We consider our in-house tournament an important part of our curriculum.

Regardless of belt level, we steadfastly train our Kung-Fu so that we can be our personal best. The tournament allows us as a Kung-Fu family to celebrate the effort we put in together by individually presenting our forms to the school and to the family and friends who join us.

While we do mark each student and award medals accordingly for those that place the highest, the real reward is knowing that you can perform your Kung-Fu individually and be recognized for the hard work you have put in.

Our sparring, horse and crane stance, and agile staff competitions offer another way that we can encourage each other to do well under pressure—a valuable lesson at any age!

We look forward to sharing this experience with you!

The post 27th WKFA Spring Invitational Tournament – Sun. Apr 26, 2026 appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

by Sije Veronica Sas
Fu For You Spring 2026

Waterloo Kung Fu Academy now has a new version of the Student Handbook for sale in the office. If your child has been at the Academy for a few years, you might already have an older, still usable copy. However, if your child is newer to the school, I recommend getting a copy.  If you train at the Academy with your child, it is advisable to get two separate Handbooks as the included information is different between the Youth/Junior and Adult Handbooks. If you have the Handbook, hopefully you have gone through it with your child. If you have not, I thought I would highlight some of the information it contains that is important for parents.  

One of the important sections for parents is the Rules and Etiquette. This section explains some of the procedures at WKFA This section talks about arriving for class early, how there is a ‘push up penalty’ for being late and that if class has already started, your child would need to wait in a closed stance by the entrance to the Kwoon until invited in. It also explains where to store all your child’s belongings before class. This section also goes over some safety points, such as how nails should be trimmed and there should be no jewellery or watches worn while training. There is also a section that specifically talks about sparring at the Academy. If you have any reservation about that part of your child’s training, I recommend reading it fully and asking any questions you might have.

In addition to Kung Fu Classes, WKFA also has different groups that run throughout the year. The Handbook has detailed information about the Leadership Team, which are the higher-ranking students that help with classes, Competition Team, where students will train over the course of months to compete at different tournaments and the Demonstration Team, who perform in front of audiences to showcase what our academy does. The Handbook also has information about our Lion Dance Team, March Break and Summer Camps and the Board Breaking Seminar that is held once a year in June.

For your child, the Youth/Student Handbook contains all the requirements of both the Youth and Junior Programs. This is different from the Adult Handbook, where adult students will only receive their new requirements as they progress in rank. If your child is thinking about grading, they will need to know and be able to execute all their requirements at their level. Knowing what these requirements are is the easiest way to do this. If your child is unsure of any of the requirements, they can ask an instructor. In addition to knowing the requirements for their current level, Youth and Junior students do have the opportunity to look ahead to what the higher ranks are learning. Perhaps it will motivate them to keep improving just so they can learn that new skill! 

The post The “New” Student Handbook appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

Little Ninjas & Youth Student March Break Camp

Ages: 4–10 Years
Week: March 16–20, 2026

WKFA Little Ninja & Youth Students, Buddies, Family Members (Ages 4–10) are welcome—camp is open to non-training family members and buddies! Choose morning-only or full-day camp.

MORNINGS: Instructional Kung-Fu Camp

Drop off: 8:30am–8:45am
Camp: 8:45am–11:45am
Pick up: 11:45am–12:00pm

Snack: Please bring your own healthy snack and water bottle.

MORNINGS: Costs

Daily Cost: $55 +HST
Daily Family Discount: subsequent children of same family, $47 +HST

Weekly Cost: $275 +HST
Weekly Family Discount: subsequent children of same family, $235 +HST

 

FULL DAYS: Instructional Kung-Fu Camp

Drop off: 8:30am–8:45am
Camp: 8:45am–3:00pm
Pick up: 3:00pm–3:15pm

Lunch & Snacks: Please bring your own healthy lunch, snacks, and water bottle.

