Many styles of Chinese Martial Arts have been popularized by the media. Hundreds of styles exist and were developed based on different geographic locations, families, religious classifications, and internal/external style. Many of these were done in secret in order to protect the practitioner’s lives following political/dynasty change or cultural revolution. Pop Culture is full of stories (both fact, fiction, and a little bit of both) regarding history, lineage and origin of styles.  While sanctioning bodies do exist, there is no regulated governing organization for all Chinese Martial Arts to ensure that instructors of styles are properly qualified or certified.

In order to verify that someone is teaching authentic, safe, and knowledgeable Chinese Martial Arts you must look at their lineage. Keep in mind that within every line of a lineage, almost every single teacher taught many more than one single student and most individual students studied different styles. It is important, though, to understand that traditional masters have been very careful about who they choose to carry on their teachings to the next generation. It is an honor to have learned Martial Arts through this lineage and be trusted to continue to pass this to future practitioners.