Fu techniques to the real world is an important part of training.  You will be trained to fight against other students, against street fighters, and against senior students.  You will learn to control your opponent in any situation by learning to control yourself.

Psychological Strength
Beating someone in combat is seldom about the physical skill level of the fighters.  Your mental mindset is by far the most powerful tool you can develop and cultivate to create boundaries that other people will not dream of crossing — in the ring, in the office, on the streets, with your family and loved ones.

Rinzai Zen Meditation
Meditation was always an integral part of Shaolin training, and in China the temples focused on Chan Buddhism, which later became better known in Japan as Zen.  Chan Buddhism has all but died out in China, but the Japanese have kept the warrior tradition within mediation alive. Taking your seat fearlessly, in utter stillness, and with an open heart will be part of your training.

Testing and Levels
There are 10 levels in this training, and each level requires that a student be tested on the material they have learned to move onto the next level.

TEACHING METHOD

Boulder, CO has many strengths, but a sharp and clear lineage of spiritual and physical discipline, taught in an uncompromising way, is not one of them.  While emotional processing, the honoring of all perspectives, and go-at-your-own pace models all serve our emerging, post-conventional selves, they can be toxic to the transformational path.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTION

Keith Martin-Smith is the only lineage holder of Grandmaster Jong Hoon Jeon.  He has been studying Shaolin and Northern style Kung Fu since 1994.  Before training under Master Jeon, Mr. Martin-Smith studied under the Venerable Shi Yan Ming, 34th Generation Shaolin monk, in New York City, and under the Iron Palm Master Brian Grey before that.

Keith became a formal disciple of Master Jeon in 2001, meaning he agreed to be trained in the very demanding and very traditional manner reserved for the most serious of students.  In 2002 he was awarded the title of Kyu Bum Nim (senior instructor) and permitted to teach on his own.  Keith ran Master Jeon’s Philadelphia school from 2002-2005, leading 9 classes a week. In 2008 he was elevated to a formal lineage holder and to a co-master.  In addition to Shaolin Kung Fu, Keith has also trained in Jin Woo (Jing Wu), Hung Gar, Wing Chun, and Jingui Qi Gong.

In 1996, he began studying the Dharma (Buddhist teachings) and took Empowerment and Bodhisattva Vows with Lama Tsering Everest in 2001.  In 2007 he met Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi and became a formal student of his, and was given the Dharma name “Kogen” (“Tiger Eye”).  Keith/Kogen has been authorized by Jun Po Roshi to teach Rinzai Zen meditation and has been awarded the title of sensei.  He uses his Japanese dharma name, Kogen, when teaching as well as the Japanese word for teacher, sensei (the Chinese word is sifu, a combination of “teacher” and “father”).

“What is better, satisfying 1,000 desires or conquering one?”

INTEGRAL FRAME

An absolutistic (Amber) frame for teaching has been used for millennia in spiritual and physical disciplines, but has been increasingly abandoned as we moved into modernity (Orange) and postmodernity (Green).  But we are seeing in places like Boulder, CO, some of the problems when one throws out the Amber, hierarchical frame for teaching: namely, it simple is the most effective way to create change.  This is because Amber is wonderful at helping to break the body and the mind into a difficult discipline.  Orange interpretations of these disciplines can focus too much on the status and ranking of the student, while Green interpretations are, among other problems, reluctant to force one kind of training and philosophy onto students.  The result of the loss of Amber teaching methods applied to marital arts and spiritual practice has been a reduction in the quality of students and of their overall competency.

We can add Orange and Green emergent truths and understandings into pre-and-post practice structures, to honor the insights of those worldviews.  But putting those structures into the Amber frame destroys the pressure that Amber has been so carefully formatted to create, and lengthens the entire process when it doesn’t destroy it utterly.

Testimonial

For the past 4 weeks I’ve been introduced to Hollow Bones Shaolin Kung Fu by Kogan / Keith.

My 9 years of previous martial arts practice led me to ask Keith some penetrating questions about his teaching methods, which he answered comfortably. Being in 8 classes so far, and seeing 2 other students with 2 years previous exposure to Keith, has only reinforced my expectations.

Keith has high integrity, is focused on tradition, and moves the class along with an interesting variety of strength and flexibility development, form, fighting moves, breathing techniques and meditation.  At the same time he is closely aware of each student’s abilities and limitations.

I’m looking forward to mental, spiritual and physical growth as classes continue, and can assure potential students of tough workouts and good fun.

Student, Cliff Shaffran