Sifu Lloyd Fridenburg

Editorial

As you know, or will soon find out, creating your own Kung Fu form is a requirement to grade from Green to Blue at WKFA. To me, this has always been one of the easiest requirements in our Kung Fu program and yet we constantly see students stressing over their homemade form. I say it’s easy because it’s yours! Aside from following the guidelines, you are making this form for yourself. It gives you a platform to express your own vision, creativity, and abilities, while demonstrating the Kung Fu skills you have acquired to date.

Your homemade form does not have to be the last form of your requirements. Why not make it your first? In fact, why not just consider it an extracurricular activity that is a work in progress. You can develop a basic outline for your form in a couple of hours and then take the next several months to modify, tweak, add, and delete components, until it truly becomes something you own.

Make your homemade form a labour of love; not just something you did because it was a requirement and you had to do it. We have seen some exceptional forms, created by some extremely passionate and creative martial artists, over the years, but the important thing is to make the form your own. Never make the mistake of setting the bar too high for your abilities; the only competition is with yourself.

Don’t incorporate techniques that you know you struggle with, unless the intent is to develop your form early and use the form as a motivator to perfect those techniques. If after months of practice you still can’t get the hang of something just take it out, or modify the move so it demonstrates your strength and not your weakness.

The minimum requirement is 40 moves, but if you begin counting at the start you miss the intent of the exercise. Don’t strive for the bare minimum! This is your form, be creative and enjoy your creation. Take the start of the Tiger form for example. Not including the bow, I would consider that everything from the beginning up to the dragon stance would be a total of 4 moves. However, the intent is to create a form and not to fixate on the number of moves. Think of the overall length of your Tiger form as a reference.

So remember:

• Start early!
• Make it yours.
• Enjoy the process.
• Don’t compete with others.
• Don’t think about the count until you have things fleshed out.
• It should be your best form.

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Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

I want to talk about exciting upcoming events and our recent renovations. I won’t be reviewing any films like I did in my last article, however, Free Solo did just win an Oscar. Just saying. Speaking of the Academy Awards, we held our own version at the Schwaben Club on February 9^th. Congratulations to all the award winners! The event was a lot of fun. We were treated to a very entertaining set by our Performance Team. You’ll have another chance to see them this year at the CKKA Banquet on March 30^th.

Our Academy is the host school for the 13^th Annual CKKA Convention weekend, VERY nearby us at the Inn of Waterloo. We have been working hard to put together a great weekend of martial arts that features a tournament, seminars and banquet/dance with performances. We hope to have a high level of participation from the local Kung Fu schools this year (especially ours). Be sure to check out this year’s logo and T-shirt designed by our very own (and skilled) Chad Seip, from Blackmont Solutions. This event is attended by martial artists throughout North America and we are very much looking forward to showcasing the best Waterloo has to offer!

Our popular Five Animal March Break camp is coming up fast. Remember that you can sign up for the full week or individual days. Also, please keep Saturday, April 27^th reserved in your calendars, as this will be our annual in-house tournament (Shiai).

We’re just wrapping up the most significant renovations in our 30+ year history. All the flooring in the lobby, weight room and offices was replaced, lots of paint was added and freshened up and our Weight Room was modified. The modifications were made to increase space, safety and provide a level of sound proofing. Additions include gym-style flooring, a sound system and monitor, a special heavy bag and a water bottle filler. A major part of this renovation was sealing off the doors to the kwoon, changing the doorway near the entrance into a window, and adding a door inside the gateway.

With these changes, here are a few guidelines to keep our Academy safe, clean and functional:

• While wearing wet/snowy footwear, please try and stay on the lobby floor mats.
• Non-students are welcome upstairs or only on the grey Eco-Grip flooring in the lobby, which is designed for safety and durability. The laminate under the gateway is reserved for students. Typically, if an instructor sees a non-student under the entrance gateway, they assume it is for something urgent.
• Especially with the addition of the monitor in the viewing room upstairs, please observe classes from inside this room to keep the top of the stairway safe and clear and the class free from any distractions.
• Garbage, recycling and lost and found bins are in the main lobby.

