Class Schedules

Martial Arts Mind-Body Workshops Life Science Tutorials

Martial Arts Programs

Saturday (8:30-10:30 AM): Xing-Yi Quan and Bagua Zhang of Mr. RW Smith
May 24, 31; June 7, 21; July 5, 12, 26; Aug 2, 9

Saturday (2:00-5:00 PM): Xing-Yi, Bagua, and Karate: Studies of Form & Application
May 24; June 7, 21; July 5; Aug 2, 9 
(Private and Semi-Private Instruction By Appointment Only)

Sunday (10:30 AM-12:30 PM): Yin Cheng Gong Fa Wu Style Taiji Quan Study Group
May 25; June 1, 8, 22; July 6, 13, 27; Aug 3, 10

Sunday (12:30 PM-1:30 PM): Yin Cheng Gong Fa Yin Fu & Liu Dekuan Bagua Zhang
May 25; June 1, 8, 22; July 6, 27; Aug 3, 10

Sunday (2:00 PM-5:00 PM): Isshin-Ryu Karate Review Sessions
September 7, 28 (tentative)

Thursday (6:30 PM-8:00 PM): Yin Cheng Gong Fa Wu Style Taiji Quan (Hagerstown, Maryland)
June 19, 26; July 3, 10, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14

Tuesdays & Thursdays (7:00 PM-9:00 PM): Isshin-Ryu Karate (through the Montgomery Karate Club)
May 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29; June 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26;
July 1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31; August 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28

Regular Martial Arts Classes (Spring/Summer 2008): Course Descriptions

Come to our classes and learn some very effective martial arts forms for both health and self-defense. Each class is designed to provide high-quality, detailed instruction on material you can take home and use to enhance your personal practice. Attend classes often and build your skill set. Call or e-mail to inquire about our affordable tuition schedules for classes.

SATURDAY (8:30-10:30 AM): Xing-Yi Quan and Bagua Zhang of Mr. RW Smith
May 24, 31; June 7, 21; July 5, 12, 26; Aug 2, 9
[9 classes in xing-yi and bagua from Taiwan; no classes June 14, 28; July 19]

May-August Classes will meet at:
New Market West Pavilion
New Market, Maryland
Take Exit 62 off of I-70, take Rt 75 north to the light, turn left onto Rt 144 west, and go all the way through the town of New Market. About 1/4 mile after you go through town, turn right onto Royal Oak Drive (post office is on your left). Go 0.2 mile (through stop sign at Wicomico), turn left onto Talbot, and look to your right for tennis courts and playground and pavilion. Turn right off Talbot into parking lot and park next to the tennis courts. [Note: If you come to New Market from Frederick area via Rt 144 east, then you will be turning left onto Royal Oak Drive at the post office.]

Xing-Yi Quan and Bagua Zhang of Mr. RW Smith. This class features selected portions of the the xing-yi and bagua curriculum of Mr. Robert W. Smith, including: (i) the 5 fists of Hebei xing-yi from Guo Feng-chih, Chen Pan-ling, and Hong Yi-xiang, (ii) Hebei xing-yi linking forms from Chen Pan-ling and Hong Yi-xiang, (iii) Hebei xing-yi 12 animal forms from Chen Pan-ling and Hong Yi-xiang, (iv) Gao style ba gua methods from the tian gan, the 64 straight line forms, and the 8 circular changes from Hong Yi-xiang and Hong Yi-mian, (v) variations of the 8 circular changes in Cheng Ting-hua style bagua from Guo Feng-chih, Wang Shu-jin, and Chen Pan-ling, (vi) the 'quick hands' skills and Yunnan boxing form from Yuan Dao, and (vii) several representative chin na methods from Han Ching-tan. We also include Chen Pan-ling's 8 bagua staff changes in our curriculum.

