Fu For You – Guest Column
Managing Life and Kung Fu Commitments
We often talk about the sacrifices that have to be made when testing for a high rank at the Academy. Testing at an elite level requires a bare minimum of three classes each week, plus extra training hours outside of the Kwoon to build and maintain fitness.
Kung-Fu is a Hike
Kung Fu is an individual journey, and everybody goes at their own pace. It’s not just a really long race; it’s not a race at all.
Do It Scared
Courage is not the absence of fear but acting in spite of it.
The Success in Failure
Every time you fall, pick yourself up. Build on what you’ve achieved one block, kick, or strike at a time. Sometimes the most rewarding things we do have started out as the most challenging.
Returning from a Kung Fu Vacation
Practice tips to re-establish routine after a vacation away from Kung Fu.
An Interview with Sifu Robin Young
Sifu Robin Young discusses his thoughts on the changes he has seen in the martial arts over the years.
The Great Negotiators
As humans, we are the Great Negotiators. Unfortunately, we often use that skill on ourselves.
Sugar, Sports and Energy Drinks with Kung Fu Don’t Mix
The sugar content in sports drinks far out weight the benefits in most situations. Simple water is still the drink of choice, inside and outside the kwoon.
When Life Says “NO”
Remember as a student of Kung Fu, your attitude and your character will always be more important than your skills as a martial artist.
A Sash is Just a Piece of Cloth
The most important things in Kung Fu have nothing to do with rank.
The Path, the Mountain, and the Plateau
“Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future.”
Reasons Are Excuses That Are Accepted
Always try to question your limitations to see if they are still necessary in your life, or if perhaps they can be modified as you grow.
Finding Time to Practice
Practice is essential to learning Kung Fu, reinforcing what’s been taught so it’s not forgotten between classes and by making sure through repetition it’s a part of muscle memory.
Balance Your (and Your Kids’) Digital World
Screen time is just another aspect of modern day life that a child needs to ease into carefully and slowly during their developmental years.
Gardening
With Kung Fu the growing season never ends; be a constant gardener!
Preparations for Your Grading
There are many elements involved in grading preparation. This article highlights three elements that have inspired me recently; physical, mental and nutritional.
How do you know if you’re ready for a grading?
While physical preparation is extremely important, mental preparedness is a major contributing factor to your success on the day of grading. You need to believe that you are ready.
Training Through Injury
You need to train smarter, not harder sometimes, until you are physically able to continue. As we advance in physical age, our technique changes again as we can no longer move as fast, dip as low, or move as smooth. Sometimes, we have to train through injury.