Sibok Lloyd Fridenburg

Editorial

At WKFA our adult program is truly an “adult” program. We do not differentiate between ages, gender, or size, and there are adjustments to be made when students move to the adult program. Sometimes the biggest adjustment is for parents, especially if their kids are moving into the Advanced program. In some ways this evolution is analogous to the jump from grade 12 to college or university. As an instructor for the advanced adult program, I am privileged to witness both migrations firsthand on a regular basis.

Kids that were top of their class in high school sometimes discover that they’re average when they hit college. In Kung Fu, kids that excelled in the Junior program discover that the expectations of the adult program are more demanding than those of the Junior program. They often need to make serious adjustments to their attitude, training habits, and attention to detail, along with an increased focus on power, accuracy, and commitment to their techniques. They also have three ranks of self-defense to learn before they can even participate in their preliminary adult grading.

It’s important for parents to be aware of the increased demands and commitments so you can help with the transition. One challenge for parents is the necessity to bring kids to class more often; twice a week is no longer adequate. Adult students, especially at an advanced rank, are expected to train at least three times per week, and that expectation increases as they begin to think about grading. I remember years ago, when my own boys were actively training; in one year, between their training and my own training, I spent more money on gas than I did on memberships. But sometimes that’s what it takes to help your kids be successful.

When kids head off to college, they quickly discover that profs or administrators do not speak with their parents about grades or issues, they speak directly to the student. The same applies to the adult program at WKFA. For the most part, instructors communicate with the student; not with their parents. This is done to instill a level of trust and maturity, and it can help form the foundation for independence that will become necessary in the years ahead. Some students need to be gently guided, while others need a more disciplined approach, but most rise to the challenge and flourish in the adult program. As an instructor it’s gratifying to watch timid, or sometimes cocky, kids morph into strong, independent, adults over a couple of years.

Another tough concept is that Kung Fu is a process with no specific destination, other than continuous improvement. There are milestones along the way, but the timing of those milestones is mercurial; they may need to change to adapt to external life circumstances, like school or work. I’ve seen many very talented students leave Kung Fu over the years because advancement became more about pleasing their parents than in fulfilling their own desires. Kung Fu training in the adult program provides a valuable growth experience as kids transition to young adults.

Support your kids and guide your kids when they jump to the adult program, but remember that at WKFA we no longer consider them to be kids; they are young adults. We are teaching them to become martial artists, and that is much, much more than the ability to kick, punch, and learn forms. Letting them find their own way, make their own mistakes, and discover their own solutions pays dividends down the road.

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Sigung’s Corner

I find myself continually inspired by people that smash through the limits of human potential. I remind students of all ages that we are capable of so much more than we know. Learning about people that rise to seemingly impossible heights motivates us to improve in our daily lives.

Last winter, I wrote about the famous mountain climber, Alex Honnold. This fall, a fellow Black Sash enlightened me about Wim Hof and his method. To be honest, when he first e-mailed me about him, I had to go to Google (I didn’t even know it was a person’s name). Since then, I’ve been obsessed with learning more about the “Iceman” and how he achieved mind-blowing feats. Wim Hof set 26 Guinness World Records! Notably, he swam 57 meters under arctic ice in a pair of shorts! He climbed to 7,200 metres on Mount Everest wearing just shorts and shoes. He also ran a full marathon in the Namib desert with no water.

Hof is categorized as an “extreme athlete” (you think?). While his acts seem unachievable from our vantage, what I find most intriguing is the method he devised which moves people worldwide to better mental and physical health and their own amazing accomplishments. His method instantly drew me in, as it is rooted in Eastern breathing and meditation techniques and even incorporates the horse stance (mind you barefoot in snow!). Here is a link to a short documentary that really shot his method into the global spotlight.

At the time of this writing, I’ve practiced his method every day for the past month. I feel completely invigorated! With only a short daily time investment, it yields amazing results. Author Scott Carney travelled to meet Hof with the goal of debunking his method. In the process he ended up becoming a believer. His book is called What Doesn’t Kill Us. It sheds a lot of light on the specifics of the method and the science behind it.

The crux of the book is that exposing our body and mind to environmental challenges will cause us to adapt to become stronger individuals. This concept resonates greatly with everything I’ve learned and experienced during my years training Kung Fu. Furthermore, all my martial arts teachers have emphasized the importance of proper breathing; it happens without our thought, yet, with our consciousness, we can control it and experience the many benefits.

