Sifu's Corner Archives - Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Exciting 2019 Events

Blue Orchard — Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:19:03 +0000

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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Defining Perfection

Blue Orchard — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 20:02:21 +0000

Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

“Have no fear of perfection—You’ll never reach it” ~ Salvador Dali

I recently went to Princess Cinemas and had the pleasure of watching a new award winning film from National Geographic called Free Solo. It features Alex Honnold’s unaided ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan, a 3,000 foot vertical granite wall.

Patti-Lynn and I once travelled to Yosemite and hiked up the iconic Half Dome. Climbing up the cables to the summit was one of the most terrifying and rewarding feats in my life. The first time I saw footage of Honnold scaling the cliff side of it—with no ropes, I was floored! This drew me to follow him in the media and eventually led to my interest in seeing this film.

Free Solo holds lessons that can be applied to the study of Kung Fu. Honnold visualized this ascent for over ten years; to succeed, he had to overcome physical, psychological and emotional challenges. The film documents a lot of the planning and practice that went into making the climb possible, as well as how he dealt with these challenges. With the aid of ropes and peers, he studied and repeated the route up countless times, making meticulous notes about where and how to move his hands and feet along the various features of the cliff. This reminded me of memorizing the details of a very long form (just add the consequence of death for performance failure—no biggie). Essentially, Honnold said that he had to practice to the point that when he attempted to free solo climb, it would feel like a walk in the park.

For Honnold, climbing is his Kung Fu. His art demands complete focus. He doesn’t view it as a sacrifice, but as an opportunity to live out his passion. He practices and practices, making incremental improvements over time, all the while soaking in the beauty of his surroundings and the sheer pleasure of his chosen craft. Essentially, he rehearses the movements until he has no fear.

After free soloing El Capitan, Honnold muses that he feels delighted to be perfect at something in life for a moment in time. The word “perfect” always makes me reflect on how we define it in Kung Fu. I think he felt that his ascent was perfect in the sense that if he failed, he would be dead. His achievement is one of the greatest in recorded human history; I certainly don’t want to take anything away from that, but I would term it as a success. To me, perfection implies a limit on improvement. In Kung Fu, we believe that you can always strive for more: higher, faster, stronger, more fluid, more mindful. Depending on your perspective, this concept of perfection can be frustrating, or endlessly inspiring. That said, it is important to celebrate our victories and use them as motivation towards further striving. For Honnold, he did exactly this, using his success to start a foundation.

I hope his story inspires you. Happy training!

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Creating Memories

Blue Orchard — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 17:44:57 +0000

By Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

“The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

I ventured to Nova Scotia with my family this July, camping at points along the way with the hope of having a great experience and making memories for us. We were not disappointed. The Maritimes have so much to offer! The people were as friendly as the landscape is beautiful. Taking the mindset that the journey was the destination, we took our time. We made stops in Lunenburg, Halifax, Louisbourg, Chéticamp and many points in between. We travelled 7,700 kilometres all told!

I like going to places that people I know are from and discovering the beauty of their hometowns first hand. One such place we visited was Petit-de-Grat, which is a small Acadian island off the East coast of Cape Breton; hometown to my long-time mountain biking friend, Guy Boudreau. Petit-de-Grat truly embodies the hospitality for which Nova Scotians are famous. In this age of technological connectedness, it was nice being able to message with Guy during our trip to learn about the best spots to explore. Sadly, not long after we returned, Guy, only a couple weeks older than I am, lost his long battle with cancer.

Our cycling group has naturally been reflecting on all the great times we shared with Guy. Over the past 20 years, we’ve ridden the same group of trails together week after week. As I ride them now, I am happily discovering that certain spots on the trails elicit vivid good memories; they are serving as physical “lighthouses” to keep the memory of our friend alive.

Sometimes people note my good memory for names and faces; however, I feel for many other things, my memory isn’t so great. I recently read an article discussing how forgetting certain details is important for decision making. This was somewhat comforting! I do, however, want to remember the people in my life. I’m connecting how the physical paths that we regularly travel, such as roads and trails, can be instrumental in helping recall memories with those people.

