By Sifu Lloyd Fridenburg

Editorial

What a great summer! It sure made up for the winter that didn’t want to end, but now it’s time to roll out the books and switch into serious training mode as the cooler weather approaches.

Many of you are starting to look towards Fall, or even Spring gradings. You will find a document called “12 Grading Considerations” pinned to the board where we keep the grading sign-up sheets. Please take a minute to read it. It’s also a great time to review your current, and past, requirement sheets. Everything on the curriculum is taught on a regular basis; it’s important that you are proficient with all of your requirements before you ask to go on the grading list. All you need to do is mention to instructors that there are some elements that you haven’t learned, or are not comfortable with, we always try to work these kinds of requests into classes.

If you struggle with pushups you are not alone, but they are an important aspect of your overall fitness. Palm pushups and kneeling pushups are not acceptable in adult classes, unless you have a medical issue that has been discussed with Sifu. Proper pushups positively engage a variety of muscle groups, including lower back and abdominal muscles.

You have likely received promotional cards for Fitness With a Purpose. This is a great opportunity for you to offset the cost of training supplies or even reduce your membership fees ($50 WKFA gift certificate for each person you refer that joins FWP). If you do refer someone to the FWP program I invite you to join them and participate in their first class to help ease some of the anxiety that comes with the start any new endeavor.

I’d like to give a shout-out to our wonderful instructors and assistant instructors that gave up a lot of personal time this summer to run a week-long Youth camp, and a week-long Junior camp. What most parents don’t see is the tremendous amount of work involved before and after these camps so WKFA kids have an enjoyable experience and learn some new stuff along the way. They always try to keep material fresh and this only happens through hours and hours of preparation on the part of the instructors.

However, I did notice that the instructors seemed to be having as much fun as the participants. Thanks, from all of us for your hard work and dedication to WKFA kids.

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

Sifu’s Corner

“The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

I ventured to Nova Scotia with my family this July, camping at points along the way with the hope of having a great experience and making memories for us. We were not disappointed. The Maritimes have so much to offer! The people were as friendly as the landscape is beautiful. Taking the mindset that the journey was the destination, we took our time. We made stops in Lunenburg, Halifax, Louisbourg, Chéticamp and many points in between. We travelled 7,700 kilometres all told!

I like going to places that people I know are from and discovering the beauty of their hometowns first hand. One such place we visited was Petit-de-Grat, which is a small Acadian island off the East coast of Cape Breton; hometown to my long-time mountain biking friend, Guy Boudreau. Petit-de-Grat truly embodies the hospitality for which Nova Scotians are famous. In this age of technological connectedness, it was nice being able to message with Guy during our trip to learn about the best spots to explore. Sadly, not long after we returned, Guy, only a couple weeks older than I am, lost his long battle with cancer.

Our cycling group has naturally been reflecting on all the great times we shared with Guy. Over the past 20 years, we’ve ridden the same group of trails together week after week. As I ride them now, I am happily discovering that certain spots on the trails elicit vivid good memories; they are serving as physical “lighthouses” to keep the memory of our friend alive.

Sometimes people note my good memory for names and faces; however, I feel for many other things, my memory isn’t so great. I recently read an article discussing how forgetting certain details is important for decision making. This was somewhat comforting! I do, however, want to remember the people in my life. I’m connecting how the physical paths that we regularly travel, such as roads and trails, can be instrumental in helping recall memories with those people.

When I think about how we learn Kung Fu forms, I liken the process to walking paths in our minds. Each time we mindfully practice them, it makes the paths clearer. I’ve consistently practiced our forms for over 28 years and I know those mental paths are some of the clearest of any. What is also very clear is the memories of all the people that helped shaped those forms—by teaching them to me or training them together as we work through our understanding of the movements. Through practice, I retain the knowledge of the forms, but I also retain the good memories of the martial artists behind them. This includes most predominantly, Sigung Bob Schneider, but also the instructors from the Academy with whom I collaborate week after week.

WKFA’s Founder, Sigung Bob Schneider (1951-2006)

Training forms have many obvious physical benefits. Having an accessible mental archive of the people who bring the forms to life is really something wonderful too—helping keep what you want to remember a little less overwhelmed in time.

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Sifu Anne Vandrus

Youth Student’s Corner

In Kung Fu, everyone is responsible for different things. The Sifus are responsible for teaching your classes, and the assistant instructors are responsible for helping the Sifus teach. As students, you have more that you’re responsible for than just learning Kung Fu!