With the early onset of Winter this year, the discovery and practice of this method seems very well timed to not just survive the cold but to grow from it. Unless we move to warmer climes, we have no control over the weather we face this season. We can, however, like our breathing, control our mindset. This really illuminates the essence of life: focus on what you can control, embrace challenges and be positive. Spend some time learning about Wim and his method and prepare to approach each day with vigour, discipline and confidence in what you can achieve!

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Sifu Cristina Prudencio-Brunello

Youth Student’s Corner

We often hear that we need to practice something in order to get better at it – Kung Fu is no exception. But knowing how to practice is just as important. So, I thought I would share a strategy I find helpful when practicing – checklists!

Checklists are a great way to improve your Kung Fu, and you can make individual checklists for the different moves you learn (stances, kicks, hand strikes, blocks, etc.). When you continuously remind yourself of the details of each technique, they become ingrained in your mind. Plus, if you practice your Kung Fu with good form and technique, your body will turn it into muscle memory, which means your good Kung Fu will become automatic!

So, what should you put on these checklists? I like to ask myself what makes that stance, kick, or block strong, and then I can come up with a small list of the most important details of the technique. For example, here is a checklist my students and I created in the Novice class:

Horse Stance Checklist

• Step out with left foot and double tiger claw, double backfist.
• Legs double shoulder-width apart.
• Knees bent.
• Feet pointed straight forward.
• Back straight.
• Hands chambered (in good fists of course!).
• Eyes forward.
• Don’t fidget!
• Only think about horse stance.

If you can check all these boxes, then your horse stance will be very strong. It might seem like a big list to keep in your head, but when you continuously remind yourself of these details, they will become habits. Eventually, you will be able to stop thinking so much about keeping your back straight, because your body will automatically do it. Pretty cool, right?

I will leave you all with a challenge: pick a technique you struggle with in Kung Fu and see if you can create a checklist of its most important details. Don’t be afraid to ask your instructors if they have suggestions on how to improve your technique (that’s what we are here for!). Then, practice your technique, and think about the checklist as you do. You can also start by focusing on just one detail, then adding more as they become easier.

A great technique that parents can use to help younger students practice. Happy practicing!

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Sifu Jeremy Norris

Junior Student’s Corner

It is said that within every journey one must take a step back in order to move forward. In a sense this can be summed up to, everyone must fail to succeed. In terms of our Kung Fu journey we must look at what roadblocks may come our way and overcome them.

The roadblock of not being able to do a technique. Many of us seem to come by this one all too often. Perhaps in class you are learning something new, but you just can’t seem to wrap your head around it. What we need to avoid doing in this situation, is getting in our heads. You do not want to think “I can’t do this” or “this is too difficult”. What you want to do is stay positive and keep trying. Yeah, maybe you still don’t get the move, but at least you tried.

The roadblock of failing an evaluation. Now this roadblock may look different to some people. Yes, it could very well mean not being successful in earning your next rank, or for others this could just mean not getting your form stripe or even not getting to learn more in your form. Whatever the case is, the same rules apply. This is the classic example of learning from our failures. If you wonder why you did not succeed, ask your instructors. Don’t be afraid to ask, and then learn from it. The biggest mistake a student can make is not improving on their failures.

For junior and youth students, the roadblock may be not moving into the same classes as your friends. Now within Kung Fu we tend to train with a specific group of people. This group we stay close with and move through the ranks with, but what happens when it’s time for them to move up and not you? Well in this situation we must think about our individual journeys. Yes, it is important to have those training partners, but everyone moves at their own rate. We must realize this and understand that just because someone else is ready to move up doesn’t mean you are.

When looking at the journey we take in Kung Fu there are many roadblocks that one will hit. Some will be small, and some will be big. It is what we do in these situations that are key to our evolution. To keep the solution simple, we can say that one must keep an open-minded approach and evolve to each situation ahead of them. If keeping this mindset applied each roadblock met will be overcome.

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Sifu Rebecca Knapp

Adult Student’s Corner

With the holidays approaching taking some time off from your Kung Fu training and fitness routines in general may be inevitable, whether it’s due to the height of cold and flu season, social commitments, family traditions, shopping, or inclement weather.

Be mindful though, that it doesn’t take long for the body to start losing muscle memory, strength, speed, endurance, aerobic power and anaerobic capacity. In just days or weeks some of these can start to decline—“use it or lose it” is truer than you may think, and it could take longer to get it back.