When I think about how we learn Kung Fu forms, I liken the process to walking paths in our minds. Each time we mindfully practice them, it makes the paths clearer. I’ve consistently practiced our forms for over 28 years and I know those mental paths are some of the clearest of any. What is also very clear is the memories of all the people that helped shaped those forms—by teaching them to me or training them together as we work through our understanding of the movements. Through practice, I retain the knowledge of the forms, but I also retain the good memories of the martial artists behind them. This includes most predominantly, Sigung Bob Schneider, but also the instructors from the Academy with whom I collaborate week after week.

WKFA’s Founder, Sigung Bob Schneider (1951-2006)

Training forms have many obvious physical benefits. Having an accessible mental archive of the people who bring the forms to life is really something wonderful too—helping keep what you want to remember a little less overwhelmed in time.

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What’s Happening this Summer 2018

Blue Orchard — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 17:13:44 +0000

By Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the eight successful students that tested on May 12^th in our annual Advanced Grading. Our Academy has three new Sihings (D’Arcy, Erich and Laurent), two new Sijes (Carey and Chloe) and three new Sifus (Antonia, Harry and Sneha). They put in a tremendous performance on the 12^th, which was clearly the result of diligent and methodical preparation. Each of them proved they are deserving of their new ranks (and titles!). I hope the student body is as excited as I am to see these individuals assisting with and leading classes in their new roles!

This lovely weather as of late makes it more believable that summer is on the way! We do close for all long weekends and for one week in July (this year is July 23 – 29^th). However, our Academy continues to hold regular classes throughout the summer and we even add a few extra opportunities. The summer is an excellent time to build strength, skill and flexibility. Set a plan for balancing relaxation with good training habits.

We’ve had an overwhelming response for our annual Board & Cement Breaking Seminar on June 19^th. Spectators are welcome.

Last year, our Summer Camps were very popular. We have sign-up sheets up in the lobby. The half day camp for 4-10 year olds is from July 16 – 20. Non-training students are welcome to attend this camp. Our camp for 11-15 year olds is from Aug 20 – 24.

Our Lion Dance Team will be practicing and performing throughout the summer, including several weddings. Our Demonstration Team will be at the Health and Wellness Expo in Waterloo on June 16^th and we are supporting Hold the Line Cycling and Folk Music Festival on September 8^th.

Mark your calendars for our annual Summer Picnic the afternoon of Saturday, August 25^th at Waterloo Park. There has been some discussion of planning an Academy baseball game. Last year was a blast, so let’s hope for some more great weather! Keep watching our website and online calendar for any special events.

I wish the best to everyone trying for a new rank at our final gradings until the Fall. Youth/Juniors are grading at 10:30am and 1:30pm (depending on rank) on June 9^th. We will also have an Adult Novice II/Intermediate Grading on June 16^th at 12:30pm. I hope that the new Advanced students inspire you to prepare accordingly! Summer on!

WKFA’s Founder, Sigung Bob Schneider
(1951-2006).

As we approach the summer solstice we always take a moment to remember our founder, teacher, mentor, and friend Sigung Bob Schneider.

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Performing Kung Fu for Others

Blue Orchard — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 18:20:18 +0000

By Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

With our competition season in full swing, demonstration season fast approaching and upcoming gradings on the horizon, I want to focus on a relevant topic that needs some exploring: performing Kung Fu for others.

I feel like many of you at our Academy practice Kung Fu for your own personal journey and often the thought of having to perform in front of others can be confusing and even terrifying. I remember chatting with one of our adult students following a performance of the Short Dragon in our annual tournament. In his profession, this guy was a veteran school teacher and successful business owner – no stranger to being in the spotlight. However, he expressed how nerve wracking it was having to demonstrate his form. Once through it, he was exuberant with how much he learned about the art and himself: a humbling and educational endeavour.

Kung Fu practitioners come to realize (or already know) that subjecting ourselves to adversity is what makes us develop.

So often students tell me that they can perform technique or forms proficiently on their own, but as soon as we ask to see it, something happens, and they cannot replicate the performance. My advice is that this phenomenon is simply feedback that they need to train more to develop sureness in the face of pressure. The prospect of performing crystallizes your training. My teacher would tell us that after a thousand repetitions, we were just starting to grasp our forms.

