Jake Caccia is an artist and martial artist. He has spent the last 30 years studying traditional East Asian culture, languages and practices. After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art, received a postgraduate Daiwa Scholarship to study Japanese and Traditional Japanese Calligraphy and painting while also producing contemporary artwork. After that he moved from Japan to South-West China where he studied Chinese and lived for 15 years. He worked primarily as a designer while continuing to study traditional practices like Calligraphy, Taiji Quan, Daoism and Buddhism. After many years of practice in China, with encouragement from students and teachers, he began to teach there. He also continued to travel and learn with teachers in various traditions throughout China and Asia. He now resides in London.
Martial and Internal Arts Biography
I mostly practice and teach traditional Taiji Quan; including Yang, Huang and Wu style Taiji. These include basic exercises, forms, weapons, partner exercises (push hands) and Neigong, Qigong and meditation. I have also studied various aspects of Daoism and Buddhism and related arts for many decades.
In over 30 yrs, including 15 living in China, I have studied with several teachers and there are many friends and fellow practitioners to whom I owe a great deal. Pu Laoshi taught me the simple but profound lesson of daily practice with humility and a smile. I diligently followed him for many years until he encouraged to me to look further. Later I continued to search and develop and study with Liu Ji Fa, a student of Ma Yue Liang and Pei Zhu Ying and Lau K King, a student of Huang Shen Xian. I have also visited several other teachers including Zhao Youbin, Ming Yue Daozhang in Wudang. Xu Yun Lao Hexiang. And many others.
Master Liu Ji Fa, was a student of Ma Yue Liang and Pei Zhu Ying, two famous exponents of Taiji. He is a kind and gifted teacher who is quietly dedicated to his art. He has taught and practiced in the same park for over 40 yrs. He is particularly expert in pushing hands. At the age of 78 he continues to practice and push hands with his students with his well known good humour and grace.
Master Lau K King, a student of Huang Shen Xian is based in Borneo, Malaysia. He is very adept and knowledgeable martially and an open and generous teacher. He taught for many years in the Huang Taiji School in Miri and now continues to teach locally and regularly travels abroad to Europe, America and within Asia. His Taiji family in Miri are always generous and welcoming. His favourite word is "wonderful"!
Master Zhao Youbin, is the son of Zhao Bin, Yang Chengfu's nephew. He has a very deep knowledge of traditional forms and practices and strong commitment to the principles of Taiji. He travels and teaches all over China. His energy and dedication to teaching his families' art is impressive, as well as his ability to convey depth and precision to a large groups of people.
Ming Yue Daozhang is an inheritor of the Wudang Xuanwu Daoist tradition. Wudang Mountain has flourished as a centre of practice in recent years. Ming Yue is an impressive teacher of Bagua, Xingyi and Taiji as well as Daoist neigong. Before moving to Wudang, he had already been taught Bagua by his family when he was a child . He recently expanded his school on Wudang for training of long term and short term students.
Xu Yun Fanzhang, is one of the inheritors of Chan Buddhism (Zen) in China and looks after a monastery in the countryside in Anhui province where he attends to monastic and lay students of Buddhism. He is a wise teacher who lives and breaths his teachings and works hard to cultivate others. At the winter retreat the community meditate from early morning to night with intermittent breaks for tea ceremony, walking meditation and meals. It one of the places genuine Chan practice can be experienced in modern China.