Hello and welcome to the UCD Kung Fu Club. This club was founded in 1981 and caters to anyone who wishes to study traditional Chinese martial arts, or Wushu, to use the Chinese term. The school has links with numerous international bodies as well as the Confucius Institute here in UCD. Our core subject is Nanshaolin Wuzuquan, and this page is devoted to that art and the complimentary style of Wuqiquan. Other styles we teach are explained on our sister site - UCD Wushu.
Chief Instructor, Robert Bannon
Email: Robert Bannon | +353 86 8255108.
Shifu Han will be teaching in UCD in April 2010. Details of content and other venues will be notified in the next few weeks.
Nanshaolin Wuzuquan – Five Ancestors Shaolin from Southern China.
The style of Nanshaolin Wuzuquan that we teach in UCD is popular in the Fujian province of China where it is also known as Ngor Chor in the Hokkian dialect. It was taught by migrating Chinese to the peoples of Taiwan and Okinawa where the styles are still taught to this day. The Okinawan art of Gojo Ryu is clearly descended from Wuzuquan, as the name suggests, and as such can be seen to have had an influence on the origins of the Japanese art of Karate.
Wuqiquan – Emptyness Fist is a soft, internal art from China that predates Taijiquan in its philosphical roots.
It is not clear if Wuqiquan is in fact older then Taijiquan, but all indications are that it is. Wu [nothing] is the starting condition from which Taiji proceeds, and the philosophical premise is that Wu is the void, Tai is the moment of transition and Ying/Yang is the state of balance that arose from this transition.
Official class times are as follows:
Wednesday: 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Thursday: 6.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m.
Saturday: 12.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m.
(Class continues until 5.30pm if we can find space.)
Saturday class: Hall space allocation will be at the discretion of the Sports Centre management under the new rules, so please check the Calendar to see where class is taking place.
The Instructors Roster is incorporated into the club calendar. Instructors are asked to update this if they make changes among themselves regarding who is teaching any given class.
Students wishing to train in other Traditional Chinese Martial Arts should check the Wushu page here in UCD. This page focuses on the styles of Xingyiquan, Baguazhang and Taijiquan taught in UCD either in the Sports Centre in association with the UCD Shaolin Kung Fu Club or in co-operation with the Confucius Institute. Taijiquan and Changquan are taught through the Confucious Institute and are not offered to students in deference to our colleagues in the UCD Tai Chi Club.
The weekend will be dedicated to Wuzuquan or Wuqiquan.
The Friday night session is for seniors only. Anyone with three years of training can attend. Students with only one or two years experience should seek permission from an instructor.
Although this club is for students and staff in UCD it is now possible for members of the public to join. Please contact Robert Bannon. I will outline your options.
Please be patient, this is not a commercial school, it is run on a voluntary basis.
Affiliated to the Nanshaolin Wuzuquan Associations of London, China and Malaysia.
Our Club Calendar is hosted in the primary Wuzuquan site – here.