Master Yun’s Studio Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Classes
921 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
About
Master Yun’s Studio Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Classes offers instruction in Chen Style Tai Chi Quan, Wu Style Tai Chi Quan, Yang Style Tai Chi (Yang 24 Form), Tai Chi Push Hands, Bagua Zhang, Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Shang Style Xing Yi Quan, Children’s Kung Fu, Meridian Jing-Luo Qigong, Chuo Jiao, Fanzi Quan, Shaolin Mantis Kung Fu, and Women’s Self Defense. The studio focuses on traditional Chinese martial arts styles whose training methods and forms are rooted in centuries of practice, including both internal and external systems. All skill levels are welcome in these classes, and parents and children are welcome to join any of the regular kung fu offerings throughout the week.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Multiple class options throughout the week, including morning, midday, and afternoon sessions; most classes are 1 hour, with some 45-minute Qigong sessions and 2-hour Saturday kung fu and Xing Yi classes
• Price: $35/class; 10 class package - $300; $35/hour for Shang Style Xing Yi Quan; Meridian Jing-Luo Qigong: $35/class or $300 for a 10 class package
Master Yun’s Studio was founded in 2018. The mission of the studio is to teach a new generation the practices of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts in order to promote a healthy lifestyle and improve practitioners’ confidence in themselves. The studio is described as a center for traditional Chinese martial arts, with Seven Star Praying Mantis, Wu Style Tai Chi Quan, and Shang Style Xing Yi Quan presented as complementary external and internal forms. The studio is open daily.
Master Yun (Yun Chao Zhang) is the lead instructor and has been studying Traditional Chinese Martial Arts since he was six years old, with more than 50 years of practice. His first master taught him Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu and other external styles, he began studying Wu Style Tai Chi Quan in 1991, and he added Shang Style Xing Yi in 2003. He has received numerous awards, including Swordsmanship Champion at the 1992 Moscow International Chinese Martial Arts Championship, Mantis Boxing Champion at the 2000 Las Vegas World Martial Arts Competition, multiple national and international Mantis Boxing and Swordsmanship titles between 2001 and 2008, and Praying Mantis/Chinese Martial Artist of the Year and Leading Martial Arts Master of the Year at the 2026 U.S.A. Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Costa Mesa, California. He has also served as Deputy Chief Referee and Referee at several national and international martial arts tournaments and has been teaching in various cities around the world for the past 20 years before settling in Santa Barbara.
Assistant Instructor Daniel Nash has been studying with Master Yun since 2016 and has over 30 years of experience in martial arts. He holds a second-degree black belt in Aikido, spent more than 15 years studying Yang Style Tai Chi with C.K. Chu in New York City, and holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Yale University. He previously worked as a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and retired in 2013 before moving to Santa Barbara. Assistant Instructor Linda Peng has been practicing Chinese Qigong for nearly twenty years. The leadership team consists of Master Yun as Instructor, with Daniel Nash and Linda Peng as Assistant Instructors.
Chen Style Tai Chi Quan at the studio is described as a traditional Chinese martial art that uses internal energy to generate power, characterized by a low stance and sudden release of power, with practice that is relaxed and meditative while also being a very effective martial art. Wu Style Tai Chi Quan is presented as an internal martial art style practiced slowly, smoothly, and with purpose. Yang Style Tai Chi at the studio teaches the Yang 24 Form, an internationally recognized sequence officially endorsed by the Chinese government, and is described as suitable for students of all ages and experience levels. Push Hands is taught as a two-person exercise designed to improve understanding of the principles of Tai Chi Quan and is described as the beginning of the martial component of Tai Chi practice.
Bagua Zhang at the studio emphasizes constant motion, circular stepping, and open-hand techniques designed to cultivate internal strength and awareness, and is described as well suited for practitioners of all experience levels. Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu is described as an external martial art style that incorporates rapid hand motions and mobile footwork to gain advantages in self-defense, and all ages are welcome in this style. Master Yun’s kung fu classes, including Seven Star Praying Mantis and Shaolin Mantis, are open to students of all ages and experience levels, and these classes are described as a way to start building confidence, coordination, and martial arts fundamentals. Shaolin Mantis Kung Fu is described as a very practical fighting style that contains few showy or extraneous movements and emphasizes powerful direct attacks using all parts of the body.
Meridian Jing-Luo Qigong is presented as an ancient Chinese energy practice that combines gentle movements, breath control, and mental focus to cultivate and balance the flow of Qi, rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine meridian theory and Taoist health principles. Chuo Jiao and Fanzi Quan are described as opposite sides of the same coin in training practices, with Chuo Jiao using jumps, quick kicks, and fast fists to generate power, and Fanzi Quan focusing on a flurry of quick fist attacks accented by specifically timed kicks. The studio notes that its instruction methodology is a process that has evolved over centuries to create one of the best training regimens, and that its historical lineage is the foundation of the program. The studio states that its training in traditional martial arts offers insights such as understanding ancient martial arts, improving health, and building self-confidence.
