Fu-For-You Spring 2024 Archives - Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

The Mercurial Nature of Perfection

Ash Kreider — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 02:24:36 +0000

The Mercurial Nature of Perfection

Editorial

by Sibok Lloyd Fridenburg
Fu For You Spring 2024

The mercurial nature of perfection can be like a mispositioned light luring victims onto the rocks; or it can be a shining beacon that beckons us ever closer. Perfection is just an illusion because just as we reach out to touch it it moves further away. The pursuit of perfection can be both a blessing and a curse. Over the years we have attracted many students who, in other facets of their lives, are at the pinnacle of their endeavors. That may be school for our younger students, or professional endeavors for those a bit older.

I have had conversations with younger students over the years who were upset because they were given 98% on an exam when they felt they were entitled to more. For those of us that always struggled just to stay in the C range this seems completely absurd, but for the individual it may seem like the difference that will enable their chosen career path. It is the pursuit of perfection, and some professions demand perfection. Would you like to be operated on by a surgeon that passed med school with a 70% average? Would you want to drive across a bridge designed by an engineer that graduated at the bottom of their class?

No matter what program you are currently enrolled in, Youth, Junior, or Adult, the high ideals of academic pursuits can clash with the perception that you will be equally successful in physical pursuits. I have taught students over the years that I would consider extremely high achievers that seemed to have the golden touch regardless of the task before them, but they are rare. Most struggle with the clash between academic and physical perfection.

Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. We may look at a world class athlete, scientist, doctor, or engineer, and think they are perfect in their field, but because of that elusive master called perfection, they may feel that they are inadequate.

Perfectionists tend to strive for that elusive pinnacle in all aspects of their lives and often come to realize that the pursuit of both physical and academic perfection may not be a personal possibility, a realization that can be very frustrating for some. It is sad to see very promising students give up because their physical ability could not equal their academic ability, even though I might consider their skills to be near the top for their rank. Therein lies the problem; they were close to the top, but not at the top.

For some success comes easy, while others struggle every step of the way. I would encourage you to strive for personal excellence in your Kung Fu pursuits, rather than the elusive notion of perfection. I view excellence as always trying to improve while still accepting your limitations and capabilities, and never compare your own ability or accomplishments to those of others. If you are attaining your personal Kung Fu goals, or constantly working towards them, you are reaching towards that very attainable personal excellence.

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Make Time to Take Care of Yourself

Ash Kreider — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 02:15:38 +0000

Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Spring 2024

My eldest daughter (and current Fu for You Youth columnist) Chantal, presented me with a challenge: to do 2000 push-ups between Feb 1 and Feb 23. Being a proponent of push-ups (ha ha), I immediately agreed to her challenge.

As February drew closer and I was preparing to start the challenge, I discovered it was actually an initiative promoting mental health (and even administered via an app and website that you could do as a team). The app guides you through a set goal each day with consideration for a gradual build up to more and more daily push-ups and the ever-important rest days. The daily push-up goals were also tied to significant figures pertaining to mental health statistics. For example, on day twelve, we had to do 75 push-ups and we learned that approximately 75% of lives lost to suicide are male.

Around the same time as the challenge, our instructor team recertified with St. John Ambulance (SJA) for Emergency First Aid and CPR. During our years as instructors, many of us have certified many times over (we also require certification as part of the process to earn a Black Sash). This year, the course was offered in-house by one of our very own Red Sashes, who represents SJA. We opted for a blended learning format, whereby half is done in person and half online through eleven different modules. The eleventh module was Mental Health Awareness, which tied in well with the push-up challenge. I think I’ve personally been certified in Emergency First Aid about eight times, but this was the first time I saw this area addressed so specifically,

The module provided some useful guidance on how to be a better communicator. Specifically, it gave tools on how to be a more mindful and empathetic listener. I think this is relevant to the practice of Kung Fu, as we strive to be present in all we do, not to mention respectful – especially of those in our Academy community. While we always aim to improve ourselves each day, I am currently very proud of how the community at the Academy treats ands supports one another.

