Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Summer 2026

The start of this summer marks 20 years since our Academy’s founder, Sigung Bob Schneider, tragically passed away. For those that don’t know what happened, he was vacationing with his dogs at a rented farmhouse for a week at one of his favourite places, Bayfield, Ontario. While relaxing in a hammock, the tree supporting it broke and struck him in the head. Although his time with us was cut short, his lessons live on.

Just nine months prior to his passing, he celebrated his 54th birthday at Patti-Lynn and my wedding at what used to be the Waterloo Inn (which would later be the first place we’d host the annual CKKA gathering).

With his family’s support, we were able to spread some of his ashes at our discretion. This included one of his favourite spots to walk his dogs, Pilkington Overlook. Sifus Evan, Kevin and I were also able to spread some in the beautiful Wudang Mountains of China on our trip there in 2007.

Through the initiative of Sifu Laina (retired founder of our Little Ninjas Program), members of the Academy purchased a plaque for a memorial bench at Parkview Cemetery in Waterloo. It remains there with the inscription we chose:

Since his passing, the Academy has instructed over 30,000 classes, conducted over 100 gradings and popped champagne for 46 new Black Sashes! We just committed to at least another five years in our current location. As we approach our 40th anniversary (November 2027), we remain solidly in flight.

In the flight path, early this May, we had a spirited Intermediate/Advanced grading. Six students achieved Blue Sash and (Sije) Chantal, our Fu for You Youth Student’s Corner writer, earned her Brown Sash. Also, Sifus Anne and Neel earned their 4th and 3rd Degree Black Sashes, respectively – both started their journey with Sigung Bob, before the age of 11. Congratulations to everyone!

As part of their requirements to move to the next degree, our instructors need to read and submit a report on a martial arts book of their choosing. Sifu Neel chose Shaolin Spirit, by Shi Heng Yi. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It is truly a gift to receive such articulate wisdom from a Shaolin monk (in this case, the founder of Shaolin Temple Europe). Below is a quote from Sifu Neel, taken from his book report, summarizing the guidance on how to stay present:

Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Spring 2026

I was already complaining about shoveling in my last article (November). It’s February 23rd as I write this and the shoveling continues—but add in lion dancing and push-ups. Today, our team performed our fifth lion dance in support of the Year of the Fire Horse. We’ve taken on the February Push-Up Challenge, again setting an Academy goal of 100,000! My kids just counted out my 3,000th pushup of the month (although not near the mind-boggling tally of Alex, Lily and Owen who have already cleared 10,000!). I’ve spent parts of this winter skiing and biking through forests on top of the regular regime of weightlifting and teaching/training Kung Fu. All these strength and cardio-based pursuits start to take their toll; I find it essential to have a system of physical maintenance: Enter yoga.

For years, the culture of our style of Kung Fu was resistant to “softer” practices like yoga. Before Kung Fu, my teacher, Sigung Bob Schneider, came from a background of weightlifting and high cardio exercise, like running. Once he began his Kung Fu journey as an adult, Sigung stretched a lot more diligently and achieved a very inspiring degree of flexibility; he could touch the back wall with his foot in the front partner stretch!

His sister, Mary, was a well-loved yoga instructor in Waterloo. I was always curious as to whether any of her practices would influence our Kung Fu. Sigung was careful to keep the two disciplines separate, which was understandable at the time, given the culture of martial arts 20+ years ago.

In the years following, oddly enough, the world’s hardest martial artists were the catalysts for embracing the practice of yoga. At a mainstream sporting level, this millennium witnessed the rise of mixed martial arts.  As an important counterbalance to the intense wrestling and striking done by MMA athletes, they started training in yoga. In a way, it opened yoga to a larger and perhaps unexpected following.

I met Maureen, a local yoga instructor, over 12 years ago, as I taught her (now adult) children since Little Ninjas. We had occasional chats exploring the similarities between Kung Fu and yoga – mobility, core strength, proprioception. About eight years ago, acknowledging my need for a more concentrated form of stretching, I took a class with Maureen. I was amazed by how euphoric I felt! As something we could do together, my family and I started taking weekly classes with her and that energizing and grounding feeling continues after each class.