It’s common knowledge that public speaking is a major fear. Kung Fu is a language of its own and it goes without saying that “speaking” in public is adrenalin inducing. I believe there is great value in testing yourself to see how you cope with this extra hormone in your bloodstream. The consequences of not effectively managing the stress of performing are much more forgiving than the consequences of not managing the stress of a real combative encounter. I can also say that with continued exposure, you become more relaxed and your confidence improves—which, like many benefits of Kung Fu, has carryover into other areas of your life.

Prior to starting my Kung Fu journey, I was a shy kid. I credit the gradual and repeated experience of demonstrating my Kung Fu to giving me the confidence I feel today. Initially my development was through gradings and competitions, then progressed to demonstration team performances and assisting with classes. I eventually moved on to leading the demonstration team and instructing classes. These experiences gave me the requisite poise for presentations in university and in my former career in business.

Regardless of your age, I encourage you to challenge yourself; take a risk and push the boundaries of your comfort zone by embracing opportunities to perform. The downside is as big as you want to make it in your mind, but the upside is positively transformative and will stay with you for a lifetime.

Sihing Rahul holding boards for Jo’s flying side kick!

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Celebrating 30 Years of Kung-Fu

Blue Orchard — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 17:40:20 +0000

By Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

I am writing this quarter’s article on the heels of an inspiring 30^th anniversary celebration held at Golf’s on November 12^th. Almost 200 people were in attendance to help celebrate the Academy’s big milestone that opened with a dynamic performance by our Lion Dance Team!

Congratulations to Sifus Benny, Isabelle, Jeremy, Cristina and Adam who were presented 1st Degree Black Sash. Immediately following, in a tribute to the late Grand Master Pan, the Black Sashes performed two of the forms he passed on to us. The greatest strength of our Academy is our diverse team of instructors. With over 30 of us actively teaching and training, we are extraordinarily fortunate. Amongst us, we have an average of over 16 years experience at this Academy. Please don’t ever take for granted what it means to have this many quality black sashes passionately giving their time to pass this art on to you. I am very grateful to have the support of such a fine team of individuals, each bringing a unique talent to the Academy.

The celebration included shows by our Demonstration and Performance Teams. Sifus Lorna, Anne and Sarah have put so much heart and soul into making them what they are. They extended the Demonstration Team season for this event and it was a very good thing!

We presented awards for all four of our age programs, plus Fitness with a Purpose. Congratulations to all the winners, including Sifu Lloyd, who was presented Instructor of the Year! In addition to running his own program, teaching classes consistently, and assisting with countless gradings, Sifu Lloyd has been cracking the whip as the Academy newsletter editor for longer than I can remember—at least 26 years. I feel that this newsletter communicates invaluable martial arts and life lessons. It has an archival value—containing much of the happenings over the past 30 years. Fu for You serves an important purpose and without him, I don’t think the newsletter would exist!

I cannot express my gratitude enough to everyone for making this such an enjoyable place to spend my time and invest my energy. The Academy is filled with inspiring leaders bound by a mutual love for kung-fu and everything that comes with that word. Hard work. Discipline. Serious fun. Loyalty. Spirit. Relationships here are built on respect. This is a community I am proud and fortunate to have my children grow up within. I am eternally grateful to Sifu Bob Schneider and the vision he had back in 1987. I don’t know if at that time whether he could have fathomed the positive life impact this Academy has had on so many, for so long.

As we step confidently into the next 30 years, I can’t help but finish by quoting Canada’s poet laureate, the late Gord Downie:

Done and done
Days accomplished
If I had a wish
I’d wish for more of this

Gord Downie

I wish everyone health and happiness as we close out 2017 and embark into 2018!

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Fall 2017 – What’s Happening at WKFA

Blue Orchard — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 20:16:25 +0000

By Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

I find September always feels more like January with the thought of getting back to a more discipline routine. Taking July and August for some relaxation and travel was a very welcome change though. This season, my family and I put some serious kilometres (5,000+) on our new travel trailer, as we explored Ontario and Quebec. We took in this country’s vast and beautiful landscape, visiting family and friends as the five of us had some quality time to connect.

