From The Sifu
Sifu John R. Allen 1939-2020
Dear Extension Family,
It has been our privilege to call you family since your relationship began with Sifu Allen and Green Dragon Kung-Fu, whether that has been for you a few months or for, as with some of you, almost 35 years.
As such, we want to let you know that the founder, director, and leader of Green Dragon Kung-Fu, Sifu John R. Allen, was welcomed into the arms of his Savior Jesus Christ on Tuesday, February 11th. He passed peacefully following an illness. He was 80 years old and had enjoyed robust health and incredible strength for most of that time.
His ongoing vision was to share the beauty and benefit of the Chinese martial arts with all those who would honor the art form and the legacy of the countless Masters who poured their lives and wisdom into the development of health, strength, and fighting forms and programs over several millennia.
Sifu had the extraordinary opportunity to train primarily under four Masters and to amass over 400 forms and programs in his training repertoire, among them extremely rare and advanced - including closed-door - sets from over 40 styles and systems. His most prized collection was that of the White Lotus System which he described as the most beautiful, practical, and versatile of systems. He became known for his ability to teach from an extensive arsenal of traditional and exotic Chinese weaponry, and for his controversial assertion that physical strength is essential for effective combat, especially in the absence of weaponry. As such, he specialized in training women and small men in advanced strength programs and a wide range of weapons material, and he delighted in training strong men to become even more so! He believed that anything a person needed to acquire physically - strength, power, health, flexibility, gracefulness, agility, speed, self-defense capability, stamina, self-discipline, and so much more - could be acquired through diligent and dedicated training in the Chinese martial arts.
We encourage you to read his biography here, and to share your own memories and stories on our Facebook page @greendragonkungfu. You will wish to check back to learn more about the man we are honored to have called Sifu.
As is his way, Sifu had left a plan in place to ensure that his love of the art would continue to be shared as it was his ardent desire to perpetuate the Green Dragon legacy after his passing. To honor Sifu’s wishes, the opportunity remains open to all kung fu practitioners to continue to learn and train in authentic Chinese martial arts material via DVD and digital streaming, available at www.GreenDragonKungFu.com. Plans are in place to make new instructional videos available, as well as to gradually release special archived footage from Sifu’s collection.
We additionally thank you for your patience with the filling of any open orders during this transition time, as well as for your grace should a delay occur in the near future as we grieve his loss, effectuate the transition in the instructional video department, and make plans to celebrate his life and legacy through coming events as well as through our ongoing dedication to the home Green Dragon program he founded so long ago.
On behalf of the staff of Green Dragon, we believe the best way to honor Sifu Allen is to remain faithful to the kung fu material he's so lovingly acquired over 60 years in the art. To continue training with dedication, diligence, and precision brings the highest honor to one's art and one's teacher. We look forward to sharing his legacy with you throughout the future.
Respectfully,
Margie C. Smith
Co-Director, and Legacy Holder
5th Degree, Disciple
Green Dragon Kung-Fu