I’ll never forget standing in the training hall at Wudang Mountain, watching Master Yuan Xiu Gang demonstrate a particularly challenging movement. His flexibility was extraordinary - something that had made him famous even among other Wudang masters. According to the records, I was the first student to achieve a full split in just seven days under his guidance at the Wudang school, something that hadn’t happened in 25 years. Yet even with this achievement, I realized something profound: trying to move exactly like Master Yuan would ultimately limit my development.
As someone who has trained martial arts since I was 13 - starting with Hap Ki Do, then expanding into Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, Kyokushinkai Karate, and Muay Thai before finding my true path in the Wudang arts - I’ve experienced firsthand how different masters embody their art in completely unique ways. This understanding became the foundation of everything I now teach at the Wudang Academy in Vienna.
The Trap of Perfect Imitation
When I first arrived at Wudang Mountain after years of external martial arts training, my instinct was to copy everything exactly. I’d already spent years training 4-6 hours daily, visiting masters across Asia - from Grandmaster Lee Chang Soo in South Korea to learning Pencak Silat from ex-military Vietcong hero Thang Phong in Vietnam. I thought I understood what it meant to be a dedicated student.
But the internal arts of Wudang demanded something different. Under the precise training of Master Yuan Xiu Gang and Master Xiangwen Chen, I began to understand that perfect imitation was actually a barrier to true mastery. Each of my teachers had developed their unique expression of the San Feng lineage, shaped by their own bodies, experiences, and understanding.
What aspects of traditional training do you find most challenging?
- Adapting techniques to my body type
- Understanding the underlying principles
- Balancing tradition with personal expression
- Knowing when to follow vs. when to innovate
The reality is that every master has walked their own path to excellence. When you try to become a carbon copy of your teacher, you’re attempting to fit into a mold that was never meant for you. It’s like wearing someone else’s tailored suit - it might look impressive on them, but it will never fit you perfectly.
Different Masters, Different Strengths
My time studying under multiple masters in the Wudang tradition revealed something fascinating: each had developed extraordinary abilities, but in completely different areas. This became crystal clear when observing three of the most renowned Wudang masters:
Master Chen Shixing - His mastery of qinggong (light body skill) is legendary. As a 15th generation master of the San Feng School, he has inherited the essence of this rare skill. Watching him move, you understand why qinggong has captured imaginations for centuries - his ability to traverse vertical surfaces and move with almost supernatural lightness defies conventional understanding of human movement.
Master Chen Shiyu - A 15th generation inheritor who has won championships in taijiquan from 2000 to 2012, consistently taking first place in China for his taiji, staff, and sword forms. His approach to taijiquan emphasizes a natural, carefree character - he teaches that the best way to maintain order is through the natural way, giving students freedom to find their own pace while maintaining the integrity of the tradition.
Master Yuan Xiu Gang - My own master, whose extraordinary flexibility and comprehensive understanding of the complete San Feng curriculum set him apart. As the only master on Wudang Mountain teaching the full San Feng lineage who is fluent in English, he bridges Eastern and Western understanding. His journey from external Shaolin training to internal Wudang cultivation mirrors the path many Western students must take.
Each master achieved excellence not by copying their predecessors exactly, but by finding their unique expression within the tradition. This is the lesson that transformed my own practice.
The Sweet Spot: Learn, Adapt, Evolve
Through my journey from external styles to becoming the 16th generation San Feng inheritor - the only foreigner in over 12 years to study in the traditional class and graduate with exceptional results - I’ve discovered that mastery follows a natural progression:
Stage 1: Foundation (Years 1-4)
In the beginning, yes, follow precisely. When I studied under Grandmaster Zhong Yun Long, I absorbed every detail. The San Feng traditions are profound, containing principles that have been refined over centuries. During this stage, your job is to internalize these time-tested methods completely. Think of it as learning the grammar of a new language.
Stage 2: Understanding (Years 4-8)
Once you have a solid foundation, begin to understand why certain principles exist. Why does Master Yuan emphasize flexibility while Master Chen Shixing focuses on lightness? What principles unite their seemingly different approaches? This is where you start to see beyond the surface movements to the underlying essence.
