NIU Wushu & Kung Fu Academy, Irvine

We just started our 5-​year old here and he LOVES it! The teacher personally attends to the students and has a great balance of discipline and fun. The fact that he will speak Chinese with the kids is an added bonus since I’m currently teaching my child how to speak Chinese. Great class, very easy sign up and no contracts: D

My son has been under the tutelage of Shifu Niu for the past 1.5 year and my wife and I have been extremely satisfied with our son’s progress both physically and mentally. Our son is slightly shy and can sometimes be apprehensive while encountering strangers or new things, therefore we always feel that he needs to learn to how protect himself and be independent… we’ve looked into a few martial art programs here in Irvine and we find that Niu Wushu Academy fit into our ideology more consistently than with other programs.
Shifu Niu is definitely one of the best teachers we’ve seen in quite a while. He is patient with his students, no matter how old or how young, while maintaining a certain strict expectation of the pupil. Discipline is of the utmost importance in Wushu and Shifu Niu stresses that incessantly. Shifu Niu is also very dedicated; he will stay after class if a student wants to learn or practice more. This is very rare of martial art teacher nowadays.
Our whole family wholeheartedly recommend Niu Wushu Academy and hopefully our little 3 year old can start in the academy when Shifu Niu says he is ready.

I met Adrian Niu when I was 14 — I am now 22 — but I’ve always known him as «Laoshi,» which translates into «teacher.» It’s an old Chinese school of thought to call your coach, «teacher» instead of «coach,» but after training under several other coaches, I now understand the difference and why Adrian prefers to be called, «teacher.» A coach will teach you how to improve your martial arts; whereas, a teacher will not only instruct you in martial arts but mentor you and guide you through life lessons. I, personally, have learned so much from him. At his wushu school, I learned how to be a good leader, follower, and teammate. Firstly, he imbues the duty as older, more experienced students to help the younger, less experienced students. By coaching the younger students and recognizing that they watch how we train, I understand what a leader is. In whatever I do, I try to do my best and set a good example. On the other hand, I know when to follow. When I’m given constructive criticism, I don’t defend myself with excuses; I acknowledge my shortcomings and try to fix them. Lastly, Adrian reminds us what we need to do for each other as teammates. We are each other’s support system, so we need to shamelessly cheer each other on and push each other forward when we’re down — on and off the floor. As a result, we weren’t just teammates; we became a family. I may sound generic or cliché, but these are not things you can learn at any wushu school or in any sport. You could clearly see the difference come competition time. Our school showed the most team spirit while ranking high, and we’re usually the only school to offer to help clean up at the end of competitions.
I could not have learned these life skills from any other coach. Not many coaches care enough to teach more than just wushu movements. He cared enough to lecture us when we weren’t being good teammates because he didn’t hear a single cheer of support during class. He cared enough to yell us at when we were talking too much instead of fixing our mistakes or helping another student with theirs. He cared enough to ask us about our personal lives and give us advice. However, this is why he is «Laoshi» and not just a «coach.» Ultimately, he became the dad in our family of competitive wushu, and we have all bettered ourselves as athletes and as people because of his instruction.
In terms of wushu, as an athlete and a UCLA alum, I can testify that wushu has helped me get to where I am today. There have been times when I’ve wondered if I could’ve gotten even better grades or gotten an even higher SAT score if I had quit wushu in high school and focused on my studies. Then I remember how much wushu has done for me. Wushu has never dragged me down; it has only empowered me.
My parents told me I could continue to go to wushu as long as I kept my grades up, and although that gave me some incentive to work hard in school, I didn’t need to hear those words to keep my grades up. Wushu taught me focus, discipline, and diligence; all of which gave me the skills to be a good student. In other words, wushu taught me how to not only be a good student in martial arts but also in academics. It was the same practice of trying to master martial arts that I used to apply to my schoolwork.
Most importantly, wushu gave me a passion that I could share with peers, acquaintances, and college admission boards. While grades and test scores are important, a good college applicant requires more than academics to stand out. College admissions want to know your personal experiences and what you’re passionate about. Most of my college application essays had something to do with wushu. Wushu provided me with stories and life-​changing events and thus gave the college admission boards a personality to match with the test scores. While most of my peers struggled to find something to write about, I already knew what I was passionate about.

I studied Wushu under Adrian Niu for about 5 years in high school and into college, and I am very grateful for the time I had to learn from him. Wushu is a great sport in general, as it emphasizes flexibility, strength, and coordination, all of which are helpful for everyday life or as a compliment to any other sport. In high school Wushu was a very significant part of my life, and Adrian ensured that I got the most out of it that I could by doing the following.
1) Teaching the martial applications of techniques. Contemporary Wushu is made up mostly of forms or choreographed routines of movements which athletes perform. Without a proper understanding of the techniques the forms can look lifeless, lacking power and focus. Adrian strongly emphasizes the fighting techniques and traditions behind the movements he teaches to ensure that his students understand when and how these techniques would be used in combat. This enables his students forms to be more than simply a rehersal of movements, but a display of proper technique, strength, and focus.
2) Pushing me to do my best. As any good coach should, Adrian pushed me to be my best. However, unlike many coaches, he is great at learning how to push individual students in the way best for them. While some instructors may be too firm, and others may be too lenient, Adrian seeks to learn more about his students as individuals. By taking an interest in his students and learning them he is able to understand when to push his students, and when to let off. For me personally this bolstered my respect and trust in him as a coach and helped me learn the most that I could.
3) Encouraging a strong school community and good relationships between students. Our school was like a second family to me. The respect, friendship, and love that was shared between the students for the sport of Wushu and for one another was one of the things that made this sport such a big part of my life. While I believe that the students would have gotten along fine by themselves, Adrian spent time and energy cultivating the relationship between all of us and made a big impact in many of our lives.
The three aspects mentioned above have impacted my life in many ways that still influence me today. In school and work I am not afraid to do the hard work that it takes to learn the appropriate way to do things. The attention to detail that is so prevalent in Wushu and Adrian’s teaching methods have made a big difference in those areas. Wushu also got me in the habit of exercising. Before Wushu I never really did many physical activities, and while I haven’t practiced Wushu in about 4 years, the desire for pushing myself physically has not left. Practicing Wushu taught me the satisfaction of working hard to accomplish my goals, physically and mentally, and I would not be person I am today without it. I would strongly suggest this sport for anyone interested in martial arts, and Adrian’s school is without a doubt the best choice.

Excellent Wushu and Kung Fu program! The program consists of a nice balance of basics and forms training, traditional weapons (Chinese broad sword, short sword, chain whip and long staff), and self-​defense/​sparring activities. Power and precision are emphasized in the basics and forms training. The sparring and self-​defense activities are conducted with protective gear. Instructor Niu assists each student to achieve their goals of progressing through sash levels with a firm commitment to detail and proper execution. This is not a typical belt mill and it’s a better learning experience for it.
In addition to this class curriculum, the instructor goes above and beyond to provide training for students that desire to participate in local, national and international tournaments. Instructor Niu’s level of expertise, focus, control, dedication, and ability to motivate and inspire the students is readily and consistently apparent.
Our son has participated in this program for over two years, and we are thrilled to see the positive impact it has had on him, both physically and mentally. Physically, he has become more fit, strong and precise. We notice this in wushu, but also in his other athletic endeavors and in his daily life. Mentally, he has become more disciplined and aware of his surroundings. We are pleased to see the invaluable confidence and mental focus our son has obtained through participating in the sash tests and tournaments. We also appreciate the exposure the program has brought to our family of the beauty of the Chinese culture.