Fu For You – Fall 2015
Editor: Lloyd Fridenburg
Produced by Waterloo Kung-Fu Academy
Print Version: WKFA-Newsletter-2015-Q4-Fall
Distinguishing Characteristics of the Tiger
I like tigers; I admire tigers; but I’m cautious sparring tigers. Why? A true tiger personality may be predictable, but don’t let your guard down. Even before you enter the ring you know what to expect. The tiger will try to draw you into their style of direct action where, unless you are also a tiger, you may be easily intimidated by their direct aggressive techniques. You always need to be wary of the tiger and never become complacent or you will be overcome by power and aggressiveness. Characteristics that distinguish the tiger….
Fall 2015 – What’s Happening at WKFA
Typically, I dedicate a portion of my column to provide a written recap of the prior three months. With a picture being worth a thousand words, let’s take this to the next level – I am very excited to announce the release of WKFA’s first annual yearbook! Our team worked really well together and had a lot fun capturing and documenting the year. So, enjoy flipping through photos our our year!…
Meditation 101
If you’ve had a busy or exciting day, you could be thinking about a lot of things when you come to class – and that’s ok! But in order to be a good listener and do your best in class, you need to be able to focus both your mind and body on the task at hand. Just like a messy room, a busy brain can be distracting. That’s where meditation can help!
Strength Training for Junior Students
Hopefully as Junior students at the WKFA you’ve come to realize there are benefits to training Kung Fu beyond learning fun new things like Forms, kicking sequences and blocks. You should also have noticed an increase in your cardio-vascular fitness, flexibility and strength. While we encourage you to train all aspects of Kung Fu outside of class, it’s important to be careful—especially when it comes to strength training.
Motivation
The mental theme in August was Motivation. It’s timely given that the lazy hazy days of summer are wrapping up and we are heading into the action-packed season of autumn with the usual higher levels of activity associated with back to school, and a return to a more stringent routine. I think it’s safe to say that most people experience a slow down or some absences in their training over the summer months, given vacation time and the opportunity to take advantage of other seasonal activities in lieu of time in class. So, how do we regain and maintain our pre-summer momentum as the summer comes to a close? Here are some thoughts….
Benefits of Outdoor Training
With the summer heat waning, now is the perfect opportunity to change up your training routine by stepping out to the great outdoors. Whether it be simply in your own back yard or a larger open space, outdoor training has numerous benefits.
Parents Can Help Enhance Everyone’s WKFA Experience
One of the most wonderful things about Waterloo Kung Fu Academy is that we try very hard to adhere to old traditions and values. Sometimes, learning the proper protocol can be slightly frightening for the parents as well as for the children. Most parents tell us that they bring their children to us to help them to learn respect and discipline. At WKFA, we firmly believe that everyone can help teach these principles. Here are some things to help everyone to understand some of the guidelines and expectations at the school.
Failure Makes Perfect
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ~ Michael Jordan