IMPERIAL WU TANG MARTIAL ARTS
武當拳​

Imperial Wu Tang Chuan or Wudang Quan, is a Chinese Mixed Martial Art taught at Imperial Combat Arts school in Denver Colorado. Wu Tang Chuan contains several legendary Taoist martial arts known for their use of dynamic center and great martial skill. The title "Imperial" speaks to our unique military lineage to the Ch'ing (Qing) Dynasties Imperial Court.
武​ Wu= Military; martial, warlike
當​ Tang= Bear; accept, undertake
拳​ Ch'uan = Fist; various forms of fighting

LONG MO HSING-I CHUAN / XING YI QUAN

Dragon Veins of Form/Intention Fighting is the powerful, shocking and aggressive military martial art accredited to Imperial General Yue Fei, a legendary Chinese spear fighter and martial arts master. Explosive, dynamic and proven effective on the battlefields since since 1130 C.E. this art fights multiple opponents in all directions. H'sing-I was still being taught to Imperial officers during the Second Sino-Japanese War for armed and unarmed close quarters combat. Enter Page> H'sing I Ch'uan

PAKUA CHUAN - BAGUA CHANG - BAGUAZHANG

The Eight Trigrams Fist is the dynamic circular running combat art of Dong Haichuan, a bodyguard and martial arts instructor of the Imperial Court. Pakua contains an extremely wide variety of techniques and weapons, including various strikes with toughened hands and fingers and kicks from distinctively evasive, circular and dynamic footwork. Running during combat whether armed or unarmed is nonexistent in sport fighting, yet well understood in military martial arts. Enter Page> Pakua Ch'uan

SHEN TAO TAI CHI CHUAN - TAIJIQUAN
聖道太极拳​​​

Shen Tao T'ai Chi Ch'uan, literally meaning "Sacred Way of the Supreme Ultimate Fist " is a master level study of several forms of Tai Chi Ch'uan. Tai Chi is an ancient Taoist Martial Art based on the Tai Chi Philosophy of the I-ching or Book of Changes (1000–750 BCE) 易有太極. Tai Chi at a combat level is a refinement of martial skill, this is self evident in that Tai Chi contains all manner of techniques such as finger strikes that require toughening and hard training. Enter Page> Tai Chi Ch'uan

THE ART OF GREY CLOUD

Grey Cloud is a rare, highly guarded, and very powerful martial art that trains all types of force on force interaction based on the universal forces of the Pakua or eight energies. Grey Cloud is the study of all weapon interaction, even unarmed.  Masters of Grey Cloud demonstrate the ability to fight several opponents, unarmed or with any type of weapon, while being seldom if ever struck. The six arts of Grey Cloud are... ​Enter Page > The Art of Grey Cloud 

BLACK SCORPION GROUND FIGHTING SYSTEM

Black Scorpion is a massive martial art that has highly toughened gripping Chin Na, devastating strikes, strike captures, kicking and throws as well a a vast grappling and ground-fighting system made up of numerous sub-styles. Black Scorpion Ground-fighting System teaches high levels of Terrain Fighting, climbing, in water, hillsides, tight spaces, obstacles etc. and its training is more difficult that a military obstacle course. > Scorpion

WU TANG WEAPON MASTERY

Wu Tang Sword techniques are a part the extensive study of melee weapons mastery taught at Imperial Combat Arts. In addition all our battlefield weapon styles fight using the Pakua (Bagua) and Taoist Philosophies. These weapon styles, that have been proven in battle for centuries, are designed to fight multiple opponents in all Eight Directions (Pakua) and use the concepts of the Three Forces (Yin, Yang, Ho) in their applications. 

TRAINING WU TANG

All Imperial Combat Arts students begin with the study of the Wu Tang as their entry level martial arts, however standard classes are largely influenced by also preparing students for study in the Eight Animal Styles. This results in our practitioners training much higher levels of hand toughening, leg toughening, and body conditioning than found in classic Wu Tang, as well as training the Black Scorpion Ground Fighting and Combat Weaponry. Mastering the Wu Tang Arts requires years of complex and in-depth training. 

GENERAL TOUGHENING

Before students can even attempt to enter the first level of Animal Toughening they start from day one with General Toughening. This beginner level toughening is itself more advance than most arts and includes body conditioning, arm and leg toughening, break-falls, kick toughening, and bare knuckled fist toughening. This intensive toughening meets the demands of true combat, far from wrapping the hands and wearing boxing gloves for sport. ​Enter Page> Hand Toughening

WU TANG EXERCISES

There are several traditional exercises that help develop the power, flow, and dynamic center of Wu Tang for combat. These exercises teach the powerful linked body dynamics, breath control, stance work, Chi Kung (Qigong), and techniques that make the name Wu Tang legendary in Chinese Martial Arts. Imperial Combat Arts curriculum incorporates these advanced Wu Tang concepts into our intense student classes in a way that they can be used for real combat as learned.

WU TANG FORMS

Imperial Combat Arts teaches forms unique to Wu Tang, aside from the numerous forms trained in the Eight Animal Styles, Wu H'sing, and Weapon Training. There are several intricate Wu Tang forms in Tai Chi as well as Pakua. Our forms are not like the flashy acrobatic forms you may see in popular modern form competitions. These forms are much more guarded, more practical, and train students in brutally effective techniques, that transfer directly to combat. 

WU TANG SETS

Sets are an effective and traditional part of teaching and learning Wu Tang Kung Fu. There are numerous sets practiced in Wu Tang from the explosive dynamic sets of H'sing-I to the famous sets of Tai Chi Pushing Hands. Wu Tang sets and Pushing Hands prepares Imperial Combat Arts students for the much more rare, advanced, and exclusive Art of Grey Cloud. Sets and forms are the primary ways that Masters pass on ancient knowledge to the next Masters.

WU TANG DRILLS

Combat drills are an important part of all Imperial Combat Arts classes. Drills are used to incorporate strikes, techniques, maneuvers, etc. into the body as a second nature reflex, as is required for battle. Wu Tang drills are done shadow boxing, vs partners, mitts, and bags. The intricate artwork painted on the floor of the school at Imperial Combat Arts is also designed to for students to drill extensive sets against multiple opponents in all directions. 

WU TANG MATCHING

Imperial Wu Tang students develop a high level of matching ability both in the classic Wu Tang Martial Arts, and the high level Arts of Greycloud. There are no rings or pads used in this matching. Imperial Combat Arts practitioners rely instead on their control, indomitable defenses, and body toughening to match each other without causing serious injury. Wu Tang Kung Fu matching is done vs multiple opponents, in all directions, and in all types of real world terrain.

WU TANG MIND

The Taoist Wu Tang Martial Arts fight from a dynamic center with an open and unassuming level of 720° awareness and moments of intense focus and explosive power. Fighting with the Tao requires intimate understanding of all eight energies of the Pakua and how these forces interact with one another when applied to combat. These understandings become second nature allowing Wu Tang Masters to quickly engage, control, and defeat multiple opponents at full combat speed.

HISTORY OF WU TANG KUNG FU

Wu Tang translates literally to Military Training and has come to represent the Internal Taoist Martial Arts of Tai Chi, H'sing-I, Pakua, and Wu Tang Sword. While these arts have only come under the title of Wu Tang Chuan in more recent history, each of these legendary martial arts has its own unique history associated with its origin. The history of each style is discussed in detail on their own page of the website.

THE IMPERIAL EIGHT ANIMAL STYLES

The Eight Animal Styles taught at Imperial Combat Arts each energetically represent one of the 8 Trigrams of the Taoist Bagua. Each Animal Styles is a complete martial art with its own master level toughening, ground fighting, grappling, Chin Na, hand to hand, kicks, throws, and weapon mastery. This Taoist Philosophy makes the Imperial Animals a complete combat system for any type of person that exists, from the most powerful and biggest, to the fastest and smallest. The most emotional raw power, to the intellectual and educated.The 4 Yang Animals were all mammals representing emotion and physical power. The 4 Yin Animals were birds, insect, and reptilian representing the unemotional cold blooded styles.
All the varying degrees of Yin and Yang are represented, for example one can see that Eagle was chosen as the combat art to represent the Sun Trigram. This position gives Eagle two yang lines in red, making it almost as powerful and aggressive as Tiger, yet also like Crane.