It can be easy to blame your parents if you show up late to class, or forget something at home, but as Kung Fu students, we practice taking responsibility for our own actions so that we can learn for next time. If you forgot your belt, that’s not your parents’ fault – because it’s YOUR belt that you are responsible for bringing. If you are late to class because you weren’t ready to go when your parents said it’s time to leave, then that’s not their fault either—because it’s YOUR job to be ready.

Why are these things important? Your Sifus want to help you become a more responsible person… If you show up late, you’re disrupting the rest of the class which isn’t fair to your classmates or Sifu. If you forget your equipment, you might not be able to participate in certain activities. If you don’t know your sign-in number, you won’t get credit for attending that class. If you can’t tie your own belt, you won’t be able to wear it. If you don’t practice, you won’t get better or you’ll just forget everything.

It’s a great idea to ask for help when you need it, and your parents can be super helpful, but if you always ask your parents to do these things for you, how are you ever going to learn how to do them? It might take longer when you take responsibility and do it yourself, but after a lot of practice it becomes easier (just like Kung Fu!!!).

Here’s a checklist of things that are YOUR job as responsible Kung Fu students:

• Be ready when it’s time to leave for class
• Tie my own belt
• Bring everything I need with me to class: uniform, belt, water bottle, sparring equipment, weapons (depending on rank)
• Remember my student ID number and type it into the sign-in computer myself
• Practice all the forms, sequences, and techniques that I’ve learned, at home between classes
• Ask questions if I don’t know or don’t understand something

What else can you add to your Responsibility Checklist for Kung Fu?

Can you make a Responsibility Checklist for school too?

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Sifu Greg Weir

Junior Student’s Corner

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” ~ Henry Ford

If you’ve been training Kung Fu for any length of time, you’ve no doubt come to realize that failure is a large part of the process. Yes, it’s sad but true that you’re simply not going to be successful all of the time. Unfortunately it’s easy to get down on yourself when you fail at something, especially when you’re young. Whether it be trying a new kick, getting through a board during the breaking seminar, learning some new moves out of a form, or even just doing well in a round of sparring, you’re bound to feel disheartened when things don’t go your way. But the truth is you should try to learn to embrace failure—because it teaches you a lot more than success does.

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces people into thinking they can’t lose.” ~ Bill Gates

The way to learn from failure is to figure out why you weren’t successful. If you weren’t able to punch through a board, it’s likely there was a problem with your technique. If you didn’t do well during a round of sparring, maybe you let your guard down? Perhaps you were too ambitious on the offensive side of things and forgot about the importance of defense? Or vice versa? The bottom line is, try to determine what went wrong—and then vow to never make the same mistake again.

Failure is such an integral part of success that they could be considered two sides of the same coin. Or, in a more traditionally Chinese sense, you could say they have a yin-yang relationship.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” ~ Thomas Edison

Kung Fu comes to us via centuries of evolution. But that’s not its greatest instructive value. Nor is the person standing at the front of the room. Your own personal experiences are your greatest teacher—and you should always remember that each failure brings you closer to success. Indeed, failure gives you the opportunity to identify your weaknesses so that you can then work to eliminate them.

A great example comes from none other than Bruce Lee. He was so disappointed in himself after a particular fight (a fight he actually won, though it took him longer than he would have liked) that he set himself on the path destined to make him the greatest martial artist of all time.

Of course the larger message is that failure, and growth from failure, are not just parts of Kung Fu, but are key components of life in general.

In conclusion, I’ll leave you with some words from the Chinese philosopher Confucius:

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

Happy failing, everyone!

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By Sifu Rebecca Knapp

Adult Student’s Corner

Motivation is defined as the general desire or willingness of someone to do something; it’s a set of psychological forces that moves you to take action.

It takes a lot of motivation to be a dedicated martial artist. Motivation to sign up, to come to class consistently, to train hard while you’re here, to practice while you’re not, to work towards a grading to achieve your next sash, to endure the rigors of a grading—to stick with the journey.

One of the recent Words of the Week stated a thoughtful point about motivation—that it often comes after starting a new behavior, not before. I think there is a general perception that motivation is the result of doing something passive to ignite our motivation and move us to action—like watching a motivational video or reading an inspiring book. While this does sometimes propel us out of paralysis, something called “active inspiration” can be a far more powerful motivator. A motivation author named James Clear has this to say about active inspiration:

“…it is through the process of active inspiration—the act of creating things, applying new ideas to our goals, and making mistakes—that we discover who we are and what is important to us. Furthermore, active inspiration is what results in long term passion and enthusiasm. Watching someone else’s success might leave you feeling excited for a few minutes, but taking action and applying a new idea to your life will inspire you more than anything someone else could say.” (Clear, “The Scientific Guide on How to Get and Stay Motivated”, n.d.)

