by Sifu Charlie Romeo
Fu For You Winter 2024

The Kung Fu journey is a path filled with challenges, successes, and personal growth. However, there may come a time when you find yourself held back due to obstacles out of your control. Whether it be an injury, health complications, or other personal issues, it’s important to navigate these challenges with a positive mindset. Here are some strategies to help you stay motivated in your Kung Fu journey, even if you are faced with setbacks.

1. Reflect on Your Progress: Think back and assess how far you’ve come in your journey. Have you had a set back before? If so, what did you do to keep yourself motivated and push through? Reflect on the skills you’ve developed in these setbacks and use them to keep you focused.
2. Set New Goals: Perhaps your setback has prevented you from reaching a previously attainable goal, such as an upcoming grading. Rather than thinking about the unfairness of this setback, set new goals that will keep you focused on your Kung Fu journey. Be sure to set goals that are realistic and celebrate every small and large victory along the way!
3. Adapt and Modify: Kung Fu is a dynamic discipline, and sometimes setbacks can be opportunities for adaptation and modification. If you’re facing a physical injury, communicate this with your instructors and modify your training so you can continue your journey while avoiding further injury. Working through a setback not only keeps your body strong, but also strengthens your mind and improves your discipline – a crucial aspect of Kung Fu.
4. Embrace the Process: Understand that setbacks are an inherent part of the learning process. Learning Kung Fu takes time, dedication, and patience. Embrace the journey – the highs and the lows – as opportunities for personal growth. The setbacks you encounter today can become the steppingstones for future success.
5. Take Breaks When Needed: Recognize that taking a break is not an act of weakness. Sometimes, stepping back for a brief period can provide the mental and physical rest needed to return with renewed energy and determination. Rest does not equal failure; it’s a strategic pause to ensure sustainable progress.I recall a time where I was faced with the biggest setback of my journey at that point. For personal reasons, I was forced to miss a grading that I had been training for for many weeks. As a youth student at the time, this was very discouraging; not only was I disappointed that I would have to wait to test for my next rank, but I was also discouraged by my friends moving up to their next rank while I was not. It’s clear now that I had the wrong mindset – instead of being discouraged, I should have set new goals for myself and continued on my own personal journey. After all, even though Kung Fu is about working together, everybody’s journey is different and it’s important to move at a pace that makes sense for you.

Read more posts about patience.

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by Sifu Charlie Romeo
Fu For You Fall 2023

We are quickly approaching autumn, which means that we can soon expect to see more rainy days and cooler weather. While many people see a rainy day as an opportunity to stay in and relax, I prefer to see it as an opportunity to get ahead. In this article, I’ll discuss the benefits of seizing the opportunities given by rainy days with the hope that you can benefit as well.

Don’t look at rainy days as an excuse to kick back and relax, turn on the TV and enjoy. This may sound great, but it’s a very surface-level pleasure. Instead of following the majority by relaxing on these days, why not take the opportunity to get ahead? While everybody else is being unproductive, you could be working your forms, blocks, or push-ups. Alternatively, you could be working on a potential essay for your next belt or sash. There are so many things you could be doing at home to improve your Kung Fu while the rest of your friends and family waste the day away.

If you usually take advantage of outdoor space to practice your Kung Fu, rain can present an interesting challenge that will make you have to think creatively. Try to find a place in your home that you’re able to practice, even a small space. Doing this will develop your creative thinking skills, as you’ll have to work through the challenges of training with little room to move. Alternatively, you could also take advantage of the challenges raised by enduring the rain and practicing outside. This can help to develop discipline and improve balance and stability, by having to navigate through the wet and possibly slippery area. The ability to endure through rain is one that I’ve personally developed through both Kung Fu and work, and it’s a skill I encourage you to develop.

Rainy days are the perfect opportunity to get the most out of your Kung Fu classes. In my experience, very rainy days have significantly lower student attendance than the average class on a sunny day (this goes back to the idea that people like to relax on rainy days). However, this fact can work in your favour. Many people don’t see the extreme benefits of attending a small class, the primary benefit being more one-on-one time with an instructor. While we always do our best to assist every student in classes, it’s not always possible to work with students one-on-one every class. This one-on-one time you can receive on a rainy day is extremely valuable and can help you to progress much faster than if you had simply stayed home. Attending class regularly is important, but attending when many others are not willing can result in immense improvement.

Rain may be inconvenient for things like practicing your Kung Fu, but it shouldn’t halt it. Developing good practicing patterns, rain or shine, will help you to progress in your journey at a faster and more effective pace, so don’t let the weather slow you down!

