Chinese Boxing Academy

Great school, great style, great teacher. I've been studying Chinese martial arts for a long time, and Pa Kua Chang is by far the best system that I've ever been a part of. From the novice to the most experienced martial artist the Chinese Boxing Academy will challenge you and improve your skills.

Let's get several things out of the way. If you don't believe in qi or looking for competition fighting, groundwork, pure fighting, or showmanship - this class may not be for you. From a pure, practical combative standpoint, Baguazhang is effective, but the class isn't as flawless as the other reviewers make it out to be. Sifu Greg Hatza is an excellent instructor as other reviewers mention. He's easy to approach and very willing to help; a very nice and laid back teacher overall. I like the fact that he always emphasize practicality and doesn't bullshit around. However, he does get a bit caught up sometimes in showing a technique and not giving us a chance to practice what is shown. The problem with this is that martial arts are very muscle memory based and seeing a demonstration won't help you as much as actually practicing the technique. What you do in class is randomized. Activities are divided by qi-gong reps and actual fighting drills/physical conditioning. Cardio used to be done in conjunction with daily warm-ups, but now aren't done any more. The problem comes from Sifu having to balance qi-gong vs. the more external activities. Those who don't like qi-gong will be bored half the time, putting a damper on their fighting skills. You do learn such weapons such as the staff and broad sword. They can be enjoyable to learn if you're into weapons. However, they're only learned at certain times throughout the year. Sparring was hardly done though that may change after a complaint was made. It may not be real fighting, but it's needed so that students can try to apply what they learn instead of going through choreographed drills. When watching students spar full contact in this class, you see them fight more like boxers even after they trained for years. This probably comes from the fact of not having spar enough to fully incorporate some of the techniques they learned in a more capricious fighting situation. Moreover, I don't know about you, but it shouldn't take more than four years to actually become competent at fighting when you can do that much quicker in other arts as I have experienced. Some of the students in this class will defend this standpoint believe it or not. Though they're nice people, some of them have a bit of a Kool-Aid drinking mentality. If you're unsure about this class, it's best to visit and see for yourself. Don't be afraid to ask questions or for demonstrations. Give the class a month or two, but if you still have doubts, don't be naive and stick around thinking it will get better. Again this is from someone who's only interested in combat, if you're into qi-gong and believe in qi then you'll probably like this class more than I did.

Sifu Greg is a wealth of knowledge and very patient. I have found the skills taught have helped me be a better person. I would highly recommend this school to anyone interested in learning from one of the elite.

Bagua is a very powerful martial art and Shifu Greg Hatza is really good at teaching it

Studying Bagua with Sifu Greg is time well spent. I love the fact that I can meditate, improve cardio, increase flexibility and balance, harness chi energy, and learn self-defense all in one class. I am so happy I ended up HERE rather than a "punch and kick" school. Sifu Greg and my fellow students are great to learn from and have been VERY patient with me. Every time I go to class I leave feeling a lot better then when I walked in. I recommend this school to anyone who wants to be healthier and/or learn self-defense. There are many schools that claim to teach Bagua, but this one is the real deal.