Shi Gung Marc Black is known for his Yang Style Taijiquan, Ho’o Chin Pai Northern Shaolin Temple Boxing, Chang Chung Jiao Baguazhang,  & most notably Ming Hsien Kuei Shou Baguazhang,  a system based on I-Ching philosophy & Taoist Inner Alchemy. The emphasis in this system is on the total refinement of one’s personal being. He has practiced these arts since 1988 under the tutelage of his instructor Grand Master Anton Haddad & most recently with Master Park Bok Nam, & Taoist Priest Guan Saihung, the last living master-instructor in the lineage of Huashan instructors. Marc Blacks study of martial science has also encompassed Traditional Chinese Medicine, Astrology, Massage Therapy, Philosophy,Religion, History & Folklore, allowing for a much more holistic development. An accomplished Martial Artist and Fine Artist in the standing of his peers, he continues to maintain the traditions and cultural integrity of those who have come to make a way for others.

We are taught to use our minds to move our Qi through visualization.
Marc Black's knowledge of Tibetan yoga & Taoist internal alchemy have a synergistic effect that seems to run like a thread through all of the lessons taught. We learn how not to continuously block the natural flow of qi in the body. We are taught to seek out & release the subtle tensions that most people are not even aware of, the tensions that slowly accumulate to cause problems with our internal organs, the problems that can lead to the development of different psychoses. For this reason focus upon specific short term goals  & 'tightening' of the mind are very important skills to acquire before one can begin the intermediate levels of training.

He teaches specific visualization techniques at the intermediate levels of training to allow us to fully realize our Qi bodies, to begin to tap the hidden potentials. But beginning students are usually impatient, and leave before they learn what they claim to have come to learn. "And that’s okay." Shi Gung says. He allows people that are undedicated to their own personal development to weed themselves out. If a person cannot be responsible to themselves, how can they be responsible in their interactions with other students? How can they be loyal to the system being taught? To Shi Gung? To the thousands of people that have contributed over the last millennia to this great legacy that is being handed down to them? Shi Gung takes these responsibilities very seriously. He expects nothing less from those that he allows to learn from him.

Shi Gung Black is very free with more information than most people can process, period. And he’ll answer questions posed by impatient students even if he doesn’t think that the time is appropriate for them to ask questions about advanced training/ techniques at their present level of development. This is a very important point to make: people want to understand what they are learning, what goals they are working towards, what expectations to have, etc. etc. This is good - but as Shi Gung Black's GrandMaster Da Shi Bok Anton Haddad has always said "People overlook the near in search of the far." - they want to have calculus explained to them before addition & subtraction have been worked out first. This type of inquiry can create a lot of distractions, trying to figure out the future while the present is not yet secured. This type of inquiry can in many cases be injurious to both the student's development & physical/psychic well being, & so should be very carefully supervised by a qualified & concerned instructor. But in many cases, Shi Gung Black will provide answers to the student's questions because the student is so ‘young’, their question doesn’t have enough know-how behind it to inquire about training methods or techniques that will harm them, & answering those questions is no threat to the student while giving them the opportunity to develop their insight & awareness, instead of being stifled so early on in their development as so many teachers do with their students.

Even in a very crowded class, Shi Gung makes sure that each class is a one-on-one encounter. There is definitely an emphasis on personal attention. He is always correcting postures and alignments. I have known him to be on one side of the training hall helping a student & after glancing through the corner of his eye yell a correction to someone doing something completely different on the other side of the room. Or someone may ask about something that is difficult to do, or complain of pain in a joint, & without pause he tells them to turn their toes a little more, or sink their hips to open their back, or some other very basic, very simple adjustment. All of a sudden the student feels perfect. I am personally quite pleased that such instruction is available in this class.

At Black Mountain Spirit all are welcome. Some students are professional dancers & athletes, some practice yoga or are involved with Buddhist meditation groups/lineages that have nothing to do with what he teaches. He always says "And that’s okay" - They have all come to so that he may enhance their practice. Whether it’s flexibility, or stress reduction, personal balance, spiritual development or even just an increased mental discipline/awareness for their own personal practices, if they think that he can help, they come. And he will.