2019 Renovation in Progress

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Sifu Cristina Prudencio-Brunello

Youth Student’s Corner

Have you ever heard an instructor say, “no Kung Fu at school,” or “don’t use your Kung Fu on your siblings”? That is because we train martial arts in the hopes that we never need to use our skills. Seems kind of backwards, right? What is the point of putting so much time and effort into something we are not even allowed to use once we leave the academy? Well, believe it or not, there are many aspects of martial arts that you can practice outside of the kwoon.

It is important to remember that Kung Fu is not just a physical sport like soccer or hockey – it is also a lifestyle. Just think: every month we have two themes – a physical one for our bodies, and a mental one for our actions. This means there are valuable Kung Fu skills that we DO want you to use outside of the kwoon:

Spirit: While it would be silly to say “yes Sifu!” when your parent asks you to clean up your toys, you can use this positive attitude and work ethic to motivate you during daily activities/chores – especially when you don’t feel like doing them…

Respect: Kung Fu is built on respect for others. For example, the third bow to everyone in class is a promise to treat them as we want to be treated, and we can apply this concept to people in our lives outside the academy (friends, family, teachers, etc.).

Patience: It takes time to learn and progress through the ranks in Kung Fu, which can be frustrating at times. However, we can try to appreciate the journey instead of focusing on the destination, and be happy with the little goals and successes along the way.

…and this is just a short list. Kung Fu has many applications that go beyond punching and kicking. Our hope for you as instructors is that by training martial arts, you also develop important life skills, and use them outside the kwoon to become a better person every day.

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Sifu Jeremy Norris

Junior Student’s Corner

There is one aspect of our journey that every student at the academy shares. We are all striving to be martial artists. The term martial artist is simply defined as “one who trains to learn how to defend, in which moves originated as forms of self-defense or attack”. To fully grasp this topic, look deeper than the definition. To me the true meaning of being a martial artist lays within the roots of everything we do at the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy.

First, there is the strictly physical aspect of our training. Within Kung Fu we push ourselves to our physical limit. We encourage our body to condition and be at its peak. The purpose behind doing intensive training and physical workouts, is to be ready when we may need to use our skills. It is hard to look past this physical aspect. Many times, when talking to others about Kung Fu the first thing that comes to mind is punching and kicking. I believe that it is our duty as martial artists to understand that Kung Fu is more. We must grasp both the physical and mental aspects of our art.

This mental aspect weighs heavily on the true meaning of a martial artist. Many times, throughout the Kung Fu journey you are pushed to a time where you want to quit. This may be during a grading or during a class, but it is that mindset of being a marital artist that keeps us going. Developing the mindset of a martial artist is no simple task, it takes a longer and more focus to develop this than any physical skill. Everyone takes a different path through their Kung Fu journey. Many times, students run into roadblocks when faced with confusing or complicated tasks and techniques. This is known as frustration. Maybe you don’t understand a drill during your grading, or you are doing your best, but your best isn’t good enough. This moment in time is the hardest for any student, yet every student goes through this at least once in their Kung Fu journey. To me this aspect of dedication and determination is what defines the term ‘Marital Artist’.

To only focus on the physical side of Kung Fu would be like living in a house with no furniture. You have all the structure and tools, but nothing to do. As a student within the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy, it is crucial to understand what it means to be a martial artist. This is what defines us, and what will continue to define us through our journey.

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Sifu Rebecca Knapp

Adult Student’s Corner

Kung Fu helps us develop great physical skill, stamina and strength and is also an amazing workout. Although there are many ways Kung Fu can improve one’s well-being, the following are some examples of how it benefits the mind.

Great Stress-reliever

Intense physical activity is great for purging our bodies of stress. There is little more gratifying than beating the crap out of a kick shield as a way to rid yourself of a stressful work week!

As well, Kung Fu teaches people to draw energy in, and concentrate on good breathing techniques, focus and visualization. These techniques can be used in training, but are also helpful in stressful everyday life situations.

Builds Self-Confidence

Students naturally become more confident as they see improvements in their strength, speed, skill, coordination, and conditioning. They also enjoy a sense of affirmation when they learn a new technique, become proficient with a familiar one, or advance to a new sash. Children in particular often start out shy, uncoordinated and lacking confidence and within a short time they become strong and certain of themselves.

