About
Us

The Gung Fu Institute has been serving Lee County since 1992. We have a state-of-the-art facility with matted floors throughout the training areas.

Our primary focus at the Gung Fu Institute is totality. We want our students to be complete physically, mentally and spiritually. The main arts taught at the Institute are Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun. Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is Bruce Lee’s personal expression of fighting or self-defense. It is based on the principles of simplicity, directness and economy. JKD strives for efficiency so that you can take care of business quickly.

Many people consider Bruce Lee to be the father of mixed martial arts (MMA or UFC-type fighting). You certainly could say Jeet Kune Do was the catalyst to MMA. The truth is Jeet Kune Do runs much deeper than MMA. Bruce examined the philosophy of living because he wanted to be more than just a martial artist; he wanted to be an artist of life.

Our Institute delves into Bruce Lee’s entire martial art education from beginning to end. There are no forms to learn. We strive to be formless, to learn to move effortlessly. Bruce Lee chiseled away the unessential, removing that which is useless or weighs you down and makes you less efficient and therefore less effective.
Our school will push you to your personal limits. Everybody has unique strengths and weaknesses. We want to develop your strengths, but we also want to eliminate your weaknesses to make you a complete human being. At our school you will learn self-worth, respect and integrity. Whether you want to punch, kick, grapple, spar, or be a tournament fighter this academy will give you all that you need in the martial art world.

The school emphasizes realism in martial arts. We do not practice with a traditional uniform, just comfortable martial art pants and a school t-shirt. Obviously in the real world no one wears a gee. Therefore, all the locks, throws and submissions have to be practiced wearing everyday clothing in order to be useful in the real world. Bruce Lee’s art is nontraditional, which was one of the reasons Bruce wore a yellow jumpsuit in the movie “Game of Death.” Our desire is to produce free thinkers and free movers. Education should not simply create conformity. We are not trying to produce robots all doing the same moves in unison. We want to produce individuals and allow them to discover their particular “way.” JKD will cultivate a way of thinking that will enable you to soar to the next level.

Wing Chun is our “nontraditional” traditional art. The forms teach you body mechanics and how to use the mind to tap into hidden forces using leverage and chi. After learning the three empty hand forms you progress to the wooden dummy set. The wooden dummy will teach you fluidity and hand positioning, and several kicks will be examined and developed. There are also unique trapping and hand sequences to learn. After perfecting the wooden dummy techniques you will begin to learn the weapon sets including the double blade and the long staff. This completes the Wing Chun system. Wing Chun is a deeply integrated mind and body experience that will teach you how to maximize your potential. There are some grappling moves like sweeps and takedowns, but the focus is on devastating striking and ground-and-pound techniques. The kicks in Wing Chun are generally low and difficult to see, used primarily as a destructive tool to the opponent’s knees, hip and pelvic region. Wing Chun is an art form that can maintain your vitality, your breath and your flexibility late in life to your 70’s and 80’s. You can make Wing Chun very soft (yen) or hard (yang). It is up to you how you want to approach Wing Chun. This is a system that has been tested on the rooftops in Hong Kong. It is truly a unique art.

Our JKD/MMA conditioning courses are designed to challenge individuals to condition their bodies and maximize their full potential. We use unique drills to develop your physique. If you are looking to strengthen your martial arts or just tone the body in a fun atmosphere, this course is for you. We utilize any exercise method available to develop the body including medicine ball routines, plyometrics, iso-tension, power stretching and kettle ball exercises. We also utilize leg workouts, running, jump rope and bag work. This course is specifically designed to shape your body into a human weapon. It is easy to see how important fitness was to Bruce Lee from his physique seen in movies and photographs of him without his shirt. The workouts that Bruce used had to be functional not only to strengthen his body but also his mind. There are so many benefits to a great workout program, but the feeling of accomplishment is one of the best. Bruce would take each muscle group and develop it specifically for JKD, whether it be punching, kicking or grappling.

Our power stretching class incorporates many moves that Bruce Lee taught his students. Bruce researched all types of stretches and adapted them to JKD. We have designed a program specifically for toning, strength development and flexibility. Our power stretching program encompasses many yoga postures as well. Our stretching classes are challenging at times, but many of the poses can be modified and adapted to anyone’s skill level. These classes are 30 minutes and the temperature is set at a range of 90-95 degrees. This is close to the body’s temperature and allows the muscles to relax more easily. We currently offer the power stretching two nights a week. Beginners, intermediates and advanced practitioners can all benefit greatly from this class.