SIFU ALDO GENTILE – MARTIAL ARTS BACKGROUND

More Than Five Decades of Training, Teaching and Development

Sifu Aldo Gentile began martial arts training in 1974 at the age of 11 in Mount Gambier, South Australia, studying Ki-Te-Ko under Bob England. The system combined elements of Goju-Ryu with England’s military and combative experience. Aldo progressed to junior Black Belt by the age of 16.

1979 – The Search for a Deeper Art

By his late teens, Aldo had begun looking beyond purely physical martial arts training. His interest shifted toward the relationship between mind, body, movement and personal development, leading him to explore Tai Chi, Chinese Kung Fu, Hatha Yoga and meditation.

During this period he trained with visiting Chinese teachers in Adelaide and was introduced to Tai Chi and Eagle Claw Kung Fu, beginning what would become a lifelong study of the Chinese internal arts.

1981–1988 – Wu Chi School of Arts

After moving to the Gold Coast in 1981, Aldo began training at the Wu Chi School of Arts, initially studying Tai Chi before progressing into Kung Fu.

In 1982 he was invited into the school’s closed-door Shao-men training program. This was an intensive instructor-development environment through which he studied the school’s internal Kung Fu methods, including its Pa Chi framework, while also learning the responsibilities of teaching and developing students.

The training placed strong emphasis not only on martial skill, but also on character, virtue, community contribution and the relationship between martial and life development.

In 1986, Aldo was awarded a 1st Dan Black Belt in Shao-men and began teaching one of the school’s outer classes on a voluntary basis. This marked the beginning of a teaching career that has continued ever since.

1988–2003 – Independent Study and Development

As his earlier training environment changed, Aldo continued training with some of his Kung Fu brothers while increasingly pursuing his own independent study.

Over the following years he continued researching, practising and comparing both internal and external martial systems while developing a clearer understanding of the principles that would eventually shape his own approach to Kung Fu.

His study also expanded into Chinese medicine, holistic health and complementary therapies, reflecting his growing interest in Kung Fu as more than a purely combative discipline.

2001–2003 – Professional Training and the Formation of AIMA

Before establishing his own school, Aldo undertook further professional education, including a Government-accredited martial arts instructor program that exposed him to teachers and practitioners from a broad range of martial disciplines.

In 2003, he completed a Diploma in Health Science specialising in Martial Arts through the College of Natural Medicine. The martial arts component of his studies included training under respected martial arts educator Patrick McCarthy.

This period gave Aldo an opportunity to examine other martial systems while continuing to develop and refine the internal Kung Fu principles that had remained central to his own training.

In October 2003, he founded the Australian Institute of Martial Arts (AIMA) on the Gold Coast.

Developing Students and AIMA

Since establishing AIMA, Aldo has taught adults and children with goals ranging from self-defence and martial skill to health and personal development.

A particular source of satisfaction has been watching young students progress through their training and develop into capable and responsible young adults, with some continuing into senior and instructor roles.

2008–2009 – Competition Success and Hall of Fame Recognition

In 2008, three AIMA students selected and trained by Aldo entered the National All Styles forms competition and won each of the three divisions they contested.

One student progressed through every qualifying heat to the national finals in Sydney in a division containing more than 30 competitors.

Following these achievements, Aldo was invited to become an inductee of the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame (AMAHOF) and was formally inducted in 2009.

[View Sifu Aldo Gentile’s AMAHOF profile]

2017 Onwards – Continuing the AIMA Journey

In 2017, Aldo and his family established an AIMA Head Branch in Burleigh Heads, working alongside senior instructor students to further develop the school.

AIMA subsequently relocated to Currumbin Waters and, like many martial arts and health organisations, adapted through the disruption of the COVID-19 period.

Through these changes, Aldo continued teaching, researching and refining the system that has developed into Wu Chi Kung Fu.

Today

More than five decades after beginning his martial arts journey, Sifu Aldo continues to teach and develop Wu Chi Kung Fu — a contemporary Internal Art for Self-Defence, Health & Personal Development.

His work brings together decades of Kung Fu practice, teaching experience, internal training, philosophical study and practical application within the continuing development of AIMA.