ZiRan Quan Kung Fu

Welcome to the world of ZiRan Quan Kung Fu!

Rooted in ancient Daoist traditions, our curriculum combines the wisdom of generations with modern combat training methods to create a dynamic and empowering martial arts experience.

Whether you’re a beginner looking to learn self-defense or an experienced martial artist striving for mastery, our club in Dartmouth, NS offers a path that will challenge, inspire, and transform you. Join us for a free trial!

What is ZiRan Quan?

ZiRan Quan, which means Spontaneous/Natural Boxing, is a Daoist martial art. Unlike most traditional martial arts, ZiRan Quan does not rely on style or technique. It has no forms, Katas, or techniques of its own; rather, it places emphasis on the development of natural movement, intelligent instinct, & gaining the initiative.

To achieve this, ZiRan Quan relies heavily on partner drilling methods. Although there are solo practices which serve to develop fundamental physical & mental qualities and skills, the core method of training is through partner drills, group drills, & sparring.

“Zi Ran Quan is about freedom and peace… Strangely, it is taught through the exploration of conflict.”

Michael Smith

A Brief History

In the past, ZiRan Quan was known as ZiRan Men. The first school was founded in BeiJing by a revolutionary bodyguard named Du XinWu, who himself had learned the art from a Daoist hermit named Mr. Xu.

Traditionally, ZiRan Men was only taught to experienced martial artists who had already studied a technique-based martial art. To make the art more accessible, modern ZiRan schools teach one or more technique-based arts alongside the core ZiRan curriculum.

Different ZiRan schools therefore often name their systems according to the supplemental arts being taught, such as LiuHe Ziran Men (which incorporates LiuHeBaFa), XinYi ZiRan Quan (which incorporates XinYi Quan), & BaGua ZiRan Quan (which incorporates BaGua Zhang). Other naming conventions are location based, or based on the name of the creator of the curriculum.

XiangShan ZiRan Quan

XiangShan ZiRan Quan is named after its birthplace of Elephant Mountain in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. It was developed by Michael Smith who, after having trained for many years in Wing Chun & Tai Chi, learned ZiRan Men during his studies to become a Daoist lay priest & Doctor of Chinese Medicine.

XiangShan ZiRan Quan therefore incorporates the techniques of Wing Chun Tai Chi into its curriculum.

“ZiRan Quan is the process of re-integration with our instinctual animal self: The Self beneath fear. The Self beyond rage. The Self before the mind. The Self that trusts its own readiness.”

Michael Smith

Being a Daoist art, XiangShan ZiRan Quan also incorporates Daoist cultivation techniques such as Qi Gong and meditation. These not only serve to enhance the martial aspects of the art, but also offer a path of self cultivation for the mind, body and spirit.

Main Syllabus

The core concept of XiangShan Ziran Quan is “initiative.” Practitioners learn to adapt to the spectrum of combat initiative, from having no initiative to having total initiative. This is taught via a series of four “poems”. Each “poem” has four lines, and each line has four words, for a total of 64 words, which correspond to the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, an important cosmological and symbolic text within Daoism. Each word, line and poem represents a key concept of the XiangShan Ziran Quan curriculum.

Poem 1: Orientation to Contact

From Prey to Inedible Animal

Students are introduced to fundamental martial techniques & the concepts of ZiRan Quan from the perspective of self-defense.

Poem 2: Preparing for Combat

From Inedible Animal to Competitor

Students develop martial skill through sparring under various sport combat rule sets including kickboxing, Shuai Jiao (Chinese wrestling), San Da (Chinese kickboxing with throws), and Lei Tai (MMA).

Poem 3: Contact to Initiative

From Competitor to Predator

The self defense and sport combat skills of practitioners are further expanded through advanced concepts, including competitive sparring, multiple opponent scenarios & weapons training.

Poem 4: Freedom of Initiative

From Predator to Peacekeeper

The final poem teaches the tactics, strategies & choices available to practitioners when they have the upper hand, including de-escalation, tactical communication, & threat removal.

Class Structure

Although the class structure varies somewhat depending on the focus of the day, classes generally start with a martial warmup, followed by lessons and partner drills, and end with sparring, conditioning or Qigong practice.

Ranks, Belts and Grading

Kung Fu traditionally uses sashes instead of belts. ZiRan Quan practitioners start as white sash (unranked). They attain ranks and stripes upon completion of skill tests.

Class Schedule

The class is LGBTQ friendly and open to ages 16 and up.

About the instructor

Christian Saint-Pierre started studying XiangShan ZiRan Quan in 2003. Having previously studied Wing Chun, Tai Chi & BaGua, as well as competed in SanDa (Chinese kickboxing), he immediately fell in love with ZiRan Quan’s simple yet profound concepts, training methods & progression. By applying his own knowledge and experience of martial arts, Chinese medicine, and teaching methodology, Christian continued to develop the curriculum and now teaches the art in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Contact Us For a Free Trial!

For more information, or to sign up for a Free Trial, call or text 902-402-6219 or email christian.acupuncteur@gmail.com .