- Paul Gale
Paul Gale (Not to be confused with the Paul Gale of 1up.com fame) is a highly regarded
Chinese martial arts instructor. He is generally considered to be the first to bring authentic Southern Chinese gungfu toNorthern California , and is a pioneer in making these martial arts available to western students.History and training
He began his training in the early 1970s and began teaching in 1982. He teaches
Wing Woo Gar andTai Chi Chuan . Paul Gale's first and only teacher isJames Wing Woo , now 85 years old, who is still active in instructing in theHollywood , CA area.In the style of
Wing Woo Gar , Paul Gale's gym is notorious for the slippery cement floor that he waxes multiple times every week. His students wear cotton-soled slippers, which provide insignificant traction. The purpose of the gym's slick floor is to assist students in generating power by usingisometric contractions with the large muscles of their legs. Students must concentrate on stability at all times, or they will slip. Other methods of teaching include examining combinations of arm and leg movements while maintaining stability, moving in ahorse stance , maximizing the body's intrinsic lever systems, and transmitting forces from the lower body to create movement at the arms.Historically, Wing Woo Gar is merging of many Southern Chinese martial arts including
Hung Gar ,Mok Gar ,Li Gar ,Choy Li Fut ,Tam Tui and others. Northern arts are also incorporated including Northern Praying Mantis, Shaolin, Lian Chuan andXingyiquan . In addition to the forms and exercises, James Wing Woo's martial arts include detailed teachings of Chinese energy anatomy and mechanics. The internal usage of the body, including lifting, rounding and expanding different parts of the torso and other muscle groups, is thoroughly explored. As is the use of the mind inside the body, using a variety of different concentration and intention exercises to help create a full unification between mind and body.Chinese philosophy and medicine are also incorporated, as
Wing Woo Gar includes teachings on the prenatal breath, the relation between glands and emotions, the "animal" symbology of human anatomy and movement, the "three treasures" of Jing, Chi and Shen, concepts such as Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, and many, many others.Paul Gale is featured in the book of interviews "Nei Jia Quan: Internal Martial Arts" edited by Jess O'Brien, published by North Atlantic Books in 2004 (ISBN 978-1556435065).
Acting career
Paul Gale is also known for his minor acting career, which includes appearances in the television show
CHiPs andMagnum P.I. .Here are some of his other appearances:
*The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) Character: "Itchy" (Attichitcuk )
*The Young Ones (1982)External links
* [http://paulgalesmartialarts.org Paul Gale's website]
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