Instructors and Team members
Sifu “Master/ Chief Instructor”
Sifu Ian Chow; Head Instructor, Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame Ambassador
Sifu Ian Chow —son of Grandmaster Mo Chow, and student of the late Grandmaster Paul Chan (Chan Yuk) and Grandmaster Jin Chan— is a third generation Kung Fu Sifu. Primarily a Choy Lee Fut practitioner, Sifu Chow is also adept in village Hung Kuen and Tao Pi Kuen, styles that originated in the Toisan district of Guangdong province and the Kowloon district of Hong Kong, respectively.
Sifu Chow began his teaching career of Kung Fu and lion dance at the age of 17.
In 1995, Sifu Chow established his own club and adopted the name “Northern Legs Southern Fists”, a name suggested by Sifu Rob Moses of California of whom Sifu Ian was a student. The name implies a synthesis of the northern Chinese and southern Chinese Kung Fu styles each with their own specific yet common characteristics.
In 2000, Sifu Chow and his lion dance team traveled to Malaysia where they competed, representing Canada, in the Genting World Championship Lion Dance Competition. At this event, the team performed Moi Fah Jongs —the Plum Flower Poles— at heights reaching 3 metres.
As well as teaching Kung Fu, lion dance and competing locally and internationally, Sifu Chow is an accomplished film and television actor and stuntman. He was one of the first stuntmen of Asian ethnicity in the Toronto film industry, a pioneering step at the time. He was also the youngest stuntman, at the age of 17, to work on the television series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. He also played a role in the sci-fi movie ‘Pacific Rim’, among others.
In November of 2012, Sifu Chow traveled to Guangzhou China to represent Canada at the Chinese Elite Martial Arts Competition and won three gold medals in three different divisions; hand-form, staff and sword. The score he obtained in the staff competition was the second highest recorded in the total competition. More recently, Sifu Chow has been a guest hand-to-hand combat instructor to the Canadian military at Base Borden. Sifu Chow is an ambassador to the Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame and an outspoken advocate for improved Chinese culture and tradition education.
Grandmaster Mo Chow; 2014 Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame Inductee
Kung Fu Grandmaster Mo Chow —father of Sifu Ian Chow— emigrated from southern China via Hong Kong to Canada in 1965. He quickly became one of Toronto’s first and finest Kung Fu practitioners, teachers and competitors. Grandmaster Chow’s father —Ting Shue Chow— was himself a Kung Fu practitioner in his home village of Hoi Ping/ Toisan. Ting Shue’s boyhood pal and training partner was a lad named Chan Dau. After a separation of many years, the friends reunited in Hong Kong. By then, Chan Dau had become the legendary master and originator of the Tao Pi style of Kung Fu.
Grandmaster Chow was a founding member of the Hong Luck Kung Fu club and a contributing shareholder at the club’s inception. Grandmaster Chow was famous for his intense and fearless tournament presence as well as for his progressive approach to teaching non-Chinese students.
In the early 1970’s, Grandmaster Chow established his own club while participating in open martial arts championships where he excelled in form, weapon and sparring competitions. He became the North American Kung Fu champion from 1974-76 and won the Kata Championship in Sudbury Ontario in 1975. Outside of Kung Fu, Grandmaster Chow has operated a successful business —Abso-lock Inc.— for over 40 years.
In collaboration with his student, Jalal Merhi —director, writer and producer— Grandmaster Chow played a significant role in the development of the martial art film industry in Toronto. Grandmaster Chow was featured films such as Fearless Tiger, Tiger Claws, Talons of the Eagle and Tiger Claws 2000. He was a translator, dialect coach, location scout, actor and stuntman for the television series Kung Fu: the Legend Continues.
Grandmaster Chow is a patriarch of Canadian martial arts and an inspiring leader and role model for thousands of kung fu practitioners throughout North America. Consequently, in 2014, Grandmaster Mo Chow was inducted into the Canadian Black Belt Hall of Fame.
Chinese Martial Arts Terminology
(Each Kwoon has their own variation as well usage)
Si Jo: Founding Great Grandmaster
Si Gung: Grandmaster
Si Fu: Master/ Chief instructor
Si Mo: Sifu’s wife
Si Bak: Masters older training brother with seniority
Si Sook: Masters training brother/ martial uncle
Si Je: Big sister/ senior practitioner
Si Hing: Big brother/ senior practitioner
Si Dai: Junior training brother
Si Moi: Junior training sister
Toe Dai: Entry level practitioner