FULL DAYS: Costs

Daily Cost: $75 +HST
Daily Family Discount: subsequent children of same family, $66 +HST

Weekly Cost: $375 +HST
Weekly Family Discount: subsequent children of same family, $330 +HST

Five-Day Camp:

Mon, March 16 – Fri, March 20, 2026

Spaces are Limited so sign up today!

Ready to Register?

• Please complete the March Break Camp Sign-up Form >
• Then follow up with payment via an Email Money Transfer. (Please direct any questions about payment to the WKFA office.)
• Also, please be sure to read our Cancellation Policy >

Questions?

All sessions are conducted by Sifu Anne with the support of Leadership Team Members.

Please contact us: WKFA.camps@gmail.com

The post MARCH BREAK CAMP 2026! appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

by Sifu Veronica Sas
Fu For You – Winter 2025-26

For the last few newsletters, I’ve shared my reflections on what students at the Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy learn in addition to the physical aspects of Kung Fu. This will be the third and final installment of that series.

Resilience & Perseverance

Perseverance is the ability to keep going, despite difficulties. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and challenges. While training at the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy hopefully your child will grow in both these areas. For example, sometimes a student will struggle with a certain technique or skill. Through perseverance, practice, and with some instruction, they will get better at it. The only way to get better at something is to practice!

Kung Fu gradings are meant to be a challenge. Your child’s perseverance will hopefully grow as they advance in rank. More advanced ranks are expected to know more forms and more difficult techniques, which they will then perform in each grading. Your child’s resilience might also grow during the lead up to a grading. Perhaps your child was hoping to get on the current grading list, but the instructor thought they were not quite ready. It’s difficult when you’re hoping for something, but the answer is no. The easiest thing for your child to do is to “sulk” and perhaps not even want to do Kung Fu anymore. It shows resilience if your child keeps practicing and learns from the experience. Hopefully with the extra practice they will be ready for the next grading and easily pass it.

Patience

Patience is one of those skills that seem hard to improve and can apply to everything. In Kung Fu, new forms and sequences are taught a few moves at a time. Teaching moves a few at a time helps the student remember them in the long term. This can be frustrating when your child must practice those couple of moves repeatedly and not learn anything else until the next class. The time it takes between gradings can also help teach patience. There are a specific minimum class attendance and months required at each rank that must fulfilled before a student can be put on the grading list. Even if your child knows and can perform all their current requirements, if they have not met the time requirement, they will have to wait.

Also, as your child goes up in rank, the techniques they learn will become harder. There is a good chance it will take them longer to be able to properly do them and so the time between gradings will increase. Another way that patience might be tested and improved upon is if your child must miss a scheduled grading due to illness or conflict.  The only thing to be done is to wait for the next grading opportunity. Waiting is never easy, but it will teach them patience and hopefully their Kung Fu will be even better for the waiting!

Winter Raffle Youth Activity Sheet >
Winter Raffle Junior Activity Sheet >
Submit your completed activity sheet by January 16th!

Read the entire Series:

1. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 1: Discipline | Respect
2. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 2: Responsibility | Self-Confidence
3. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 3: Resilience & Perseverance | Patience

The post What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 3 appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

by Sifu Veronica Sas
Fu For You Fall 2025

In my last newsletter article, What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 1, I discussed the different ways in which Kung fu helps your child grow. This article will cover responsibility and self-confidence.

Responsibility

Instructors at the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy expect their Youth and Junior Students to take responsibility for themselves. Many children expect their parents to do everything for them, so this is a great way to teach them how to be responsible and self-reliant in all aspects of their life. For Kung Fu, this includes things like practicing at home, getting to class on time, having their belt or sash and all necessary equipment with them. It is important to try and let your child remember things for themselves, but little reminders never hurt.

Things like getting to class on time (or early) and remembering their belt/sash are your child’s responsibilities, and they might receive pushups in class if they are not met. Your child is also responsible for practicing at home. This helps with remembering new skills and improving old skills. If your child wishes to grade soon, this is one of the requirements for grading. Our Youth and Junior students receive a grading letter when they are ready for their next rank and one of the boxes that need to be checked states that your child is practicing at home. This can be a great motivation to get your child to practice and is the best way to improve their Kung Fu.

