QWAN KI DO is not easily defined: A Martial Art is not merely practiced, it is lived…
For some it is physical activity, self- discipline, or a competitive sport. For others, it is a means of better self-knowledge, understanding and mastery: truly a way of living.
The QWAN KI DO is all of that together and none of that separately.
QWAN KI DO is a discipline which requires total dedication to practice, to mental and physical development. It is one of the greatest methods of Vietnamese Martial Arts.
In conclusion, the QWAN KI DO is:
– A Martial Art method
– A martial art personality
– A Martial Art authority for the world, the WORLD UNION OF QWAN KI DO.
These three points are inseparable, but the first two are intimately linked. Furthermore, QWAN KI DO emphasizes the two basic elements found in all martial arts:
– The KHI or better known as KI (energy)
– The DAO or better known as DO (path)
The addition of the word QUAN (the whole) to these two words gives us the Vietnamese term:
QUAN KHI DAO (The Way of Body’s Energy)
transcribed phonetically as “QWAN KI DO” in order to facilitate Western usage.
As a young child, in his homeland of Viêt Nam, young PHAM XUAN TONG had the privilege of becoming a student to a Great Master of Martial Arts – Dai Su CHÂU QUAN KY.
For almost 15 years, at the school called VO DUONG HÔ HAC TRAO, young PHAM XUAN TONG deepened his knowledge and mastered several styles of Hakkas : ThiêuLâm Nam Phai, Nga MiPhai, and Châu Gia Duong Lang Phai (the Mantis style of the Châu family). He also increased his knowledge of Vietnamese Martial Arts derived from very ancient Vietnamese methods including Vo QuangBinh, Vo BinhDinh and Vo Bac Ninh (QuanKhi ..). Young PHAM XUAN TONG trained with his great uncle PHAM TRU who himself learned from his great grand-father PHAN VAN MIÊNG, who was very well known towards the end of the nineteenth century in the city of Dông Hoi (QuangBinh Province).