By Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

The summer seemed to go by amazingly quick, mainly due to many highlights, the biggest of which was the seminar conducted by shaolin monk, Shifu Yuan Jing on the evening of Aug.18. He taught traditional drills, breathing exercises, philosophy and a form. It was a real honour to have him travel from his current residence in Toronto to our Academy for this memorable evening. I’ve attended many seminars during my 24 years in kung-fu and would definitely say that this was amongst the best! Having essentially grown up training at a shaolin temple in China, he displayed world class skill and instruction. The form we learned was quite technical and I thought those in attendance did a good job of learning the moves. Now the challenge will be to continue to train the form and improve it. All too often I see content learned in seminars get lost to a lack of training as the years progress. Shifu Yuan was impressed with the WKFA and said that he would like to return; let’s show our gratitude by diligently working the form in the meantime.

Our summer kicked off with one of our strongest Adult Novice II gradings in recent memory. Next we had our annual board breaking seminar on June 23 run by Sifu Daryl. It was another smash! Our Demonstration/Performance Teams had their usual busy calendar, performing at all of the Open Streets Uptown Waterloo events (including the upcoming Sept.14 date) plus DQ Miracle Treat Day. The Annual Summer Picnic held on Aug.24 at Kiwanis Park was another success, as fun was had by all!

For early risers, we’ve introduced Tues/Thurs 6am classes! There has been a small but dedicated group attending over the summer. I will monitor attendance throughout the fall with the hope it makes sense to continue with these new additions to our already full class schedule.

A lot of effort goes into this newsletter, which is another long standing tradition at the Academy. In order to make articles more accessible, they are now categorized and archived in the Students Corner section of the website. I firmly believe the quality of the content is one aspect that sets our Academy apart from others, so please invest the time to read.

Please check out the documentary video posted in the Our Leaders section of our website. Those familiar with it will note Sifu Busch’s commentary on the friendships he has made at WKFA over the years. I agree! This summer was a chance to welcome back two close friends of mine: Sifu Kevin and Sifu Rikin. Sifu Kevin was here for a month, visiting from Venice Beach (taking a pause in his pursuit to become a professional musician). Sifu Rikin returned at the end of the summer, after a long stretch studying to become a doctor – I’d like to congratulate him on recently passing his exam to become a pediatrician! Both of these sifus are friends I made early in my training and have kept throughout. I’m seeing the same familiar pattern among our younger students and it brings a smile to my face!

September always feels like the start to another year. I want to welcome all new students to the Academy. We have an exciting calendar planned, including a special seminar for our youth students on Oct.18, hosted by Sifu Patti. Our very popular Halloween party is on Oct.25. Gradings will be scheduled at regular intervals for all ranks from now until June – so plan ahead and train accordingly!

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By Sifu Lloyd Fridenburg

Editorial

I’ll apologize in advance for being a bit blunt in this article but sometimes a hammer is the only way to make an important point.

I remember many years ago when a senior student commented to Sifu Bob (Sigung) that they were sure that a particularly gifted student was destined to get their black sash very quickly. Sifu just looked at her and said, “It’s not as much about skill as it is about dedication, and I’ll believe that any student has the dedication necessary to pass a black sash grading when I see the sash around their waist.” That student never did test for black, and the number of times that that statement has rung true over the years is truly astonishing. Every year about this time students begin talking of plans to shoot for their black sash in the spring, and you’ll have to forgive me if I roll my eyes. Talk is cheap; don’t tell us show us!

On that note it is very important that you understand all of the requirements associated with a brown or black sash grading, not the least of which is the average number of formal classes you attend in a week. I use the word formal because things like the competition team, helping in a leadership role, demo team, and lion dance practice doesn’t count. Although these extracurricular activities are rewarding and definitely encouraged they don’t replace regular class attendance and don’t count towards the average of 3 classes per week that you must maintain for at least six months prior to the grading cut-off date. You must also attend a minimum of 40 Int/Adv classes during the same period. These aren’t suggestions, they are requirements. If the grading is scheduled for May, the clock starts ticking in September.

When you ask to have your name put on the grading list your total number of Int/Adv classes will be checked and your average class attendance for the last six months will be checked. If either one does not hit the mark you won’t be added to the list. Here’s a simple formula 6 months = 26 weeks X 3 classes per week = 78 classes, with 40 of those being Int/Adv.

Believe me when I say that 78 classes over 6 months is not very many and really is the absolute bare minimum; you should be shooting for many more. Students often say things like “I have too much school work”, “I have to go to my knitting club”, “I’m learning to play the spoons and can’t miss practice”. I understand completely, but we all had to make choices and sacrifices when we were preparing for a high sash grading. So take time to assess your priorities because your Kung Fu requirements aren’t going to change.

We have the highest quality instructors anywhere and one of the main reasons is that it takes a great deal of dedication and commitment to get your black sash at WKFA. We expect that your schoolwork or your job is a priority, as it should be, and may affect the amount of time you can commit to Kung Fu. Take this into consideration when weighing your options. Perhaps this isn’t the best time to test for an advanced rank and you should consider waiting a little longer.

A black sash isn’t a destination; it’s a journey, so give serious thought to what it will take over the next several months to test for an advanced rank, and for those of you still in school, include your parents in the discussion. It’s very important that they fully understand the demands associated with your goal. If you’re able to commit; train hard, train smart, and train often.

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