Stage 3: Integration (Years 8+)
Now you begin developing your own authentic expression. After years of dedicated practice, having developed what some might call extraordinary abilities in internal martial arts, I found my own way of moving that honors all my teachers while being uniquely mine. This is not about ego or thinking you know better - it’s about recognizing that true mastery is personal.
Which stage best describes your current journey?
- Building foundation through careful imitation
- Beginning to understand underlying principles
- Developing my own authentic expression
- Teaching others while continuing to evolve
The Courage to Find Your Own Way
One of the most profound moments in my development came when I realized that securing the old San Feng lineage - which I now see as an important life task - doesn’t mean freezing it in time. It means understanding it so deeply that you can express it authentically through your own being while maintaining its essential principles.
This understanding is why at the Wudang Academy, we focus on helping each student discover their own path within the tradition. The San Feng cultural heritage I work to preserve and transmit to the West isn’t a rigid set of movements but a living tradition that must be embodied uniquely by each practitioner.
The handed-down traditions must be preserved, but preservation doesn’t mean stagnation. When physicians, physiotherapists, psychologists, and other professionals recognize the value of our teachings, it’s because these arts address fundamental human needs for self-discovery, development, and cultivation - needs that transcend any single interpretation.
Finding Balance in the Paradox
Walking this path requires navigating a fundamental paradox: you must be humble enough to follow your master’s footsteps precisely, yet confident enough to eventually walk your own path. Through my years of training - from those early days practicing Hap Ki Do to my current role as Chief Coach of the Wudang Academy - I’ve learned that this balance is achieved through:
- Deep respect for lineage - Understanding that you’re part of a chain extending back to Zhang Sanfeng
- Honest self-assessment - Recognizing your unique strengths and limitations
- Patient development - Allowing your authentic expression to emerge naturally over time
- Continuous refinement - Never believing you’ve “arrived” at final mastery
- Generous transmission - Sharing knowledge while encouraging students to find their own way
The key is understanding that each master you encounter offers a piece of the puzzle, but the complete picture must be assembled by you, according to your own nature and understanding.
The Ultimate Test: Becoming Yourself
Today, as I teach the San Feng arts across Europe and beyond, I see my role not as creating copies of myself but as helping each student unlock their own potential within the tradition. The disciplined training methods we use - which cannot be abandoned once begun - are designed to reveal each person’s authentic movement, not to impose a rigid template.
This approach has been recognized worldwide because it addresses a universal truth: excellence cannot be achieved through imitation alone. Whether in martial arts, medicine, psychology, or any field requiring deep mastery, the path always leads from imitation through understanding to authentic personal expression.
What’s your biggest challenge in developing authentic mastery?
- Fear of deviating from traditional methods
- Uncertainty about my own understanding
- Balancing respect for teachers with personal growth
- Finding time for deep, sustained practice
- Trusting my own experience and insights
Your Journey Awaits
The path from student to master in the Wudang arts - or any profound discipline - isn’t about becoming a perfect copy of your teacher. It’s about using their guidance to discover and develop your own authentic excellence. Master Yuan’s extraordinary flexibility, Master Chen Shixing’s light body skill, Master Chen Shiyu’s championship taijiquan - these aren’t templates to copy but inspirations showing what’s possible when you fully embody the art in your own unique way.
After more than two decades of training and teaching, I can tell you this: the masters who taught me didn’t want me to become them. They wanted me to understand the principles so deeply that I could express them through my own being, adding my link to the chain of transmission while keeping the essence alive.
This is the responsibility I now carry as a lineage holder - not to create students who move exactly like me, but to guide them toward their own authentic mastery. The San Feng traditions are rich enough to support infinite variations while maintaining their essential truth. Your job as a student is to be disciplined enough to learn properly, wise enough to understand deeply, and eventually brave enough to express authentically.
What aspect of your training journey challenges you most: maintaining disciplined practice while developing your own authentic understanding, or knowing when it’s time to step beyond imitation into personal expression?