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by Sifu D’arcy Langois
Fu For You Fall 2024

At some point in everyone’s Kung Fu journey, there comes a time where you get to experience a…let’s call it an “opportunity to adjust your training.” This is a time when your body decides, “Hey, that’s a bit too much, let’s just chill for a second, okay?” I am, of course, talking about injuries.

It’s a fact of training that the more classes you attend, especially if you are prepping yourself for a grading, the more likely you are to suffer some form of injury. It could be acute, like a sprained joint or a strained muscle. It could also be wear and tear driven in the form of muscle fatigue. In either case, as you start to recognize that something is off, you must act on the “opportunity to adjust”, or you may risk making it far worse in the long term. To that effect, here are three things to consider as you approach this oft-encountered problem.

First and foremost, recognize that the easiest “opportunity to adjust” is to slow, or completely stop, your training for a period of time. This allows your body to put its recovery first, and a brief period of time (or longer in the event of much more serious injuries) can go a long way to making a true comeback in your training. While extremely difficult to do for a dedicated martial artist, sometimes it’s important to realize that a break from training may be the best way forward.

The next, “opportunity to adjust” is to protect the injury from additional harm, while continuing your training. It is possible to adjust your approach to everything we do in Kung Fu to protect yourself from worsening an injury, but it can be difficult if you don’t remain mindful of your actions. What does this look like? Well, some examples to consider: Shoulder injury? Lay off the push-ups for a little bit and find some other way to work your upper body strength requirements. You could take a break from shoulder intensive technique and restrict your range of motion during forms practice to give it a rest while you keep training. Lower body injury? Avoid putting undue stress on the injured leg by doubling up kicks on one side but be careful that you don’t overwork the healthy limb, as it may then also become injured! These are just a couple examples, but I hope they show that you can keep training with an injury, so long as you are consciously protecting it.

The final “opportunity to adjust” may be to consider a permanent adjustment to the techniques and forms that we train. This is a recommendation for a chronic injury that will either persist for a long time or may never completely heal. What does this look like? Find adjustments that work to not aggravate the injury (e.g. lighter weapons, shorter jumps/not jumping) to keep it from worsening, or further hampering your training. Make sure you always discuss this type of adjustment with Sigung before implementing the change.

Everyone will suffer injuries while they train, I hope this helps you see that an injury does not necessarily have to be the end! Note: Always be sure that instructors are aware of your injuries and limitations.

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by Sije Veronica Sas
Fu For You Fall 2024

There comes a time when everyone will lose the motivation to do something they need to do. Whether it is going to work, exercising or just making dinner, sometimes we just don’t want to do it! The same thing can happen to your child regarding their Kung Fu training. After the long summer break, they might find it difficult to resume the busy life of the school year. Even if your child did not take a break this summer, at some point over the year, they too might lose the motivation to practice Kung Fu.

Fortunately, you can always try to motivate your child. One thing you can do is engage your child after class. Find out if they learned anything new that day, or what they enjoyed about the class. You can even ask them to demonstrate some technique for you! If your child wants to grade soon and is lacking the motivation to practice at home, perhaps invite one of their classmates to come practice with them. The two students can help motivate each other to become better. You can also become a role model for your child by starting your own Kung Fu journey (if you haven’t already).

If your child has recently changed classes, it could simply be that they don’t know anyone in their new class. This can be rectified given enough time. Encourage them to talk to their new classmates and try to make a new friend or two. Being in class with friends makes it more enjoyable. From my experience, if your child has some friends they only see in Kung Fu, they might be more willing to go to class to see them. Fortunately, with the end of summer, more students will be returning to the Academy, and your child will have more opportunities to make new friends and become reacquainted with old ones.

Perhaps your child isn’t motivated to come to class because they are frustrated with a particular skill they are trying to learn. If this is the case, encourage them to ask their instructor for some help, either before or during class. It might even be beneficial to book a private class or two. That way your child can work on the specific skill that is frustrating them.

It is important that as a parent, we don’t push our children too hard. Each student progresses at a different rate. If your child isn’t motivated because they are not progressing as fast as they believe they should, try and convince them otherwise! Have them set one small, reasonable goal and
work towards it. When they do reach a milestone or goal, make sure you celebrate it!

There is a big difference between not being motivated to go to Kung fu and not liking Kung Fu. Not being motivated is something that can be changed with a little help, time, and patience. You just need to find out why they lost their motivation!

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

Confucius

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