Yoga is a wonderful complement to the hard training I do. I’m meeting my initial goal of more flexibility training, but I’ve discovered many more benefits. I get sore less often and recover better from injuries. The focus on balance and breath work is invigorating and deepens my application for Kung Fu. We now proudly offer the option of taking yoga classes with Maureen at our Academy. If you or someone in your life might benefit from this practice—I’ll see you on the mats!

Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You – Winter 2025-26

After a couple narrow misses on some slippery roads, we just finished a round of shoveling on the heels of substantial snowfall today. I am writing on American Thanksgiving (while loosely watching the end of the third thrilling NFL game of the day). I am feeling grateful, as I also do on our Thanksgiving weekend (it just falls between article writing deadlines). 

I am thankful for the wonderful students and families I get to surround myself with everyday; being at the Academy and teaching every class is truly a joy. I warmly welcome all the new members to our Academy and wish you the best as you journey through your training with us. If you need any guidance relating to the Academy, please reach out to Patti-Lynn, one of our many inspirational instructors or myself. 

November included an Adult and two Youth/Junior gradings. Although relatively smaller in size, I must say that they were some of our best! The candidates came well prepared and put on spirited performances. Congratulations!

I continue to be grateful for the senior instructors in my life. I recently had lunch with Sibok Lloyd and we reflected on how many decades he’s been putting together this newsletter. Sibok Eric continues his 30+ years of teaching each week and we have some great chats. Sifu Robin conducted a Spear Seminar and a Mok Jong Seminar this month that were well received. Even though Shifu Yuan is in Australia, through technology, I still receive his guidance and instruction. Jimmy Fields, with his 50+ years in the martial arts, still shows up every week to teach me. After our chance meeting in Nova Scotia this summer, Master Gee Wong stopped by this Fall to work with us. 

On Remembrance Day at the Waterloo Cenotaph, I had a nice conversation with my Kung Fu teacher’s family. They attend every year, as Sigung Bob’s father, Ken Schneider, served in WWII, helping in the campaign to liberate Holland. My family and I attend every year too – my grandfather was a medic in WWII and I am eternally grateful for the sacrifices made by those before us to secure the freedom we enjoy today. 

I think about my teacher often and am grateful for the lessons he passed down to us. At this point, we have each been Head Instructor of WKFA for nineteen years. While I miss him dearly, I feel fortunate to have been given this truly unique opportunity. 

As we look ahead to the new year, moving from the Year of the Snake to the Horse, I feel proud of what we have accomplished together. I want to continue to improve the quality of what we do and bring the life changing benefits of Kung Fu to more people. Please consider the people in your lives that might also benefit from Kung Fu and tell them about our programs. Refer them to try a class and we will do our best to welcome them to our community and ensure they have a positive experience! Thank you.

Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Fall 2025

Another summer has passed, feeling much shorter than any other season (depending on how many kids you had at home and how well behaved they were!). Reflecting on a summer well spent, our family was thankful for the physical abilities training Kung Fu gave us, allowing us to really take on some fun and active recreation.

At the end of June, we embarked on an epic camping road trip that included stops in Gaspé, New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia, Maine, Vermont, Ottawa, and Northern Ontario. This wonderful adventure had lots of variety around how we spent our time outdoors.

An early stay in the trip was in the stunning Gaspésie National Park (which is actually a provincial park, but Quebec names their parks a little differently). When we stay in these majestic parks, I like to find the signature hike and challenge my family to complete it—in this case, to the summit of Mount Albert, which was described as a “classic” hike, rated as advanced.

The elevation grade started steep and just kept increasing, until we were eventually scrambling up rocks on our hands. Within a few hours, we were treated to some outstanding views at the summit. We were able to enjoy this for about ten minutes when a decent storm came through. We had lunch in a small lookout shack while it blew through, but to complete the loop in daylight, we eventually had to head out in the wind and pouring rain. We quickly discovered the way back down was much harder than the ascent!

