Sigung David Moylan, Owner, WKFA

Sigung’s Corner

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this has been the strangest year of my life. I watched a good number of students leave the Academy, but those of you that chose to stay committed have amazed me with your consistency. You have doubled down and made training together a priority!

Initially, instructing over Zoom was a pretty big adjustment, but, after many classes, I feel more comfortable and grateful for the opportunity to connect with you on the regular. Now more accustomed to this new medium, I often have “wow” moments. On a typical evening with our hybrid schedule, I finish teaching an in-person class of energized Youth students and then hook up the mic and computer to teach a class of adults. Each student is at home in their full uniform, as the next kids’ class is taught simultaneously in the kwoon. As I instruct from the front room, some of you, waiting patiently outside, often wave at me. The whole experience is quite surreal. I know you can just find a pre-recorded instructional video to follow on your own time, but something draws you to come to class each week, be it in-person or online – that something, I believe, is accountability.

We are social creatures and the need for connection, at all ages, is real. Our little community proves day-in and day-out that we want to connect with each other over our shared passion for Kung Fu. You know the many benefits training consistently bring to your health and well-being; having an accountability to one another helps us stay committed to our goals. When instructors and classmates expect to see you training at set times and days it is truly motivational.

This has been a challenging year to find our inner drive and stay the course. If you find yourself falling short, consider increasing your accountability to someone. As a personal example, I want to stay committed to the Wim Hof method daily. I started a chat group with a few friends that share the same goals. We briefly check in each day and let each other know our progress (and sometimes our struggles). Having this regular accountability and communication with others is proving remarkably effective! I highly recommend you reach out to a trusted classmate or two to provide that extra boost.

If I can speak for my instructors, and myself, the accountability is reciprocal. Knowing you will be showing up or logging in to participate in a given class is tremendously uplifting and buoys us on to put our heart and soul into every class we teach. You inspire us to improve our own Kung Fu and stay in shape. We do it for ourselves, we do it for you, we do it for each other.

When I reflect on what drives me, it is accountability. Accountability to my family, my students, the art of Kung Fu and myself. Define your responsibilities and who you account to for them – then keep them up and live with vitality!

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Sibok Lloyd Fridenburg

Editorial

Learning Kung Fu is an ongoing process of instruction and practice. In time you become adept with the movements, or techniques and you understand how to do them. The first part of your Kung Fu journey focuses on the how. How to stand, how to punch, how to kick, or how to perform a form. In the context of Kung Fu it is important to learn how to do something before delving into why we do it the way we do.

In time you begin to question why. You become compelled to learn why something works, or perhaps why it doesn’t? Why doesn’t the board break when I hit it as hard as I can? Why am I off balance when using certain techniques? Or why doesn’t that joint lock work, even though I’m sure that I’m doing it the way I was taught?

Give some thought to why we use a ¾ stance for sparring instead of a forward stance? What is the purpose of a forward stance? Why do we chamber our hands when we punch in a forward stance, but not in a ¾ stance? Why does a forward and reverse punch begin vertical and switch to horizontal? Why is it often safer to move than to block?

You owe it to yourself and to your Kung Fu evolution to question things. That doesn’t mean that you should direct a continuous string of questions to your instructors; try to discover the answer for yourself first. Then examine the validity of the answer. Does it make sense from the perspective of the movement? Does it make sense from the perspective of my body style or physical limitations?

Don’t confuse yourself by asking the same question of multiple instructors. Instead, watch, listen, experiment, and form your own opinion, keeping in mind that “your opinion” may be subject to further scrutiny. This is particularly relevant for technique and self-defence. Students are often looking for a definitive answer where none exists. A joint lock can change from simply restraining to extremely damaging with a simple change in body alignment. A technique might work for a tall person, but not for a shorter person. A strong person may believe that their techniques work when it is really their strength that overcomes their opponent. When used against someone of equal strength the poor technique no longer works. Experiment and discover why something works, or does not work, for you.

Forms tend to be much more restrictive in terms of personal modification, but even there you should look for the meaning behind the moves. The nature of the animal being emulated will often give strong clues into why things are being done in the way that they are.