I chose to open Chantal’s push-up challenge to the Academy. Several students and instructors leapt aboard and we were off to the races. It was fun to have this daily goal and be accountable to one another. I think this an important aspect of maintaining good mental health (I wrote about Accountability several years ago too).

While engaged in the challenge and course, I reflected and learned more about taking care of yourself as a someone who is regularly around people working through mental health challenges. It is important to self-monitor and to have outlets for maintaining your own well being too, including emotional, spiritual, mental and physical strategies to stay healthy.

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The Push-Up Challenge

Find out more about The Push-Up Challenge, with the option to fundraise, and push yourself to join our team!

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5 Tips To Make Sparring Less Scary

Ash Kreider — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 02:10:18 +0000

Youth Student’s Corner

by Chantal Moylan
Fu For You Spring 2024

Sparring can be scary, whether you’re just starting or you’ve been sparring for a while. Luckily there are lots of ways to make sparring more fun:

Sparring is Like a Game

Think of it like a game of tag. The goal is to touch your partner’s tee-shirt. See how fast you can touch the tee-shirt and how many times you touch it. You can count and try and get a new high score every time you spar. You can also count how many times your partner touches your shirt.

Practice Sparring Combinations

Sometimes sparring can seem scary because you’re not sure what techniques to use or you freeze up. Practicing combinations and techniques before you spar can help with this. You can make up a combination of 3 moves and practice it 5 times every day. That way when you spar you have at least 3 moves. You can make up more combinations as you get better at sparring and find out which moves work best. You can get your parents to hold pillows or equipment to practice your techniques. I would also recommend practicing your follow step footwork and shadow boxing at home.

Start with Friends

I know when I was just learning how to spar, it helped me to start by sparring with friends I had in my Kung Fu classes. That way, you will already feel more comfortable and it will be easier to communicate with them. You should let them know whether they should go lighter, harder, faster or slower.

Ask to Spar to Get More Experience

Sparring more often can also make it less scary. Now, you may be wondering: how can I spar more often if I can’t spar outside of Kung Fu? It may seem like you don’t spar very often at Kung Fu because we have lots of other techniques to learn. You can always request to spar in classes by talking to your instructor before class. Depending on the teacher they will either add some sparring into your class or plan to do sparring for another week.

Spar with Good Control

The last tip is to make sure you have good control when you spar. Only hit as hard as you’re willing to be hit back. This may sound weird but if you hit your partners really hard they might also start hitting you harder. I’m not saying don’t hit them at all but make sure you have good control when you are sparring. Another thing is to make sure you communicate with your partner. If they are hitting too hard, tell them (and listen to what they tell you).

These tips should help your sparring become easier, however, it can still be scary. Sparring usually gets easier once you get more experienced with it. Hopefully this article can help you become more comfortable with sparring sooner. I know a lot of these tips have helped me, so maybe they can help you too!

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Weapons 101: Weapons Are Not Toys

Ash Kreider — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 02:07:55 +0000

Junior Student’s Corner

by Sifu Charlie Romeo
Fu For You Spring 2024

When you start to use weapons in your training, it’s imperative that you first understand this most important rule: weapons are not toys. You must adopt the mindset that focuses on effectively wielding and controlling a weapon, rather than playing with it. Even within our safe and controlled environment, accidents can happen. Therefore, each of us bear the responsibility to use our weapons with the intended purpose, minimizing the risk of harm to others or ourselves. While there is room for enjoyment in learning the use of weapons, you still must have the correct mindset. Learning a new weapon is an exciting milestone in your Kung Fu journey but it should not be taken for granted – just like driving, it’s a privilege, not a right.

Once you understand the proper motivation for using weapons, you need to practice with it… a lot. Picking up your first weapon in Kung Fu is comparable to your first ever Kung Fu class; it’s an entirely new dimension of training that your body isn’t used to. To begin, find an open space that offers minimal risk of damage to anyone or anything, and allow your movements to flow naturally. Or better yet, your instructors can guide you through drills tailored to your specific weapon which will enhance your learning.

