 Grandmaster Tony Scaccia |
Grandmaster Tony Scaccia started his martial arts training in the art
of Judo. At the time, a black belt in Judo was considered a prerequisite to studying
Karate or Kung Fu. After achieving his black belt in Judo in the early 1940s, he
began his study of Li Family Style Shaolin Fist under Shaolin Monk Chin C. Li.
Grandmaster Li offerred Kung Fu lessons in a primarily JuJitsu dojo in Erie, PA.
According to Grandmaster Scaccia, Grandmaster Li was somewhat brutal in his methods.
It was not uncommon for all of his students to be covered with black and blue marks.
There were also no excuses for missing class - those who weren't able to cut it were
dismissed with no hope of ever returning.
Grandmaster Scaccia earned the rank of Sifu but was called into active duty with the US Military. After serving in the military, Grandmaster Scaccia returned to teach the Kung Fu he knew and loved. In addition to teaching Kung Fu, he also taught dance in his studio in Costa Mesa, California. Several years ago, Tony and his wife moved to a farm in New Mexico. Grandmaster Scaccia died peacefully at home in late 2011.
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| Master Michael Rossi started taking lessons with Grandmaster Scaccia at his Costa Mesa studio in 1982. Master Rossi attained his black belt in 1986 and, some years later, the rank of Sifu, as certified by Grandmaster Scaccia and Grandmaster Chang Li, Chin C. Li's cousin. Master Rossi started the Shaolin Chuan Center (initally "Michael's Institute of Choreographic Arts") in 1992. The school, based in Santa Monica, California, has been open to the public ever since. |
 Master Michael Rossi |