Dear Friends,
亲爱的朋友们，
We have several events I’d like to get on your radar, including performances, competitions, and shows. And as always, from seminars, to competitions, demo’s and other activities, you won’t want to miss out on the action at CMAA!
从讲座，比赛，表演以及其他精彩活动，每一项您都不容错过！
School Closings
停课安排
Sash Test Recap
武术晋级考试回顾
Tai Chi as a Martial Art
太极拳推手和散手训练方法
CMAA on Instagram
关注中华武院Instagram
Festival of Nations Recap
万国节
Life Lessons Competitive Wushu Teaches
武术比赛带来的人生经验
Holiday Dinner Party
节日聚会晚餐
New Fashion- CMAA's New Look!
中华武术院时髦院衫：武院新形象
Volunteer Opportunity!
志愿者招募
Best-
祝好-
Shifu
师傅
SCHOOL CLOSINGS
We are OPEN on Veteran’s Day (Monday, 12th).
We are CLOSED Thursday (22nd) and Friday (23rd) for Thanksgiving. Classes will be held as regularly schedule on Saturday (24th).
Follow CMAA on Instagram!
Kungfu Sash Test Recap
Sash Tests are an opportunity for our students to demonstrate the results of all their hard work. They are also an opportunity for me to reflect on my coaching and program to determine what I've done well and what I can improve upon.
I saw a lot of good today. I saw new aerials and walk overs, I saw students hustling to double sash test, I saw forms performed better today than ever in practice and I saw students helping each other to prepare and others coming in not to test, but simply support and encourage their teammates. I also saw areas that we can improve in. From my general expectations to specifically how I call in order keep students synchronized and how I communicate the importance of being punctual and being in full uniform.
Overall, I am very proud of this group and feeling motivated to refocus and make greater efforts to helping our team achieve greater success! This is Kungfu, this is our community, this is CMAA Family!
Tai Chi as a Martial Art
Understanding Tai Chi as a martial art can be challenging. The slow movements with names like “Fair Maiden Works the Shuttle” and “Part Wild Horses Mane” leave their martial application open to interpretation. Of course, presenting a principle and variety of applications during class can be helpful, but there are several other traditional practices that can be of assistance as well.
In addition to the two person Push Hands practice, there are also paired, two person Tai Chi routines. Here’s an example of such a routine. Isn’t it beautiful?
We will officially begin practicing this form as part of our Push Hands club which meets formally from 8:30-9 before Tai Chi class on Saturday. You don’t need a partner, just come on in and we’ll find you one! Members usually meet at other times during the week for additional Push Hands and 2 Person (Taiji San Shou Dui Lian) practice. Ask Shifu Lucas or Shawn for information.
CMAA Water Bottles
Please help CMAA go green! Throwing out hundreds of paper cups a week we have decided to ask students to bring their own water to class. New CMAA water bottles will be available to purchase for $5, though any water bottle is OK of course! Regular bottles of water can always be purchased during class for a dollar. Thank you!
Festival of Nations!
Very proud our team’s performance at the 2018 Festival of Nations! Our team brought the energy and rocked the stage and even got their photo in the Times Union . I love that they can share an exciting element of Chinese culture and represent the diversity of our local community . I’m excited to start working on making our demo even better for our Chinese New Year performances!
Check out some of the highlights of their performance this year:
3 Life Lessons Competitive Wushu Teaches: By Matthew Lee
Excerpt: “So, in order to deal with these insecurities, I will lay out a set of three life lessons that modern competitive Wushu has, and will continue, to teach you throughout your life. But these are not the corny, positive, “this-something-that-so-and-so-activity-has-taught-me-about-life” lessons that generic news reports exposition. These are real. These are things you will take away from your experience, and will indeed apply to your life in the real world. And before, during, and after competition, maybe you will find some kind of psychological resolution to hold you over, at least until the next big one.”
Read more here: http://jiayoowushu.com/3-life-lessons/?fbclid=IwAR2i08QM0waqMB6UN5TmVLA2-3Qu6QHfVlfUQpSBdTM6_4N4y0620d_7T_Q
Why compete? Here are just some of the reasons from my perspective:
Competition. We learn important lessons when we compete and martial arts offer all types of competitions for those who seek to benefit from competition experience. From small tournaments to national and international tournaments, individuals can choose to compete in either individual forms or various types of sparring. From goal setting to developing the confidence to perform in front of a large group, it doesn’t matter which events they choose, the benefits remain numerous. From learning to deal with loss and disappointment, to winning gold, qualifying for a national team spot or competing internationally, important life lessons will be learned. Additionally, achievements can also be listed on student’s CV’s.
CMAA’s Newest Black Belts
Watch these and understand what it means to earn your black belt at CMAA. Cool kicks and a dedicated spirit are only part of what you attain during the journey. Throw in family, friends, cultural appreciation and a sense of personal achievement and you're starting to get the idea.
Check out some of the newest members of CMAA’s Black Belt Hall of Fame!
https://www.martialartsalbany.com/cmaa-news/cmaa-black-belt-hall-of-fame
Holiday Dinner Party
CMAA Holiday Dinner Party With all the holidays and family get togethers this time of year, we would like to organize a time for the CMAA family to be together outside the school. Please join us for a holiday dinner celebration!
Date: Sunday, Dec. 9th! Time: 4:30pm-6pm Location: Pebbles Asian Fusion, 1186 Troy Schenectady Rd, Latham, NY 12110. Please reserve your spot ASAP as space is limited! The cost is $15/kids (12 and under) and $20/Adults. Please pay in advance by check or cash at the school as we have reserved the restaurant for our group. Deadline: Please register ASAP as the party size is limited and we expect to reach capacity!
Kungfu Uniform
It’s taken a little longer than anticipated, but we chose to make one alteration on the uniform to make them more functional and better looking! They are currently in production.
CMAA will be upgrading our fashion! If clothes make the man, then a uniform this stylish will definitely help you achieve martial arts mastery. As we continue to work with our partners in China, we are looking to receive our uniforms in October. These uniforms can be worn to practice, demo's, performances, and competitions! The projected cost is $36. Please note, tops will be required for Kungfu students to Sash Test and while not required for Tai Chi students, for those of you who expressed interested you are more than welcome to don this stylish ensemble as well.
New school T-shirts are available as well!
Volunteer Opportunity!
Discover the joy of working with children and sharing with them your passion for martial arts! We are looking for Kungfu students who are interested in a wonderful volunteer opportunity.
For 7 years now, Shifu has been teaching at The Chinese Community Center's Chinese School on Sunday's from 2:50-3:40. The school is a non-profit organization which teaches and promotes Chinese language and culture in the capital district.
As a volunteer you will work alongside Shifu and other CMAA classmates to make sure each student in our Kungfu class is safe, having fun, and learning real martial arts!
Reasons to volunteer:
1. Share what you love!
2.Colleges and employers value those who take the time to give back to their community.
3. Help a new generation of children discover a love for martial arts.
4. Help a generation of Chinese Americans discover a wonderful part of their traditional culture.
Our class runs the length of the school year and held on Sunday from 2:50-3:30. Classes are usually cancelled when there is a holiday on Friday or Monday.
If you are interested please contact Shifu via fbook messenger, email (albanycmaa@gmail.com) or phone (518)755-7512 (call/message)!
SUMMARY
As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!
Best,
Shifu
