About Cuong Nhu

Grand Master Ngo Dong founded Cuong Nhu Martial Arts in 1965. Cuong Nhu Martial Arts is a martial art that blends the basic elements of a number of different styles. Cuong Nhu has its roots in Shotokan Karate and combines aspects of Aikido, Judo, Wing Chun, Vovinam, Tai Chi Chuan, and Boxing. To build a strong moral and spiritual foundation for his style Grand Master Dong interjected his personal philosophy of self-improvement, community service, and love and respect for others. As a child, Grand Master Dong learned Vovinam and Wing Chun from his brothers. Later in life he began Shotokan karate training and earned a 4th degree black belt and judo where he earned a 6th degree black belt. Eventually Grand Master Dong combined his broad martial arts knowledge into his own style, Cuong Nhu, which means “hard-soft” in Vietnamese.

In 1971 Grand Master Dong traveled to the U.S to pursue a Ph.D. in entomology the University of Florida. In September of the same year he opened the first Cuong Nhu Karate club in the U.S and within 2 years it grew into the largest intramural organization on campus. Grand Master Dong retired from the University of Florida on August 18, 1994. He was awarded with dual proclamations from the City of Gainesville and Alachua County, Florida, declaring August 14, 1994 as Dr. Ngo Dong Day. On May 15, 2000, O Sensei Ngo Dong passed peacefully on from this life.

O’Sensei’s second son, Grandmaster Quynh Ngo, served as Head of Style for the next twenty-three years, often with two brothers and sister by his side.  He oversaw the standardization of Cuong Nhu's curriculum across its many diverse schools,  and the modernization of instructional resources, bringing much material online. He also continued his father's vision of Cuong Nhu as an open-minded and ever-evolving style, being willing to make changes, while holding to the style's core principles.  He traveled extensively for seminars and dan rank testing, and maintained the Cuong Nhu tradition of an annual international training camp that felt as much like a family reunion as a rigorous training event. When in-person training was interrupted by the pandemic, he along with many Cuong Nhu instructors adapted to teaching and testing online. Tragically, on September 1, 2021, in the prime of his life and until then in peak health, Grandmaster Quynh passed away.

Grandmaster John Burns is the current Head of Style.

Click here for the main Cuong Nhu website.