Cheng then went on to begin study in the Gee Yung school of Sil Lum Fut Ga (Southern Shaolin Kung-Fu) with the Lee family of Honolulu and gained his first exposure to Shuai-Chiao (Chinese wrestling) with Dr. Chi-Hsiu Daniel Weng. During this time, Sifu Cheng also founded and taught the UCLA Kung-Fu Club, which enjoyed a strong competition record in both southern style forms and Sanshou/Shuai-Chiao fighting.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Sifu Cheng continued his study of Combat Shuai-Chiao with Sifu James Lin and his father, Master David C.K. Lin - the founder of Combat Shuai-Chiao. He also briefly studied Tai-Chi history and concepts with Master Daniel Yu Wang.
In order to formalize his education in Chinese medicine, Sifu Cheng completed a Masters degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine, earned California State licensure to practice Acupuncture, and earned his Ph.D. in Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture from American Liberty University.
Sifu Cheng's current focus in martial arts is focused on improving his understanding of Sil Lum Fut Ga and Combat Shuai-Chiao, as well as studying Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Kali under the legendary Dan Inosanto.
In addition to verbal permission to teach other martial arts, Sifu Mark Cheng currently holds the following instructor credential documents:
Sil Lum Fut Ga Kuen - Instructor & Disciple of the late Grandmaster Arthur Y.S. Lee
Combat Shuai-Chiao - Instructor & 1st deg black belt under Master David C.K. Lin
Jeet Kune Do Concepts - Apprentice instructor under Sifu Roy Harris
Harris International Grappling - Apprentice Level 1 instructor & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt under Prof. Roy Harris
Krabi Krabong (Thai weaponry) - Yod Khun Pon style Daab Song Mue (Double Sword) Instructor under Col. Nattapong Buayam
Jun Fan Gung-Fu & Inosanto Jeet Kune Do - Apprentice Instructor under Sifu Dan Inosanto
Filipino Martial Arts / Inosanto Kali - Lakan Guro under Magulang na Guro Dan Inosanto
It is Sifu Cheng's fondest wish that you learn the Chinese martial arts in ways that challenge your preconceived notions and maximize your potential as a human being.
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Instructor - Anton Summers
Anton Summers began his study of martial arts as a child under the legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master, Rickson Gracie. As a teen, Summers went on to study Hapkido, becoming one of the last private students of the late Grandmaster Bong Soo Han, under whom he earned his black belt. Shortly after beginning Hapkido, Summers helped his parents arrange private Tai-Chi training with Sifu Cheng. He then continued to study Combat Shuai-Chiao and Sil Lum Fut Ga privately under Sifu Cheng.
With Sifu Cheng's introduction, he has also received training directly under Prof. Roy Harris in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Pavel Tsatsouline in the RKC Hardstyle Kettlebell training methods.
Instructor Summers has become the go-to instructor for Sifu Cheng's classes and private students when Sifu Cheng is teaching out of town. His private training business - Santa Monica Training - has become quite successful, and he continues to train diligently with Sifu Cheng and several other martial arts masters.
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Instructor - Kate Summers
Kate Summers began her martial arts training with Master Chu Gin-soong (a student of Yang Cheng-Fu) in London, England. Family priorities forced her to put that training on hiatus for a few decades until she, her husband, and her son, Anton, began training privately with Sifu Mark Cheng. She & Anton quickly demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for Yang style Tai-Chi and learned the Large Frame Long Form quickly. She was one of the first students to earn her instructorship from Sifu Cheng's Clover Park class.
Instructor Summers has deepened her knowledge of Chinese martial arts by studying under Taoist master Eva Wong. She is one of the main coordinators for Shambhala's Qigong events and travels extensively to assist Master Wong. Continuing with study of Hsing-Jing, Sil Lum Fut Ga, and Krabi Krabong, Instructor Summers has pushed herself well beyond the boundaries of her preconceived notions of movement, of safety, and of societal expectations of gender.
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Instructor - Chris Shea
Chris Shea began his training with Sifu Cheng in the early '90s at the old Pacific Athletic Club on Sunset Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. Early on in his training, Shea was a standout, learning the Yang style Long Form sequence quickly. He memorized the sequence and Sifu Cheng's verbal cues so well that he was often asked to lead the form practice while Sifu Cheng would circulate around the room and make tactile corrections. Shea was the first non-UCLA Kung-Fu Club alumnus to earn instructorship from Sifu Cheng.
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Instructor - Roslyn Hirata
Roslyn Hirata began training with Sifu Cheng in the mid '90s when he began teaching Tai-Chi to the City of Santa Monica as part of an employee benefits program. Sifu Cheng considers her form to be one of the most precise expressions of what Tai Chi fundamentals should look like.
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Instructor - Gary Toppins
Gary Toppins came to Sifu Cheng with a long history of training in martial arts and a 7th degree black belt in Kenpo Karate through the introduction of a mutual student, Mark Rosenthal. He trained privately with Sifu Cheng to learn the Yang style long form and trains with Sifu Cheng privately as opportunities allow.
