The Tao Of A Modern Taiji Boxer

My name is Dennis Pounall and I’m feeling  incredible at  50 years old. I have been practicing martial arts for about 30 years, since the ripe age of 13 when I got my first introduction to the art in Sheffield, Yorkshire,  England through my older brother.

Currently I am a Primary Care land and air paramedic in the Prehospital Emergency field. My first style happened to be Japanese Shotokan Karate and got me hooked until my family relocated to Canada. A couple of years of adjusting in the new home put a break on practicing martial arts, but, by the time I turned 20, I resumed my hobby with studying Aki Kempo Karate Do under Master Ken Hayashi and Ron Yamanaka. This unique hard-style karate with the emphasis on speed and power kept me focused for the next 5 years and earned me a brown belt 2nd stripe at the end, before I moved on to Sensei Ray Zwicker, the study of an eclectic style known as Kali Jujitsu. This system is based on Indonesian knife fighting and Escarima with some Jujitsu strikes, chokes and submission techniques. This was lots of fun, and all our training was outside in the summer and in a basement in the winter. I then moved back to Mississauga and decided to further my education. I went back to school and studied to be a Registered Massage Therapist.  This was very useful, as it gave me a unique, and detailed knowledge of how the human body worked and how it moved. Anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology were my favorite subjects. I then discovered my Primary System, a Chinese Okinawan Style Called Uechi Ryu Karate do, or Pang GI Noon Gung fu, a kind of Okinawan Kempo. This was a unique style as it had both Internal and External training, hard and soft techniques, linear and circular applications. This was the first time I was introduced to Chi Kung “Breath Energy work”. Uechiryu t contains movements from the Tiger, Dragon, and Crane Gung fu techniques. For the next 13 years I concentrated on achieving a rank of Nei Dan and prepared for my San Dan. My beloved teacher was a University professor named David Mott, who was behind my initiation into Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I graduated with diplomas from both sciences and made a career as an Acupuncturist and Registered Massage Therapist for the next decade.

My next step went along the path in TaijiQuan and classical Yang Style TaijiQuan for more than another decade under Master Ho Lo Lam. Receiving the rank of Assistant Head Instructor was just another honor I was presented with along the way.  Art and science of Taiji Boxing deepened my level of understanding and appreciation of the various depths of the ageless dynamic system of Self Preservation and Enlightenment.

I am currently adding the intriguing techniques of Kook Sool Won, a Korean Martial arts system that complements my Taiji Boxing. The natural surroundings of Elliot Lake – the ultimate jewel in the Northern Ontario wilderness -makes for a tranquil and serene environment, as well as for a peaceful place to live, train and meditate. I aspire to share my extraordinary natural surroundings in the near future through workshops, summer camps and teacher exchanges. Let’s keep the wisdom and the beauty of the Traditional Martial Arts alive and kicking!

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