I don’t teach Kung Fu the same way I taught it 25 years ago, or even 10 years ago. I spend a lot of time examining, rationalizing, and understanding the “why” of almost everything, and have evolved as a martial artist because of it. Remember that instructors may not have all the answers, but most are willing to help you find the answer and perhaps answer their own “why” in the process.

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Sifu Cristina Prudencio-Brunello

Youth Student’s Corner

Let’s get to talking about our animals! First up is our big, stripey cat: the tiger.

Tiger at a glance…

• Rank: Novice/Red Belt animal
• Techniques: tiger claws, tiger mouth, tiger blocks
• Stances: cat stance
• Skill: Strength
• Form: Tiger (Blue Stripe) & Tiger Crane (Adult Brown Sash)

The tiger is a fierce animal that teaches us strength, discipline, and spirit. A tiger will only fight if necessary, but when it decides to fight, it will rip and slash and roar – it uses all its skill and strength to win.

When we embody the tiger, our stances must be rooted, and we strike with martial intent. In our Tiger form, there are six different spirit yells: Ya, He, Wa, Ha, Ye, and a very scary AAAHHHH at the end. We can use kiais to add extra energy to our techniques, just like the tiger’s roar.

In our own lives, we can channel our inner tigers by being brave. It can be scary to start something new, no matter how big or small. Tigers get scared too! But instead of running away from a challenge, they dig deep for the courage and mental strength to see it through. So, the next time you’re up against a seemingly impossible task, remember your brave tiger spirit.

Next time, we will learn about our other Kung Fu cat, the leopard. Stay tuned!

Tiger Fun Facts

• No two tigers have the same stripes – each one has different patterns and colours. The stripes even show up on its skin!
• Over 95% of a tiger’s DNA is the same as the DNA in your pet cat!
• A tiger’s tail is 2-3 feet long and helps it balance.
• Even though they are cats, tigers like the water and can swim well.
• Tigers can weigh up to 670 pounds!

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Sifu Jeremy Norris

Junior Student’s Corner

by Sifu Jeremy Norris

A productive way to achieve your ambitions is to visualize the outcome before it happens. If you can concentrate your willpower on one specific task it will become achievable. In Kung Fu, it is easy to get overwhelmed with number of movements that you are required to learn. Sometimes it seems impossible to learn or complete a specific movement. This is where using visualization as a tool will help you improve.

One way you can use visualization in Kung Fu is using physical visualization, where you visualize yourself performing a specific technique or movement. This is particularly useful for forms. Closing your eyes and taking a moment to visualize yourself doing the movements of the form can drastically change the overall look and feel of the form. By visualizing each step, we can get a better understanding of not only how the form is supposed to look, but how you want the form to look. Physical visualization can also be used to learn difficult techniques. Say you were learning a jump spin inside-crescent kick for the first time, doesn’t sound easy right? But, by simply closing your eyes and visualizing yourself successfully completing the kick, can give you the confidence and power to complete it yourself. Physical visualization can help accomplish tasks that you otherwise may have thought were inconceivable.

The other form of visualization that is relevant to your Kung Fu journey is the power of visualizing your goals. A straightforward way to do this is to simply visualize yourself successfully attaining a goal. I have used this technique throughout my Kung Fu journey before gradings. The morning of a grading I sit down, meditate, and visualize myself going through each part of the grading, and then at the end I visualize myself successfully completing the grading. I take a goal and visualize myself attaining that goal. This applies to both short and long-term goals. Visualizing yourself successfully attaining your goal will help you understand the steps you need to take to achieve it.

Proper visualization allows us to take the unimaginable and make it reality. By incorporating these techniques into your own Kung Fu journey, you will excel at your ambitions in every way, shape, and form. Visualization is not easy and may seem pointless at first, but when used appropriately it will become a powerful tool.

