Jow Ga (or Zhou Jia) is one of the most popular and practical fighting styles of Kung Fu. It has practitioners all over the world, including the U.S., Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, England, Canada, Malaysia, Poland, Germany and Australia. Like so many popular styles, Jow Ga is a hybrid system combining both Southern and Northern styles of Chinese Martial Arts. Speed and power are combined with the grace and beauty of flowing circular movements. Its Northern influence can be seen in its full range of kicking techniques, sweeps, and fast moving footwork. Its Southern influence can be seen in a wide variety of long and short range hand techniques including open hand strikes, as well as animal techniques imitating tiger, crane, panther, snake and dragon. Jow Ga also includes the use of a wide range of traditional Chinese martial arts weapons such as staff, spear, sword, chain whip, double weapons and many more.
History of Jow Ga
There were five Jow Ga founders known as the Five Tigers: Jow Lung, the fifth son in the Jow family; Jow Hip, the sixth son; Jow Biu and Jow Hoy, the eighth and ninth sons who were twins; and Jow Teen, the tenth son. Jow Lung, the principal founder, was born in 1891 on the eleventh day of the third lunar month in Sa-Fu village of Guangdong Province. His father was Jow Fong Hoy; his mother's maiden name was Li. Finding love and security in the warmth of his parents' home, Jow Lung grew up nurturing ambitious goals. As a youth, he liked practicing Kung Fu and learned the art from village masters. With strong determination and perseverance he perfected the Choy Ga and Hung Ga systems (two of the best known Southern Shaolin Kung Fu styles). Choy Ga is noted for its complex kicking, footwork and stances, while Hung Ga is renowned for its powerful hand techniques and stable stances. In 1910, Jow Lung went to Indochina with his brother, Jow Hip, on business, but soon began study of the Northern Shaolin system with a high priest who was a martial arts master at a Buddhist temple. After five years of intense practice, Jow Lung mastered the Northern Shaolin system just as he had perfected the Southern Shaolin system in his youth. Jow Lung decided that he would combine the best of the Southern and Northern systems of Kung Fu. The system (which later renamed Jow Ga in honor of its founder), was called Hung Tao Choy Mei, which literally translates as "having the head of Hung and the tail of Choy." This name recognizes that Jow Ga's upper body or hand techniques derive from Hung Ga and its lower body techniques and footwork from Choy Ga.
In 1919, Jow Lung died prematurely of pneumonia at the age of 28. Jow Biu became the chief promoter of Jow Lung's achievements after his brother's death, and was primarily responsible for spreading the Jow Ga system to the rest of the world. Jow Biu opened the first Jow Ga school in Hong Kong. During this early period, Jow Biu was assisted in China and later in Hong Kong by Chan Man Cheung, who later became Grandmaster of the Jow Ga System. Grandmaster Chan started training when he was just four years old and became a student of Jow Biu when he was eleven. Grandmaster Chan opened his first Kung Fu School in Hong Kong when he was 24. He had roles in many Kung Fu movies and worked for a time as a martial arts coordinator in Hong Kong's film industry. He resided in Hong Kong and was Chairman of the Chinese and Foreign Jow Ga Martial Arts Federation.
In 1964 Master Dean Chin, a top disciple of Chan Man Cheung, introduced Jow Ga to the United States, giving the American public access to a martial art that previously was taught exclusively to Chinese. Master Chin, in partnership with Sifu Hoy Lee (who is the first person learning Jow Ga from Master Chin in the United States) established the first Jow Ga school in the U.S. (which also was the first Kung Fu school in Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown). Master Chin was a founding member of the Eastern U.S. Chinese Martial Arts Federation. He organized a full-contact tournament in 1974, the first competition of its kind open to all styles. In addition to Jow Ga, Master Chin, a well-rounded and highly skilled martial artist, was also adept in other famous Kung Fu styles, including the White Eyebrow, White Crane, Eagle Claw and Hung Ga systems.