It Teaches Discipline

All martial arts place a heavy emphasis on discipline and emphasize the idea that restraint, patience and insight win out over rash, aggressive behaviour.

Also, in pursuit of our goals, we need to progress with quiet and steady self-determination. Patience and hard work pay off as you progress through your Kung Fu journey, and through life.

Elevates Mood and Increases Productivity

The body produces several chemicals during training:

• Serotonin is the mood-boosting brain chemical – people who are depressed often have low levels of serotonin.
• Norepinephrine helps you become more alert and focused, and boosts memory retrieval, focus, attention, and the ability to concentrate.
• BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) fosters long-term brain health by promoting the formation of new connections between nerve cells, or neurons, and helps repair damaged nerve cells.
• Dopamine is the motivation/reward brain chemical. If you ever feel motivated and ready to tackle the day’s list of projects after training, you can thank dopamine.

Finally, a good Kung Fu workout produces endorphins, which are your body’s own natural anti-depressants—the ultimate “feel-good” chemicals. Endorphins also help to relieve pain, and reduce fear and anxiety.

It Teaches Us to Persevere

Kung Fu is great for teaching perseverance. We need it to traverse the long road between sashes, and if we couldn’t get back up every time we were knocked down, we wouldn’t be able to make it through the rigours of a grading at all. Training in Kung Fu teaches us that persistence and hard work are the building blocks of worthy goals.

Lastly, It Helps Maintain Brain Health as You Age

In Kung Fu, we are constantly learning – we never reach perfection and so there is always work to be done, and improvements to be made to forms, technique, self-defence moves, and sparring skills. As long as we are learning, our brains will continue to grow new brain cells, neurons and connections – critical for aging brains!

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Sifu Adam Volpe

Parent’s Column

When I speak to people who don’t train in Kung Fu, I often get asked “You must get hurt a lot” or “I don’t think my child would like all of the fighting, he’d get hurt”.

I often see a student show up to class with an arm wrapped in a bandage or limping on one foot. My first reaction of course is to ask what happened, but I don’t assume it happened in Kung Fu class. Most of the time the injuries occurred at home, at the park or while a student was playing another organized activity outside of the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy. The student’s response is typically, “Oh, this happened playing soccer” or “I tripped walking up my stairs.”

You might think most injuries would come from sparring or doing self-defense in Kung Fu but in fact very few injuries occur in these activities. Statistically, martial arts have way fewer injuries than hockey, basketball, football, soccer, gymnastics or any of the physical activities students participate in.

If I had to guess, I would say the reason we don’t have a lot of injuries in Kung Fu can be summed up in one word: Mindfulness!

In Kung Fu, we train our students a lot about body awareness; paying attention to how their bodies move, their breath and their thoughts. When you’re really mindful and aware of your movements and actions, you tend not to over-strain your body, have control of your movements in sparring and you can catch yourself before getting hit or falling in Kung Fu.

Additionally, unlike many sports, we wear protective gear when sparring in classes. When we do see someone getting hurt in class, it’s usually limited to bumps and bruises that are minor and will heal in a very short time, not injuries that require a visit to the emergency, doctor or other more involved medical attention.

Bumps, bruises and injuries are part of the human experience, and we all get them now and then. Fortunately, in Kung Fu, they’re usually just a temporary nuisance, and we heal up and move on quite quickly. We also hope that students see it as an opportunity to learn from that experience and not simply put it behind them or get upset about it. But honestly, I can’t help it: when I see a student with a new injury from their latest hockey game, soccer match or from rollerblading, I always grin a bit and give the same advice: Stick with martial arts – it’s much safer.

A Few Rules for Parents and Students

With renovations complete here are a few guidelines to keep our Academy safe, clean and functional:

• While wearing wet/snowy footwear, please stay on the lobby floor mats.
• Non-students are welcome upstairs or can wait on the grey flooring (no wet boots) in the lobby, which is designed for safety and durability. The laminate under the gateway is reserved for students.
• There is new a monitor in the viewing room upstairs. Please observe classes from inside the waiting room to keep the top of the stairway safe and clear and the class free from any distractions. Please do not stand at the railing at the top of the stairs.
• Garbage, recycling and lost and found bins are in the main lobby.

