Cuong Nhu

Cuong Nhu (Vietnamese: Cương nhu karaté, pronounced /Kung new/) Oriental martial arts was originally developed by Ngo Dong (O'Sensei) in 1965 in Hue, Vietnam. The Cuong Nhu Oriental Martial Arts Association (CNOMAA) is a federally recognized non-profit educational organization. Cuong Nhu is a martial art that blends elements of Shotokan, Wing Chun, judo, aikido, T'ai chi ch'uan, Vovinam, and boxing. It is this blending of hard and soft styles from which Cuong Nhu derives its name, which is Vietnamese for Hard (Cuong) / Soft (Nhu).

The first Cuong Nhu dojo in the United States was opened in 1971 in Gainesville, Florida, at the University of Florida, where Ngo Dong achieved his Ph.D in Entomology. The headquarters of the style was originally relocated to Gainesville Florida in 1977, following a daring escape from Vietnam by Ngo Dong and his family. The Cuong Nhu World headquarters is now permanently located in Jacksonville, Florida; locally known as Mandarin Martial Arts.

The current head of style for Cuong Nhu is Quynh Ngo.

Students at beginning levels of Cuong Nhu first concentrate on learning hard style Shotokan karate and Wing Chun techniques such as blocking and kicking, along with basic mat skills such as rolling, falling, takedowns and applications. Emphasis is given to the "loading" of techniques, and to turning the loads/transitions into 3-dimensional defense/attacks.

As students' techniques evolve to more advanced levels, softer style techniques (Judo, Aikido and T'ai chi) and Boxing are introduced along with throws and take-downs. Personal safety and self-defense are important keynotes in Cuong Nhu training. An advanced student of Cuong Nhu will practice applications of self-defense that involve engaging, controlling, and finishing multiple attackers at all levels and at any age or ability. The nature of the attack will determine the level of response from a Cuong Nhu practitioner.

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