Making a Difference in Martial Arts Training for over 30 years

Shaolin Arts is a traditional martial arts school specializing in Shaolin Kung Fu and Chen-style Tai Chi. The school focuses on adult martial arts training, practical skill development, and the deeper principles that make martial arts effective.

At Shaolin Arts, martial arts are studied not simply as techniques to memorize, but as a discipline to be explored and understood over time.

Students train in an environment that values discipline, curiosity, and thoughtful instruction, where the goal is not simply to perform movements, but to understand the principles that give the arts their depth and power.

The Shaolin Arts Difference

Shaolin Arts was founded on a simple belief: martial arts should be understood, not merely copied.

In many schools, students learn techniques primarily through repetition. While repetition is important, it often leaves an important question unanswered: why does a technique work?

Without understanding the principles behind a movement—balance, structure, timing, leverage, and energy—martial arts can gradually lose their depth over time.

Shaolin Arts approaches training differently.

Freedom Over Contracts

The school is built on trust and genuine value. Students stay because they want to continue their training, not because they are bound by long-term contracts.

Continuous Training for Instructors

A black sash does not mark the end of training. Instructors at Shaolin Arts renew their certification every two years to ensure continued development and to maintain the school’s commitment to depth and understanding.

Principle-Based Training

Techniques are taught through the principles that make them effective. When students understand these ideas—balance, structure, timing, and energy—the techniques themselves become easier to learn and more meaningful to practice.

Tradition With Understanding

The school blends traditional martial arts with thoughtful inquiry. Students are encouraged to ask questions, explore ideas, and deepen their understanding of the arts.

Chris Workman’s Journey

Shaolin Arts was founded by Chris Workman, whose martial arts journey began when he was fourteen years old.

Over the years he trained in several systems—including Aikido, Karate, Kempo, and Jeet Kune Do—developing a deep curiosity about how martial arts actually worked. One question continued to stand out: while many practitioners could demonstrate techniques, few could explain why those techniques were effective.

During his college years Chris developed a passion for physics, and this scientific perspective reshaped how he approached martial arts. If a technique works, he reasoned, it must work because of underlying principles—balance, structure, force, and timing.

From that point forward, martial arts became not only a physical discipline, but also a search for deeper understanding.

Seeking Authentic Training

Determined to explore the deeper roots of martial arts, Chris continued searching for teachers who possessed both technical skill and conceptual understanding.

That search eventually led him to train with Shaolin monks, guardians of centuries-old martial traditions. Through this training he deepened his study of Shaolin Kung Fu and Chen-style Tai Chi, arts that have been preserved and refined through generations of dedicated practitioners.

Shaolin Arts was founded as a place where these traditions could be studied seriously and respectfully—where students could explore not only techniques, but the principles and ideas that give the arts their enduring depth.

Why Adults Train Here

Many students begin looking for martial arts later in life. Some are interested in practical self-defense. Others are searching for a challenging physical discipline. Many are drawn to the philosophy, history, and lifelong learning that traditional martial arts offer.

Because of this, Shaolin Arts has developed a training environment that supports serious adult learners.

It is common to meet students here who are:

• beginning martial arts for the first time as adults

• returning to training after many years away

• seeking something deeper than a typical fitness class

• interested in the principles and philosophy behind martial arts

Classes emphasize thoughtful instruction, steady progress, and the understanding that martial arts are a long-term practice rather than a quick achievement.

A Haven for Martial Artists

Today Shaolin Arts has become a place for people seeking something deeper than a typical martial arts school.

Students come not only for physical training, but for the discipline, philosophy, and lifelong study that traditional martial arts offer.

Each class becomes an exploration of movement, structure, and understanding. Over time, students begin to see the arts not simply as techniques, but as a system of principles that can be studied and refined for a lifetime.

For those who pursue the arts seriously, martial training becomes far more than a skill.

It becomes a lifelong practice of study, discipline, and discovery.