Dandridge Martial Arts School

History of Hung Kuen

Hung Ga Kuen Curriculum 

Shaolin Kung Fu

Our style of Hung Gar is that taught in Bristol by Sifu Geoff Hasbrouck and handed down to Sifu Phil Dandridge, our chief instructor.
In 1968 Geoff Hasbrouck left the United States for Europe. His first sejour was in Amsterdam, where he discovered his interest in Tai Chi Chuan. He eventually decided to travel to the far east to research Tai Chi more intensively but ended up stopping in India. In India he found a Vipassana meditation teacher.

Geoff remained there for several retreats with this wife. Of his various studies he liked his studies of 1975, the sitting form, the best. In 1976, back in the United Kingdom, Geoff and his wife decided to return to India to continue their studies of Vipassana. Then, in 1977, they suddenly decided to travel to Hong Kong, the Mecca of Chinese martial arts. Upon arriving in Hong Kong Geoff began searching for a good Tai Chi instructor. He had originally studied Kwan Ping Tai Chi but because he was unable to find an acceptable teacher he began to look at other styles. Geoff found a first generation Wu style teacher named Yong Sek Yee. From 1977, he concentrated on this internal style, until one of his classmates, C.C. Wong, advised he balance his martial arts training with an external style. C.C. Wong referred Geoff to an orthodox Hung Ga Kuen teacher, Lai Ng Sam. After hard training and having demonstrated his sincerity Lai Ng Sam accepted Geoff as a new Hung Ga Kuen practitioner.

Twice a day, six days a week Geoff trained very hard with Lai Ng Sam. During this time he absorbed all kinds of rare forms. Rain, heat, or storm, Lai Ng Sam was always in Victoria Park. Despite the difficulties in communication, Geoff was able to learn the practical aspects of training quite easily. Between 1977 and 1981 Geoff managed to learn 90 percent of the forms from Lai Ng Sam’s system of Nam Siu Lam Hung Ga Kuen. In 1981 Geoff and his wife decided to return to the United Kingdom to start a family of their own in Bristol. Between 1981 and 1984 Geoff lived part-time in the Netherlands where he trained some black belts in Shaolin Kempo.

He also started some schools in and around Bristol. In November 1995 Geoff suddenly returned to Hong Kong. Sifu Lai Ng Sam was in the terminal stage of cancer. Geoff stayed by Lai Ng Sam’s side and discussed his sifu’s last wishes. At this time Lai Ng Sam’s daughter Betty wrote an official document that appointed Geoff as the official successor in the system of Nam Siu Lam Hung Ga Kuen. From that moment on Geoff became the fourth generation successor of the art as handed down by Tit Kiu Sam.