Self-confidence

Some people are naturally more confident than others. Some thrive with being the center of attention while others shy away from it. At the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy, instructors strive to build your child’s self-confidence, making them more confident both in themselves and what they are capable of doing. One way that instructors try to grow a student’s self-confidence is when your child is preparing to grade. The first requirement is to test for their form stripe and that might require them to perform their current forms alone, in front of the entire class. Also, when preparing for a grading, students wishing to grade might be asked to come on the floor to perform a form or sequence while the rest of the class watches. All this is to help build their self-confidence, so that on grading day, they will be more confident and hopefully a little less nervous.

Another great way to help build your child’s confidence is having them compete in our Spring Invitational Tournament. Competing in front of judges and against fellow students is scary, but if your child can manage it, they should become more confident in their skills. Building self-confidence in your child’s martial art ability will also help them build self-confidence in other aspects of life. Hopefully your child will realize that they can do things they never thought they could, it just might take a little bit of effort.

Note from Sibok Lloyd: Children should carry their own equipment bags to and from the car. If Sigung Bob saw parents carrying equipment bags, he used to stop the parents and insist that they give the bag to their child, regardless of their age. Just one more thing that instills a sense of responsibility in younger students.

Read the entire Series:

1. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 1: Discipline | Respect
2. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 2: Responsibility | Self-Confidence
3. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 3: Resilience & Perseverance | Patience

The post What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 2 appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

by Sifu Veronica Sas
Fu For You Summer 2025

Have you ever wondered what exactly your child was learning in class? You might have had a specific reason for signing your child up for Kung Fu such as for exercise or to learn how to defend themselves. Perhaps it was your child’s idea to join. Whatever the reason, Kung Fu is so much more than kicking and punching. At the Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy, your child will also learn: discipline, respect, responsibility, self-confidence, patience, resilience and perseverance. Over the next few articles, I will go more in-depth on each of these subjects. If you wish to learn more about how our classes are structured, I recommend reading Sifu Laurent’s article, What a Typical Kung-Fu Class Looks Like.

Discipline

Like most martial arts, instructors at the Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy expect a certain level of discipline from their students. The simplest example of this is when your child is expected to hold their closed stance without fidgeting. It is hard to stay in a stance without moving and by working on not fidgeting, we are teaching them how to have control over their own bodies. Instructors will often give out push ups if certain expectations are not met. This type of “punishment” is designed to make your child stronger. Push ups are hard, and the more push ups you do, the easier they get. Push ups might be given out if the class has low “spirit’. When an instructor wants more spirit, they want to see the class responding louder and moving places more quickly. This shows that the student is truly listening and wants to learn. Sometimes if the students are not verbally responding to a command, they could be given push ups or they could be made to do the command repeatedly. An example would be running from their spots in line, to the back wall and back again until they realize what they are missing. I’ve also seen discipline done in fun ways, where when a class was too noisy in the weight room, they were made to hold different stances. This made them concentrate on something other than talking with their friends.

Respect

Martial arts are known for demanding respect. One of the biggest ways to show that respect is by bowing. Your child will be expected to bow when entering and exiting the Kwoon. This shows respect to the space in which they will train. Your child will also be expected to be respectful to their fellow classmates and to their instructors. When your child works with another student, you’ll notice that they will bow both before they start and after they are done. This shows respect for your child’s classmate and thanks them for helping them train. Another way Kung Fu students show respect is by addressing instructors and brown sashes by their proper titles. This acknowledges the instructor’s knowledge and appreciation for passing on that knowledge.

Knowledge and respect are core beliefs at Waterloo Kung Fu and not to be taken lightly. They are principles instilled in and demanded from every student and instructor.

