Dubai: The first Iron Buffalo, Tith Nigaw Pai, Chinese Kung-Fu School in the UAE has set out a community role for itself. The school’s founder Abdul Wahid Habib Allah says it seeks to enrich Sharjah’s cultural scene just as much as it seeks to popularise the Southern Chinese Tradition of Martial Arts in the emirate.
Dating back over 1,000 years ago, the teachings of Kung Fu have been passed on through generations in societies known as ‘Pais’ through masters who teach specific styles.
“I chose to open the school in Sharjah because it’s cultural and I teach culture through Kung Fu,” said Habib Allah who is known as ‘Sifu’ (teacher) to all his students.
The school, which has been open for just over a year, offers all age groups more than just a grounding in the sport of Kung Fu.
“Every house is based on pillars, we build our house of Kung Fu through movement, understanding, culture and history so that when we fight or speak, we have pure knowledge behind it,” Habib Ullah says.
Habib Allah has been practicing Kung Fu for over 32 years and is a long-term student of Kong Han Lei Sifu, the head of the Tith Ngaw Pai School located in Antwerp, Belgium.
Describing Kung Fu as a way of life, he says a person can perfect his Kung Fu skills in three ways. “Kung Fu takes time, hard work, and study.”
The school provides separate classes for men, women and children where each student starts at the basic level and it takes several years of practice for students to work their way up to the fourth and highest level.
“The first level takes a few years to complete where you learn the movements — and only once they are correct, I teach you the implications,” says Habib Allah, adding that, out of his 84 students, 20 are children and 15 are women.
Integrating discipline into his classes, he focuses on teaching his students about the history, styles, and background of Chinese Kung Fu. Along with understanding and practicing the fighting skills of Kung Fu, students also learn about Chinese herbal medicine and the basics of the Chinese language.
Avoiding the competitiveness that comes with other styles of martial arts, Habib Allah explains that the traditional Chinese martial arts skills taught at his school strictly focus on benefiting each student according to his or her size, medical situation, and strength. “The Iron Buffalo style of Kung Fu is a way for people to learn more about their capabilities,” he adds.
Gulf News spoke to Adel Khater, a student who has been learning Kung Fu at the school for over eight months about his experience so far. After breaking his back in a serious horse-riding accident, Khater said that the exercises he practices through Kung Fu have helped speed up his recovery. “At first I didn’t think it would help but, after some time, it was making all the difference,” he said.