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by Sifu Charlie Romeo

Kung Fu is a way of life that emphasizes not just physical discipline, but also the development of a strong martial attitude—an important aspect of our training. This attitude is something that we as martial artists must embody to continue our journey in effectively learning Kung Fu. Let’s explore some of the important components of the martial attitude.

Humility

Humility is a crucial element of the martial attitude in Kung Fu. It is the understanding that we are not perfect, and that there is always room for improvement. In Kung Fu, students are taught to understand that we are all on a journey of self-improvement, as we try to be the best version of ourselves, rather than trying to be better than others. Humility is also about controlling our ego and not being arrogant about our own abilities. This part can be difficult to understand because in Kung Fu we are taught confidence in ourselves and in our abilities; however, overconfidence to the point of arrogance goes against the values of Kung Fu. If you find yourself thinking things like “I bet I could beat that person in a sparring match”, you may want to re-evaluate your martial attitude. Remember, Kung Fu emphasizes community and working together, rather than trying to be better than everyone else.

Respect

Respect is another fundamental component of the martial attitude in Kung Fu. Respect is shown to one’s teachers, as well as to fellow students. At WKFA, there are many traditions upheld that emphasize respect such as bowing and saying hello to your instructors, bowing into and out of the Kwoon, and responding to your instructors with a confident “yes Sifu!” It is also important to treat your classmates with respect, which can be done by bowing and by showing appropriate control when participating in partner drills. Traditions of respect have been a part of Kung Fu from the very beginning, and it’s crucial that we hold onto them.

Patience

Patience is a critical aspect of the martial attitude in Kung Fu. Kung Fu is not a martial art that can be learned overnight; it takes time, dedication, and hard work to master. One could potentially learn all the requirements to earn their red sash within a two-week timespan, but would the expected quality, intent, and deep understanding be present? Definitely not. Every step in your Kung Fu journey takes time and patience. It’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s okay to progress slowly. Patience is about taking the time to learn and grow, knowing that it will lead to success in the long run. These three components are essential to the marital attitude in Kung Fu, and we are taught to embody them both in and outside of class.

By developing the qualities discussed above, we as martial artists become not only more skilled in our art, but also become well-rounded individuals who can navigate life’s challenges with the teachings we learn in Kung Fu.

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Sifu Michael Prudencio-Brunello

Youth Student’s Corner

by Sifu Michael Prudencio-Brunello

Welcome back everyone! With the leaves falling and the weather getting colder, we head towards another fall, and another school year. In Kung Fu, this means classes will be back inside. After doing classes outside and on Zoom for so long, I wanted to remind everyone about our Kung-Fu etiquette: the rules we must follow to show respect and have a good class. Here they are!

Tip 1: Before Class

When waiting before class, remember to be respectful to your fellow students learning Kung Fu! It can be exciting to talk with your classmates but remember to wait quietly and away from the main entrance. Better yet, use those extra minutes to practice corrections from a past class, work on your strength requirements, or start stretching so you’re ready once class begins!

Tip 2: Bowing In and Out of the Kwoon

Each time we enter or exit the kwoon, we do a short bow. This is to show respect for the space that we are using to train. If you forget, that’s okay! We can all be forgetful at times. When this happens, or if an instructor reminds you, just go back to the entrance and bow.

Tip 3: Talking to Instructors

All the instructors have worked hard to learn Kung Fu, and now we want to help you on your journey! As such, we show respect whenever we talk to them or hear instructions. For black sashes, this is “Yes Sifu!”. For our brown sashes, we use Sihing or Sije, depending on if they are male or female. For all other instructors, we address them as Sir or Ma’am. Showing this respect lets the instructor know you are focused, listening, and ready to learn Kung Fu!

Tip 4: Paying Attention

When listening to the instructor, stay in your best closed stance! This means eyes forward, hands chambered back, feet together, and standing tall. When instructors see a strong closed stance, they know you are focused one hundred percent on Kung Fu.

Tip 5: Following Instructions

There are two different types of instructions in Kung Fu. The first one is when you are asked to do something – going into a stance, starting a form, or any other instruction to do Kung Fu. Make sure to get into position quickly and wait for the next instruction! The second type is when you are asked to move somewhere. For these, you say yes to the instructor (like “Yes Sifu!”), then move as fast as you can.

Tip 6: Working with Partners

When we work with partners, we always bow beforehand as a sign of respect. This tells the other person that you are going to work together to practice Kung Fu, using the teamwork and collaboration skills of the dragon!