Read the entire Series:

1. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 1: Discipline | Respect
2. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 2: Responsibility | Self-Confidence
3. What Are We Teaching Your Child? Part 3: Resilience & Perseverance | Patience

The post What Are We Teaching Your Child? appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

We consider our in-house tournament an important part of our curriculum.

Regardless of belt level, we steadfastly train our Kung-Fu so that we can be our personal best. The tournament allows us as a Kung-Fu family to celebrate the effort we put in together by individually presenting our forms to the school and to the family and friends who join us.

While we do mark each student and award medals accordingly for those that place the highest, the real reward is knowing that you can perform your Kung-Fu individually and be recognized for the hard work you have put in.

Our sparring, horse and crane stance, and agile staff competitions offer another way that we can encourage each other to do well under pressure—a valuable lesson at any age!

We look forward to sharing this experience with you!

The post 26th WKFA Spring Invitational Tournament – Sun. Apr 27, 2025 appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

by Sije Veronica Sas
Fu For You Spring 2025

Even though winter seems to be never ending this year, spring is just around the corner. With spring comes WKFA’s annual Spring Invitational Tournament or “SIT”. This tournament is held at the Academy and for the last few years, students from Kitchener Kicks have also been invited. Kitchener Kicks is the school where our founder Sigung Bob received his black sash and there is still a close relationship between our schools. If your child is new to competitions, this tournament is a great place to start. Your child would compete against students of similar rank and will know many of them as they are in the same class.

If you’ve never seen competitions at WKFA, you might be afraid that the matches can be overly aggressive, like some of the tournaments shown on tv shows. This is not the case! Sparring in WKFA tournaments is like the “Chop Stick Sparring” that the Youth and Junior classes did before Christmas. This is called “Point Sparring” where the match is stopped after each point is earned and goes to a maximum time or point total, whichever comes first. There is also very limited head contact, and no face contact.

Not all students like to compete, and that’s okay. My daughter competed once and didn’t like it. I’m proud of her for trying and won’t force her to do it again, although I still ask each year. Competitions are not a mandatory part of your child’s Kung Fu training, but if your child has never competed before, there are many reasons to encourage them to try it. They won’t truly know what competitions are like until they’ve competed at least once. One big benefit of tournaments is that it helps build self-confidence and teaches your child how to overcome nerves. It is scary to present a form in front of a panel of black sashes, some of which they might not even know. They might not win a medal, and that’s okay too. Everyone can learn from a loss; it is a natural part of life that we do not get to win every time. Tournaments also teach good sportsmanship. Your child might be happy that their friend won instead, or be inspired when they watch older students congratulating each other after their division.

Your child might decide after their first tournament that they love competing. If so, you might consider signing them up for the Competition Team next year. Sign-ups are usually after Christmas, and normally there are three tournaments they compete in. In addition to the WKFA tournament, members can also compete at Kitchener Kicks Karate Maynia and the CKKA tournament. These last two tournaments are bigger and have both Kung Fu and Karate students competing. If your child is interested in tournaments, I recommend taking them to Karate Maynia to watch. It is on May 3, 2025, at the Aud and they can go cheer on our Academy students that are competing!

Get more details and register for the WKFA Spring Invitational Tournament >

The post Tournament Season appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

MARCH BREAK CAMP 2025!

Calling all Youth & Little Ninjas Students!
Our annual March Break Camp provides a fantastic week of fun!

Dates:

Five-Day Camp: Mon, March 10 – Fri, March 14, 2025

Spaces are Limited so sign up today!

Schedule:

Drop off: 8:30am – 8:45am
Camp Begins: 8:45am
Camp Ends: 11:45am
Pick up: 11:45am – 12:00pm 

Ready to Register?

• Please complete the March Break Camp Sign-up Form >
• Then follow up with payment via an Email Money Transfer. (Please direct any questions about payment to the WKFA office.)
• Also, please be sure to read our Cancellation Policy >

Ages 4–10:

WKFA Little Ninja & Youth Students, Buddies, Family Members (Ages 4–10) are welcome—camp is open to non-training family members and buddies!