Working back from February’s Achilles tendon rupture, I learned the importance of setting a healing goal. While the doctor’s timeline wasn’t a full recovery until closer to Christmas, I had some other thoughts and this helped get me through this long stretch. Visualizing specific and realistic goals motivated me to stick to the often-tedious physio regime. In July, while exploring the Saguenay region of Quebec, with my 2-year old in a pack, I completed a hike with some serious elevation. Having this mobility felt especially satisfying after losing it for a chunk of the winter.

Near the start of our vacation, I was saddened to learn of the passing of my teacher’s teacher, Grand Master Pan. His influence on our Kung Fu style and the culture of our Academy cannot be understated. In one of our recent summer cinema nights at the Academy, we watched Talons of the Eagle, which stars him and includes, Sigung and Sifus Lloyd and Eric. The movie has a clip of our instructors performing the Ferocious Fist form, which is a major part of our curriculum. Grand Master Pan made a presentation at our 25^th Anniversary and we are planning a tribute to him at our 30^th Anniversary this Nov.12 at Golf’s (more on that event soon).

This summer our Demonstration Team has been very busy, including performances at all of the Open Streets events (where Sifu Isabelle was recently featured breaking boards on the cover of the Waterloo Chronicle). Our Lion Dance Team was also quite active, performing at three weddings. Special thanks to the team members, families and instructors that work tirelessly to make these teams triumph!

Sifu Anne and Sarah put in a tremendous amount of planning and energy into making WKFA’s first ever summer camps a huge success! I received a lot of positive feedback from the participants and their parents. They already have next year planned and I will get the dates to everyone soon!

For qualifying Youth/Junior students that trained consistently through the Summer, our first grading of the new season will be on Sept.30. We try and conduct them roughly every eight weeks into June. Please be patient and trust the instructors and I in our assessment with readiness for a rank. We’ve been doing this for a long time and have the best idea as to whether a student’s effort and skill is sufficient. Ranks at our Academy are earned; a slower progression leads to better quality Kung Fu. The same lesson is true for adults (the next grading is set for Oct.21).

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Summer 2017 – What’s Happening at WKFA

Blue Orchard — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 22:18:22 +0000

By Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

May’s theme coincides with the first line of our Student Creed: Patience. Finding myself in week 16 of this Achilles tendon rupture recovery, my patience is being tested, but I’m learning lessons and gaining more mobility with each passing week. I’m told I won’t be back to normal until November or so, but it is just nice to be off crutches and out of a cast!

Historic Grading! May 13^th was a historic day for the Academy as it marked our largest Advanced Adult Grading in our almost 30-year existence!
Annual Shiai! Thank you to everyone that volunteered and participated in our 20^th Annual In-House Tournament (Shiai) on April 29^th. We spent the better part of April preparing and it showed on the 29^th; our students performed confidently with many personal bests! Way to go!
Tournaments! Sifus Cory, Greg, Lorna and Mark led our Competition Team with spirit through another exciting season that saw students experience new friendships and success at the CKKA Convention in Kingston on April 1^st and the 40^th Annual Karate/Kung-Fu Maynia tournament on May 6^th. Thanks so much!
Camps! Thank you sifus Sydney, Anne and Sarah whom led a wonderful Five-Animal March Break Camp! After years of being asked to hold a Summer Camp, we finally will this year! Sifu Anne and Sarah are holding one for Little Ninjas and Youth from July 17 -21 and then another for Juniors from Aug 14-18. Check out the posters and sign-up sheets at the Academy.
First Aid Training! On March 19^th, 28 of our Instructors and Leadership Team members successfully certified for Emergency First Aid and CPR. Like Kung Fu, we hope not to never have to use these skills, but they are invaluable.
Gradings! On June 10^th, we are holding an Adult Novice II/Intermediate Grading and on June 17^th, we are trying a new format with our next Youth/Junior Grading: More novice students will be testing at 10:30am and more senior students at 1:30pm.
Board Breaking! Our Annual Board/Cement Breaking Seminar is slated for June 19^th under the guidance of Sifu Daryl.
Summer Holidays! A reminder that other than our annual shutdown at the end of July, we will be holding regular classes this summer which is an excellent time to make progress in your training. We also tend to teach a lot more private classes throughout the summer when schedules are more flexible.
Demonstrations! Our Demonstration Team already has their first performance in the books (Driftwood Public School’s Multicultural Festival on May 18^th). Watch for them throughout the summer, particularly at Open Streets!
Summer Picnic! Since Kiwanis Park is under construction, this year’s Annual Summer Picnic will be held at Waterloo Park on August 27^th.
Welcome Back! Finally, I would like to welcome back all our students that are returning from their studies out of town. It always puts a big smile on my face when I see you back training with us for the summer!

