What a tremendous victory!

The Tiger Claw Elite Kungfu and Taekwondo Tournaments, held in San Jose, California on last Saturday and Sunday May 6-7, 2023, attracted 1,536 skilled competitors from all over the U.S. and abroad. While many athletes received well-deserved medals for their exceptional performances, the true champion was the global martial arts community.

The organizers of the tournament had painstakingly planned every detail well in advance, with hundreds of competitors already registered by March 2020. However, the outbreak of the pandemic resulted in widespread societal shutdowns and citizens were advised to shelter in place. Unfortunately, this led to the cancellation of the 2020 Tiger Claw Elite Tournaments. 

The three years that followed were a challenging time for the martial arts community globally. Many martial arts and Tai Chi schools were forced to close their doors. During this period, some of the most respected figures in the community, including Tai Chi and Qigong grandmasters Yang Zhengduo (95) and Zhang Xue Xin (94), and Effie Chow (89), and martial artists and movie stars Jimmy Wang Yu (79), Harry Mok, Yu Hai (81), and Sonny Chiba (82) passed away. While most died of old age, a few lost their battle to COVID-19. Majority of schools re-opened but several have not reached their pre-pandemic enrollments. 

When people finally reunited at the tournaments last week, they embraced tightly and shared bittersweet emotions without words. Many expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to come together again after such a long separation.

As a judge for the tournaments, I felt honored to witness the incredible levels of skill and dedication displayed by the athletes. Throughout the weekend, I was assigned to judge at various levels, ranging from young children to seniors and from first timers to advanced practitioners.

One particular moment that stood out to me was when a 5-year-old boy with blonde hair and blue eyes became overwhelmed by the crowd and stood motionless in a competition ring. With the repeated reminders by his coach, he completed the routine and wasn’t placed among the top three spots. Seeing him burst into tears, I rushed over to praise him for his effort and let him know that he would still receive a medal — all first-time competitors were rewarded with a participation medal.

One inspiring competitor was a soon-to-be 63-year-young lady who had suffered from severe pain in her neck, shoulder, and lower back at the age of 50 due to a sedentary lifestyle working for a computer company. Despite seeking medical assistance from both Eastern and Western doctors, nothing helped until she discovered Kung Fu. She now wears several medals around her neck as a tribute to her incredible perseverance.

The tournaments featured a wide range of categories.  Aside from the Korean Taekwondo, the Chinese categories included the WildAid Tiger Claw Championship to raise the awareness of the endangerment of tigers in the wild, International Wushu Sanshou Dao (IWSD) Overall Grand Championship , Traditional Kung, Shaolin Temple Kung Fu, Modern Wushu, and Tai Chi & Internal Style martial arts. Despite the record-breaking number of attendees, the tournaments were run efficiently as a well-oiled machine. Organizer Gigi Oh noted that the official deadline for competition registration was April 12, but the tournament had already reached full capacity and more people were eager to join. 

In the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu category, there were five champions representing each division who competed for the Grand Championship. According to the rules, the top score and the bottom score were eliminated to avoid bias, and only the three middle scores were used to calculate. At the end of the competition, they all scored an impressive 9.94 at a scale of 1 to 10. Since all five competitors also had the same top score, the winner was determined by the highest bottom score. In the end, Kyle Wong in his late 20s brought home the Grand trophy that night, earning a well-deserved victory.

In addition to organizing multiple tournaments, the event coordinators also put on various captivating programs aimed at entertaining and educating attendees on the richness and diversity of martial arts. One such program was a mesmerizing Kung Fu exhibition held on the Friday night prior to the tournaments. The showcase featured three Bay Area Kung Fu schools, which are Shaolin Warrior Martial Arts, founded by Master Zhao Hai Chuan in San Jose, Kung Fu Dragon USA founded by Master Yu Zhen Long in Pleasanton & San Ramon, and Shaolin Temple USA founded by the Shaolin Temple Abbot Shi Yongxin and managed by Shaolin Warrior Shi Yan Ran in San Francisco. During the exhibition, around 60 young Kung Fu practitioners from the three schools, aged between 5 and their early 20s, displayed their impressive martial skills and exciting formations.

Afterwards, ten Shaolin Warriors from the original Shaolin Temple in Henan, China presented 14 different types of Shaolin Kung Fu and Qigong. They started with 8 Silk Brocade, then seven traditional Shaolin Fist forms (Cannon, Ditang Plum Blossom, Big Arhat, Small Cannon, Plum Blossom Mantis, Taizu, and Sever Star), a special Qigong practice of  Two Finger Stand, trio drunken set (fist, sword and staff), a hard style Qigong maneuvering to break steel bars on head, Shaolin Animal Fists to mimic Tiger, Scorpion, Snake, Dog, Leopard, Toad and Praying Mantis, Wooden Fish & Zen Qigong or Tong Zi Gong, a hard style Qigong feat of Iron Throat breaking spears, seven traditional Shaolin weapon exercises (Thirteen Spear, Bodhidharma Staff, Eyebrow-height Staff, Plum Blossom Broadsword, King Kinnara Staff, Spring and Autumn Broadsword, and Bodhidharma Straight Sword), another hard style Qigong feat of Five Spears Chest Stabbing, Cotton Fist, Qigong Breaking Staffs showing the power of Qigong, Iron Crotch (a high-level hard Qigong regimen), and ended with the big match of Shepherd’s Whip, Pudao, Three Section Staff, Double Spears, Double Broadswords, and Nine Section Whip. The display of various techniques and weapons was stunning and overwhelming to witness.

Shaolin Kung Fu is famous for its diversity and richness. It has so many fist types, animal forms, and weapon forms. However, it is essential to note that many of these practices can be hazardous to a practitioner who has not undergone proper training or practiced diligently daily for years. Most of the Shaolin Warriors are 18 or 19 years old and began their training at a young age, similar to Olympic gymnasts who peak in their athleticism in their late teen years.

On Saturday night, a group of masters, namely Shou-Yu Liang, Ren Guang-Yi, Helen Liang, and Chen-Hang Yang, performed several internal martial art forms including Xiao-Yao Gong, Chen Style Tai Chi Single Broadsword, Baguazhang, and Chen Style New Frame, alongside tournament champions.

The following day, Sunday morning saw the celebration of Kung Fu Tai Chi Day, which commenced with a serene and peaceful performance of Tai Chi 24 by 300 Tai Chi practitioners, led by world junior championships in Tai Chi, Judy Liu in 2018 and Presilla Zou in 2022. The ambiance of the performance was soothing and calming. Later on, the competition resumed with various divisions, such as Internal divisions, WildAid Tiger Claw Championship, Heavy Guandao Championship, and IWSD Grand Champion.

Addition to the contestants, there were 350 volunteers to serve as judges, score keepers, timers, runners, and infrastructure set-uppers.  As a martial arts enthusiast, I was thrilled to see the community coming together once again. It was a massive win for everyone involved, and a testament to the resilience and determination of the martial arts community.

Disclaimer: I was invited to judge for the tournaments.