Zhang Sah?

**Kistrael** · Posted On: 6/27/2005 10:08pm

One of these just opened up in my town. It must have been recently anyway, since I didn't see it last time I went past it on my bike ride.

http://www.zhang-sah.com/

They teach Tae Kwon Do, Karate Do, Aikido, Judo, Ninja Fu (!). I seem to be lucky enough that only the Bridgeport school teaches this Ninja Fu (it's listed as Bridgeport, even though it's Norristown?).

This is the site of the school that is in my town.

Chang's School of Judo and Karate

The ultimate goal of Martial Arts is the perfection of the character of its participants. Through training in the Martial Arts, the student gains the concentration, perseverence, and confidence to overcome self-imposed limitations and forge a path to a more meaningful and rewarding life.

"Zhang-Sah" is Korean for "Brave Scholar." While Western tradition draws strict distinctions between the physical, the mental and the spiritual, Eastern traditions emphasise the fundamental interactions between these three aspects of being human, balancing physical rigor, mental rigor, and moral soundness. The Brave Scholar strives to embody the following tenets:

Courtesy
Humility
Integrity
Perseverance
Self-Control
Indomitable Spirit

...and all that happy, crappy bull that mcdojos spout about making you into a good person.

Ninja Fu?

Ninja-Fu is a unique distillation of techniques from many Martial Arts disciplines including Karate, Judo, Ninjitsu, Kung-Fu, and weapons training. It was created by Grand Master Soon-Ho Chang and the first class was taught in late 1985.

Ninja-Fu is designed specifically to answer the needs of modern society. The various techniques taught are selected to provide well-rounded training for both physical and mental development. Additionally, the techniques are taught in a traditional style so that the student may learn the self-discipline and dedication that traditional Martial Arts provide.

Ninja-Fu is an excellent study for those wishing to learn Martial Arts as a means of self-defense. Because of the effectiveness of these techniques and the maturity required to handle them, no students under 16 years of age will be admitted. Also, all Ninja-Fu students must be personally approved by Grand Master Chang.

Now, what really interests me is Master Chang.

Grand Master Soon-Ho Chang was born of a family with a strong Martial Arts tradition. He received his first degree Black Belt at the age of twelve and Black Belt degree in Judo at sixteen. After the Korean War he was admitted to the prestigious "Korean Judo College"--a professional Martial Arts College--where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, with distinction, in physical education. He graduated with Master Instructor degrees in Jungol-Sa (Ancient Chiropractic Way), Judo, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido, and Kendo (sword). He is the creator of both Ninja-Fu and The T.K.A. System.

Today, this highly trained and qualified Oriental Master in Martial Arts is a Grand Master Instructor, holding 7th Dan Red and White rank in Judo, 7th Dan Black Belt in Karate, 8th Dan in Tae Kwon Do, 7th Dan Black Belt in Hapkido, 8th Dan in Kyuki Do (Korean Ninja) and 8th Dan Black Belt in Tang Soo Do.

Teaching Experience
Grand Master Soon-Ho Chang has instructed at the Korean Judo College, the Seoul Central Y.M.C.A., Seoul City Police Academy, and the U.S. 8th Army Headquarters in Yong San, Korea. After travelling to Malaysia, he served as Chief Martial Arts Instructor to the Malaysian Armed Forces and Police Forces. Additionally, he held the position of Resident Chief Instructor at the Kuching Judo and Karate Association (now the Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan headquarters).

Grand Master Chang's credentials in the U.S.A. include teaching positions at Lehigh University, Moravian College, and his own school, Zhang-Sah Martial Arts School in Bridgeport, PA (formerly The Chang School of Judo and Karate in King of Prussia, PA). He was the first Mid-Atlantic Regional (E. PA, NJ, DE) Chairman of the National AAU Tae Kwon Do/U.S.T.U. from 1974 to 1980. Master Chang is one of the highest ranked Martial Arts Instructors in the U.S.A. today. Born in "The Year of the Tiger," with over four decades of Martial Arts experience, he still devotes 12 hours a day energetically working to produce a new generation of American Master Black Belts in the Oriental Martial Arts. His beautiful wife, Sook-Hi Chang, also a Black Belt, keeps herself fit through the Martial Arts. Their three sons have also been active in the Martial Arts. Ho-Choong was the captain of the Yale TKD team, and trained for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. Ho-Tae, their second son, founded the Penn TKD club. Their youngest son, Ho-San, captained a team at Princeton. Ho-San also trained for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

You'd think with credentials that large, you'd find plenty of information. Not so, I can scarcely find a thing on this guy.

**xingyifa** · Posted On: 6/28/2005 12:20am

Wow, sounds like a winner...
One could literally translate "fu" in kung fu as meaning man. Thus, the name of the art is "ninja man." hehe...
I LOVE it

**Negativecr33p** · Posted On: 6/28/2005 8:18am

What would kung fu then translate to?

**meataxe** · Posted On: 6/28/2005 3:02pm

Aikido is in strict accord with the laws of nature, and full of the spirit of loving protection. For more than eighty years, this secret art of self-defense had been available only to people of nobility in Japan. Since World War II, it has become available to the general public.

Only available to nobility? For 80 years before 1945? So they started teaching it in 1865, almost 20 years before Morihei Ueshiba was born. Acording to anything I've read, some of the prewar students included naval officers, but no royals.