The respect we have as Kung Fu students should extend beyond the kwoon, and into other areas of our lives. Make sure you know the rules of your school, of your home, and of other places so that you can always be respectful and show good etiquette.

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Sifu Greg Weir

Junior Student’s Corner

You’ve no doubt noticed that at the WKFA we observe a number of different protocols and etiquette. Things like bowing as we enter the kwoon, bowing to one another when we spar, addressing our instructors by their proper titles, etc. All these displays of respect have their purposes—and may be more important than you think.

Bowing on our way into the kwoon, for example, shows that we revere the space we’re about to enter and the Kung Fu we train. It also shows self-discipline, in that we never just hurry in or out of the room. Always taking the time to do the things you’re supposed to is a good lesson for life in general.

Similarly, bowing to our opponents prior to a round of sparring and our partners before, say, holding kick shields for them shows that we respect that person and don’t wish them harm. That’s an important message because a lot of what we do involves striking one another. You don’t want to get hurt, nor does your opponent/partner. Bowing to them lets them know you’re on the same page.

Perhaps the most conspicuous form of respect we engage in is how we address our instructors. Calling people Sifu, Sije and Sihing shows that you respect the fact they’re your elder when it comes to Kung Fu. For me, this one can prove a bit challenging right after an Advanced grading. When someone you’ve been calling by a certain name for years suddenly deserves the honorific Sije or Sihing, it can be hard to get used to. And I bet all of us have referred to a freshly-minted Sifu as Sihing or Sije at one point or another. In those cases, apologize for your mistake—and try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

A good reason to respect your instructors and members of the Leadership Team is that we respect you (hopefully you’ve noticed that by now). We’ve all been where you are, so we know the courage, determination and strength it can take to stick with your Kung Fu training. It has been said that the more respect you give, the more you get in return—hopefully the mutual respect between instructors and students constantly perpetuates itself.

Perhaps the most important kind of respect instilled through the martial arts is self-respect. You should feel proud of yourself for choosing to study Kung Fu. You should feel even more pride whenever you learn a new Form or earn a new Sash. Good for you! Ideally that self-respect makes you a happier, more confident person outside of the WKFA.

I read an article that said as soon as you allow even a little disrespect to infiltrate your school, all of its traditions are threatened. That’s why I urge you to observe our etiquette at all times. It’s a good policy elsewhere as well: treat your parents, siblings, teachers and friends with respect and you’ll likely find they return the favour.

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By Sifu Rebecca Knapp

Adult Student’s Corner

In Part 1, we talked about the pervasiveness of this concept in kung fu, and we discussed some different facets of respect, in a quest for a deeper understanding of its meaning. Onward…

Why is respect important?

• Respect keeps us from hurting what we ought to value.
• Much of the universal values and virtues that affirm our human dignity, and contribute to the good of the individual and society are derived from the values of respect and responsibility.
• We need respect to successfully work together–whether you are on a project at work, or countries coming together to solve the world’s problems. We can’t make meaningful, sustainable progress as individuals, a
• group, a society, a country, or a world, without mutual respect.
• From a kung fu perspective, respect is a pre-cursor to trust. This is a place where people can be seriously hurt, and their training can be limited, in the absence of trust. Think about having to partner with someone you do not trust. Think about taking direction from a Sifu if there is no respect. It is important as fellow students, and critical as instructors, to foster respect, so we can support our traditions, and create an atmosphere of trust.
• Most importantly, being respectful is simply the right thing to do–it makes everyone feel good at the end of the day.

Thoughts on Being Respectful

Recognize that the desire to be respected is universal. There are, however, individual and cultural nuances that have an impact on a person’s perception of respect.

Respect is a given in our academy. Start there.

Error on the side of collectively respectful behaviour: Please and thank-you, pardon me, May I help you, excuse me, shaking hands/bowing, paying attention, using appropriate language and behaviour, maintaining personal space, not being suggestive or overpowering, maintaining neutrality, and acceptance vs. judgement…just to name a few! Above all, make it genuine, or don’t bother.

You don’t have to like someone to treat them respectfully. No one can make you like another person, but as a citizen of our society and a member of this academy, we can insist that you treat everyone in a respectful manner.

Remember that acceptance does not equal agreement. You can accept a person, even if you do not agree with his/her ideals, values, principles and opinions. If you can accept people as they are, then you will be able to treat them with respect. Think of it this way: That person is not my friend or is not like me, or does not share my beliefs, values etc, but he/she is a human being with a right to his/her own opinions, feelings and preferences, and even if they are in conflict with mine, I do not have the right to treat him/her with anything other than genuine respect.

In its simplest terms, it’s back to The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Not so complicated after all!

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