You will often hear instructors say that a weapon should be an extension of your body; what does that mean? Think of how you throw a punch or a kick. Using your weapon should be just as seamless as that, with the same accuracy, fluidity, and intent. Much like the symbolic relationship between a cyclist and their bike, ample practice with a weapon allows you to utilize all aspects of it with comfort and control, as if it were a part of your physicality. Next time you use any of your weapons, visualize them as a literal extension of your body. If this is challenging, dedicate more time to practicing until this unity is seamless.

We work with many different weapons in our style of Kung Fu. This includes the staff, tonfa, double daggers, sais, single broadsword, double broadswords, and butterfly swords. These are the weapons that you will learn to utilize on your journey to black sash, which can be sorted into two categories: close range and long range. Close range weapons are those whose optimal range is generally within your typical punching and kicking range. Long range weapons are those that extend past that range. Take the time to consider how each of your weapons are used and try to sort them into the two categories on your own.

It’s natural to be excited about using weapons in Kung Fu, but treating them as toys reveals a misguided mindset (if you still don’t know what that means, start rereading from the beginning). I hope this article is useful in understanding how to achieve the correct mindset for weapons use, and that you can still have (serious) fun with the learning process.

See all of the articles about Kung-Fu Weapons.

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Reflecting on the Year that Was to Prepare for the Year to Come

Ash Kreider — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 02:00:33 +0000

Adult Student’s Corner

by Sifu D’arcy Langois
Fu For You Spring 2024

With the turn of the year behind us (in two calendars no less), now is a great time to look back on the year that was, as you prepare to focus on the year to come. Those of you that have followed my articles over the past year know that I’ve taken a deeper look into the mental side of our Kung Fu training. Surprise! This is what it was all leading toward: an accurate and honest self-reflection of your Kung Fu journey during the last calendar year. Before continuing on, I encourage you to create a quick list for yourself focusing on the following:

Three things you are proud to have accomplished in your Kung Fu journey.
Three things that you feel you could have done better.
Three ways in which you improved the most as a Martial Artist.

You’ve got your list? Excellent! That’s a great start, but obviously there is a larger list lurking somewhere within you. Hopefully the nine things you’ve written down are a good summation of your year. I also hope that in looking at those points, you feel a sense of accomplishment that helps inspire you to continue along the path this coming year.

The Academy celebrates the turn of the year with an outing designed to bring the student body together and enjoy a night of community. This event, officially labelled the Awards Party, is the night the Academy collectively looks back on the year that was. We do this with great food, great company, great demonstrations, and a handful of awards recognizing some few members of the student body. Is winning an award exciting? Yes! Is it an honour? Definitely! Is winning an award the driving force behind your training? It shouldn’t be. The recognition of your hard work in the form of an award is great, but it shouldn’t be the defining moment of your Kung Fu journey. Lao Tzu says, “Care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner”, and remember awards are granted from the outside, not by your own self. It all comes back to your mental training, and the only person you should be vying against is your previous self (hint: the Focus Points are a great measuring stick).

So now we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year, with a clean slate of opportunities ahead of us. In your year of training to come, I’ve got something for you to try: Think about an Award from our party that you would most like to give yourself. You’d like to be the Most Dedicated? That’s amazing! Try to find more time to attend classes at the academy than you did in the previous year. Most Improved? Find more time to train than the previous year, thereby improving more as a Martial Artist.

Be honest with yourself and use the Focus Points to keep your mental training active and see if you can win the award against your previous self.

Explore all of our Kung-Fu Focus Points.

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Eating and Kung Fu

Ash Kreider — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 01:53:45 +0000

Parent’s Corner

by Sije Veronica Sas
Fu For You Spring 2024

It is never a good sign when your child stops in the middle of a Kung Fu class because they’ve developed a cramp. This is often due to food, both what was eaten, when they ate it, and how much. When it comes to your child, you no doubt try to make sure they eat a balanced diet. On days that your child has Kung Fu class, you might also want to consider if they have time to digest their meal before class. A class warmup normally has an aerobic portion to it and eating too much, or something hard to digest, right before class could cause stomach problems. When my daughter first started Kung Fu, she often got cramps when running or doing stride jumps. Now that we’ve adjusted what and when she eats on Kung Fu days, it doesn’t happen as often. Since the Academy runs classes starting as early as 4pm during the week, it is inevitable that some classes are held over the dinner hour.