The long canyon descent started treacherous, requiring us to navigate through a minefield of rocks that required constant mindfulness of every step; one careless foot placement could be a broken ankle. I thought this initial tough, ragged section was just a portion of the return trip, but it was the entire return! Though a very challenging route, it was exceptionally well plotted, as we were treated with stunning views of rivers, wildlife, mountains and waterfalls. Chantal discovered her worn sneakers didn’t have the best traction, so she shocked me with some catlike agility by hiking most of the way barefoot!

In a plot twist, our youngest, Sarah, who was less than thrilled at the start and motivated by multiple threats of abandonment, shifted gears for the final leg and finished first (to her brother’s protest). The final tally on this hike was 20km and 1,000m of elevation completed in nine hours. All told, it was one of the most challenging hikes we’ve ever attempted!

Our training in Kung Fu gave us the physical strength, agility and endurance to finish, but more importantly, it empowered us with a mindset of perseverance and an attitude of enjoying the journey (well, maybe not as much for the kids…haha). The rest of our vacation included a lot of mountain biking and even an experience surfing near Halifax—more fun activities that my family and I felt more enabled to do because of Kung Fu.

Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Summer 2025

Although the feeling is perennial, this Spring was truly one of the busiest and most positive! We transitioned from a brisk lion dance year right into competition season. The Competition Team was one of the most diverse and energetic ever! Thank you, team members and our coaches, Sifus: Erich, Mark, Neel and Syd.

We had a strong showing at the annual CKKA Convention in Toronto on April 12th. Our judges and competitors shone throughout the day. Sifu Rikin held a couple of great workshops through Reset Pediatrics. Sifus Robin and D’Arcy led our Lion Dance Team and a team from North Bay through a fitting opening ceremony at the banquet. I was emcee at the banquet and past President, Peggy Day, surprised Sigung Dave from Kitchener Kicks and I with lifetime achievement awards. Our Competition Team brought back the prestigious Chong Cup for their group form! Our Performance Team kicked off the dancing portion of the evening with a dynamic show! Mark your calendars for the March 28th weekend, as we are once again hosting in 2026 – at St.George Banquet Hall.

April started with a grading and finished with our annual Spring Invitational Tournament and BBQ. The day was a lot of fun and ended on a high note with some amazing displays of skill by our Advanced students. Thank you to Sifus Anne and Sarah, our friends at Bast and Fore Quarter, as well as all the Black Sash judges, volunteers and of course participants! Next year we are set for April 26th!

Following our participation in the 45th annual Karate Maynia on May 3 and Sifu Cristina’s wedding (huge congratulations!), we snuck in a Spring maintenance day – thanks for all those that lent a hand! Then it was time for the largest Advanced grading in our 38-year history on May 10th. All the preparation paid off as the candidates looked fantastic! I proudly welcome Sifus Jackson, Jordan, Karthik, Maia, Richard and Veronica to Black Sash. Gavin, Matthew and Zia – welcome to Brown! Sifu Rikin (our longest standing member, going back to 1988) was promoted to 3rd Degree and Sifu Daryl was promoted to 4th Degree. Way to go everyone – we are proud of you!

Congratulations to Sifu Laura, on the birth of her healthy boy, Warren, on May 15th!

On May 24th, a mighty handful of our students and I participated in a collaborative demonstration with Kitchener Kicks at the Schwaben Club in support of their 50th Anniversary. You can learn more about our connection with them through the lineage section of the Student Handbook and this video. It was an honour to be part of their event. With gratitude and respect, we wish them many more years in our community!

At the time of this writing, we still have a few more weeks of Spring then right into lion dance festival/wedding season, demonstration season then into summer camps! Check us out at the Hydrocut on June 14th and the Cherry Park Festival on July 5th. There’s never a dull month at WKFA!

Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Spring 2025

Last year, for the Spring Edition of Fu for You, I wrote about the push-up challenge, where we do 2,000 push-ups in the month of February in support of mental health. This year, we decided to run our own version of the challenge, creating an online spreadsheet where participants could watch each other record their daily totals. The enthusiasm for this challenge was staggering! At the time of this writing, we are collectively at 88,013 push-ups across 38 active participants. With four days to go, we seem on track for our collective goal of 100,000 for the month!

