Meet Michael Wang | Sifu

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Wang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, what do you attribute your success to?
I opened my Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Qigong school here in Boulder back in 2007. I had a clear intention from the beginning: to carry on a traditional lineage in a way that was authentic – not watered down or repackaged, but taught the way I was taught, through direct transmission, structured practice, and years of repetition.

That traditional approach can be rare in today’s environment. There’s a tendency to treat martial arts as just another fitness option or something to dabble in. But what we do here is different. We train forms that are hundreds of years old. We focus on internal development – posture, breath, intention – and we cultivate qualities like patience, humility, and presence through every movement.

My own training began nearly 30 years ago with my teacher, Sifu Yamel Torres, who still teaches in Chicago. I continue to train with him to this day – he travels to Colorado several times a year, and I make regular trips back to Chicago to continue deepening my practice. We also hold an annual retreat here in Colorado every July for our Kung Fu family. It’s become a tradition – part training, part reunion, and always a reminder of the community and lineage that supports everything we do.

It’s not about instant results or performance for show. It’s about building something steady, lasting, and meaningful – one step at a time. And people can feel that. They sense that what we’re doing isn’t a trend or a quick fix. It’s a path.

What’s kept me going all these years isn’t just seeing students get stronger or more skilled, but watching how that training starts to show up in the rest of their life. The parent who becomes more patient. The executive who finds more calm. The college student who begins to trust themselves. These shifts don’t happen overnight – but they’re the result of consistent inner training, through the physical practice.

Over the years, many students have shared that their time training here changed the trajectory of their lives. They tell me they did things they never thought they could – physically, mentally, even emotionally – because someone believed in them, sometimes more than they believed in themselves. I’ve always challenged students to rise beyond what their past or their surroundings might have said was possible. Not by pushing them blindly, but by standing with them while they leaned into discomfort and built something new. That’s the real power of this work – it invites people into who they’re capable of becoming.

And while Kung Fu is often what people associate with the school, I also teach Tai Chi and Qigong – both of which are essential to the Chinese martial and healing arts. In traditional systems, martial artists were often healers, and healers often trained in martial arts. It’s two sides of the same coin. That connection led me to study Chinese medicine for several years with a mentor – training in areas such as massage, herbal theory, and other supportive healing practices. I chose not to pursue it as a career, but that experience deeply shaped how I teach. Whether someone is learning to generate force through a powerful strike or regulate their nervous system through breath and movement, the goal is the same: inner coherence and integration.

That insight – that how we train determines how we show up – eventually led me to create a separate coaching practice as well. While the form looks different, the foundation is the same: structured, intentional training designed to shift how we relate to ourselves and the world. In this space, I help individuals train their inner world – their thoughts, emotions, and nervous system – so they can lead with more clarity, alignment, and presence. Most of the people I work with aren’t martial artists—they’re people who are already showing up in big ways, but want more consistency and depth in how they meet life from the inside out.

Both paths – the school and the coaching – reflect the same core principle: we can train who we are. One is through movement, the other through direct inner work. I still teach at Boulder Kung Fu Academy and continue my own martial arts training, and I’m just as passionate about that as I was when I opened the doors. And I’m equally devoted to the coaching work, which has allowed me to support people far beyond Boulder in their own evolution. Different expressions. Same purpose.

If there’s a single factor behind the school’s success, it’s that we’ve stayed committed to training – not just techniques, but people. And not just for today, but for life.

And I’m deeply grateful to every student who’s been part of this journey – past and present. Their dedication, humility, and heart are what make Boulder Kung Fu Academy what it is. They’ve trusted the process, leaned in when it wasn’t easy, and in doing so, shaped not just the school – but me as well. They’re the reason the tradition continues to live and evolve. This school exists because of them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The work I do is about helping people return to themselves – not in theory, but in how they live, move, feel, and respond to the world around them.

Some of that happens through traditional martial arts – Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and Qigong. Some of it happens through the inner training work I share in my coaching practice. But in both spaces, the focus is the same: how do we shift our internal state – our thoughts, emotions, and nervous system – so we can meet life with more steadiness, clarity, and alignment?

What makes this work different is that it’s not just a mindset. It’s a practice. Over time, people begin to see that presence isn’t something you wait for – it’s something you train, one intentional moment at a time.

I didn’t arrive here easily. Like anyone, I’ve had to move through doubt, uncertainty, and a lot of unlearning. There were seasons where I questioned my path, or whether I was really equipped to offer anything meaningful. But staying with the practice – both inner and outer – taught me that transformation doesn’t require perfection. It just requires presence and commitment, again and again.

What I’m most proud of isn’t a moment or a milestone – it’s the way I’ve been able to keep showing up for the work, and for the people who choose to walk this path with me. Whether it’s a student in the studio or a coaching client across the globe, what lights me up is watching someone realize they have more choice, more capacity, and more peace than they thought.

This work continues to evolve, and so do I. But if there’s one thing I’d want people to know, it’s that you don’t have to wait for life to settle down before you feel grounded. You can train that. You can build that. And once you do, life doesn’t have to feel like something you’re reacting to – it becomes something you’re consciously creating.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were visiting, I’d plan an epic Colorado road trip – nothing beats the open road, a car full of snacks, and the freedom to explore. We’d hit five of my favorite spots: Rocky Mountain National Park, Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, and Colorado National Monument. Some nights we’d camp under the stars, others we’d stay in roadside motels or cozy mountain town hotels – whatever fits the mood.

We’d fill the days with adventure – trails, views, and whatever moments show up along the way. It’s the kind of trip that leaves you tired in the best way, filled up by nature and the people you meet along the way. We can fit that in a week, right?

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s no part of my journey that happened alone. I’m here because of the love, support, and guidance of many people—each of whom played a role in shaping who I’ve become.

I’m especially grateful to my parents. Their love, encouragement, and steady presence have been a quiet foundation underneath everything I’ve done. That kind of grounding doesn’t always make headlines, but it makes everything else possible.

I’m also deeply thankful for my teacher, Sifu Yamel Torres, who has guided my training in the Chinese martial and healing arts for nearly 30 years. His example continues to shape how I teach and how I live. And I’ve been fortunate to learn from other teachers and mentors along the way—each one helping me expand my understanding and refine my path.

I also want to acknowledge my students and the individuals I’ve worked with through coaching. Their willingness to lean into discomfort, to train, to grow—it’s a constant reminder of why I do this work. They’ve trusted me with their process, and in return, they’ve helped me grow through every class, session, and conversation.

Their presence reminds me that this work isn’t just about techniques or traditions—it’s about people. About growth. About helping others access more of who they truly are. Everything I offer now is rooted in what I’ve received—and I carry it forward with deep appreciation.

Website: https://boulderkungfu.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boulderkungfu

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boulderkungfu

Other: My coaching work (outside the school): https://www.mikewangcoaching.com