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Congratulations to our 2017 Advanced Grading Students!

Blue Orchard — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 21:59:52 +0000

May 13, 2017, was a historic day for the Academy as it marked our largest Advanced Adult Grading in our almost 30-year existence!

Brown Belt Recipients

After many months of intensified training Charlie, Jon, Laura, Max, and Michael, achieved their Brown Sash.

New Sifus

We welcomed six new Sifus: Adam, Cristina, Isabelle, Jeremy, Letao and Ryan. They showed tremendous grit; evidence of their steady preparation.

Highlights

The day was highlighted with some great rounds of sparring and Sifu Isabelle smashing through four bricks!

We now have 30 active instructors, including Sifu Greg Weir, who earned his 2^nd Degree Black Sash on the same day.

Congratulations to everyone who tested their skills!

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Spring 2017 – What’s Happening at WKFA

Blue Orchard — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 23:06:36 +0000

By Sifu David Moylan, Owner, Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy

Sifu’s Corner

Practicing Optimism Despite Challenges

This year I am writing my column ahead of our annual Awards Party, but by the time you read this, the winners and honourable mentions will have been announced – so congratulations to all!

I find myself into my third week of non-operative Achilles tendon rupture healing protocol. On Feb.5, WKFA participated in a friendly group lion dance, tournament and American Ninja Warrior competition with a couple other Kung Fu schools in Kitchener as part of a Chinese New Year celebration. It was a fun day, however, while practicing an obstacle called the “Warp Wall”, I completely tore my Achilles. No doubt it was a powerful reminder on the importance of warming up properly before explosive activities!

So as the year begins, I’m in a cast and unable to drive. It will be a challenging few months, but I am trying to apply February’s theme of optimism. With this temporary change of lifestyle pace, I am looking for the opportunities: more time with family, time to read and meditate, a chance to focus on upper body strength and catch up on a lot of the office administration involved in running the Academy. With the assistance of the Black Sash Team and LT Members, I will keep teaching classes to the best of my ability. I already find it’s been giving me a fresh perspective on something I’ve been doing for 18 years.

What’s Been Happening at WKFA?

Our Lion Dance team had another busy winter, which saw us perform at a dozen events in Jan/Feb alone! It has been very nice to have Sifu Sarah back with the team until her studies in Kingston resume this Fall.

Sifus Cory, Greg, Lorna and Mark are coaching our Competition Team, which commenced on Feb.1. Regardless of whether you’re on the team or not, there are three great tournaments this year: CKKA in Kingston on April 1^st, our 20^th Annual In-House Tournament (Shiai) on April 29^th and the 40^th Annual Karate/Kung Fu Maynia on May 6^th at the Northfield Racquet Club.

Once again we will be hosting our popular Five-Animal March Break Camp. Sifu Anne will be conducting some FREE special classes for our teenage students over March Break too – please sign-up in the Weight Room if interested.

Grading dates are set from now until the end of June. Youth and Juniors have opportunities to test on March 25 and June 17. Congratulations to our adults that successfully tested on Feb.4! We have another planned for June 10 (Intermediate/Novice II). On May 13^th we have a record number of candidates attempting to achieve Brown and Black sash!

I would like to thank everyone that gave some thought to referring friends and family to the Academy this year! Some great people joined the Academy as of late, so to those of you that are new to the school, a warm welcome! Remember that the free one-month gift certificates we handed out at the end of 2016 are valid until the end of this March.

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