Sifu Reza Momenan started his Jow Ga training under the supervision of Master Dean Chin in 1979. As a result of his dedication to the system and, in particular, to Master Chin, he became one of Master Chin's closest students. After Master Chin's untimely death in 1985, Sifu Momenan continued his training with well known Jow Ga instructors such as Sifu Deric Mims and Sifu Raymond Wong. Sifu Momenan has been an instructor of Jow Ga Kung Fu since 1982. In 1986, he founded the Chinese Boxing Academy at George Washington University, and went on to found the Jow Ga Kung Fu Academy in 1989. In the year 2000 the Academy was transformed into the Jow Ga Shaolin Institute of Herndon, Virginia, where he continues to share the knowledge accumulated over four decades of kung fu training with his students.
History of Jow Ga
There were five Jow Ga founders known as the Five Tigers: Jow Lung, the fifth son in the Jow family; Jow Hip, the sixth son; Jow Biu and Jow Hoy, the eighth and ninth sons who were twins; and Jow Teen, the tenth son. Jow Lung, the principal founder, was born in 1891 on the eleventh day of the third lunar month in Sa-Fu village of Guangdong Province. His father was Jow Fong Hoy; his mother's maiden name was Li. Finding love and security in the warmth of his parents' home, Jow Lung grew up nurturing ambitious goals. As a youth, he liked practicing Kung Fu and learned the art from village masters. With strong determination and perseverance he perfected the Choy Ga and Hung Ga systems (two of the best known Southern Shaolin Kung Fu styles). Choy Ga is noted for its complex kicking, footwork and stances, while Hung Ga is renowned for its powerful hand techniques and stable stances. In 1910, Jow Lung went to Indochina with his brother, Jow Hip, on business, but soon began study of the Northern Shaolin system with a high priest who was a martial arts master at a Buddhist temple. After five years of intense practice, Jow Lung mastered the Northern Shaolin system just as he had perfected the Southern Shaolin system in his youth. Jow Lung decided that he would combine the best of the Southern and Northern systems of Kung Fu. The system (which later renamed Jow Ga in honor of its founder), was called Hung Tao Choy Mei, which literally translates as "having the head of Hung and the tail of Choy." This name recognizes that Jow Ga's upper body or hand techniques derive from Hung Ga and its lower body techniques and footwork from Choy Ga.
In 1919, Jow Lung died prematurely of pneumonia at the age of 28. Jow Biu became the chief promoter of Jow Lung's achievements after his brother's death, and was primarily responsible for spreading the Jow Ga system to the rest of the world. Jow Biu opened the first Jow Ga school in Hong Kong. During this early period, Jow Biu was assisted in China and later in Hong Kong by Chan Man Cheung, who later became Grandmaster of the Jow Ga System. Grandmaster Chan started training when he was just four years old and became a student of Jow Biu when he was eleven. Grandmaster Chan opened his first Kung Fu School in Hong Kong when he was 24. He had roles in many Kung Fu movies and worked for a time as a martial arts coordinator in Hong Kong's film industry. He resided in Hong Kong and was Chairman of the Chinese and Foreign Jow Ga Martial Arts Federation.
In 1964 Master Dean Chin, a top disciple of Chan Man Cheung, introduced Jow Ga to the United States, giving the American public access to a martial art that previously was taught exclusively to Chinese. Master Chin, in partnership with Sifu Hoy Lee (who is the first person learning Jow Ga from Master Chin in the United States) established the first Jow Ga school in the U.S. (which also was the first Kung Fu school in Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown). Master Chin was a founding member of the Eastern U.S. Chinese Martial Arts Federation. He organized a full-contact tournament in 1974, the first competition of its kind open to all styles. In addition to Jow Ga, Master Chin, a well-rounded and highly skilled martial artist, was also adept in other famous Kung Fu styles, including the White Eyebrow, White Crane, Eagle Claw and Hung Ga systems.
Sifu Reza Momenan started his Jow Ga training under the supervision of Master Dean Chin in 1979. As a result of his dedication to the system and, in particular, to Master Chin, he became one of Master Chin's closest students. After Master Chin's untimely death in 1985, Sifu Momenan continued his training with well known Jow Ga instructors such as Sifu Deric Mims and Sifu Raymond Wong. Sifu Momenan has been an instructor of Jow Ga Kung Fu since 1982. In 1986, he founded the Chinese Boxing Academy at George Washington University, and went on to found the Jow Ga Kung Fu Academy in 1989. In the year 2000 the Academy was transformed into the Jow Ga Shaolin Institute of Herndon, Virginia, where he continues to share the knowledge accumulated over four decades of kung fu training with his students.