Mixed Martial Arts Self Defense Workshop

Throughout the afternoon, participants will experience three different fighting arts - Qi Gong, Aikido and Krav Maga - and engage in solo and partner exercises. The arc of this event begins with foundational energy work through the lens of Qi Gong, the "mother of all martial arts". In part II, these foundations will be integrated into blending, throwing and pinning practices as incorporated by Aikido. The event concludes with a strictly application-oriented Krav Maga session that will allow participants to experience how all the basics are ever present in any martial art or self defense, enabling them to continue a sensible practice that integrates energy and breath work with applied, modern self-defense techniques.

Q&A sessions allow for the material to be absorbed and integrated. We will end the day with a community potluck and social time. 

Dust off those sweat pants!

Jack Chang, L.Ac. first studied Wing Chun under Sifu Stanley Jue in Boston since 1995.  During that time he had the opportunity to study Taiji Chuan under Sifu Bow Sim Mark as well as Yi Quan Qi Gong under Sifu Donald Donald Wong.  In 2004 when we moved to California he continued his study of Wing Chun under Sifu Robert Chu as well as Ba Gua, Xing Yi Quan and other healing systems of Qi Gong.  He created a curriculum of Qi Gong that was taught at Five Branches University from 2010-2012 before teaching on his own privately.  He continues to teach and improve the way that martial arts and internal energy arts are taught to this day.

Sebastian Steinbach started his martial arts journey with Go-Ju-Kai Karate during college back in Germany, and later added the applied teachings of Ninjutsu into his repertoire. After moving to the United States in 2013, however, he met his current teacher Daniel Brasse Sensei at Aikido By The Bay, and has been focusing all his practice on this traditional Japanese martial art. Aikido is a balanced blend of internal energy work and external application, meaning that all power comes from balance, breath and attuned movement, while manifesting in external techniques like throws or pins. 

Daniel Schperberg has been in love with martial arts since the age of six, and over the years has practiced a broad range of traditional martial arts and modern self defense systems. His search for a practical martial art able to equip students with an effective response to unprovoked hate crimes, etc. led him to Krav Maga, an Israeli fighting system taught to recruits in the Israeli Defense Forces. While it incorporates the same principles of traditional martial arts, it is optimized for accessibility for students without prior experience, very well suited to deescalate tense situations, anddevelops techniques that arise from natural reactions.