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by Sifu Sydney Gibson

I recently sat down with Sifu Robin Young to discuss his thoughts on the changes he has seen in the martial arts over the years.

SG: When did you start your training and what were your classes like?

RY: I started training in 1968 in Chinatown, Toronto. Classes were taught in the basement of a house. Sifu Jack Chin was the original instructor. He was fairly authoritarian. If you couldn’t do something, or didn’t want to, you got off the floor. Classes began with one hour of horse practice, different stances and moving between stances. We then stopped for tea, and started up again practicing punches, kicks and forms.

SG: What are your thoughts on the traditions in Kung Fu?

RY: Traditional tends to mean doesn’t change, which can be good and can be bad. Everything has to evolve if you want it to survive. But you can hold onto the old stuff too, because it is really important. It gives us a sense of grounding, history and culture.

SG: Were you friends with the other clubs?

RY: The Kung Fu clubs stayed to themselves. That was partially due to old style thinking, “if I show you my stuff then you will know what I do, and you might try it on us”. There was always that aspect of holding back. There was also an aspect of political affiliation. The old Toronto Jing Mo club was supported by the Nationalist Chinese government. Hung Luk was supported by the Communist government. So, never the twain shall meet, sort of thing. The Sifu’s all respected each other, and would toast each other at banquets. But publicly they kept their distance.

There were a few incidents with senior students, or during a lion dance when different clubs crossed paths. There is an etiquette to follow. If we had the contract to collect the money, the other club would have to stop and give us passage. Or, if they wanted to cross, they would have to ask permission, which usually involved an exchange of business cards. You also had to keep the lion heads down low. If you were to raise the lion head, that was a challenge to the other club, and there would be a fight. That hasn’t changed. In some cases, maybe it has changed as lion dance has become more of a competitive event. That is a loss of some of that tradition and old etiquette.

SG: What are some of the more recent changes you have seen in martial arts?

RY: As it has become more Western in nature, we have lost some of the martial intent, and it has become more of a workout.  However, we also no longer need to buy into the old history, and can bring together different schools to train together, such as the Toi San group, with Sifu’s Ian Chow and Dave Ellsmere.  Years ago, I would never have been able to sit down for lunch with Ian, it just wouldn’t happen.

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by Sifu Lorna Hayward

As humans, we are the Great Negotiators. Unfortunately, we often use that skill on ourselves. No one can talk you out of doing something better than yourself! How many times have we all told ourselves that we would get up early the next day, make a good breakfast, and have some time to start the day in a non-stressed fashion, only to hit that snooze button when the alarm sounds in the morning?

Life often has a way of getting in the way of our best intentions. But how often do we talk ourselves out of doing something we know we really should do? Most people really do want to exercise and eat healthy food and sleep better. But then that show comes on, or a friend suggests going out for dinner, or family responsibilities make us run behind, so those good intentions get stuck on the back burner.

How do we stop listening to our own excuses? Truly, the only way to a new habit is by forcing ourselves to do the thing until it becomes something we don’t have to think about. It is far too easy to tell ourselves we’re too tired to go to class tonight, so we’ll just ‘go tomorrow’. If we can stop negotiating with ourselves, we stand a much better chance of seeing our best intentions through.

As far as kung fu classes go, having set days that you are determined to go to class is the fastest road to success. The trick is to stop negotiating with yourself. When you start to think how long the day was, and how comfortable the couch is, it gets harder and harder to go back out. It is especially hard through the winter months, when it is also cold and dark. However, if you can stop yourself from listening to your own attempts to reason your way out of going, it will be worth it!

This determination applies to anything we want to achieve. If we can stop accepting the ‘I can just do it tomorrow’ excuse from ourselves, there is very little limiting what we can do. The danger is, that ‘tomorrow’ will have a new obstacle, and it will get pushed off another day. And then another. Today is the day for starting, and tomorrow is for building on what we have begun. If we never begin, we can’t build on it.

Perhaps using this negotiating skill can be used to your own benefit. Since we seem, as humans, to be able to talk ourselves OUT of things, maybe we can start change by talking ourselves INTO things.

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I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

Nelson Mandela

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