Cost:

Weekly cost: $275 +HST
Subsequent Children in Same Family $235 +HST

Daily cost: $55 +HST
Subsequent Children in Same Family $47 +HST

Questions?

All sessions are conducted by Sifu Anne, with the support of Leadership Team Members.

Please contact Sifu Anne at: WKFA.camps@gmail.com 

Daily Events:

Shaolin Five Animal Kung-Fu: Each morning, campers will learn about one of the Five Kung-Fu Animals in our style—Tiger, Leopard, Snake, Crane, and Dragon—through technical instruction, obstacle courses, games, crafts, and collaborative activities!

Craft: Related to the animal of the day.

Nutritious Snack: Please bring your own healthy snack and water bottle.

Shaolin Five Animal Kung-Fu:

The Tiger teaches us strength.
The Leopard teaches us power.
The Snake teaches us suppleness and rhythmic endurance.
The Crane teaches us grace and fluidic harmony.
The Dragon teaches us to ride the wind.

See you at camp!

I wanted to pass a thank-you onto your team who hosted the March Break camp for the kids. My sons both really enjoyed it, and came home every day excited. They woke up each morning excited to go back. They came home on Friday with giant paper dragons. They added more pieces to their dragons and also helped make one for their little sister! They are hanging proudly in our recroom.

I think the instructors did a really good job with them this week, and I felt it was important to let you all know. It’s not easy to both entertain and teach young kids for long stretches of time over the course of several days, but they did a wonderful job. Thank you!

Jessica G.

Parent, 2019 March Break Camp

The post MARCH BREAK CAMP 2025! appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.

by Sije Veronica Sas
Fu For You Winter 2024-25

As I write this, it’s 10 degrees outside and it’s hard to imagine that winter is just around the corner. However, it is inevitable that the snow will be here before we know it. As some things need to be modified with the change of seasons, I thought I would share a few winter tips about Kung Fu training in the winter.

Everything Takes a Little More Time

Depending on road conditions, travelling anywhere in winter can take a little longer. Keep this in mind as your child gets ready for their Kung Fu class. If the roads are snow covered, consider leaving for class early. It also might take a little longer for your child to get ready as they now need to put on warmer clothes such as boots, coats and mitts.

Coats

With the weather turning colder, we need to start wearing warmer clothes such as sweaters and coats. There are hooks upstairs in both change rooms that can be used for coats. Please have your child place their coats there, or else give them to you to hold on to. The shelves in the Kwoon are for equipment bags only. Students need the shelf space for sparring bags.

Is Waterloo Kung Fu Academy open for class?

When the weather is bad, sometimes buses, schools and activities are cancelled. However, the Waterloo Kung Fu Academy rarely closes because of the weather. Even if school is cancelled for the day, there is still a good chance that Kung Fu classes will be held. If the weather is bad, please check the Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy Facebook or Instagram page. Any closures will be posted there before the Academy opens. The Academy will also email updates on any weather closures.

Snow everywhere! (Even Inside)

Nothing is worse in the winter than driving in snow and slush, except when you bring that slush inside. The front foyer of the Academy is often very wet during the winter months. Please be considerate of how much snow is on your boots when you enter the building. Most students train in bare feet, and it is unpleasant when you step in a cold wet puddle. Also, please remember not to leave the carpets with your shoes or boots on. When either you or your child takes off their shoes or boots, please place them on the shoe racks instead of leaving them on the floor.

Lost and Found

With students wearing extra clothes to the Academy, it is inevitable that things get forgotten. Any lost items will be placed in the lost and found, located by the front doors. For more expensive items like glasses, or jewelry, please check Sigung’s office first as it might have been put there for safekeeping.

Illness

Please remember that if your child is not feeling well, please keep them home. There is nothing wrong with skipping some classes due to being sick! Be considerate of classmates and instructors, we don’t want to get sick either.

The post It’s Winter Again appeared first on Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy.