Great Way Chinese Martial Arts
Great Way is a Family Style (Pai) of martial arts. Traditional martial arts have been used for centuries to develop fighting skill, to enhance health and cultivate heightened awareness. The ultimate goal of Great Way and its teachers is to help you unlock your hidden potential and become healthier, stronger, more confident, balanced and aware.
Great Way is a traditional system of Kung fu, Kempo, Tai Chi and Qi Gong (Dao Yin). The roots of Great Way date back to the ancient temples of China while maintaining the uniqueness of a family style. Our teachings emphasize both internal (Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Meditation) and external (Kung fu and Kempo) development of our students.
Students learn effective and practical martial arts techniques to strengthen their bodies and hone their fighting and self-defense skills. They also learn internal cultivation exercises to develop martial power and vibrant health.
Meditation is used to further cultivate and refine the mind. We recognize that as developing martial artists it is essential to create a strong foundation by gaining control over the body, to harness the power of the mind through strong physical practice and learning to sit in stillness to further cultivate spiritual awareness.
Our Logo
The images we chose to use for our logo and to represent the philosophical aspects of Great Way are inspired by centuries old symbols from Daoism. In ancient times people developed a symbolic relationship between the Four Animals, the cardinal directions, weather patterns, colors etc. Being that Martial Arts are steeped in the influences of both Daoism and Buddhism there is an understandable association to these symbols with the growth of an earnest “Practitioner” of Martial Arts.
Black Turtle
The Black Turtle or Zhi Ming (執明) is also known as the Black Warrior. In the past Zhi Ming was thought to have carried the Earth on its back, it served as the foundation of life. For Great Way students it is useful to consider that Zhi Ming represents the beginning and the need to form a Strong Foundation. Without that understanding how can we take responsibility for our own growth and acknowledge the need to strengthen the Body, focus the Mind and have a balanced Spirit.
White Tiger
The White Tiger or Jian Bing (監兵) is the next step for our students. Once a solid foundation is formed, a practitioner is able to view their training in a multifaceted way. We begin to stress the very “Yin” process of meditation as another form of workout. No longer are we just trying to simply sweat or work off stress or to get ready to pass a test. Learning to calm the mind and body as we are faced with stressful situations helps us take our training into everyday life. For example, when we are repeatedly attacked in controlled situations we a can reflect through meditation and prepare for the next time.
Vermillion Bird
The Vermilion Bird is called Ling Guang (陵光), this stage represents not only an advancement in physical ability but in conscious awareness as well. We strive to overcome and hold to mind while pushing the body to its limits in various ways. This holding of the mind is important because it allows the practitioner to become more aware of the dynamics of life around him or her. Over time they can face obstacles with calm peacefulness rather than just reacting to negative stimulus.
Azure Dragon
The Azure Dragon has the name Meng Zhang (孟章), for the practitioner this part of their training is very important. It draws on the previous levels and enables our students the opportunity to move differently in the ocean of life. The ability to exist in water, on land and soar in the heavens is one of the amazing qualities of the Dragon. Philosophically this shows that someone at this level can use their skills to help others of varying abilities in life while striving to transcend the chaos around them.
Contact us
We are located near the corner of Main and 11th Street in Longmont, Colorado.
If you'd like to learn more, you can call us or schedule a meeting to talk directly and one-on-one with Sifu Keller.
