Sifu Anthony Korahais
…is a certified instructor and a senior disciple under Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit of Malaysia. He has been learning and practicing the Eastern arts since 1992. In addition to his training under Grandmaster Wong, he also holds a black belt in Goju-Ryu Karate.
Sifu Anthony was born in 1972. The son of two professional musicians, he was raised as a classical violinist, but was encouraged to seek balance in sports and academics. Music seemed an obvious college and career choice, but he instead opted for the balance of a liberal arts education at Columbia University.
At Columbia, he discovered many new interests, including: literature, history, poetry, computers, Eastern and Western philosophy, creative writing, and the martial arts. But after college, an unbridled enthusiasm for the martial arts eclipsed most of his other interests.
Despite having earned a black belt in Karate from an excellent teacher, Sifu Anthony still felt very much a beginner in the martial arts. He knew that something was missing. In an effort to further educate himself about various martial arts, he dove into reading. Two years and a hundred books later, he stumbled upon a book that would alter his life's direction: The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu by Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit.
Although Sifu Anthony had previously learned Black Tiger Kung Fu, this book marked Sifu Anthony's entry into both the "Internal" martial arts and the Chinese healing arts. He quickly found other books on similar subjects. As he stepped into the fascinating world of Qi and Chinese medicine, he could not help but wonder: is this stuff for real?
Sifu Anthony's original interest in chi kung was for martial urposes. He had read stories of ancient masters performing incredible feats - feats attributed to a mastery of a mysterious energy called "chi". Like many young martial artists, he wanted to find out if that power existed; if it did, then he wanted it for himself.
To solve the equation, he arranged to meet the author, Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit. Having always been a skeptic, he was stunned when Grandmaster Wong showed him that tremendous power was indeed possible through the practice of chi kung. Luckily, Grandmaster Wong also showed him there is much more to chi kung than just power.
There is an old Chinese saying regarding chi kung and the martial arts: "First get your body healthy, and then worry about defending it." At the time, Sifu Anthony considered himself to be healthy. After Grandmaster Wong accepted him as a student, Anthony quickly realized that he was nothing of the sort. Grandmaster Wong, although twice his age and smaller in size, proved that he was stronger, faster, and more agile than Anthony. He also exhibited a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy, an uncanny zest for life, and a subtle sense of calm that Anthony had previously only witnessed in monks.
As an inner-chamber disciple (the Shaolin version of an apprentice) under Grandmaster Wong, Sifu Anthony is fortunate to be a member of a long tradition of martial artists who were also Chinese doctors. It was this tradition that inspired Sifu Anthony to quit his career in New York and move to Florida to pursue a master's degree in acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
Sifu Anthony has travelled widely to learn from Grandmaster Wong in Malaysia, Europe, Canada, and the US. He has both observed and helped Grandmaster Wong to diagnose and treat hundreds of students (and some passive patients) using chi kung therapy. Sifu Anthony has taught martial arts for over 10 years, and has taught chi kung to students in the US, Canada, Europe, and Malaysia. He is also a writer and regular contributor to online forums, where he gives advice and tips to chi kung and kung fu practitioners worldwide.
At present, Sifu Anthony is one of three instructors authorized to teach Grandmaster Wong's system in the United States.
|