Key points:

1. If you’re not training for more than a month (<4 weeks is considered “short term” by some research standards), expect that your metabolism will change (meaning you will start to burn less fat and store more of it.)
2. Certain aspects of your “fitness” are impacted sooner than others during a training “hiatus”. For instance, if you tend to focus more on cardio vs strength training, you’ll start losing your mojo faster. Cardiovascular fitness is measured by how much of the oxygen that you take in, actually gets used (it’s called VO2 max). Somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks off, that VO2 max really starts to slide steadily downhill until it eventually levels off.

In terms of strength, you’ve got more time on your side – effects on strength are pretty minimal in the first two weeks.

3. How long you’ve been training for makes a difference in how much of a hit your skill and fitness level will take. The longer you’ve been training (consistently), the longer you’ll maintain your fitness.

Here’s what you can do to minimize the loss of your martial prowess: 

1. Try to fit in some short, intense workouts.If possible, just cut down the frequency of your training by one or two thirds, and commit to a few short training sessions but keep the intensity up. The key is not how often or how long you work out for, but how intense. You can feasibly stave off losses to your cardiovascular fitness by doing a few short intense workouts. Make a schedule if it helps and stick to it.
2. Train with someone – so you have another person to hold you accountable and to motivate you when it’s too easy to say “skip it”.
3. Train in your brain. I always know that I KNOW a technique or form when I can do it in my mind in great and precise detail.
4. If you have to choose between an aerobic or strength focus, worry more about cardio. Remember it’s the cardio system that declines faster than your strength.
5. For every decadent treat you stuff into your face, drop and do 20 pushups!
6. Eat your entire Christmas dinner in Horse-stance. OK, now I’m just being silly.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

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By Guest Contributor, Sifu Lorna Hayward

Parent’s Corner

Dedication, determination and perseverance are traits we work so hard to instill in our kids—and must work hard to keep going in our own lives! Enthusiasm can be such a fleeting thing for everyone, and no less so for our kids. Even as adults, we must push ourselves through to keep doing things until we find our enthusiasm again. Whether that is starting a project with great energy, only to have to push through to finish it, or starting an exercise program with immense resolve, then having to force ourselves to keep going.

How do we inspire our kids to keep going when they lose enthusiasm? Everyone hits plateaus in their training, not just the kids. As teachers, we try to spark the enthusiasm when we can see the energy and resolve lagging, but we only have them for a short time each week. There are some ways you can help us help your kids stay energized for Kung Fu.

Sometimes we hear from parents that their kids are losing interest because they aren’t progressing fast enough. We work very hard to help our students understand the concept of ‘you get out of it what you put into it’, but children definitely have a harder time grasping the responsibility of this. We try to set very clear goals in what each student needs to achieve in order to progress, but if your child doesn’t know what they need to do, they (or you) are welcome to ask! We pride ourselves on not just pushing people through the ranks, so each and every student can know that their rank was achieved through their own hard work and determination. However, we can also tell who is practicing and who is not. Perhaps marking on the calendar when the next grading is and highlighting the cut-off date to be on the grading list (2 weeks prior) will inspire your child to set some home training goals.

Watching their class to see how they are behaving could also give you some insight into their progress (but don’t stand at the top of the stairs). As a parent, I know that this can also be a very frustrating thing! I have watched my kids in classes when they were coming through the ranks, so please know that I sympathize fully. However, it did help me to be able to talk to my kids with individual examples of what they did well and what they could set as a goal to work on. I had 3 of my children come through Kung Fu, and all 3 are very different humans, with very different needs.

Unfortunately, there is no one answer to what you ‘should’ do for your child. Each person is an individual, and this journey is a lot of trial and error. If your child is fighting you every class because they don’t want to come, please feel free to talk to us. Sometimes, the answer might be that they just need to try their best in every class, but sometimes it might help us to look harder for a way to reach your child and re-ignite the spark. Together we can do great things!

If it’s grey, stay away! You will notice that the mats in the lobby do not extend all the way from the shoe rack to the bottom of the stairs. That’s intentional, because we need to keep a section of floor at the bottom of the stairs clean and dry so that dirt, salt, and water don’t get tracked into the kwoon. Please don’t reposition the mats or walk on the grey flooring with your shoes or boots.

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