Sheng Chi Kung Fu

Dear Shun-Shifu,

Thank you for taking the time to write to me. I like Sheng Chi Kung Fu very much so far. My instructor is very nice and I had a lot of fun at my group lesson the other day. I look forward to learning the honor and discipline that will last me my whole life.

See you soon,

Christopher Hefner,
6 Years old, Mokelumne Hill

"We have been with Phil and Liz Weaver for six years now and it has been an excellent experience for my husband, son, daughter and myself. My husband and I signed up our son at the end of his kindergarten year to help him to be able to defend himself against an older cousin. Soon after my husband and I signed up, and my daughter joined when she was old enough to partake in the Little Dragons program. This was one of the smartest things we could have done for them.

"It's taken me some time but I love the inspiration that they give me. They are kind enough to give me a call if I miss a lesson, and they are very polite. They try to give me support as much as possible. It's been really fun here and I really think you guys should come and check it out. 'Cause you'll love it. It does a lot for your body. It keeps you in shape. Sheng Chi is great."— Monique DolinDave Dolin Roofing, Valley Springs

It's easiest to understand the meaning of these terms if you think of them in terms of a family. The Da' Shifu being the grandfather. The Shun Shifu being the eldest son of the grandfather. The Shifu's being the other sons of the grandfather. The brown belt is given the title Shi Bok because he would have a family responsibility but not a direct responsibility of raising the children (students). Like an uncle would. Shi Hing would also have a responsibility to the family but a lesser responsibility than the Shi Bok. Shi Hing is like an older cousin.

Shi Hing- The term for a lower level instructor. Not in common useage. Literally means cousin.

Shi Bok- The term for a brown belt. Not in common useage. Literally this term means uncle.

Shi Mu- A female black belt. This term is not in common useage. It is the female version of Shifu. I don't advise using this term. The female black belts prefer to go by Shifu.

Shifu- The term used for black belt. The term literally means master, teacher, or father.

Shun Shifu- The title of the head instructor of the school. Literally means "chosen father" or "first son".

Da' Shifu- Grand master. Common useage of this term is to define a master who has mastered all eight degrees. Proper useage is to denote the top shifu of a system. The term is properly only used in refference to other shifu's. As the term shifu literally means master, father, or teacher. The term Da' Shifu means Grand master, Grandfather, or Grand teacher.