Movie Motivation

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!