The program notes that beginners and seasoned practitioners of its martial art styles all have a place in the studio, and that all skill levels are welcome to join. The studio has been featured in the Santa Barbara Independent. Families are asked to have students wear comfortable clothes and bring a separate pair of soft sole shoes that have not been worn outside, or to wear socks during class.
Last updated August 1, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Multiple class options throughout the week, including morning, midday, and afternoon sessions; most classes are 1 hour, with some 45-minute Qigong sessions and 2-hour Saturday kung fu and Xing Yi classes
• Price: $35/class; 10 class package - $300; $35/hour for Shang Style Xing Yi Quan; Meridian Jing-Luo Qigong: $35/class or $300 for a 10 class package
Master Yun’s Studio was founded in 2018. The mission of the studio is to teach a new generation the practices of Traditional Chinese Martial Arts in order to promote a healthy lifestyle and improve practitioners’ confidence in themselves. The studio is described as a center for traditional Chinese martial arts, with Seven Star Praying Mantis, Wu Style Tai Chi Quan, and Shang Style Xing Yi Quan presented as complementary external and internal forms. The studio is open daily.
Master Yun (Yun Chao Zhang) is the lead instructor and has been studying Traditional Chinese Martial Arts since he was six years old, with more than 50 years of practice. His first master taught him Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu and other external styles, he began studying Wu Style Tai Chi Quan in 1991, and he added Shang Style Xing Yi in 2003. He has received numerous awards, including Swordsmanship Champion at the 1992 Moscow International Chinese Martial Arts Championship, Mantis Boxing Champion at the 2000 Las Vegas World Martial Arts Competition, multiple national and international Mantis Boxing and Swordsmanship titles between 2001 and 2008, and Praying Mantis/Chinese Martial Artist of the Year and Leading Martial Arts Master of the Year at the 2026 U.S.A. Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Costa Mesa, California. He has also served as Deputy Chief Referee and Referee at several national and international martial arts tournaments and has been teaching in various cities around the world for the past 20 years before settling in Santa Barbara.
Assistant Instructor Daniel Nash has been studying with Master Yun since 2016 and has over 30 years of experience in martial arts. He holds a second-degree black belt in Aikido, spent more than 15 years studying Yang Style Tai Chi with C.K. Chu in New York City, and holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Yale University. He previously worked as a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley and retired in 2013 before moving to Santa Barbara. Assistant Instructor Linda Peng has been practicing Chinese Qigong for nearly twenty years. The leadership team consists of Master Yun as Instructor, with Daniel Nash and Linda Peng as Assistant Instructors.
Chen Style Tai Chi Quan at the studio is described as a traditional Chinese martial art that uses internal energy to generate power, characterized by a low stance and sudden release of power, with practice that is relaxed and meditative while also being a very effective martial art. Wu Style Tai Chi Quan is presented as an internal martial art style practiced slowly, smoothly, and with purpose. Yang Style Tai Chi at the studio teaches the Yang 24 Form, an internationally recognized sequence officially endorsed by the Chinese government, and is described as suitable for students of all ages and experience levels. Push Hands is taught as a two-person exercise designed to improve understanding of the principles of Tai Chi Quan and is described as the beginning of the martial component of Tai Chi practice.
Bagua Zhang at the studio emphasizes constant motion, circular stepping, and open-hand techniques designed to cultivate internal strength and awareness, and is described as well suited for practitioners of all experience levels. Seven Star Praying Mantis Kung Fu is described as an external martial art style that incorporates rapid hand motions and mobile footwork to gain advantages in self-defense, and all ages are welcome in this style. Master Yun’s kung fu classes, including Seven Star Praying Mantis and Shaolin Mantis, are open to students of all ages and experience levels, and these classes are described as a way to start building confidence, coordination, and martial arts fundamentals. Shaolin Mantis Kung Fu is described as a very practical fighting style that contains few showy or extraneous movements and emphasizes powerful direct attacks using all parts of the body.
Meridian Jing-Luo Qigong is presented as an ancient Chinese energy practice that combines gentle movements, breath control, and mental focus to cultivate and balance the flow of Qi, rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine meridian theory and Taoist health principles. Chuo Jiao and Fanzi Quan are described as opposite sides of the same coin in training practices, with Chuo Jiao using jumps, quick kicks, and fast fists to generate power, and Fanzi Quan focusing on a flurry of quick fist attacks accented by specifically timed kicks. The studio notes that its instruction methodology is a process that has evolved over centuries to create one of the best training regimens, and that its historical lineage is the foundation of the program. The studio states that its training in traditional martial arts offers insights such as understanding ancient martial arts, improving health, and building self-confidence.
The program notes that beginners and seasoned practitioners of its martial art styles all have a place in the studio, and that all skill levels are welcome to join. The studio has been featured in the Santa Barbara Independent. Families are asked to have students wear comfortable clothes and bring a separate pair of soft sole shoes that have not been worn outside, or to wear socks during class.
Last updated August 1, 2026.
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