About Our Instructors

Then in 1981, they decided to start teaching and taking on students as China Hand Kung Fu Academy with the Chief Instructors being Patrick Hanvey and Mark Gates.

Pat and Mark started taking on private students and teaching in Pat's detached garage which was converted into a studio. With no heat, air, windows, it darned a wooden floor, low ceilings, and a Chinese motif. In the winter it was cold, practicing hard to keep warm added to the training. In the summer it was hot so kung fu jackets were optional.

To keep in touch with the community, they started a Shaolin and Tai Chi class at Brookdale Community College (were they also worked) and began teaching. Each class was 2 hours long for 8 weeks. This is where I, Dominick Ruggieri, took my first class. After seeing their hand drawn flyer in a gym, I knew I wanted to take the class, so I signed up. My brother was supposed to go with me, but, he backed out so I asked if I could take the Shaolin and Tai Chi classes. They agreed to let me attend each, so once a week for 4 hours, I went to class. Two hours of Tai Chi 24 Movement Short Form followed by 2 hours of 20 Methods Figthing Form. That was in April of 1983.

The Growing Years:

As Pat and Mark continued to teach private and group classes, they continued to learn from their teacher, Grandmaster Peter Kwok. I also continued on the road to learning kung fu by taking private lessons every week in the studio. As time went on I began to help in group classes and then was given the opportunity to teach a class. Though I didn't know it at the time, teaching would come to be my vocation. As I took on more classes and continued my training, I was eventually made a full partner in China Hand Kung Fu Academy. Then, trying to be closer to home, I opened a school close to home in Brick, NJ. Pat and Mark have since retired from their regular jobs and now teach on a limited basis. I continue to keep the China Hand Kung Fu Academy and its' tradition thriving as we enter into a new era.

Where we're going:

Coming from a background of teaching and technology, I had the idea of bringing Kung Fu to the masses via the World Wide Web. Having students who use our virtual training all over the world. China Hand Kung Fu Academy is passing along the traditional authentic forms in a new technology based way. In addition, China Hand Kung Fu Academy has been self producing Instructional DVD's to further record this information and pass it on to the generations of the future.

The mission statement of China Hand Kung Fu Academy, and my personal goal, is "to train my students so that they are better than me and so that their students are better then they are." Only with this high level of quality instruction can this be passed on and maintained.

...click here for more information about China Hand Kung Fu Academy.

China Hand Family:

	Grandmaster Patrick Hanvey: Patrick Hanvey had previous experience in Karate when in his teenage years. As he entered into his late 20's, he decided that he wanted to learn the Internal Martial Art of Tai Chi Chuan.
	Grandmaster Mark Gates: Mark Gates had previous experience in Judo and Fencing, in addition to his military time in the Navy.
	Master Dominick Ruggieri: Dominick Ruggieri loved to watch Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater and his favorites were the Shaw Brothers. It was watching these great Kung Fu Masters that inspired him to to look for Kung Fu specifically versus some other types of martial arts. While playing raquet ball one day at the gym, he saw a flyer for learning the Ancient Shaolin Art of Kung Fu at the local community college. It was that flyer which lead me to my instructors and to these great arts. ...click here for the complete biography of Master Dominick Ruggieri.
	Master Tim "Po" Darnell: Tim is the Senior Student of the Academy and had the priviledge of knowing the day of training in the garage Studio. His nickname of Master Po comes from the movie Kung Fu, the blind teacher.
	Shifu Rob Murray: Rob started his training at our Brick, NJ location in Shaolin Chuan.

	Shifu Dennis Glanfield: Dennis started his training with another student of mine, Roz, who was teaching a Tai Chi Short Form class in the Ocean County Park.
	Assistant Instructor John Viragh: John began at the Academy with Hsing Yi and Pa Kua.
	Assistant Instructor Bill Hunt: Bill started as a Shaolin Student. ...click here for more information about Bill
	Assistant Instructor Carla Navallo: Carla started by taking a Community Education class in Tai Chi with her daughter in law.
	Assistant Instructor Greg Z: Greg started out as a Shaolin student but quickly realized that internal training was his forte and swithced over to Hsing Yi and Pa Kua.
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