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by Sifu Laurent Bernardin

Two of my kids started training at WKFA back in 2012, just a couple of months before my own Kung Fu journey began. A few years later my youngest joined as a Little Ninja and, ever since, I’ve watched all three of my kids develop as martial artists. My oldest is now seventeen and earned his brown sash in the Adult Program. I have utterly enjoyed watching them climb the ranks and hope to be able to share with you some of the experiences gained while we accumulated an amazing total of 44 belts and sashes over the past 8 years.

My kids have experienced a variety of mental and physical benefits from being active in Kung Fu. I’ve seen my role as a parent to support them in this journey and to hopefully see them engaged for the long term.

There have been bumps in the road, of course: Frustration with progress, trouble with a classmate, injuries, school stress, time conflicts with a party, disagreements with an instructor, changing personal priorities as they get older and, more recently, the challenge to transition to zoom classes. None of these are unique to Kung Fu, of course, and they are a natural part of being engaged in any activity of this kind.

However, these bumps can, and have, triggered times where the spark was lost and the motivation to keep going hit a low. Here are three thoughts on how to help your child get through those times:

• At WKFA we often emphasize the seriousness of Kung Fu. The discipline. The need for diligent practice. However, having fun is just as important. Without it, staying engaged for the long haul is tough. While kids will benefit from a nudge to practice at home or to go to class after a long day at school, there is nothing wrong with the occasional silliness.
• Kids grow and their Kung Fu grows with them. They become stronger. Their moves look crisper. Their punches get faster. They become more willing to put in hard work towards their progress. However, this evolution is not linear. There might be times where progress is slow and then they’ll surprise you with a sudden leap. Watching this as a parent took patience and sometimes pushing too hard turned out to be counterproductive.
• You are not on your own. From personal experience, I know that the instructors, and Sigung Dave in particular, are always available to discuss your child’s progress with you and will work with you through any rough patches.

Ultimately, every child will go through their own personal Kung Fu journey. Some will be in it for the long haul, others will see their priorities change over time. All of them will carry with them lasting benefits of their training. Let’s help them get the most out of Kung Fu.

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by Sifu (Dr.) Rikin Patel MD

In our last article, Watch for the Ego Trap: Part I, we introduced the concept of the “Ego Trap” which is a motivational dilemma caused when an overestimation of our abilities that eventually leads us to recognize there is a gap in what is expected of us and what is in fact reality. This can either be self-imposed or placed on us by others. This leads to avoiding the challenge that awaits us for fear of not living up to the above normal expectations that has been created.

So, let’s apply this information to our children’s or our own Kung Fu training. First, set the bar at a reasonable level. This doesn’t mean we don’t push ourselves or encourage our children. It means to set the bar just ahead of where you are now where you are actually quite confident you can get to rather than a very high distance from where you are. We can understand this very easily by simply looking at New Year’s resolutions. Research shows that the one of the most common reasons for dropped resolutions is having unreasonable expectations.

One small example from my training is my use of the centre split stretcher. It has a wheel that I turn to push my legs out further. I’ll shoot for rotating the wheel just a few degrees or a centimetre further than the previous time. For stances that could mean, one inch lower, for a new form that could mean adding one more move and for a form you know it could mean doing it faster, adding pauses or kicking just a little bit higher. Over a week or month it may seem like very little progress but watch the difference over 6 months to a year. Now you’re talking. Keep in mind that practice makes progress!

Avoiding the ego trap for parents they may want to consider a different approach that might look this as one example. “Tommy, school is different these days and the demands are greater. Given you won’t be able to practice your Kung Fu enough over the next 6 months to get ready to grade we don’t expect you to be ready for the next grading.” Remember children and teens love rising to a challenge and our goal as parents is create hunger and a desire to excel.

A reminder for both parents and students is that we all have three needs to succeed:

1. Autonomy or the sense we are driving our own ship.
2. Competence or the feeling I can do this well.
3. Relatedness, both to yourself and others. It’s the feeling of closeness and connection with those that matter to you.

Reflect on these needs in your life.

It’s great to watch those that are better than us for motivation, let’s just work on getting out of the mentality of constantly comparing ourselves to others. It’s not easy but from my 30 plus years of training Kung Fu it promotes longevity and one of the easiest ways to help us rise above the ego trap.

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