Training the Right Way: A Conversation With Niko
Some of the best questions in martial arts come during training — when something does not quite make sense yet. During Niko's final session, we kept the camera running.
Articles on Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis training, lineage history, internal power development, and the MyChowGar curriculum.
Some of the best questions in martial arts come during training — when something does not quite make sense yet. During Niko's final session, we kept the camera running.
A heavy bridge in Chow Gar is not created by pressing harder with the arm. It develops when the whole body becomes connected to the point of contact.
Episode 3 of Chow Gar: The Origins is now available. In Not Enough, Chow Ah Naam enters the monastery, trains hard, and faces the painful truth that effort alone is not enough.
Few martial arts are compared to Chow Gar as often as Wing Chun. At first glance, the comparison makes sense — both are Southern Chinese systems working at close range. But when experienced practitioners touch hands, one thing becomes clear: they do not feel the same.
QiGong in Chow Gar is not meditation, not breathwork, and not wellness practice. It is a training method with a specific purpose. Here is what it actually does.
Both systems speak about internal power. Both reject muscular strength as the answer. Yet they are solving fundamentally different problems — and when the problem changes, the body changes.
He buried the only man who ever believed in him. Then he kept walking. Episode 2 of the Chow Gar Origins animated series is out now.
Saam Bo Gin is not a beginner form in Chow Gar — it is the structural spine of the entire system. Here is what it actually trains and why masters still practice it daily.
We made something different — an animated series about where this system actually came from. Chow Gar — The Origins tells the story of Chow Ah Naam. The founder. The man behind the system you train.
Why do serious martial artists spend years chasing internal power without finding it? The answer is not effort — it is method.
The fourth core form of Chow Gar introduces the chasing pattern: constant forward pressure, connected bridge work, and the shoulder as a weapon. Here is what you need to understand before you practice it.
Geng Tan Geng does not appear from nowhere. It is the end point of a specific development arc. Here is how Cho Geng, Loi Geng, and Um Geng form the path that makes shock power possible.
Geng Tan Geng is the defining internal quality of Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis. It does not push. It arrives suddenly, travels inward, and disrupts something structural. Here is what it is and how it is built.
The Yung Mun Yan is the Gatekeeper of a martial arts system — the one responsible for preserving its lineage and transmitting its teachings in their authentic form. In Chow Gar Tong Long, this role carries both authority and responsibility, representing the continuity of the system across generations.
A personal reflection on what it’s really like to train Chow Gar Southern Praying Mantis in Hong Kong with Gatekeeper Grandmaster Ip Chee Keung, from daily yum cha to intense Sam Bo Gin corrections and unforgettable lessons in power, humility, and tradition.
After 13 years, we finally returned to Hong Kong together — back to the Mor Kwoon, to Sifu, to our roots. This journey was a powerful reunion filled with training, memories, and meaningful moments that reminded us why this path matters so much.
The core methods of Chow Gar—Chy Sau, Saam Bo Gin, and Doy Chong—form the foundation for true internal power, structure, and martial effectiveness.
Four years of growth, challenges, and achievements—our journey in Chow Gar has been incredible. With the launch of our final module, The Way of the Mantis, we mark a new beginning. Exciting opportunities are ahead, including instructor certification and a deeper focus on the health aspects of the system. Join us and be part of what’s next!