You will learn the forms, the energetic and philosophical correspondences, and the fighting skills associated with these methods, as taught and passed on via Academic Training Traditions. The beginner and intermediate practitioner will want to perfect these methods as means to expand their training. The advanced practitioner will want to experience how Mr. Smith's core training method condenses their knowledge and skills into a manageable yet profound training regimen. Please call for further information on those portions of the curriculum we will cover this semester.

May-August Instruction will take place at:
Academic Training Traditions
New Market, Maryland.
Please inquire about directions when you make your appointment.

Xing-Yi, Bagua, and Karate: Studies of Form & Application. This instruction is tailored for martial arts practitioners of any style and any level of experience, including new beginners looking for an introduction. The above three art forms can be studied individually in greater depth and detail than in group classes, and also studied in the context of cross-training. The instruction is designed so that one can better understand how the forms of traditional martial arts are developed, trained, and applied for self-protection, and how that knowledge can assist with the analysis of elements in their own style of martial art.

This training is private (for one) or semi-private (for two or three) and by appointment only for the Saturday afternoon dates listed above. Training sessions can be scheduled for 1 hour, 1.5 hour, or 2 hours. Please inquire by phone or e-mail about tuition rates for single or multiple sessions. Please wear suitable clothing and athletic shoes for indoor/outdoor activity.

SUNDAY (10:30 AM-12:30 PM): Yin Cheng Gong Fa Wu Style Taiji Quan Study Group
May 25; June 1, 8, 22; July 6, 13, 27; Aug 3, 10
[9 classes in Wu style taiji; no classes June 15, 29; July 20]

SUNDAY (12:30 PM-1:30 PM): Yin Cheng Gong Fa Yin Fu & Liu Dekuan Bagua Zhang
May 25; June 1, 8, 22; July 6, 27; Aug 3, 10
[8 classes in YCGF bagua; no classes June 15, 29; July 13, 20]

May-August Classes held at:
Gilbert Academy of Martial Arts (GAMA)
9867B Main Street
Damascus, Maryland
The GAMA facility is located in Damascus on Main Street (Rt 108) across the street from the "Druid", in the back and downstairs of the dark gray Enterprize Rent-A-Car building (next to a Mobil Gas station). You can enter a Safeway shopping center as you approach Rt 124 on Main Street (Rt 108), or directly from Rt 124N, or enter directly off of Rt 27 via High Corner St. The area around the building has been undergoing construction lately and so parking may be problematic. You can park in the area near Safeway and walk to the rear of the dark gray building where the facility is located. Alternatively, you can pull in from Main Street along side the Mobil gas station and circle down around behind the station and park in available spaces near the GAMA facility entrance.

Please Note: New beginners interested in taiji are welcome and should come from 12:30pm-1:30pm (during the bagua session listed below) in order to receive introductory lessons in taiji. New beginners interested in bagua are welcome to receive introductory lessons in bagua at this time. New beginners may also elect to combine introductory lessons in taiji and bagua at this time as well.

Yin Cheng Gong Fa - Wu Style Taiji Quan Study Group. This 2-hour class features the Wu style taiji passed on from GM Wang Peisheng via Master Zhang Yun. This class is ongoing and consists of continuing practitioners of this style, and practitoners who have studied other styles and wish to join in at an intermediate level of form practice and martial arts applications. Two-person drills include methods from Wu style taiji tui shou (push hands) and da lu (big roll back).

Yin Cheng Gong Fa - Yin Fu & Liu Dekuan Bagua Zhang. This 1-hour class features instruction and practice of selected forms from the circular changes of Yin Fu style bagua, and from the straight line forms of Liu De-kuan style bagua passed on from GM Wang Peisheng via Master Zhang Yun. This class is designed mainly for continuing students of these styles.

Please wear comfortable clothing. In deference to the wishes of our host (GAMA), no street shoes may be worn on the training hall floor. Practice in bare feet, socks, or indoor-only tai chi shoes.

THURSDAY (6:30 PM-8:00 PM): Yin Cheng Gong Fa Wu Style Taiji Quan
June 19, 26; July 3, 10, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14
[8 classes in Wu taiji from Beijing; no class July 17]
This new class replaces our previously posted Wednesday evening class.

NEW: June-August Instruction will take place at:
The Women's Club Auditorium
31 South Prospect Street
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740
Take I-70 to Exit 32B and Route 40W into the downtown area of Hagerstown. Stay to your left as you come toward the end of the downtown section and make a left onto North Prospect Street. After the next intersection North Prospect turns into South Prospect and the Women's Club facility is the first tan building on your right. Turn into the parking lot just before the facility, park toward the back, and enter the facility at the side door.

Yin Cheng Gong Fa Wu Style Taiji Quan. This class features a warm-up and a taiji primer form followed by the the first one-third of the 37-posture Wu style taiji quan form from the Yin Cheng Gong Fa (YCGF) system. This set is passed on today by Master Zhang Yun, who inherited it from his teacher, the late Grandmaster Wang Peisheng of Beijing. GM Wang's Wu style taiji lineage derives from Yang Luchan, Yang Banhou, Wu Quanyu, Wang Maozhai, and Yang Yuting. This class is suited for continuing practitioners of this style, for newcomers who have studied other styles, or for new beginners.

Please wear comfortable clothing and footwear, or practice in bare feet, socks, or tai chi shoes.

These classes are offered through the Montgomery Karate Club. The Montgomery Karate Club is affiliated with the Penn State Karate Club.

If you would like further information on these classes, or to join this karate club, please contact:
Sensei Liz Ehrstein (lizehrstein@yahoo.com) or
Sensei Dmitry Gulik (gkg_1@hotmail.com)

Isshin-Ryu Karate: Currently, these karate classes are FREE. But in exchange you must agree to work hard and train frequently. All new members wishing to progress through the Montgomery Karate Club belt ranking system in Isshin-ryu are expected to start at the white belt level, regardless of previous kyu or dan rank. Sensei Dane Sutton, Kiyoshigo, 8th Dan, and Head Instructor of the Penn State Karate Club, monitors and approves the student's progress through belt ranks. Through Sensei Sutton, we maintain affiliations with, and certifications through, the Okinawan home dojo of Sensei Kichiro Shimabuku, Hanshigo, 10th Dan (IWKA). Over the years, we have also maintained affiliations with, and offered certifications through, the Okinawan home dojo of Sensei Angi Uezu, Hanshigo, 10th Dan (OIKA), who recently retired from active leadership of this organization. At the Montgomery Karate Club, you receive regular instruction from black belts ranked from 1st to 4th Dan. We also feature instruction by highly-ranked, associated advisors and visiting instructors who have more than 25 years experience in Isshin-ryu karate.

Upcoming Events and Clinics - Academic Training Traditions Karate/Kobudo:

IWKA World Championship Tournament, June 18-20, 2009, Pittsburgh, Pa: We will be in Pittsburgh, Pa. next summer attending seminars by Master Kichiro Shimabuku and competing in the various events. For further information and registration click on IWKA Tournament 2009

Penn State Isshin-ryu Karate Club, Dan Rank Testing and Seminar, October 4, 2008, noon-5:00pm: We will be in University Park, Pa. assisting in the testing and seminar portions. This event is not open to the public.

Isshin-Ryu Karate Review Sessions: ATT has had to re-arrange Sunday afternoon schedules this summer resulting now in the further cancellation of two karate review sessions in Damascus, Maryland for August 10 and September 21, 2008. We hope to hold 2 replacement sessions in September that are tentatively scheduled for September 7 and 28, 2:00-5:00pm at Gilbert's Academy of Martial Arts (GAMA), Damascus, Maryland. These two new dates for review sessions will be confirmed by July 30, so please check back. These sessions are FREE for members and member dojos of the Penn State Karate Club. They are being held in advance of the Fall 2008 Rank Testing at Penn State (October 4, 2008), and as continuing review for the IWKA World Championship Tournament scheduled for June 2009 in Pittsburgh with Master Kichiro Shimabuku. These sessions are not open to the public except with special permission from ATT. We will review karate and kobudo kata. All belt ranks are welcome to attend. Sensei Dane Sutton, Kiyoshigo, 8th Dan, and head instructor from the Penn State Karate Club, has come down on occassion to oversee and instruct a number of these sessions in the past. Please contact us by e-mail (att8@verizon.net) after July 30 and before August 14, 2008 if you plan to attend one or both of the re-scheduled sessions. Directions to the GAMA facility are posted above under our Sunday taiji classes.

About Our Karate Clinics: Please contact us at ATT about offering a clinic or seminar at your dojo. Clinics like those mentioned above feature general training in karate methods, and so your style of karate is not an issue. We do conduct clinics in certified orthodox Isshin-ryu Karate, for the novice, intermediate, and advanced practitioner, but we also can incorporate a number of advanced training methods from other martial arts styles that are highly relevant to all karate, including Isshin-ryu. Many of these methods are based on my 30+ years experience with karate, and 20 years of cross-training in the Chinese internal martial arts. You will definitely learn many new ways to apply your traditional kata, and the principles upon which these applications are based. Karate practitioners can develop more power, using less muscular contraction, through the application of proven methods that refine your root and body alignments for generating such power. Practitioners of internal martial arts can further discover some of the higher level fighting applications and principles inherent to karate kata.

All belt or sash ranks from all styles are welcome to ATT clinics. For these classes, formal uniforms can be worn, and any belt or sash that you are entitled to wear. Gi pants and T-shirts are also acceptable.

Mind-Body Workshops

Mind-Body Workshops
(Spring/Summer 2008)

Kai Xin Dao Taiji Quan (Happy Way Tai Chi)

Come to these classes and enjoy an introduction to the basic postures and movements and mind-body aspects of taiji quan (tai chi). As a mind-body exercise system, tai chi is all about the maintenance of correct posture and balance through slow movements, coordinated breath, and mental attention. Attend classes often and build your awareness for regular daily activities, or use the course as a primer to develop improved states of sensitivity, meditation, and awareness. See our information under the 'Mind-Body' icon for our approach to the practice of taiji quan for bridging health and martial arts, and on using traditional and modern biomedical approaches to communicate this art. Kai Xin Dao tai chi classes also include elements of qigong and yoga relaxation methods. If you are interested more in the study of tai chi at a beginning, intermediate, or advanced level, with additional emphasis as a martial art, then please see our information under the 'Martial Arts' icon and click on Yin Cheng Gong Fa.

KXD tai chi is a much simplified approach to learning tai chi that was developed by Academic Training Traditions. In this approach, the art and practice of tai chi are communicated using modern biomedical principles, recent published studies of research on tai chi, and the relationship of these activities to traditional meanings. The KXD method is highly simplified and short, consisting of a few easy-to-do postures from Yang style and Wu style tai chi. Some postures are modified slightly so that they are easy to do for most people, and so they can ultimately build toward doing the regular postures. The KXD primer method does encompasses the 13 original ideas inherent to all taiji quan (ward, roll, press, push, pull, split, elbow, shoulder, step forward, step back, look left, look right, and central equilibrium). More postures can be added as one progresses. Advanced practitioners may find the KXD methods useful for possible applications in biomedical research approaches and for special needs groups.

Please inquire with us about ongoing courses. Please wear comfortable clothing and either tai chi shoes or athletic shoes. Please note that tuition rates for these classes are generally established by the host organizer. However, certain classes may be attended by enrolling directly through Academic Training Traditions, so please inquire. Please inquire also through Academic Training Traditions about sponsoring a private contract course for your group in health education and mind-body exercises that combine tai chi, qigong, and yoga relaxation methods.

Life Science Tutorials

Please inquire through Academic Training Traditions about sponsoring a private contract course for your group in life sciences relating to behavior and lifestyle, and embodied education. Currently, we are NOT offering contract courses or life science tutorials in our areas relating directly to biological sciences and biomedical research.