About Our Adults Only Program

Adults and children learn in fundamentally different ways, with distinct goals and attention spans. That’s why our program keeps adults and kids in separate classes—so every lesson is tailored to the needs of the group, ensuring the right pace, the right challenges, and the right support for each age bracket.

People come to martial arts for many reasons: some want to have fun and meet like-minded people, others focus on boosting their general health and fitness, some train for real-world combat skills, and many pursue the deeper path of personal development—building self-discipline, focus, mental clarity, and wisdom.

Falling Leaves Kung Fu offers something for everyone in these categories with our robust, comprehensive program—combining dynamic drills and partner work for fun and camaraderie, targeted conditioning for health and endurance, practical self-defense techniques for real-world readiness, and focused mental training to cultivate discipline, clarity, and lifelong personal growth.

Is This Program Right For Me?

With that said, not everyone is a good fit. Every gym has its own unique culture.

Our community celebrates the freedom and prosperity that have made America great, including

• self-reliance & independence
• personal responsibility for one’s actions and their outcomes
• unwavering support for free speech and the right to keep and bear arms
• strong families, and a respect for classical masculinity.

We’re probably not the right fit for you if you don’t share these values.

When choosing a martial arts program, you can learn the basics of self-defense in about six months, but true martial arts is a lifelong lifestyle. Benefits like improved health, rock-solid self-discipline, and the cultivation of real wisdom take years—often decades—to develop. That’s why it’s crucial to pick a program that aligns with your goals and values, and why you need a coach for life.

What We Offer

• A comprehensive, multifaceted curriculum that grows with you
• Self-Defense Foundations – practical, reality-based skills you can rely on in any situation
• Health & Conditioning – strength, mobility, and endurance training rooted in martial arts principles
• Classical Chinese Martial Arts – authentic forms, partner drills, and internal practices passed down through generations

Self Defense

Self-defense forms the foundation of every effective martial arts program—and personal growth regimen—because it’s entirely empirical: either your actions succeed or they don’t; you get hit or you don’t.

Our self-defense program includes:

• Empty Hand Fighting – practical techniques for striking, trapping, and grappling using only your body
• Edged Weapons – safe, realistic training in the use of and defense against knives and other blades
• Firearms Training – fundamentals of handling, dry-fire drills, and live-fire practice at the range, plus disarms and retention skills

Training Highlight

Get Fit To Fight

Health & Conditioning

Falling Leaves Kung Fu are proud supporters of the MAHA movement and believe martial arts is one of the best ways to boost your weekly activity levels. Most students see improvements in strength, flexibility, coordination and cardiovascular endurance within weeks of consistent training.

Martial arts is hard—training will put you into uncomfortable positions and challenge your limits until they become second nature. That struggle builds real confidence and rock-solid self-discipline, which carries over into every facet of life, from making smarter food choices to maintaining healthier daily habits.

For those looking for more personalized guidance? We also offer our Fit To Fight one-to-one health coaching services.

Beyond Self-Defense – Martial Arts For Personal Growth

Traditional Asian martial arts are as much about inner transformation as outer skill. In ancient China, retired soldiers and even former bandits would seek refuge in Shaolin’s Zen monastery, finding in its rigorous training a deeper path beyond just violence and toward self-mastery. What began as self-defense techniques evolved into intense, dynamic meditation—every punch, every stance a test of mind as much as body.

At Falling Leaves Kung Fu we honor that legacy through I Liq Chuan – The Martial Art of Awareness, a form of Chinese Kung Fu.

Grandmaster Sam Chin, Founder of Zhong Xin Dao I Liq Chuan, spent ten years at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, NY, where he discovered that “ting jin”—listening energy—was awareness training in disguise. He immersed himself in Zen and Taoist philosophy, weaving those insights into the very fabric of our art and curriculum.

By training through the lens of Zen and Tao, we gain tools for understanding ourselves and the world around us. Martial arts practice requires continuous attention and provides instant feedback on our level of focus: a slip in posture or a lapse in presence shows us immediately where our mind wandered. Over time, that relentless, empirical testing builds mental stillness, clarity, and profound wisdom—qualities that extend far beyond the dojo into every decision and relationship in life.

About Our Instructor

Ashe Higgs brings more than two decades of dedication to I Liq Chuan and martial arts instruction. Originally from rural central New York, he moved to Arizona in 1998 and pursued every avenue to find an “internal” martial art that resonated, first training briefly under Master Ruey Tang after a chance Tai Chi demonstration in Phoenix.

In 2002, Ashe became a distance student of Grandmaster Sam F.S. Chin. In 2005, he earned his Level 1 instructor certification and launched his first Tempe classes in local parks.

By 2007, he was accepted as Master Chin’s personal disciple and began proving the effectiveness of I Liq Chuan in full-contact tournaments, garnering multiple medals and a 2010 induction into the Internal Martial Arts Fighters Hall of Fame.

Most recently, on February 20, 2023, Ashe received his certificate of mastery directly from Grandmaster Chin, cementing his role as a dedicated practitioner and guide. In December 2024, Ashe completed the student-level curriculum, making him one of the few people in the world to have done so. He combines rigorous practical skill with deep philosophical insight, offering students a mentor who embodies the balance of strength, wisdom, and unwavering commitment.

Read More!

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