So, it could be, that motivation is more often the result of action, rather than the cause of it. That means, that getting started, even in small ways, is a form of active inspiration that naturally produces momentum, which in turn generates more motivation, and so forth, and so on….

Some motivation gurus refer to this as the “Physics of Productivity”…like Newton’s First Law applied to habit formation: Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. Once a task has begun, it is easier to continue moving it forward.

So learning by listening to others can certainly help you think about things in a different way, but creating, producing, experimenting and DOING is what propels you forward. Passive inspiration gives you ideas; active inspiration gives you momentum.

Another important thing to understand is that there are both extrinsic motivators and intrinsic motivators. In Kung Fu, an extrinsic motivator may be getting a black sash, winning an achievement award, being physically fit, or impressing your friends and family. An intrinsic motivator may be a feeling of accomplishment and achievement, knowing you are able to defend yourself, feeling strong and capable, taking care of your body, and feeling good about doing something productive and sticking with it. Understanding your motivators is an important key to success.

Part 2 on Motivation will address how to get motivated, and how to stay motivated in the long run.

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Sifu Adam Volpe

Parent’s Column

When most of us talk about how to help our children succeed in Kung Fu, we often think of skills, techniques, endurance, strength, mental focus, etc. What we often forget is that the best foundation to help your child succeed in all those areas is the same—good nutrition.

The beginning of a new school year means we’re starting to plan and prepare for our kids to go back to school, so I want to share some ideas that work for my family, and how we keep those energy fires burning.

Avoid traditional junk food

We know that junk foods (candy bars, chips, soda pop, etc.) aren’t healthy choices. I know they’re quick, easily transportable and are something your children enjoy, but what we often forget is that these items (I hesitate to call them foods) are very counterproductive to our fitness goals. If your child comes to class fueled with junk food, it is difficult for them to focus and perform up to their potential. They will likely struggle with physical activities in class, and it will be very difficult for your child to demonstrate, or develop, self-discipline.

As a parent myself, I know it’s hard to always have a healthy snack on the go. But having your child come to class a bit hungry is a better choice than junk food; then have a proper healthy meal or snack after class. It will provide a better in-class experience for them, and for the instructors.

Quick, Easy, and Healthy Alternatives

So, what can you give your child on the go with your busy schedule? There are many alternatives that are cheap, travel well, and enjoyable for our kids. Think of things like homemade trail mix (nuts, raisins, etc.), carrot/celery sticks, apples, yogurt, etc. They travel well, are healthy and don’t make a huge mess. And, they provide the fuel necessary to keep your child focused and energized during class.

Water

Being hydrated is probably the most important thing to emphasize when preparing for a class or any physical activity. Again, there’s no need for sugar filled sports drinks. In a 1-hour class, there is likely not enough electrolyte loss to require anything more than water. Hydration starts first thing in the morning and continues throughout the day. Getting your child in the habit of drinking water throughout the day will help tremendously with their performance in class. They will be more alert, have more focus and be able to accomplish much more than they would normally.

Questions? Feel free to speak to your friendly neighbourhood Sifu.

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by Sifu Rikin Patel

When I was eight, as an orange stripe I entered my first tournament, Karate Mania back in 1989. As a young energetic boy, I was enamored by the big trophies and was enthusiastic about winning one. Back then I was so excited about Kung Fu class, that I would wear my Kung Fu t-shirt underneath my school clothes the days I had Kung Fu after school. I practiced all the time and thought my chances were good. The result…. I left that tournament completely empty handed. Nothing. I was crushed. To this day my mom with a smile and a joking laugh will remind me “Rikin do you remember how much you cried after your first tournament?” She remembers a lot better than me!

Fast forward now to when I was sixteen as a blue sash. Sigung coined the term “BFs” when referring to Sifu Kevin and myself. At the time, Kevin had been training more than me but I was determined on us testing together for our brown sash. Sigung said “NO, you can’t grade this time around, I want you to spend more time as a blue sash.” It was the first time he had said no to me grading. The plan of testing with my one of my best friends and the hopeful planned date for my black sash grading, totally out the window.  I was really disappointed. I remember watching his brown sash grading from the audience side and at the time it was really tough to swallow. I was happy for him though.

What was the result of those situations. Well, with competing, I started taking “competition team classes” with Sigung on our large team of two. The tournament results transformed, and the crying now was just during the intense preparation in the classes, just kidding! As for the grading, I got back up, dug into my training and was better for it. It was only after that grading I could understand Sigung’s reason and what I had gained. As Steve Job’s said “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards”

While I don’t have the space here, the fourteen-year journey after high school to becoming a pediatrician was filled with more no’s, rejections and failures than I thought was possible. I tell Sifu now that I have a “resume of failures.” The mindset and work ethic I had built from the strong foundation training Kung Fu under Sigung was instrumental factor in persevering the long road filled with ups and downs.