By the time you are reading this, the snow may be starting to subside. This winter had some of the heaviest snowfall I can recall, especially throughout February. With the snow came hours of shovelling, which, for some, even included snow removal from roof tops. Although some of us dropped in our daily push-up count during the heavier snow days, most kept up the furious pace making the accomplishment that much more impressive! Kudos to the many warriors at the Academy for pushing their own weight and Mother Nature’s!

Each week, I dropped for intervals of 20 between sessions of shoveling, teaching and training Kung Fu, biking, and doing LOTS of lion dancing. I was also reading our Word of the Week quotes everyday which all focused on our monthly theme of Challenge (I must say, a very well chosen one by our Leadership Team). All this combined for some introspection on the value of testing ourselves.

I know that the deep winter months can be very trying. Shorter days, less sun, cold temperatures, leaky basements, seemingly non-stop illnesses, and so on, can really take their toll. Framed differently, the adversity of winter is also an invitation to discover who you are and what you can rise from (and dare I say, thrive in).

I was thoroughly impressed by the members of the Academy this winter. Class attendance and spirit was strong. Every special team (Demonstration, Performance, Leadership, Competition, Lion Dance) was truly firing on all cylinders! You stayed positive, stepped up and supported one another and the Academy: We had one of our biggest and best Academy Award parties to date, with a packed dance floor of all ages for most of the night! Students were quick to grab a shovel, mop or broom to keep the Academy in top order. We filled the Weight Room wall with coloured bears and decorated for Lunar New Year.

The push-up challenge is a simple, silly and fun way to get out our heads and into our bodies. Whether you committed to 2,000 or 10,000 (Sifu Erich!) I think we certainly accomplished our goal. We leaned into hard work and flourished this winter. With gradings and tournaments around the corner, Spring is always a very busy and exciting time at the Academy. After tackling a challenging winter with such gusto, I am excited for the new season and what we can accomplish together!

Sigung’s Corner

by Sigung David Moylan
Fu For You Fall 2024

When new students enroll, we ask how they found out about the Academy. Most often, people find us through your word of mouth. Referrals have been the lifeblood of the Academy since our inception, and we are ever appreciative as this brings in some wonderful families and individuals. Once we get to know you better, a conversation I always enjoy surrounds what inspired you to train in Kung Fu. For Adult Red Sashes and Junior Yellow Sashes, you answer this question in your first short essay due before your grading. For perhaps more than you might think, inspiration to train is from Kung Fu films.

Seeing martial arts on the big screen has been a driving force for people trying the martial arts for about five decades. Although the first film came out in China the late 1920’s, the popularity of this genre exploded in the 70’s and 80’s. For those my age and older, the flicks from these decades caused a surge in enrollment in Kung Fu. I write about Bruce Lee quite often in these columns. A major reason is that his films have inspired so many of us. The impact of Enter the Dragon (1973) is massive! I’ve connected with countless students that cite his movies and influence as their prime motivation to study the art.

Younger generations were impacted by a somewhat different line of film in the genre—animated martial arts. Not long after I became head instructor in 2006, friends would often discuss with me the impact they thought the rising popularity of UFC was having on our Academy. More people were enrolling, but they were mistaken as to the cause. Truly, it was Disney’s 2008 mega hit, Kung Fu Panda, that caused a whole new generation to start asking their parents to sign them up for Kung Fu lessons! Thankfully, there were many sequels to keep the momentum. For the first couple, we even rented a theatre and went as an Academy.

As an eleven-year-old boy in the early 90’s, it was the popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that caused me to ask my parents to try Kung Fu. On a side note, we screened (er…walled) the latest TMNT flick at our winter Awards Party. My uncle was the biggest martial arts film fan I’ve ever known. He had a huge collection of movies at his house on VHS (look that up kids) that my sister, cousins and I would watch with great joy. I remember him taking me to see Jackie Chan’s, Rumble in the Bronx in theatres too. I grew up in the 80’s, which was full of martial arts films (not all terrific mind you, but there were lots!). The feats of Jean Claude Van
Damme were a daily topic in the schoolyard.

I’m sure a lot of you would be quick to list the Kung Fu films that inspire you! That’s great—grab a bowl of popcorn, get inspired, then get training!