What is Nam Wah Pai?
Nam Wah Pai is a Chinese style martial art (Kung Fu) that originated in Singapore, emphasising fitness, health and self-defence. Each of these components are equally important and have an external and Internal aspect to them. The 'external' side involves the physical actions of flexibility, stances, katas, weapons, and correct blocking, punching and kicking techniques. The 'internal' side involves a combination of meditation and special breathing methods, which benefit the internal organs and provide more power to punches and kicks.
Nam Wah Pai New Zealand was founded by Master Steve Kitson (7th Degree Blackbelt) in 1979. The club has expanded since then, with branches in Whangarei, Matakana, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Invercargill. Our clubs are friendly and welcoming - particularly good for parents accompanying their children and groups of older children and teenagers. We also participate in national and (for senior belts) international seminars, events and tournaments.
Nam Wah Pai New Zealand was founded by Master Steve Kitson (7th Degree Blackbelt) in 1979. The club has expanded since then, with branches in Whangarei, Matakana, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Invercargill. Our clubs are friendly and welcoming - particularly good for parents accompanying their children and groups of older children and teenagers. We also participate in national and (for senior belts) international seminars, events and tournaments.
How Are We Different From Other Martial Arts?
A specialty of Nam Wah Pai is the focus upon both the external and internal concepts of the martial arts. Initially students learn to control their body via external concepts such as flexibility, kicking, punching, katas, weapons and free sparring. Once these skills have been developed, focus shifts to training the mind by learning various forms of tai chi, qigong, and internal strength training. These skills are tested at senior gradings by having students perform various internal breaks, such as that demonstrated in the pictures below.
What Can We Offer You?
- Fitness - Kung Fu is a good blend of aerobic and anaerobic fitness, and flexibility.
- Self defence - We will teach you how to effectively defend yourself without worrying about being hurt at training.
- Confidence - Our training method can transform peoples confidence in a matter of months.
- Discipline - Kung Fu literally means 'a skill achieved through hard work and determination'. The discipline developed through martial arts,especially at senior levels, is a one of most transferable skills in modern life. Click here to read an interesting article on the topic.
- Reward - With discipline and hard-work comes reward! It's a special day when you are finally awarded your black-belt!
- Fun - We try to make all of our training as much fun as possible!
- New Friends - What better way to get to know new people than to partake in their passion?