Due to the way the Youth and Junior programs are scheduled, each have their own challenges when it comes to food. During the week, Little Ninja and Youth classes are typically held sometime between when your child is done school to before they eat dinner. Even if they don’t eat dinner beforehand, your child will no doubt want to eat a snack before class. Light, easy to digest snacks such as a piece of fruit or a granola bar are a good choice. Junior classes tend to be held around the dinner hour. These students will eat dinner either before or after class, depending on the family. If your child eats before class, it is important to give them enough time to digest. I find for my daughter; she needs to eat about 1.5 hours before class starts.

It is also important to think about what your child is eating before a grading. Gradings can be thought of as a long, intense Kung Fu class. Your child needs to have enough energy to do their best for the entire afternoon. Although there might be a break in the middle of a grading, it is meant to get a drink of water and use the bathroom, not to have a snack! When both my daughter and I have graded in the past, we usually have a big pasta meal the night before. The day of the grading, we have a big, healthy breakfast and then 2 hours before grading starts, we have a lighter but filling lunch.

One last important aspect of food and your child’s training is hydration. Hydration is always important when exercising, but it becomes doubly so during the hot summer months or for a Kung Fu grading. Remember that thirst is a sign of dehydration! Your child should start increasing their water intake during the summer or a few days before a grading, to keep them hydrated during their training.

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Trust yourself. Create the kind of life you will be happy to live with all your life.

Ash Kreider — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 01:41:13 +0000

Trust yourself. Create the kind of life you will be happy to live with all your life.

“Trust yourself. Create the kind of life you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into the flames of achievement.”

Foster C McClellan

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Your 2023 Academy Award Winners

Blue Orchard — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 15:08:08 +0000

Your 2023 Academy Award Winners

Our 2023 Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy Award Winners

Congratulations to all who received awards! Our 2023 academy awards were announced at our 2024 Family Awards Party.

See the Award Winner Photo Gallery below!

MOST IMPROVED ADULT NOVICE STUDENT
Dawn

MOST DEDICATED ADULT STUDENT
Nicholas

MOST IMPROVED ADULT STUDENT
Lawrentina

ADULT STUDENT OF THE YEAR
Upani

BLACK SASH INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR
Sifu Anne

SIGUNG BOB SCHNEIDER MEMORIAL AWARD
Maia

MOST IMPROVED YOUTH NOVICE STUDENT
Arya

MOST DEDICATED YOUTH STUDENT
Dylan

MOST IMPROVED YOUTH STUDENT
Shelby

YOUTH STUDENT OF THE YEAR
Charlie

LITTLE NINJA WARRIOR SPIRIT AWARD
Bradley

MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR NOVICE STUDENT
Paris

MOST DEDICATED JUNIOR STUDENT
Chantal

MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR STUDENT
Xander

JUNIOR STUDENT OF THE YEAR
Gabriella

JUNIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Victor

Our Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy Award Categories

Every year the academy gives out awards in the following categories for Adult, Junior, Youth and Little Ninja students:

Student of the Year: this award is presented to the student who best reflects the spirit of Kung Fu. This student is a true role model dedicated to furthering the art of Kung Fu through both training habits and attitude towards the art and fellow students.

Most Improved Student: This award is presented to the student who has shown the most significant improvement in their Kung Fu abilities over the past 12 months.

Most Dedicated Student: This award is presented to the student who gives that little extra to help the school, as well as their fellow students, throughout the year.

Most Improved Novice Student: This is the student who has shown the most significant improvement during their first few months of training.

Sigung Bob Schneider Memorial Award: This award is presented to the outstanding leadership team member. Sigung was always passionate about grooming future leaders.

Black Sash Instructor of the Year: This award is not necessarily awarded on an annual basis; only when it becomes apparent that one instructor, for a variety of reasons, raises a notch above the rest.

2023 Academy Award Winner Photo Gallery

2023 Youth and Little Ninja Award Winners