Posts tagged Kung fu Panda

Self Defense for the rest of us.

By on February 15, 2013

Self defense should not be about paranoia, it should be about mindfulness.  A large part of being mindful is to pay attention to what’s happening around you- good and bad.  If you are being mindful you are aware enough to enjoy a flower blooming, a child laughing, or an evil bad guy about to do some evil bad guy stuff.  I submit to you that by simply paying attention you will see more good things and be better able to avoid bad things.

Another part of being mindful is to be aware of possibilities.  Of course you should have a balanced approach to this as well.  Plan on and focus on the good things in your life, but prepare for the bad ones so you don’ t need to worry about them.  Have a home fire escape plan, have a home bad guy invasion plan, have an estate plan, have personal safety training of some type, all so you don’t have to think about those things very much- you already have a plan and can focus on the positive aspects of your life!

Weapons have been a big deal in the news these days, but in reality your best defense is not what is in your hand, rather it’s what is in your head.  Your plan, your strategy, and your intentions are the real self defense tools.

Ignoring bad things doesn’t make them go away, but having a plan to deal with them allows you to live your life in a much happier place. Practice mindful self defense.

For more information about our martial arts school click here.

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4 Commonly Misunderstood Tai Chi Quotes

By on January 22, 2013

Don’t misunderestimate the power of misunderstanding the classics.  The meanings are hidden in the statements.  Here’s some food for thought.

  1. “A force of four ounces deflects a thousand pounds.” Wang Tsung-yueh

People for some reason generally translate this to mean that if they are really passive and yin, then somehow they will be able to beat somebody who is really hard and yang.  This quote does not mean that somebody with no power can beat somebody with power. It means that in Tai Chi you should use a more complex power, one with leverages, balances, and scales.  With correct balance, counterbalance, and long lever power it only takes a small amount of effort to move a heavy object.

  1. “…being double-weighted is sluggish.” Wang Tsung-yueh

This one people often translate to mean that you should have all of your weight on one foot or the other.  Eh, no.  This means that you should learn to read your partner/opponent to know where they are issuing power and where they are not.  Then you do whatever they are not doing.  Where your partner is giving power, you take power, where your partner has a hole, you fill.  Do not try to give power where your partner is giving power.

  1. Distinguishing solid and empty. Yang Cheng Fu

At first this can mean feeling where you have your weight and where you don’t, and this kind of physical balance is important to learn.  But this really is referring to knowing the difference between your physical body and your chi body, and then your chi body and spirit body. Then, do the same with people and things external to you.

  1. “From true softness comes true hardness”. Yang Cheng Fu

Do not confuse being to yin with being empty.  Being to yin or to yang are equal but opposite mistakes.  Being truly soft means to be empty- it means to have equilibrium of soft and hard.  The body is soft, but the chi is powerful.  The mind is active and alive while the body is nothing.

Want to learn more?  Click here to get started!

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Check this out!

By on January 20, 2013


If you watch this video, you can really see why an education in the martial arts is one of the best things that you can do for your kids.

At the time it was filmed I was really impressed with how well Abir did.  Look at the coordination, discipline, confidence, and focus he displays here.  The thing is, he didn’t start out his education with us like this.  Nobody does.  He worked at it over time and built these qualities in himself.

You and your kids can do the same thing.  I’ve never met anybody anywhere who regretted earning a  Black Belt.

Click here to get started!

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What does the New Year bring for you?

By on January 17, 2013

Are you interested in personal improvement, but….

You’ve been to the gym and it’s good, but there must be more.  You’ve been to fitness classes of various sorts, but still, there must be more.  Maybe you’ve even tried some martial arts classes, but, once again, it still seems like there should be more….

With our Internal Martial Arts programs you can improve your body, your mind, and your spirit in ways that nothing else can. Learn how to maximize your physical power. Learn the truth about what chi is.  Learn the true power of intention.  Learn what spirit level martial arts actually are.  Learn the secrets of the martial arts that few in America can teach.  And the neat thing is that all of this can be applied to real, effective self defense, real mental clarity, and real physical fitness!

This year we will once again be focusing on the secrets of Chinese Internal Martial Arts to improve ourselves- mentally, physically, and spiritually.  I have spent 30 years training martial arts, and have made numerous trips to China, even living there for a while, to learn the highest level of martial arts being taught in the world today.  To be honest, that by itself still wouldn’t be enough.  I was fortunate to be taken in as an indoor student by several teachers, thereby learning the secrets of martial art that make them truly effective.  I will share them with you.

These teachings make a positive difference in the lives of all of our students, and they can do the same for you.

You always hear about all of the great things that martial arts can do you for you, now it’s time to give it a shot.

Click here for more information.

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Building Black Belt Leaders.

