Head Instructor: Daniel Pfister
After four years training in Goju Ryu Karate, Kendo, and other Japanese styles, Daniel made the switch to the Chinese internal martial arts (neijia) when at the age of 17 he began studying Tai Chi with Mark Lord in Reno, NV. Seeing his potential as a student, Mr. Lord offered Daniel the chance to be formally introduced to his teacher, Master Liu Xiheng in Taiwan. At age 19, Daniel moved to Taiwan and began intensive training with Liu. Although he did not speak a word of Chinese on arrival, Daniel studied hard and became fluent in Mandarin during his time there, and earned a living as an English tutor and eventually a translator.
After nearly three years study in Taiwan with Master Liu, Daniel began to branch out and study another style of Tai Chi as well as Xingyi Quan, another internal martial art, with Mr. Mark Ting. In 2004, Daniel returned to the United States moving to Washington, DC to study International Politics at Georgetown University. Shortly after his arrival, he discovered that Liu Xiaoling, a well-known Master of Chinese internal martial arts from Shanghai, was teaching in the area, so Daniel sought him out for instruction. Because of his Chinese language ability and experience in the martial arts, Daniel progressed quickly with Master Liu, and was soon invited to become a disciple, or inner-door student.
Compared to his studies in Taiwan, which focused on learning a very few martial art forms well, Daniel learned a much broader range of forms and skills from Master Liu. Having already achieved a strong foundation, Daniel benefited from this approach as it gave him variety of things which he could practice, and eventually teach students with varying interests and levels of ability.