Very Valuable Lessons

Shi Gung does not shun outsiders, or attempt to ‘hide’ his classes or demonstrations of techniques from people outside of his class. He is not afraid of outsiders learning his ‘secret technique’, or in fear of someone somehow ‘taking’ something ‘from’ him. People that he speaks to are often extremely interested in his methods & approach, & Shi Gung likes to share. A lot. He often invites people to come & visit his classes so that a mutual exchange of information may ensue. He teaches us that we, like he, shouldn’t just want constructive criticism, but that we should make all criticism constructive.

    On most occasions, he is pleased to see people that he has invited actually arrive at class. All but about 3% of the people that visit a class & are practicing martial artists from other styles/schools only want to spar with him. Shi Gung Black always accepts. I have never known him to avoid sparring with someone. In full view of his students. Most instructors of the martial arts do not spar - PERIOD - whether with students or friends, & definitely not visitors. He doesn’t worry about saving face or looking bad in front of someone. He ALWAYS fights at their pace, usually giving up the lions share of ‘points’ or contacts to visitors in the beginning of every match to allow a comfort zone of both trust & positive emotion to develop between the visitors and students in Shi Gung’s class. This is his way of teaching others the values that he follows in his personal journey through life. He allows others to hit him so that no one's ego is bruised. He also makes sure that his students & visitors are aware of where he lets them hit him. How he lets them hit him. By stopping his own well-timed & accurate blows, he makes sure that visitors are able to see where they themselves would be struck by pulling his blows less than half an inch away from his targets,  & offers very polite advice on how to avoid similar pitfalls. He teaches his students an etiquette with his actions that words will never convey. All students should have a mutual respect for each other & avoid negative or hostile behavior. There is no place for animosity, bigotry or chauvinism. Such behavior will not be tolerated. Shi Gung Black also fosters this  respect towards other martial artists & their arts. Each of us has made the decision to practice the art of our choice for any number of valid, substantial reasons. We should respect those judgments & the people who made them as we ourselves would like to be respected.

There are occasions where this respectful approach to fighting is mistaken as weakness. He always makes it very clear, at every single class, that this is a partner activity, not a Toughman contest. There have been occasions when visitors seriously tried to hurt either Shi Gung or his students. These are moments when a very different Shi Gung Black is seen. He becomes very dark, very solemn. He quickly & quietly cuts in & asks if he may continue in his students place, because the young student is ‘obviously no match’ for someone so ‘well-developed’ as their opponent. I’ve watched him do the same thing on video tapes, but being there in the room when it happens is totally different. Just as before, he allows the visitors to ‘penetrate’ his guard, & this was their last chance for peace. If they attempt to use excessive force as before, or if they try to step up the pace & cut a victory for themselves in a way un-becoming a martial artist (especially if they're of an elevated rank), then Black makes The Decision. In a lightning flash he makes eye contact with all of the students present, silently telling them to observe carefully, & then he begins the Three Phases. First, he avoids all of the attacks launched. Then, secondly,  he blocks, parries,& deflects all of the attacks. Finally, after sufficient time to have 'gotten the message' has passed, he begins to hit back. Not hard - Just hits back. Many, many, times. He uses the proper body positioning & focus to illustrate - even Highlight - each technique he employs. All in attendance can clearly see by the speed & body alignment that each is a full power blow. He just always stops short. He wants his students, & the visitors, to understand that this could have gone a very violent route at any moment, and that he decided Not to be that kind of person. From being untouchable, to being the only one touching, he passes through the many strata of martial techniques as a final education to visitors, & as just another tutorial to his students. This is the way to gain another martial artists respect, not by being a bully or blow-hard, not by proving who's 'tougher' or who can knock who off of their not-so-high pedestal, but by being the epitome of one who cares for & nurtures everyone around them, without favoritism or bias. The 'enemy' needs this compassion the most. Respect is best gained by giving. It CANNOT be Taken by Force.