By on November 8, 2012

Here is an article about one of our Black Belt candidate students, Max Masiello.  As part of our education and as part of becoming a Black Belt at our school, our students must do some form of community service project.  Max did such a good job that he made the local news.  Of course we also do all of the kicking and punching and kunging fu, but for us being a Black Belt is about a lot more than hitting things.

Here is a link to the article about Max.

http://fairviewtowncrier.com/2012/11/a-winning-project-an-outstanding-young-man-by-lynn-stanley/

 

Click here to try a free class at our school.

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Lesson: Self Confidence

By on August 29, 2012

For this past testing cycle our students have been working on lessons regarding self confidence.  Their assignment was to list 10 things that they have done right or wrong that has helped build self confidence.

Though all of our students did this assignment, and many of them did a great job, I would have to say that my favorite was Sergio’s project.  Here it is!

 

Please click here for more information about our school!

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What is “High Level” training?

By on August 27, 2012

George XuI was just thinking about the week I spent last year at the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center in Sonoma, CA at GM George Xu’s Internal Martial Arts Training Camp.  Though we worked on Shoalin 18 Immortals Power Stretching, Chen Style Tai Chi, the Bear and Eagle Hsin Yi Form, and the Dragon Palm of Baqua, the main focus of the camp was how to distinguish between the three main levels of Body Quality that Master Xu teaches.

These three qualities are Physical (ligament, bone, muscle, and tendon), Chi (internal power), and Spiritual (empty power).  The general idea being that the style is not so relevent, but the quality of the body and mind of the practitioner is.

One of my favorite things that GM Xu said was his opening statement.  To paraphrase, he said that Kung Fu and Martial Art are different.  Kung Fu is to work on physically getting better at something. In fact, Kung Fu translates roughly as “physical specialty.” Doing pushups every day, a form every day- Kung Fu is to do something physical every day.  While this is certainly not a bad thing, and is even necessary to begin with, we aspire to Martial Art.

A person doing Martial Art can change and create as the situation warrents using the physical body, chi body, and spirit body (mind and empty power).  A Martial Artist is not locked in to one way of doing things, he or she is free to create in the moment.

Learning a form and how to punch and kick is not enough, one must learn more.

Click here to learn more.

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Time to gear up for summer: Shameless Summer Program Plug!

By on April 24, 2012

When school lets out the Summer of Kung fu Awesome begins!

Our class schedule will not change, but we will add in the following events into our regular schedule!

  • Free Ice Cream Days!
  • Ninja Madness! (we’re going to make throwing stars and learn the secrets of how to make your own ninja mask)
  • Kung Fu Panda Day!
  • Lotus Pole of Doom Day!
  • Grill Skillz Day!
  • Popcorn and Kung Fu Movie Night!
  • Build a Lightsaber Day!
  • And much much more!

We’ll also have an end of summer party for everybody who makes all 16 classes during the months of June and July.

And finally we’ll have a Traveling White Oak Shirt Contest with two categories: 1) a picture of you wearing one of our shirts in the farthest away place, and 2) the funniest/coolest thing that you are doing in one of our shirts while on vacation somewhere.

Thanks! It’s going to be a great summer!

For more information check out our Summer Program Page!

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Black Belt Leaders can ninja on bad guys, but there’s much more….

By on April 10, 2012

Our students learn all about dealing with bullies, effective ways to say no to negative influences, and of course how to defend themselves against violence.  However, they also learn how to be contributing members of society, how to be leaders in whatever way is appropriate for them. Here’s what a couple of our Black Belt students did for one of their Lessons in Mastery. Yes, at our school education continues well after you earn your first Black Belt!

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THE SUMARY FOR:

The Charter for Compassion

Compassion means:

Treating people the way you wish to be treated.  “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  Giving anyone complete justice, respect, and treating them equally as we would care for our family.  Wherever you are, you should always act kindly, avoiding being disrespectful in all ways, and not speaking badly of anyone, including the people we don’t like.  Never miss a chance to be kind and respectful.  Services are a good thing that leads up to compassion.  You do things you want to do, for instance, you go to the store with your parent because you want to, not because you feel you have to.  Helping elders, holding the door for someone, being kind; everything adds up.

We need to eliminate selfishness and bring back compassion and respect.  Selfishness is terrible, because it breaks respect, creates hatred and anger, etc.      Compassion helps a lot of things, and is crucial for human bonds.  It lays out the path to glory and successfulness, and is the ultimate creation of justice.

That is what COMPASSION means.

For more information about our school click here! 

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The Free Focus Book

By on March 19, 2012

Here is a book that is some of the required reading for our Black Belt program. It is completely free and has some great ideas in it, so I thought I’d post it as I think you’ll enjoy reading it.

The ability to focus is the key to accomplishing whatever it is that you set your mind to doing- for work or play.  Having seen the positive results hundreds of times, I can honestly tell you that an education in the martial arts builds focus incredibly well.

So, here is the book. Enjoy!  Free Focus Book.

If you would like some more information about our school click here!

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