The words ‘no’, ‘rejection’, ‘failure’ or ‘lose’ while used in different contexts, all have the same result; we didn’t get what we had hoped for and things didn’t quite work out the way we planned. No doubt, when things didn’t go as we planned it’s tough and I won’t pretend to sugar coat it. There is personal disappointment but hopefully many of us can agree that we can let it roll off our shoulders. What I can attest to and have observed impacts us even more to point of isolation and quitting is focusing on the people around us and our own negative self talk “what will others say,” or “what will others think of me.” The dictionary definition of failure is summed up into three words, lack of success. The problem with this is that as society it means we don’t value learning and growth that comes from struggle and experience. In the age of ‘millennials’ now more than ever there is such a strong negative perception around not succeeding or getting what we want.

Remember as a student of Kung Fu, your attitude and your character will always be more important than your skills as a martial artist. Character development is a big part the Kung Fu training however it can be often forgotten in a western culture driven by externals and results. Recall that one of the definitions of Kung Fu is “hard work.”

Here are some take home food for thought to help build our determination and resiliency:

1. When life says ‘no’ with time let’s try to shift to a growth mindset where we see the experience as an opportunity to learn.
2. The challenge of not succeeding, allows us the opportunity to achieve far greater than what we would have ever envisioned for ourselves
3. Failure gives us a chance to develop humility which actually becomes critical to be able to handle responsibility with integrity when success comes up us.
4. When we get thrown a lemon, take the opportunity to step back, look at the big picture and reconnect with our original goals. With regards to failure, Sigung’s famous words were “just go back to the drawing board.”

As a community of martial artists trying to help each other at WKFA, let’s be the change we want to see in the world. By continuing the conversation and talking about our collective experiences we break down the walls of stigma around “failure” to help create a safe environment to help normalize the experience. Let’s inspire and support more and judge less.

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by Sifu Sarah Gawley

A lot of the structure of our school is defined by what colour a student is wearing around their waist. It determines which classes you attend, where you stand and sometimes which activities you’re allowed to participate in (seminars, for example). What’s the true significance of a sash?

Truth be told, your sash is for the benefit of your instructors. When I’m organizing my school notes, I colour code my binders by subject. When we organize Kung Fu students, we colour code by requirements. The sash system itself is a Western invention, informing your instructors about their expectations of what you can accomplish—if a student I’d never seen before couldn’t do the Tiger form, for example, my reaction as an instructor is rank dependent. It’s unnecessary when the instructors know every student’s knowledge in detail—Sigung trained under Grand Master Pan for 15 years and never used any formal ranking system.

Ranks are not meant to limit you only to the minimum expectations for that rank, whether it’s in class or in a grading. So what if you’re a red sash? Try to punch like a black sash! If you’re not striving to be the best you can be, you’re missing the point of Kung Fu.

From a student perspective, owning a coloured piece of cloth should mean nothing. The pride and accomplishment comes from the abilities you have developed that you didn’t have before. Imagine if you could gather all versions of yourself in a room together—a red sash you, a yellow sash you, all the way up to yourself at black sash. You wouldn’t need to tell them apart by the colour around their waist, you’d be able to tell them apart by the level of technique they’re performing and their understanding of what Kung Fu is.

Kung Fu is a gradual journey that we break down into ranks because it helps us organize how we’re teaching it to you. Your growth as a martial artist will not happen in chunks just because that’s how we open new curriculum up to you. If you are new to your rank and feeling behind—that’s okay! The expectations jumped and you will rise to meet them. If you’re contemplating a grading (shout out to 2019 advanced potential graders), look at where you are on your journey. There’s no rush to get your next coloured piece of cloth – plenty of work can always be done at your current level. Don’t just ask yourself if you’ve ticked all the boxes on your requirement sheets, because that’s cheating yourself of the meaning of Kung Fu. Ask if you’re a better martial artist than you were before.

It’s true that many things are defined by the colour of your sash. But the most important things have nothing to do with rank. Your accomplishment in Kung Fu comes from the hard work you’ve put in to gain new skill, never how quickly you’ve met the minimum for an arbitrary colour coding system.

The post A Sash is Just a Piece of Cloth appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

“You don’t get better on the days that you feel like going; you get better on the days that you don’t want to go but you go anyway! If you can overcome the negative energy coming from your tired body or unmotivated mind, you will grow and become better.” ~ Georges St. Pierre

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