Lisa Currin Freelance Writer/Student of Black Mountain Spirit

I've been interested in martial arts since I was a little girl, but I always felt that it was more for boys. That feeling stayed with me as I grew up. Then a friend asked me to write a story on kung fu for the magazine she worked on because she knew I had an interest in it. I talked to many people, friends, acquaintances, story sources about how to go about looking for a school and a teacher. The answer was always the same, explore different styles to find the one best suited to you and make sure the teacher you choose has the respect of his or her students. The respect, to them was a sign of the respect the teacher inspired through his/her treatment of students and martial arts instruction. I visited several schools, including He Shan Shen/Black Mountain Spirit. What struck me most in the majority of schools I went to was the predominance of regimentation and salesmanship. I met students who seemed to come in and out of classes on a conveyor belt, and many who had no real understanding of what they were studying. Through my research for the magazine article I was writing, I began to get an idea of just how vast the field of martial arts is, the innumerable styles, the countless variations. Yet, the schools I visited seemed to be all the same, an emphasis on money, aggressiveness, and the winning of belts as a sign of advancement. These were many of the things people warned me against when seeking out a school. Further, I was interested in Chinese martial arts and the concepts and philosophies behind them. But in Pittsburgh, such schools were few and far between. I had known Shi Gung Black for some years. He had often encouraged me to take up martial arts, but to no avail. I hadn't seen him in some time and it was by chance that I ran into him just at the point when I was actively seeking a martial arts school. He invited me to visit several of his classes. I was impressed by the sense of camaraderie amongst his students and the atmosphere of the classes. While all students were involved in rigorous practice the sense of individualized attention was significant to me. Shi Gung Black and Shi Gung Monteverde took the time to address each student individually, correcting their mistakes, adjusting their postures, even in the midst of group practice. And it was obvious that the students respected their teachers both for their knowledge and method of teaching. I had been to enough schools where groups of students came in and out of classes at 45 minute intervals. Too fast to allow such individual attention as that I saw at Black Mountain Spirit. The students in these other schools all dressed the same, did their drills in sync, received the same instruction, and the majority looked on while one or two students were corrected as an example to them all. I also came to know people who had been students at some of these schools and had stories to tell of overly rough treatment, of years spent studying with little to show for it, and of unbreakable contracts that cost them a lot when they decided they no longer wanted to study at these schools. I felt little interest and no excitement at the prospect that such schools might be my only choice. However, after visiting classes in Tai Chi Chuan, Baguazhang, and Northern Shaolin Boxing, I felt I had found a place where I could pursue my goals. And I felt that those goals could be met at Black Mountain Spirit. Rather than the regimentation of other schools, I saw students practicing with real intent, perfecting what they had been taught with the teachers moving from student to student assisting them in their work. I saw students practicing weapons drills and what seemed at the time very complicated maneuvers that I wanted to learn. Shi Gung Black always tells his students that nothing is hidden in martial arts and if we work hard he will give us the tools to reach our highest goals. In the year that I've been at the school I've watched my body get stronger, more agile, capable of greater endurance. I've also expanded the classes I'm taking. At first I thought I would be satisfied just studying Baguazhang, but eventually, at the encouragement of Shi Gung Black, I also took up Tai Chi Chuan and Northern Shaolin Boxing. Each form helps me to better understand the others and enhances my abilities in all three. When I started taking classes, I had many doubts about my ability to do many of the movements required in the different styles. At 39, I felt I was beyond certain physical movements. But Shi Gung Black's belief in my abilities gave me the push I needed to challenge myself; the benefits have been great. I have seen my classmates, new and old, developing as martial artists and am encouraged by their accomplishments as well as my own. I am now working on my first weapon set, the spear set and look forward to moving on to the straight sword, broad sword, hook swords, and deer horn blades. I have visited other schools that promise to teach such skills, but the training is limited to a couple of weapons and limited sets. Shi Gung Black, I have found, has a remarkable scope of knowledge in martial arts styles including the use of weapons. I've seen him demonstrate and teach a variety of weapons sets to students who have advanced to that level. The fund of knowledge available to the students of Black Mountain Spirit makes me all the more eager to refine what I already know and to add to that knowledge. I started taking classes with some interest, but little understanding of where I wanted to take my practice. I am now committed to perfecting the styles I am training in. Training in martial arts has clarified many things in my life, I hope one day to be able to call myself a true martial artist; I 'm certain, with hard work and the support of my teachers and classmates, I will achieve that goal.